megatza's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Athos is a planet where there are no women. Reproduction comes from genetic material, which is unfortunately starting to fail... Ethan of Athos is a fascinating psychological portrait of a civilization of only men - seeing Ethan interact with *women* for the first time in his life was really intriguing. And the quest to recover damaged ovaries for the sake of his home planet is a plot line I never thought I'd read, and yet in 1986, LMB made it happen.
ebrynne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
saoki's review against another edition
3.0
If you read the description to this book and quietly wonder if gender-swapped Captain Kirk is in here somewhere, you're not alone, because this is the book In Which Bujold Decides to Have Fun With Old SF Tropes, and the one in which I finally understood Elli Quinn is kinda of a Kirk-as-a-woman character (may the gods have mercy on the Dendarii fleet, by the way). The results are interesting, and it would be a mistake to call this book anything but good, yet, the very tropes which were subverted, inverted and generally messed with to make up the plot also make the story a bit predictable. Fun, though, and well written, which is better than a lot of books out there.
disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
4.0
I was enjoying the stories featuring Miles a lot more than I had expected and so was... not overly enthused about a new protagonist at this point. But this was a fun little side trip in the Vorkosigan Saga. Ethan was surprisingly relatable, and his unique circumstances led to a little more humor here than has been typical in the series so far. I hope some of the plot points come back around in later books.
nermutbundaloy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
anneb42's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could see reader response/reviews of this from the 80s.
aprica's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The worldbuilding in this novel (the new stuff at least) leads to a lot of things I feel very ...complicated about. This novel does not do any work to... Simplify the feelings of the reader. I respect that choice of the author. The big swings the author made, were pretty wild in the greater context, but I feel like we're not engaging with the ramifications of what the author is introducing enough (I felt that way for Cetaganda and this book at least). I don't think that counts against it, but does make me wonder how the events in this book may ripple into other stories in this setting. Maybe I'll get to see those ramifications later. I'll certainly read more.
Content Warnings
Minor: Incest, Torture, Fatphobia, and Miscarriage
awishman's review against another edition
4.0
This was so fun. Contrasting cultures in a humorous way is something no one does like LMB