Captain Vorpatril's Alliance
Ratings37
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings37
Average rating4.1
"Book Fourteen in the best-selling Vorkosigan series. Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life of a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere, leaving Ivan to enjoy his life on Komarr, far from the Byzantine court politics of his home system. But when an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman who may be on the hit list of a criminal syndicate, Ivan's chivalrous nature takes over. It seems danger and adventure have once more found Captain Vorpatril. Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on free-for-all planet Jackson's Whole. Now it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret of which even she may not be aware. It's a secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barayarran family and provide the final advantage for the thugs who seek to overthrow Tej's homeworld. But none of Tej's formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. For behind Ivan's faÇade of wry and self-effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch-up to and including making the ultimate sacrifice to keep her from harm: the treasured and hard-won freedom from his own fate as a scion of Barrayar. About Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga: "Fans have been clamoring for Hugo winner Bujold to pen a new Vorkosigan Saga novel. her deft and absorbing writing easily corrals the complex plot."--Publishers Weekly on Cryoburn "Bujold mixes quirky humor with action [and] superb character development...[E]normously satisfying."--Publishers Weekly. "One of sf's outstanding talents. an outstanding series."--Booklist ". an intelligent, well-crafted and thoroughly satisfying blend of adventure, sociopolitical commentary, scientific experiments, and occasional perils. with that extra spicing of romance."--Locus About Vorkosigan series entry Diplomatic Immunity: "Bujold is adept at world-building and provides a witty, character-centered plot, full of exquisite grace notes. fans will be thoroughly gripped and likely to finish the book in a single sitting."--Publishers Weekly"--
"Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life of a staff officer to a Barrayaran Admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere leaving Ivan to enjoy like on Komarr. But when and old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman Tej Arqua his chivalrous nature takes over and danger finds him once again. Tej and her half-sister Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan but it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barrayarn family. But none of Tej's formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. Behind his facade of wry and self effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch"--
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This is probably my favorite of this year's Hugo Award nominees, and definitely my pick for this year.
Pretty good, typical Bujold. Nice to get a better look at Jackson's Whole culture.
In this series, a lot of loose ends were tied off neatly in [b:A Civil Campaign 12779339 A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga, #12) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446998868l/12779339.SY75.jpg 1093445]; apart from Captain Lord Ivan Xav Vorpatril, if you regard a 34-year-old bachelor as a loose end. Bujold apparently does, and decided to devote this book to him.Ivan is tall, handsome, and healthy, and it makes a change in this series to have a protagonist with no medical problems. He seems somewhat lacking in drive and ambition, but he's a decent fellow, intelligent and hard-working, and I find myself wondering why his girlfriends never seem to last long.In this story he encounters two young women on the run, and his attempt to protect them lets him in for complications, discomfort, and some degree of danger. However, overall this is a good-natured and amiable book, which I suppose could be called a romantic comedy science-fiction thriller. It has a number of amusing scenes and rereads well.Considering that they're the central characters of this novel, Ivan and Tej are both relatively uninteresting compared with the other characters. Despite coming from families that are both abnormal, in their different ways, they've somehow turned into nice, almost-normal adults who are pleasant but not fascinating to meet. Although it's of some interest how they react to the abnormal events of the story, and to each other in that context.The first half of this story is delightfully amusing and entertaining, after which we have to plod through a relatively dreary phase, before it livens up again for the finale. In case you wonder what happened to Ivan and Tej after the excitement was over, we then get a rather odd little epilogue answering that question.
I quite enjoyed Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, the 15th book in Bujold's long running Vorkosigan saga. Can you successfully mix humor, intrigue, and romance in a science-fiction tale? Well you can if your name is Lois McMaster Bujold.
The main characters are happily unmarried Captain Ivan Vorpatril and a refugee from Jackson's Whole called Tej. The story begins with Ivan temporarily on Komarr, assigned as aide-de-camp to Admiral Desplaines. His plans are interrupted when Imperial Security agent Byerly Vorrutyer shows up at his flat late one night and asks him to help out with Byerly's current investigation. Ivan has misgivings, but reluctantly agrees to help. Byerly stresses that all he needs to do is get find out what he can about an attractive young woman who might be in danger. (Obviously he knows Ivan's hot buttons.)
From that point, nothing goes as Ivan expected. He soon finds himself sheltering two young women on the run, dodging kidnappers, and caught up in the intersecting machinations of Jackson's Whole plotters and ImpSec. His life will be forever changed.
Good book.
Series
16 primary books23 released booksVorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) is a 23-book series with 17 primary works first released in 1986 with contributions by Lois McMaster Bujold and Bujold.
Series
16 primary books23 released booksVorkosigan Saga (Chronological) is a 23-book series with 17 primary works first released in 1986 with contributions by Lois McMaster Bujold and Bujold.
