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Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #7 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold is Book seven of the Vorkosigan saga. It is the direct sequel to Shards of Honor, Book #1 of the Vorkosigan saga. Cordelia Naismith of Beta Colony married Aral Vorkosigan of Barrayar. She moves to Barrayar as Lady Vorkosigan. The Emperor of Barrayar has died and named Aral as the regent for his young grandson, Gregor. Assassins target Aral and Cordelia to gain control of the Empire. Will Cordelia survive the regency and give birth to her son?

Summary

In Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, Cordelia marries Aral Vorkosigan and is pregnant with his son. Emperor Ezar Vobarra names Aral as his Regent for his underage grandson, Gregor Vorbarra. An aristocracy rules Barrayar with each family holding its districts of the planet. The ruler of each district is a Count and they use the honorific preface of Vor. Aral’s father, Piotr Vorkosigan, heads the Vorkosigan family. Piotr doesn’t like that his son has married a woman from outside of the Empire and worries about his only living descendant being their unborn son. The other aristocrats dislike the Emperor’s choice of Aral as the regent. Aral and Cordelia face assassination attempts and must unite the people of Barrayar or face destruction.

Many people help Cordelia in her quest to protect her husband and unborn son. Captain Vaagen if the Barrayaran Military Hospital helps with Cordelia’s son using a uterine replicator. A deadly mission to the Imperial Palace includes Cordelia, Aral’s bodyguard Sergeant Bothari (Konstantine Bothari), Cordelia’s bodyguard Drou (Ludmilla Droushnakovi), and Aral’s personal secretary Kou (Clement Koudelka). Imperial Security officer Simon Illyan provides information for them on their mission. Cordelia’s goals are to protect her husband by preserving the Regency and for a healthy birth of her son, Miles Vorkosigan.

Recommendation

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold is a space opera mixed with a romance. I enjoyed following Cordelia and Aral on their adventures. There was plenty of adventure and plotting leading to the daring raid on the Imperial Palace. I liked Cordelia as the protagonist. I liked the parallels of the different types of love displayed by these pairs of characters; Cordelia/Aral, Drou/Kou, Padma/Alys, and Bothari/his daughter Elena. Barrayar won the Hugo and Locus awards for best novel.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61905.Barrayar

In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #1 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold is book one of the Vorkosigan saga. Commander Cordelia Naismith is the leader of the Betan Astronomical Survey studying the unclaimed planet named Sergyar. The crew of Captain Aral Vorkosigan’s ship mutiny and drive off the Betans, leaving Cordelia behind. Vorkosigan takes her prisoner and they must hike five days to a Barrayaran supply cache to be rescued. Will they make it to the supply cache, or will they kill each other before they arrive?

Summary

In Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold humans populate many solar systems connected by wormhole gates. Each solar system is independent. Beta Colony is a technology-rich but resource-poor system. The Betan Astronomical Survey sends Commander Cordelia Naismith to peacefully examine an unclaimed planet named Sergyer for resources. Her spaceship is called the Rene Magritte. Barrayar is an isolationistic materialistic society ruled by an Emperor. Some factions of the government are pushing for war. They secretly claim the planet named Sergyer and the important wormhole gate that the system contains. A warship named the General Vorkraft, commanded by Aral Vorkosigan, is sent to Sergyer to control the system. The Barrayaran aristocracy uses the honorific of Vor and Aral is a high-ranking member.

The pro-war faction stage a mutiny against Vorkosigan, kill Cordelia’s shipmates that are on the surface of the planet, and leave Vorkosigan to die. Vorkosigan takes Cordelia and Ensign Dubauer, her brain scrambled crewmember, as his prisoners. Cordelia sends her ship away to warn the Beta Colony. Vorkosigan, Cordelia, and Dubauer walk five days to a Barrayan supply cache. Vorkosigan plans to get resupplied and retake his ship. During the walk, Vorkosigan and Cordelia develop a mutual respect that leads to a romance.

Through the course of the novel, they are separated and reunite. Vorkosigan faces challenges on Barrayar, and Cordelia faces challenges on Beta Colony. Some Barrayans they face are Sergeant Bothari, Emperor Ezar Vobarra, Crown Prince Serg Vobarra, Admiral Vorrutyer, Imperial Lieutenant Simon Illyan, and Ensign Koudelka. Cordelia faces the Betans; Dr. Sprague, Dr. Mehta, and Betan President Steady Freddy. There is enough plot in this novel for at least a trilogy.

Recommendation

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold is a fun-filled space opera mixed with a romance. Cordelia and Vorkosigan are meant for one another, and I was happy to follow them on their adventures. I thought the Betan claims were almost plausible that Vorkosigan brainwashed Cordelia to be his spy. I would have liked to see more of that storyline, but I am glad that I can continue with the follow-up novel, Barrayar (Book #7 of the Vorkosigan saga), which continues examining the complicated politics of Barrayar.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61903.Shards_of_Honour

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #4 of the Vorkosigan series

Introduction

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold is book four of Vorkosigan series. They published the book fourth in the series but the events happen two hundred years before the earlier books, so it is possible to read this book first. GalacTech assigns Engineer Leo Graf to the Cay Habitat at the farthest edge of inhabited space. He came to the habitat to teach space workers but becomes involved in his students’ struggles with the company supervisors of GalacTech. Leo must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students.

Summary

In Falling Free, space engineer Leo Graf arrives at the Cay Habitat to teach his short course on advanced welding and non-destructive testing. His students are called quaddies. Quaddies are genetically engineered humans designed to work in free-fall. They were created by the recently deceased Chief of the Project, Dr. Cay. Leo meets his new boss, Bruce Van Atta, the current Chief of the Project and Leo’s former student. Leo’s best quaddies student is Tony. Tony has a quaddie girlfriend Claire and their infant son, Andy. After talking to GalacTech psychologist Dr. Sondra Yei and to Bruce, Leo realizes that GalacTech is using the quaddies as slaves in a high-tech disguise.

When Bruce changes assignments in the habitat which mains that Tony and Claire will be separated, Tony and Claire plan to escape the habitat. They get Silver, another quaddie, to help them stowaway on a shuttle to the surface. Bruce is preoccupied with the inspection tour of GalacTech Operations VP Apmad. Leo and Sondra find out Tony and Claire are missing and try to get to them before Bruce finds out. Bruce and Apmad consider terminating the Cay Habitat project, but Leo realizes that the solution is an engineering problem. He plans a daring escape for the quaddies and the experience changes him.

Recommendation

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold is a fun self-contained space opera romp. Leo Graff and his quaddie friends are easy to like and to root for. The science is believable, and it’s interesting that the solution was an engineering problem. The biggest issue in the story is the villains. Bruce and Dr. Curry are to one dimensional. Their focus is to defeat Leo and the quaddies at all costs, logic not applied. I will continue to read the Vorkosigan series. The first three books are about Miles Vorkosigan’s parents and the rest of the series is about him. They published this novel in Analog magazine in four parts; December 1987, mid-December 1987, January 1988, and February 1988. I kept the magazines for 31 years unread. I’m glad I read the story now but wish I had read it back then.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1234847.Falling_Free

A similar book in the space opera category is Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. This is the link to my review.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

A similar book I have read in the Hard Science Fiction category is All Systems Red by Martha Wells. This is a link to my review.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells