chirson's review against another edition
4.0
To me, two quotes set up this book:
"Ivan sat in the dark and contemplated his progress. It was not heartening."
and (granted, said much later, but about the backstory for all Barrayar books:)
"It's a very Barrayaran story, all waste and aggravation and futility."
They are also absolutely not true about this book, which is fun, light and mostly warm. Ivan's progress is, ultimately, heartening - and so is Tej's. And the story has some futility, aggravation and waste, but it's also about making do, building a life again, finding love, and a happy end on a beach under the palms trees. (Just don't go into the water, it will dissolve your skin and a sea monster will eat you.)
This is the Ivan novel: the one where "Ivan, you idiot!" is given more space and narration, his actions and character get a bit of a retrofit (Ivan who harrassed Elena Bothari in early Miles novels seems unlikely to have grown into the thoughtful and respectful Ivan we see; just adding age wouldn't quite suffice; he's also much nicer and less spiteful than Ivan of just a few novels ago,). This Ivan is supremely nice, fun to be around, kind and restful, and I like him a lot more than Miles. (Sorry. I'm willing to make an exception for Miles in Memory and Mountains of Mourning.)
The plot is a great romcom-meets-noir trope: Ivan tries to save a beautiful orphaned refugeeprincess Baronette from Jackson's Whole. To that end, he offers a marriage of convenience. (Let me stress this: a marriage. of. convenience. aka one of my all-time favourite tropes.) Only it turns out to be very inconvenient. Adventures, cuddling and family meetings ensue (I'm mostly here for the last two).
There are many parts of this novel that are immensely, deeply satisfying, including Ivan's heart, Tej's growing attraction to his handsome figure, the character development of Byerly, new mentions of the famous Betan Orb, and everything related to Simon and Alys, my second favourite couple of the entire Vorkosigan saga, told entirely third-hand.
And that brief moment when Ivan considers his great-great-uncle, aka Miles's grandfather Count Piotr Vorkosigan - what a relief to see him NOT through Miles's all-too-forgiving eyes.
Alas, it's not all fun romcomy goodness. My biggest complaint would be: Tej is written as much too stupid at several points in the narrative. There's "she's out of her element and doesn't know local customs" and there's that scene with Count Vorpatril where her dialogue is just - nope. This is the book where it is finally confirmed that Ivan is not actually an idiot (youthful indiscretions aside): on the contrary, he has good analytical skills, it's just that his ambition is very different from Miles (he'd like to get laid regularly and not to get murdered; I can get behind that). It's a pity the same is not true for Tej.
So... now it's time for Cryoburn. Cry-cry-cryoburn.
"Ivan sat in the dark and contemplated his progress. It was not heartening."
and (granted, said much later, but about the backstory for all Barrayar books:)
"It's a very Barrayaran story, all waste and aggravation and futility."
They are also absolutely not true about this book, which is fun, light and mostly warm. Ivan's progress is, ultimately, heartening - and so is Tej's. And the story has some futility, aggravation and waste, but it's also about making do, building a life again, finding love, and a happy end on a beach under the palms trees. (Just don't go into the water, it will dissolve your skin and a sea monster will eat you.)
This is the Ivan novel: the one where "Ivan, you idiot!" is given more space and narration, his actions and character get a bit of a retrofit (Ivan who harrassed Elena Bothari in early Miles novels seems unlikely to have grown into the thoughtful and respectful Ivan we see; just adding age wouldn't quite suffice; he's also much nicer and less spiteful than Ivan of just a few novels ago,
Spoiler
the one who sent dudes to pick up Ekaterin just to mess with MilesThe plot is a great romcom-meets-noir trope: Ivan tries to save a beautiful orphaned refugee
There are many parts of this novel that are immensely, deeply satisfying, including Ivan's heart, Tej's growing attraction to his handsome figure, the character development of Byerly, new mentions of the famous Betan Orb, and everything related to Simon and Alys, my second favourite couple of the entire Vorkosigan saga, told entirely third-hand.
Spoiler
There's something both beautiful and sad about Simon trying to be a good stepfather to Ivan, and Ivan's gradual realisation that the relationship they have goes deeper than he'd thought, how much Simon cares, and that he does, too. It's good to see Ivan feel abashed about how he hadn't noticed before. The sadness comes from realising that Simon's "Ivan, you idiot" in Memory is a strangely fatherly gesture, too - after all, this is how Ivan had been treated by his dysfunctional father figure, slightly scary Uncle Aral. [The one thing I don't like about Aral is that clearly he had been a mildly shitty/absent father figure to Ivan, except for those driving lessons.]And that brief moment when Ivan considers his great-great-uncle, aka Miles's grandfather Count Piotr Vorkosigan - what a relief to see him NOT through Miles's all-too-forgiving eyes.
Alas, it's not all fun romcomy goodness. My biggest complaint would be: Tej is written as much too stupid at several points in the narrative. There's "she's out of her element and doesn't know local customs" and there's that scene with Count Vorpatril where her dialogue is just - nope. This is the book where it is finally confirmed that Ivan is not actually an idiot (youthful indiscretions aside): on the contrary, he has good analytical skills, it's just that his ambition is very different from Miles (he'd like to get laid regularly and not to get murdered; I can get behind that). It's a pity the same is not true for Tej.
So... now it's time for Cryoburn. Cry-cry-cryoburn.
saoki's review against another edition
5.0
A whole book about getting Ivan married, and I absolutely love it. It helps that it's also written in one of my favorite genre medleys: the adventure/romance science fiction story with a humorous slant and filled with witty characters. I usually call that the "Connie Willis Style". I love it to bits. This one, specifically, has a heist in it. And a lovable old spy. My heart can't take it all.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
alicehhhd's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
brakken's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
charlibirb's review against another edition
5.0
The last good full novel with a plot in the series. Engaging, excellent characters, well written, brilliant world, I couldn't ask for a better saga.
For the next full novel, Cryoburn, be prepared for a character story with basically zero plot or major obstacles to be overcome. :( I enjoyed the whole rest of the series.
For the next full novel, Cryoburn, be prepared for a character story with basically zero plot or major obstacles to be overcome. :( I enjoyed the whole rest of the series.
disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
3.0
Starring Ivan Vorpatril, this one was a fun read but not the page-turner that most of the Miles-centric books are. This is a good book when you want something light to build onto the Vorkosigan universe.
the0bauman's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alyssaarch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nanceoir's review against another edition
4.0
This was really entertaining, and it doesn't depend on a person knowing the history of the series. I mean, before I started, I read through Wikipedia article about the series, but that was mostly to get a sense of what I'd be getting into; I certainly didn't remember any significant details about the series or its universe. But, really, besides stumbling a little on a few names -- which could happen in any book -- and feeling like there were things that would resonate or be cool or what-have-you if I knew the previous books, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything major.
This feels like a pretty good stand-alone tale, one that can be picked up and enjoyed by someone who hasn't read the series. And speaking as a non-series reader, I think I'd like to check out more sometime.
This feels like a pretty good stand-alone tale, one that can be picked up and enjoyed by someone who hasn't read the series. And speaking as a non-series reader, I think I'd like to check out more sometime.