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vemana's review against another edition
3.0
Yet another Miles Vorkosigan story. Something I have been itching to read. This is the last one (yet) and I can see why Lois McMaster Bujold doesnt write anymore (already or ever). This character has reached its potential and despite being one of my all time favorites, there is not much to wring out of him unless the events at very end change him and we see a very new Miles emerge.
McMaster Bujold uses Armsman Roic and a 11 year old kid Jin as majority narrators once the opening salvo with Miles is done. Good move considering the above said. However Roic's pov gets a little repetitive and while it was fun in the novellette of Winterfair Gifts, it is not very enticing for a longer story. The guard from Hassadar hasnt been given a rich inner life and it shows. Jin, and his narration is delightful.
The rest of the story is an usual Miles planetside caper. Bridges building themselves into place as the plot unfolds and so on. Fun read undoubtedly. Far from classic however.
McMaster Bujold uses Armsman Roic and a 11 year old kid Jin as majority narrators once the opening salvo with Miles is done. Good move considering the above said. However Roic's pov gets a little repetitive and while it was fun in the novellette of Winterfair Gifts, it is not very enticing for a longer story. The guard from Hassadar hasnt been given a rich inner life and it shows. Jin, and his narration is delightful.
The rest of the story is an usual Miles planetside caper. Bridges building themselves into place as the plot unfolds and so on. Fun read undoubtedly. Far from classic however.
roostercrows3's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
gasket's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
eve_prime's review against another edition
4.5
If you've read it before, Cryoburn can be hard to read again because of the ending (which is otherwise unrelated to the book's plot). I read it anyway. Miles has been assigned to investigate something suspicious on a planet where much of the economy revolves around cryogenic freezing of people who have just died or are about to die, with of course the intention of reviving them later. At the beginning of the book, he's disoriented and on his own, deep within the cryochambers, emerging to be rescued by a boy, Jin Sato, who collects interesting animals. Meanwhile, Mile's armsman, Roic, and colleague, Raven Durona, have been kidnapped by reasonably non-violent radicals. They all need to reconnect and figure out what's going on. It's a fine and interesting story, but that ending is still a gut-punch.
karinlib's review against another edition
5.0
Bujold continues to write these wonderful stories that are so difficult to put down.
themanfromdelmonte's review against another edition
3.0
Very much Miles by the numbers. I think the author must be bored with him by now. In the brief scenes between the diplomat Vorlynkin and the children’s mother, there’s a spark that’s missing elsewhere. It’s a shame because Miles at his best (Memory, Komarr, Mirror Dance, Cetaganda, A Civil Campaign) is unputdownable.
ianmitchell's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a while since the last Miles Vorkosigan book (in fact I believe Bujold had indicated a few years ago she felt she was done with them), but at long last he's back. If you aren't familiar with the series, this probably isn't the place to start; I'd recommend the Warrior's Apprentice (or Cordelia's Honor, which is about his mother and pre-dates the series).
It's an older Miles in this book; there are still hints of his manic personality and recklessness, but tempered by experience and responsibility now. Very little of the action-adventure style from earlier books - though there is still some action - but instead more of a focus on Miles gathering information and solving problems. Overall I think this book is better than the last couple in the series, but doesn't quite reach the heights of the early books. The ending hints that there is more to come. Worth reading for fans of the series.
It's an older Miles in this book; there are still hints of his manic personality and recklessness, but tempered by experience and responsibility now. Very little of the action-adventure style from earlier books - though there is still some action - but instead more of a focus on Miles gathering information and solving problems. Overall I think this book is better than the last couple in the series, but doesn't quite reach the heights of the early books. The ending hints that there is more to come. Worth reading for fans of the series.
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
4.0
As Vorkosigan books go, this one is just okay. Really, it feels like more of a setup book than a novel in its own right. It seems like every few pages, we get an update on some character from elsewhere in the series, who doesn't actually show up, but who Bujold just wants to check in on. In some cases, it's fine. But after a while, it gets monotonous.
The plot itself is intriguing, at least, though the story doesn't feel quite so raucous as Miles's other adventures. He is sent to investigate a cryogenic freezing corporation on a planet where pretty much everyone is frozen before they die. And, not being legally dead, all of their assets and their political power is held in trust by the cryo-corps. It's a world where the dead outnumber the living and, even worse, the dead pretty much become living corporate entities, putting the American system to shame, in regards to level of corruption.
Of course, nothing goes easy, and the book begins with Miles wandering about with gaps in his memory and only his auditor's seal and his words to protect him. And, being Miles, that is more than enough.
It's really the ending of this book that saved it from a 3-star review, for me. The very ending. Because, in a book all about people frozen in time, interspersed with all these updates on the changing people in Miles's life. Bujold saves the biggest reveals for last.
The plot itself is intriguing, at least, though the story doesn't feel quite so raucous as Miles's other adventures. He is sent to investigate a cryogenic freezing corporation on a planet where pretty much everyone is frozen before they die. And, not being legally dead, all of their assets and their political power is held in trust by the cryo-corps. It's a world where the dead outnumber the living and, even worse, the dead pretty much become living corporate entities, putting the American system to shame, in regards to level of corruption.
Of course, nothing goes easy, and the book begins with Miles wandering about with gaps in his memory and only his auditor's seal and his words to protect him. And, being Miles, that is more than enough.
It's really the ending of this book that saved it from a 3-star review, for me. The very ending. Because, in a book all about people frozen in time, interspersed with all these updates on the changing people in Miles's life. Bujold saves the biggest reveals for last.
mebius's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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? No
4.0