Scan barcode
A review by kbhenrickson
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This one has quite a different tone and pace than the rest of the series. In some ways, it feels like a strange place to end the series, and in others, it feels just right.
Things I liked: It was great to have another Cordelia-focused book because I love her character so much. This also gave it a “completing the circle” feeling, since I stared the series with Shards of Honor, which is told from her point of view and even takes place partly on the same planet. I liked that we check in with Miles, Mark, and families to see where they are now in the more settled periods of their lives. I didn’t mind the quietness of the story, and I enjoyed most of the day to day details of Jole’s and Cordelia’s lives.
Things that didn’t work as well for me: I am fine with a slow story generally, but this one was very slow, especially in the first third, to the point where I found my attention drifting sometimes. It does pick up, though. Also, I liked Jole as a character, but I had a hard time believing in the romance - maybe because, despite the back filling in this story, he wasn’t really present in the other books in the series (that I recall, at least).
Unrelated to the actual story, it was a little weird for me to read a book with a character (albeit minor) who has my first name - especially so since I listened to the audiobook, and this is the first time this has happened to me.
If this is all there is of the Vorkosigan books (which it seems likely), I am okay with this quiet ending. Though I still have one more to read in the series - Falling Free - which I left for last, since it takes place in the same world but doesn’t have any Vorkosigans in it.
Things I liked: It was great to have another Cordelia-focused book because I love her character so much. This also gave it a “completing the circle” feeling, since I stared the series with Shards of Honor, which is told from her point of view and even takes place partly on the same planet. I liked that we check in with Miles, Mark, and families to see where they are now in the more settled periods of their lives. I didn’t mind the quietness of the story, and I enjoyed most of the day to day details of Jole’s and Cordelia’s lives.
Things that didn’t work as well for me: I am fine with a slow story generally, but this one was very slow, especially in the first third, to the point where I found my attention drifting sometimes. It does pick up, though. Also, I liked Jole as a character, but I had a hard time believing in the romance - maybe because, despite the back filling in this story, he wasn’t really present in the other books in the series (that I recall, at least).
Unrelated to the actual story, it was a little weird for me to read a book with a character (albeit minor) who has my first name - especially so since I listened to the audiobook, and this is the first time this has happened to me.
If this is all there is of the Vorkosigan books (which it seems likely), I am okay with this quiet ending. Though I still have one more to read in the series - Falling Free - which I left for last, since it takes place in the same world but doesn’t have any Vorkosigans in it.