The Vor Game
Ratings49
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings49
Average rating3.9
NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR. NEW EDITION OF THE BOOK THAT WON LOIS MCMASTER BUJOLD HER FIRST HUGO AWARD. Sequel to The Warrior's Apprentice. THE PRINCE AND THE MERCENARY Miles Vorkosigan has shaken the High Command of his home planet Barrayar to the core and has been sent to the other side of the galaxy as a result. There Miles runs into his old pals, the Dendarii Free Mercenaries. And a good thing, too, because it turns out that Miles's childhood chum—Emperor Gregor to you and me—has been the victim of foul play, and only Miles can save him. In fact, Miles knows he must save Gregor. Because if he doesn't, then the only person who could become emperor is Miles himself, which is, for Miles, a fate worse than death! About Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga: “The pace is breathless, the characterization thoughtful and emotionally powerful, and the author's narrative technique and command of language compelling. Highly recommended.”—Booklist “[The Warrior's Apprentice] would work just fine. . . as the introduction to the series as a whole. I suspect that anybody who reads one will be as charmed as I was and want to pick up the rest.”—SF Site “If you love solid space opera rooted in strong character, you can't go wrong. . . . The Warrior's Apprentice already displays the craft and the heart which would soon make Lois McMaster Bujold one of the most feted talents in SF.”—SF Reviews 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 The Vorkosigan Series in Story-based Chronological Order Falling Free Shards of Honor Barrayar The Warrior's Apprentice The Vor Game Cetaganda Ethan of Athos Borders of Infinity Brothers in Arms Mirror Dance Memory Komarr A Civil Campaign Diplomatic Immunity Captain Vorpatril's Alliance CryoBurn Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen
Reviews with the most likes.
At first reading, I wondered whether to give this two or three stars. On second reading, I hesitate between three and four. I think I'll keep it at three for now, but clearly I appreciated it better this time.
Although I like Bujold as a writer, her long-running hero Miles Vorkosigan isn't one of my favourite characters. He's a stunted cripple, an aristocrat, unusually brave, and in some ways a genius—and I'm none of these things, which tends to hinder my sense of identification with him.
He had a military career, followed by a civilian career when his medical problems got in the way of the first. I prefer his civilian career, but this book is the second part of his military career.
At this stage he's 20 years old and has the official military rank of ensign (junior officer). The story shows him navigating his way with difficulty (but ultimate success) through a series of complicated, uncomfortable, and dangerous situations; although most of the people he encounters are left in a state ranging from bewildered through irritated to furious—or, in some cases, dead.
The plot is overcomplicated and riddled with coincidences: transported into strange and unfamiliar places, he keeps running into people he knows (friendly and unfriendly). Some of them may be more insane than he is, which is alarming.
If you allow all the complications to wash over you, it makes quite an exciting story.
TVG provides another romping Miles Vorkosigan adventure. It is the sixth book in publication order but the fifth novel in internal chronological order. I think the series is best enjoyed in chronological order (YMMV).
This story starts with Miles graduating from the Barrayar military academy and being assigned to a freezing arctic station as a meteorological officer. He is informed that this assignment will give him a chance to deal with his issue of not treating authority with the proper respect. That of course doesn't work out. 😯
In this book the hyper Miles's ability to get into trouble surpasses even the level in The Warrior's Apprentice. However, I think he is a more complex, thoughtful, and believable character in this story. Also, this story further develops some important secondary characters -- most especially Emperor Gregor. After a bit of a slow start the action becomes fast and furious as Miles goes from crisis to crisis.
The ending, as I have come to expect from Bujold, is quite satisfying.
I am quite enjoying the audio versions of the Vorkosigan saga. Mostly rereads but it seems I somehow missed this one back in the day.
Solid 4 stars.
Executive Summary: I think this is probably my favorite book of the series so far. After a bit of a slow start I really enjoyed the rest of it.Audiobook: Grover Gardner does another great job. He's made some of the less interesting books easier to get through. He doesn't do many voices but he seems like a great fit for Miles.Full ReviewI've always been someone who prefers to read long-running series in publication order rather than chronological or “recommended” order. For this series that has meant a bit of up and down. This is the sixth book I've read and most of the other five were in the 3-3.5 range. This was a solid 4. I definitely enjoy Miles as a character. I'm a little uncertain where this book slots in compared to some of the others I've read. It seems like it's set before [b:Brothers in Arms 296182 Brothers in Arms (Vorkosigan Saga, #5) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353351698l/296182.SY75.jpg 1808918]. I guess that would be the benefit of reading these chronologically rather than publication order. All I know is I seem to enjoy him more and more as the series goes on.From the description I had thought we were going to spend time with him during the academy. I love a good school trope. However it turns out this essentially starts with his graduation. I found the beginning a little slow but once it got going, I was hooked.I thought there was a lot of good character development. I also enjoyed the stuff with Gregor. I'm a little fuzzy on the details about Miles history with the Dendari fleet, but I feel like I haven't yet read about his first encounter with them yet.Overall this was a solid book, and since I already own [b:Barrayar 61905 Barrayar (Vorkosigan Saga, #7) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397151220l/61905.SY75.jpg 3036422], I'll probably jump into that soon. I'm a bit reluctant since that's set after [b:Shards of Honour 61903 Shards of Honour (Vorkosigan Saga, #1) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392767899l/61903.SY75.jpg 9673658] which I didn't particularly enjoy, but the consensus seems to be that it's a much better book.
Solidly enjoyable, with a killer first act (makes sense, as it was published separately as a novella). Kind of lost me with some of the twists as it went on but still a great time. Also had the best villains out of the Vorkosigan books I've read so far.
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.
