chirson's review against another edition
5.0
New review (2023):
I mean, I stand by my complaints about Bothari, but loved this book lots more on re-read. I no longer begrudge Bujold her love of a secondary romance (even if it would be improved 90% by no Bothari in the background). I no longer care about Cordelia's daring rescue mission being too over-the-top - it's supposed to be, and it works, and the pacing feels much better when I knew what was going to happen. I am still meh about the way Cordelia & Aral's relationship trouble gets solved too quickly / off-page, but I appreciate the focus on disability, on lasting effects of war and violence, and just seeing more Cordelia.
Original review:
Alas, I don't think this volume (for me) stacks up to the first one. Sure, the worldbuilding is much richer this time round, the world of Barrayar having gained a lot of detail in the meantime: details like different gender roles across societies, the complex history of Barrayar, backstories of various characters. And a lot of it works, and is well integrated, without feeling too info-dump-y. And the protagonists are as delightful as ever (and albeit I could have done with more Aral, his relative absence is understandable). I really liked the way in which Cordelia's and Aral's motivations are developed with regard to Miles, and how themes of parenthood are explored - and since this novel is in many ways a prequel, I do think it works well as backstory for Miles, making him all the more interesting. Finally, one of my complaints about the previous volume (which I didn't mention in the review) was that Cordelia didn't get to interact with women much (other than in the last part of the novel) - that is definitely addressed this time around.
But the entire main plot pales in comparison to the well-paced, well-developed, mostly believable storyline of Shards of Honour.
In addition, I kind of wish Bothari would disappear never to grace the pages of the other books.
I also didn't really enjoy the secondary storyline about "Kou and Drou" because it felt pasted on, a little.
But still, this book is nothing if not immensely readable, and so next on: young Miles.
I mean, I stand by my complaints about Bothari, but loved this book lots more on re-read. I no longer begrudge Bujold her love of a secondary romance (even if it would be improved 90% by no Bothari in the background). I no longer care about Cordelia's daring rescue mission being too over-the-top - it's supposed to be, and it works, and the pacing feels much better when I knew what was going to happen. I am still meh about the way Cordelia & Aral's relationship trouble gets solved too quickly / off-page, but I appreciate the focus on disability, on lasting effects of war and violence, and just seeing more Cordelia.
Original review:
Alas, I don't think this volume (for me) stacks up to the first one. Sure, the worldbuilding is much richer this time round, the world of Barrayar having gained a lot of detail in the meantime: details like different gender roles across societies, the complex history of Barrayar, backstories of various characters. And a lot of it works, and is well integrated, without feeling too info-dump-y. And the protagonists are as delightful as ever (and albeit I could have done with more Aral, his relative absence is understandable). I really liked the way in which Cordelia's and Aral's motivations are developed with regard to Miles, and how themes of parenthood are explored - and since this novel is in many ways a prequel, I do think it works well as backstory for Miles, making him all the more interesting. Finally, one of my complaints about the previous volume (which I didn't mention in the review) was that Cordelia didn't get to interact with women much (other than in the last part of the novel) - that is definitely addressed this time around.
But the entire main plot pales in comparison to the well-paced, well-developed, mostly believable storyline of Shards of Honour.
Spoiler
Cordelia replicates her foolhardy mission from volume 1, but where in Shards her actions made sense because the reward exceeded the risk for others and not only for her, here the entire climax is a series of scenes that demand tremendous suspension of disbelief, in addition to making little sense from a strategic point of view. I felt like it was only happening so she could be the proactive action heroine rather than because they made sense.In addition, I kind of wish Bothari would disappear never to grace the pages of the other books.
Spoiler
I get it. His being a rapist is partly because he was himself a victim of childhood sexual abuse and partly the result of him being used by his superiors. And so Bujold wants to pursue the theme of redemption, and culpability. But I feel like she doesn't quite succeed, that he would be allowed to raise the child his rape produced is not right, and reading about him is just profoundly unpleasant.I also didn't really enjoy the secondary storyline about "Kou and Drou" because it felt pasted on, a little.
But still, this book is nothing if not immensely readable, and so next on: young Miles.
mebius's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It was fantastic book, funny and dark and emotional in ideal proportions. But then we got palace chapter and only because of it I lowering my rating to 4 stars.
I reading this series in chronological order and as I understand author needed to kill Kareen since in previously published books she probably mentioned as dead. But it wasn't the way to do so. Basically Cordelia completely at fault in her death (first not capturing usurper when she had the chance, then pushing Kareen to the end), but in the remaining chapters we don't see any remorse.
Spoiler
So, our heroes successfully infiltrated palace controlled by enemy leader. Got into his bedroom, where he was sleeping at that moment and what do they do? They simple leaving him to go long way around to their goal. Why didn't they captured him at that moment having upper hand and having him as a hostage simply get what they want? It's baffling, considering that before that Cordelia was very logical person.I reading this series in chronological order and as I understand author needed to kill Kareen since in previously published books she probably mentioned as dead. But it wasn't the way to do so. Basically Cordelia completely at fault in her death (first not capturing usurper when she had the chance, then pushing Kareen to the end), but in the remaining chapters we don't see any remorse.
yak_attak's review against another edition
4.5
Any skepticism I had after the somewhat piecemeal Shards of Honor is gone, with Barrayar, Bujold is back (granted, this is skipping ahead 6 books chronologically) in charge of her craft, giving us a powerful action adventure on the strange and fascinating titular world of Barrayar, and through the lens of a particularly interesting character - the pregnant wife of the military regent.
Deception, betrayal, coup, hostile takeover, don't be concerned there's action and intrigue aplenty here, but as usual, Bujold actually pushes us somewhat away from the physical conflict, but right onto the complexity of her characters - and she's populated the book with a wide array of great ones. Though the cast is primarily centered around a very privilieged, upper class position, Bujold does a lot of good work questioning and complicating the noble titles, essentially assembling a team by the end of the underdogs - themes of womanhood, motherhood, mental and physical disability, and more abound - but all served within a cracking war story, with as many twists and memorable scenes (oh man, the finale) as you'd hope.
If there's one thing I've come to notice is that I find that her writing is not too concerned with scene detail. This may be the one thing I wish I got a little more of and why I haven't yet given her a perfect 5? It's hard to "see" much interesting in any given scene. And as such, it does come across as a little odd having this epic space opera take place on what's very hard to imagine as not just a fairly basic earth. Cars, Helicopters, Incubators... I don't think it's a concern really, but be warned if this is the first one you're picking up, grand space opera is not remotely the vibe here... more like... Latin American Military Coup. There are space names for their weapons and that's about it. Some minor nitpicks, but don't be concerned, this is a heck of a good book.
So now I return to published book #2, hoping there isn't too drastic a drop in quality - even if so, I'll be back to this era quite quickly, and I have great hopes for Bujold's iconic series.
Deception, betrayal, coup, hostile takeover, don't be concerned there's action and intrigue aplenty here, but as usual, Bujold actually pushes us somewhat away from the physical conflict, but right onto the complexity of her characters - and she's populated the book with a wide array of great ones. Though the cast is primarily centered around a very privilieged, upper class position, Bujold does a lot of good work questioning and complicating the noble titles, essentially assembling a team by the end of the underdogs - themes of womanhood, motherhood, mental and physical disability, and more abound - but all served within a cracking war story, with as many twists and memorable scenes (oh man, the finale) as you'd hope.
If there's one thing I've come to notice is that I find that her writing is not too concerned with scene detail. This may be the one thing I wish I got a little more of and why I haven't yet given her a perfect 5? It's hard to "see" much interesting in any given scene. And as such, it does come across as a little odd having this epic space opera take place on what's very hard to imagine as not just a fairly basic earth. Cars, Helicopters, Incubators... I don't think it's a concern really, but be warned if this is the first one you're picking up, grand space opera is not remotely the vibe here... more like... Latin American Military Coup. There are space names for their weapons and that's about it. Some minor nitpicks, but don't be concerned, this is a heck of a good book.
So now I return to published book #2, hoping there isn't too drastic a drop in quality - even if so, I'll be back to this era quite quickly, and I have great hopes for Bujold's iconic series.
cedardleland's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
saoki's review against another edition
4.0
I really recommend reading this book right after Shards of Honor. I didn't, and regretted.
There's not much to say besides: Cordelia is the best.
There's not much to say besides: Cordelia is the best.
indigooryx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nakedsushi's review against another edition
3.0
Someone said that this book was a lot better than Shards of Honor. I thought it was much worse. The first half of the book was pure political drama setting up for the action-packed last quarter of the book. Unfortunately, because of the way the author chose to name all of the lords and lordlings, things get very confusing.
My main beef with Barrayar was personality changes that both Vorkosigan and Cordelia went through. Cordelia in the first book was a strong-willed, clever woman who wasn't hung up on gender roles. Cordelia in this book was a whiney, stubborn woman who's only goal was to first have a son, and then later, to save this unborn son, even at the cost of her close friends, lots of death, and extended political turmoil.
Vorkosigan in this book turned into some no-direction, one-dimensional character that seemed to be hiding in the late emperor's shadow. Maybe that's what the author was trying to convey, but I rather liked him in Shards of Honor, and was just annoyed with him in this book.
To make up for my dislike of the two main characters, I found myself gravitating to the supporting cast this time. Koudelka and Drou's attempt at flirting was entertaining and I was relieved when they finally found a way to resolve their relationship.
I'm still torn about the Bothari character. The author takes great pains to point that he's mentally unstable. Funny how he always manages to find his stability to save the day in any situation that requires brawn. In fact, it's annoying how Cordelia *always* succeeds. There's just no tension at all because she always gets what she wants.
Perhaps I'm cold and I have no mothering instinct at all, but I was annoyed at Cordelia's reaction to the whole baby situation. She was willing to cause more political strife to try and save one unborn life. It seemed incredibly selfish to me, and I was hoping Cordelia was beyond that. Because of my annoyance of the central plot, I was disengaged from the entire book. Not sure if I want to read the rest now. I guess I should at least give the actual Miles books a try.
My main beef with Barrayar was personality changes that both Vorkosigan and Cordelia went through. Cordelia in the first book was a strong-willed, clever woman who wasn't hung up on gender roles. Cordelia in this book was a whiney, stubborn woman who's only goal was to first have a son, and then later, to save this unborn son, even at the cost of her close friends, lots of death, and extended political turmoil.
Vorkosigan in this book turned into some no-direction, one-dimensional character that seemed to be hiding in the late emperor's shadow. Maybe that's what the author was trying to convey, but I rather liked him in Shards of Honor, and was just annoyed with him in this book.
To make up for my dislike of the two main characters, I found myself gravitating to the supporting cast this time. Koudelka and Drou's attempt at flirting was entertaining and I was relieved when they finally found a way to resolve their relationship.
I'm still torn about the Bothari character. The author takes great pains to point that he's mentally unstable. Funny how he always manages to find his stability to save the day in any situation that requires brawn. In fact, it's annoying how Cordelia *always* succeeds. There's just no tension at all because she always gets what she wants.
Perhaps I'm cold and I have no mothering instinct at all, but I was annoyed at Cordelia's reaction to the whole baby situation. She was willing to cause more political strife to try and save one unborn life. It seemed incredibly selfish to me, and I was hoping Cordelia was beyond that. Because of my annoyance of the central plot, I was disengaged from the entire book. Not sure if I want to read the rest now. I guess I should at least give the actual Miles books a try.
charlibirb's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, but a bit shallow. Am enjoying enough to keep reading.
disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book after Shards of Honor, following the author's recommended chronological reading order. It was very good. Cordelia reminds me a bit of Weber's Honor Harrington, and if you enjoyed that series I suspect you'd enjoy this book just as well.