A review by sonofthunder
Cordelia's Honor, by Lois McMaster Bujold

4.0

Technically I could probably count this as two books - Shards of Honor and Barrayar, but I have the omnibus edition and both individual books are rather short and I did only read it in four days so...I think I will only count it as one. Anyways! This book was magnificent. I've always heard good things about Bujold and even tried reading one of her books back in my Aberdeen days - Cryoburn. For some reason, I struggled with that book and didn't really enjoy it? I even remember being bored by it, for some reason. Hm. Maybe it was not the best of hers to start with. Anyway - this book - Cordelia's Honor - was absolutely magnificent. I've read some reviews online stating that the first book(Shards of Honor) is not very well written and must be suffered through to get to the good stuff...I absolutely disagree as I simply loved all of it. It may be that the terse and slightly clunky prose reminds me of my classic golden age sci-fi favorites, but nonetheless, so many fantastic moments throughout. And I realize I am not explaining why I like this at all. Well, it's a grand sci-fi adventure with amazingly real characters in a fascinatingly drawn universe. Cordelia is magnificent and she is my favourite and I simply need to read more about her! And Aral Vorkosagin isn't so bad himself, a warrior, a man of integrity and a man of deep-felt love. And the story of them meeting each other on a random newly discovered planet amidst confusion and conflict and their growing admiration and then love for each other...wonderful. There are some harrowing moments in this book too - it is most certainly not for the faint of heart. But the moments of hair-raising terror were made up for by the sheer wonder of discovering a new world and new favorite characters...and the high political(and martial!) drama was beautifully portrayed. And while some books can glorify or make war seem grand and desirable(especially pulp sci-fi!), this one most certainly does not. The stupidity and ironic valour of war are highlighted...and individuals are prized. Even the low and insignificant, the feeble and disabled...all are worthy of life and honor. I was most impressed by the the themes in this book. And once again - Cordelia is just plain awesome. An epic moment near the end of the book left me grinning and slightly open-mouthed in awe. I shan't spoil it here, but let's just say it involves Cordelia on a shopping trip to the capital...and it has a most satisfying denouement. (this book would make a great movie by the way - why has it not been done!?!) One more thing - often times science fiction books are all about the action and fancy new tech and exotic worlds, etc, etc and the characters are given rather short shrift. Other books are marvelous character studies, but the book's setting and plot is just a bit blah. This book was a most lovely blend of my very favorite sci-fi elements with delightfully raw and relatable characters living their lives. Well done, Bujold, well done, indeed. Next book - omnibus Young Miles - has already been ordered. One last thing - would I recommend this unreservedly? Probably not, because it does have a few very scary moments that are not for the faint of heart, and while not overly graphic, is also probably not for the squeamish either. As you can tell though...I loved it and glad I finally have discovered why Bujold is so strongly praised. One last thing - this book did indeed have some perfectly beautiful lines in it. While a lot of the prose is merely...serviceable, there are a couple lines that made me near weep for their beauty. And that is not a bad thing.