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A review by colossal
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
5.0
Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan is at a turning point in her life. It's been three years since the death of her husband and she's ready to make some changes. One of those changes may well be with her relationship with the Admiral of the Sergyar Fleet, Oliver Jole and centering around a strange offer she makes him.
This is [b:A Civil Campaign|61899|A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga, #12)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386924032s/61899.jpg|1093445] without the comedy and most of romantic fumbling. This is a tale of older, more sensible people with a shared grief and potential for the future. We often get the perspective in SF of someone either just starting out, or quietly confident in their established abilities. It's not often we see someone retiring to take up another occupation, or following someone pondering the latter stages of their career. It works really well, particularly as an umpteenth volume in a long series.
It's still chock full of lovable and relatable characters, as we've come to expect from Bujold as well as her characteristic humor. She's always had a lot of fun playing the sexually-liberated Betan Cordelia against the traditional feudal conservative Barrayaran culture and there's plenty of that here. There's a particularly good quote that I put in my updates on the book regarding explaining the meaning of dating to her son Miles.
If this is the last time we see the Vorkosigans, I think it ends on a solid note, nostalgic in places but looking towards the future.
This is [b:A Civil Campaign|61899|A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga, #12)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386924032s/61899.jpg|1093445] without the comedy and most of romantic fumbling. This is a tale of older, more sensible people with a shared grief and potential for the future. We often get the perspective in SF of someone either just starting out, or quietly confident in their established abilities. It's not often we see someone retiring to take up another occupation, or following someone pondering the latter stages of their career. It works really well, particularly as an umpteenth volume in a long series.
It's still chock full of lovable and relatable characters, as we've come to expect from Bujold as well as her characteristic humor. She's always had a lot of fun playing the sexually-liberated Betan Cordelia against the traditional feudal conservative Barrayaran culture and there's plenty of that here. There's a particularly good quote that I put in my updates on the book regarding explaining the meaning of dating to her son Miles.
If this is the last time we see the Vorkosigans, I think it ends on a solid note, nostalgic in places but looking towards the future.