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Collections
Publication
Riverdale, NY : Baen Books, [2015]
Pages
229
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML: Captain Cordelia Naismith of the Betan Expeditionary Force was on a routine mission to study the life forms on an uninhabited, neutral planet. Little did she know that the enemy Barrayarans had chosen this place as their secret base for an as-yet undeclared war. Separated from her team, Cordelia is captured by Lord Aral Vorkosigan, the leader in charge of the Barrayaran mission. Aral himself is caught in a web of political intrigue that has led to a recent attempt on his life. As the two strangers struggle together across the unfriendly terrain of the foreign planet toward Aral's ship, they discover that their greatest danger may be the romance inconveniently developing between them, on the brink of a war that will divide their peoples more strongly than ever. Recognized as the current exemplar of character-based science fiction, Bujold debuts her beloved Vorkosigan saga with this tale about the future parents of Miles Vorkosigan..… (more)
Awards
P.E.A.R.L. (Winner — Hall of Fame — 2006)
Compton Crook Award (Nominee — 1987)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1986-06-01
Physical description
229 p.; 24 cm
ISBN
9781476781105
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User reviews
LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Cordelia Naismith, like all inhabitants of Beta Colony, has heard the reputation of the Barrayaran military: efficient, soulless, and ruthlessly brutal. So when the base camp of her Astonomical Survey team is destroyed, and she is taken prisoner by Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan, the
Although she’s officially a prisoner – Barrayar and Beta Colony are at war, after all – Naismith is treated more like a guest… at least when she’s under Vorkosigan’s command. As the war progresses, she begins to return his respect, and even his love, but her feelings are not without their cost: even once she’s repatriated, how can she go back to a world where everyone believes the man she loves is a war criminal? But, then again, how could she, a free-thinking, liberated Betan, make a life for herself on the rigid, political world of Barrayar?
Review: Far be it from me to judge a book by its cover, but based on surface characteristics, I probably shouldn't have liked this novel. First, it's sci-fi (and more particularly, sci-fi on spaceships), a genre that I heartily enjoy on TV but have had only middling luck with in book form. Second, it's focused on the military, and again, while military/political strategy and big battles are fine on film, it's something that tends to put me off in books. So, a book that, on its surface, seems to be about military strategizing in space should have had me running for the hills. But I'd read Bujold's Chalion books (which are fantasy, my preferred genre of speculative fiction), and I trusted her enough as an author to pull an interesting story out from the depths of the spacefights, and, lo and behold, I was not disappointed.
Shards of Honor is sci-fi, but it’s character-driven sci-fi. The technology is not the point of the story; you could replace all of the ray guns with swords and the spaceships with boats, and the novel would work just as well as a medieval fantasy. That’s because it’s not about the spaceships, it’s about the people, and Bujold does an excellent job of creating rich, multi-dimensional people who you care about from the first few chapters. It was also incredibly refreshing to read a speculative fiction story with a protagonist who is a mature female. No teenage angst, no desperation to prove oneself, no damsel-in-distress nonsense. Just a woman who knows who she is, what she wants, and what she believes, and is willing (and able) to fight for those things.
While the protagonist was enjoyably original, the plot was slightly less so. At first, it seemed like it was going to be a simple star-crossed-lovers storyline, and to a large extent, it was. (No joint suicides here, though; Naismith and Vorkosigan are old enough to know better.) However, Bujold’s plot does have a few tricks up its sleeve, and while I saw some of the twists coming, a few did effectively throw me for a loop.
My biggest problem with the book was that I had a hard time keeping track of the characters - or, rather, a hard time matching characters to names. There are a lot of Barrayaran military personnel, most with a last name that starts with Vor. When they were present in a scene, they were easy to distinguish by personality (oh, that's the friendly helpful one) or by job (right, that one's the spy), and occasionally by voice. However, when a character was off-screen (or dead), and referred to only by name, I had the damnedest time remembering who they'd been... and with an audiobook, it's hard to thumb back through the pages scanning for the proper Vor_____ name.
Grover Gardner did do his part to help me out; male voices were all nicely differentiated, and his voices for females weren’t squeaky or shrill. However, while there were many more male than female characters in the book, it does seem a little strange that the audiobook producers chose a male narrator for a book that’s entirely from a female point-of-view.
Overall, while this book wasn’t the most technically accomplished book I’ve ever read, it thoroughly entertained me, introduced me to two wonderful characters, and definitely made me eager to read the rest of the series. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: For those who, like me, are prone to think “Sci-fi? Enh.”, give Bujold a chance. It’d be a shame to miss such an enjoyable story based on a pesky little thing like a genre label.
This review also published at SFSite.
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Butcher of Komarr, she has more than a little reason to worry. However, as the two make their way back to his ship, she begins to discover that reputations are not always all they’re cracked up to be, and that the man behind the rumors is very different from what she’d expected: a brilliant military strategist, yes, but also humane, loyal, and honorable.Although she’s officially a prisoner – Barrayar and Beta Colony are at war, after all – Naismith is treated more like a guest… at least when she’s under Vorkosigan’s command. As the war progresses, she begins to return his respect, and even his love, but her feelings are not without their cost: even once she’s repatriated, how can she go back to a world where everyone believes the man she loves is a war criminal? But, then again, how could she, a free-thinking, liberated Betan, make a life for herself on the rigid, political world of Barrayar?
Review: Far be it from me to judge a book by its cover, but based on surface characteristics, I probably shouldn't have liked this novel. First, it's sci-fi (and more particularly, sci-fi on spaceships), a genre that I heartily enjoy on TV but have had only middling luck with in book form. Second, it's focused on the military, and again, while military/political strategy and big battles are fine on film, it's something that tends to put me off in books. So, a book that, on its surface, seems to be about military strategizing in space should have had me running for the hills. But I'd read Bujold's Chalion books (which are fantasy, my preferred genre of speculative fiction), and I trusted her enough as an author to pull an interesting story out from the depths of the spacefights, and, lo and behold, I was not disappointed.
Shards of Honor is sci-fi, but it’s character-driven sci-fi. The technology is not the point of the story; you could replace all of the ray guns with swords and the spaceships with boats, and the novel would work just as well as a medieval fantasy. That’s because it’s not about the spaceships, it’s about the people, and Bujold does an excellent job of creating rich, multi-dimensional people who you care about from the first few chapters. It was also incredibly refreshing to read a speculative fiction story with a protagonist who is a mature female. No teenage angst, no desperation to prove oneself, no damsel-in-distress nonsense. Just a woman who knows who she is, what she wants, and what she believes, and is willing (and able) to fight for those things.
While the protagonist was enjoyably original, the plot was slightly less so. At first, it seemed like it was going to be a simple star-crossed-lovers storyline, and to a large extent, it was. (No joint suicides here, though; Naismith and Vorkosigan are old enough to know better.) However, Bujold’s plot does have a few tricks up its sleeve, and while I saw some of the twists coming, a few did effectively throw me for a loop.
My biggest problem with the book was that I had a hard time keeping track of the characters - or, rather, a hard time matching characters to names. There are a lot of Barrayaran military personnel, most with a last name that starts with Vor. When they were present in a scene, they were easy to distinguish by personality (oh, that's the friendly helpful one) or by job (right, that one's the spy), and occasionally by voice. However, when a character was off-screen (or dead), and referred to only by name, I had the damnedest time remembering who they'd been... and with an audiobook, it's hard to thumb back through the pages scanning for the proper Vor_____ name.
Grover Gardner did do his part to help me out; male voices were all nicely differentiated, and his voices for females weren’t squeaky or shrill. However, while there were many more male than female characters in the book, it does seem a little strange that the audiobook producers chose a male narrator for a book that’s entirely from a female point-of-view.
Overall, while this book wasn’t the most technically accomplished book I’ve ever read, it thoroughly entertained me, introduced me to two wonderful characters, and definitely made me eager to read the rest of the series. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: For those who, like me, are prone to think “Sci-fi? Enh.”, give Bujold a chance. It’d be a shame to miss such an enjoyable story based on a pesky little thing like a genre label.
This review also published at SFSite.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
Based upon an argument (outside LT), I decided to re-read the bulk of Bujold's Vorkosigan books in roughly series order; Shards of Honor is first up. I first read this book about 20 years ago and remembered thinking it wasn't the most shining component of the series. Unfortunately, a re-read has
This book introduces us to Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkosigan, the eventual parents of the main character of the series, Miles Vorkosigan. The plot is pretty simple. Their planets are going to war with each other; they fall in love; he rescues her from a sadist when she's captured; once repatriated, she realizes she doesn't fit into her own world anymore; they get married. If that seems a bit simplistic it's because going into it any further exposes how trite and slight the plot really is.
Just as an example: the book opens with his troops attacking her non-combatant exploration party on a neutral world, killing one of her friends and almost killing her; she recovers consciousness as his prisoner. Nonetheless, 30 pages into the book she's eyeing him thinking, "Even if the shape of his square strong hands was a dream…" Wow, Stockholm Syndrome on steroids! Of course, in this, she's way behind him since he later confesses he fell for her when he first found her lying unconscious in a gully.
At this point in the series, the world-building is extremely sketchy, the writing a bit stiff, and the characters quite flat. Though his series later falls off, Weber did the introduction of a strong female lead much better in his Honor Harrington books. Basically, this introduces the universe and a couple of the characters to the reader.
This is not the book to start with if you want to see what this popular series is about (unless you're re-reading). Barrayar, which won the Hugo, is probably the right point and, coincidentally, is up next.
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done nothing to change that opinion…if anything, it has made it stronger. It's one of her earlier works and it shows.This book introduces us to Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkosigan, the eventual parents of the main character of the series, Miles Vorkosigan. The plot is pretty simple. Their planets are going to war with each other; they fall in love; he rescues her from a sadist when she's captured; once repatriated, she realizes she doesn't fit into her own world anymore; they get married. If that seems a bit simplistic it's because going into it any further exposes how trite and slight the plot really is.
Just as an example: the book opens with his troops attacking her non-combatant exploration party on a neutral world, killing one of her friends and almost killing her; she recovers consciousness as his prisoner. Nonetheless, 30 pages into the book she's eyeing him thinking, "Even if the shape of his square strong hands was a dream…" Wow, Stockholm Syndrome on steroids! Of course, in this, she's way behind him since he later confesses he fell for her when he first found her lying unconscious in a gully.
At this point in the series, the world-building is extremely sketchy, the writing a bit stiff, and the characters quite flat. Though his series later falls off, Weber did the introduction of a strong female lead much better in his Honor Harrington books. Basically, this introduces the universe and a couple of the characters to the reader.
This is not the book to start with if you want to see what this popular series is about (unless you're re-reading). Barrayar, which won the Hugo, is probably the right point and, coincidentally, is up next.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I haven’t read a lot of pure science fiction, but [Shards of Honor] by Lois McMaster Bujold came highly recommended and so I gave it a try. And although I am still not a full convert to sci-fi, I did really love this book and appreciated that it was light on the technical information and science
Without delving into the plot too deeply, this is a story of two star-crossed lovers kept apart by political plots, as well as ethical and moral conflicts. The book was originally published in 1986 and is as timely today as it was back then as the main characters have to face serious questions as to the worth of a terrible sacrifice, and should one follow their country blindly, and when does personal honor come into alliances and betrayals. As these are mature people, this was never a “bodice-ripper” kind of romance, instead we are given a realistic adult story of practical people with both pasts and flaws that realize they should be together.
[Shards of Honor] is the first book in the Vorkosigan series, and both the story and it’s ending has fully engaged me so that I want to continue on and see what happens to these characters next.
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but did occasionally give me flashbacks to both early Star Trek episodes and the Star Wars movies. A fun, adventurous read featuring a strong, independent woman, Cordelia Naismith, who is the captain of a Betan astronomical survey ship that had the unfortunate luck to cross paths with a military spaceship from the planet Barrayar whose captain, Lord Aral Vorkosigan is to become an important person in her life.Without delving into the plot too deeply, this is a story of two star-crossed lovers kept apart by political plots, as well as ethical and moral conflicts. The book was originally published in 1986 and is as timely today as it was back then as the main characters have to face serious questions as to the worth of a terrible sacrifice, and should one follow their country blindly, and when does personal honor come into alliances and betrayals. As these are mature people, this was never a “bodice-ripper” kind of romance, instead we are given a realistic adult story of practical people with both pasts and flaws that realize they should be together.
[Shards of Honor] is the first book in the Vorkosigan series, and both the story and it’s ending has fully engaged me so that I want to continue on and see what happens to these characters next.
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LibraryThing member nwhyte
Shards of Honor is certainly the best book to start the Vorkosigan Saga with. Its demerits become a bit more obvious on rereading - Cordelia basically has two moments of Miles-like audacity, when she disarms the rebels on Aral's ship before escaping, and then when she again escapes from her own
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people; and she depends a bit on the tremendous good chance of bumping into Aral at the crucial moment. Of her confrontation with Vorrutyer. Also - and this is an area where Bujold distinctly improved in later books - the politics of Barrayar and more especially Beta are rather two-dimensional. But it is tremendously well told, and the two personalities of Cordelia and Aral sustain the narrative to the point where you finish the book anxious to know what happens next. Show Less
LibraryThing member Archren
Cordelia is the unlikely hero of “Shards of Honor.” Taken prisoner after a Barrayan raid on the planet she was scouting, she falls in love with her “captor,” a Barrayan captain named Vorkosigan (not *that* Vorkosigan) who had been more or less shot in the back by his comrades. Part of their
In addition to that main story, there is political maneuvering and space adventure. It’s a space opera with a romantic core, played out by people who would otherwise seem to be anti-romantics. In fact, one of her comrades insists Cordelia’s story must be false, since who could imagine a middle-aged middle-ranked woman becoming the love of an enemy commander’s life? Too improbable for words, yet Bujold completely sells it.
There is a lovely theme running through this of “common wisdom” being wrong. Most people think that Vorkosigan is a bloodthirsty killer, which is in no way true. Other Barrayans committed acts that went against his promises. They come to believe that Cordelia must have suffered intensely at the hands of such a horrible man, and when she protests, they simply assume that she must be “repressing” the trauma.
The story is told with lovely prose, and great pace, and a good sense of humor. Cordelia is the sort of rock-solid, competent and sympathetic heroine that is a lot of fun to read about. The only false note is to wonder why exactly she is still in the middle ranks when she acts like a born commander. Also, don’t think too hard about the coincidences needed to get Cordelia and her soul mate together. Just enjoy the ride.
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strong mutual attraction stems from their commitment to honor and duty, and their respect for each other is not dimmed when she escapes back to her own territory. After a declared hostile war between their two nations and several unlikely coincidences, they finally can have a kiss and live happily ever after. At least until the sequel (“Barrayar”), which I’m looking forward to getting. In addition to that main story, there is political maneuvering and space adventure. It’s a space opera with a romantic core, played out by people who would otherwise seem to be anti-romantics. In fact, one of her comrades insists Cordelia’s story must be false, since who could imagine a middle-aged middle-ranked woman becoming the love of an enemy commander’s life? Too improbable for words, yet Bujold completely sells it.
There is a lovely theme running through this of “common wisdom” being wrong. Most people think that Vorkosigan is a bloodthirsty killer, which is in no way true. Other Barrayans committed acts that went against his promises. They come to believe that Cordelia must have suffered intensely at the hands of such a horrible man, and when she protests, they simply assume that she must be “repressing” the trauma.
The story is told with lovely prose, and great pace, and a good sense of humor. Cordelia is the sort of rock-solid, competent and sympathetic heroine that is a lot of fun to read about. The only false note is to wonder why exactly she is still in the middle ranks when she acts like a born commander. Also, don’t think too hard about the coincidences needed to get Cordelia and her soul mate together. Just enjoy the ride.
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LibraryThing member kinwolf
Absolutely not what I was expecting! I was expecting a sci-fi story, but this is a character driven story, and it could fit in any era, from roman, to wwii, to, sci-fi setting. Really got surprised, and in a good way, it was a fun read!
LibraryThing member kmartin802
SHARDS OF HONOR introduces Captain Cordelia Naismith of the Betan Survey and Captain Aral Vorkosigan of the Barrayaran military. They meet when Cordelia's survey team is exploring a newly discovered planet and stumble on the Barrayarans who had found it earlier and were using it as a staging ground
Cordelia is from a planet that is technologically and scientifically advanced; Aran is from a planet that was only recently rediscovered when Cetaganda decided to conquer it and which had regressed to a sort of feudal state. He's from the privileged military caste.
They get together after his crew has destroyed her crew's base camp and traitors of his crew tried to assassinate him. Her crew, except for now deceased Lieutenant Rosemont and injured Ensign Dubauer, managed to escape into space. His crew believes he is dead.
The two have to travel about 200 kilometers to a base he knows about where she can get medical attention for Dubauer and he can attempt to retake control of his own command. She gives her word of honor to cooperate in order to get care for Dubauer. As they travel, with very limited supplies (oatmeal and blue cheese dressing) and both with various injuries, they begin to get to know each other and come to respect each other and even fall in love.
However, they both have loyalties that are doomed to pull them apart. She needs to get back to her own people to stop Barrayar's invasion while he is oath-sworn to conduct it. She is sent back as the Captain of a ship to provide a decoy in order to let advanced Betan weapons through to Escobar and is again captured. This time she falls in with people that Aral had earlier described as the scum of the service. She is slated for rape and torture by an old enemy of Aral's until she is saved by Sargeant Bothari, a useful madman she met during her first capture.
She is front and center for the invasion and soon comes to learn some of Barrayar's secrets that must be kept close. When the invasion fails (see Betan secret weapons), she is again repatriated. But this time both Escobaran and Betan psychiatrists are convinced that she has been programmed to act as some sort of agent for Barrayar when she resists their attempts at a therapy that would reveal Barrayarn secrets.
Cordelia manages to escape Beta and find her way to Barrayar when she finds an Aral whose heart has been broken by what his emperor demanded of him and who is diligently trying to drink himself to death. They marry and are hoping for a quiet life with children when Aral is tapped for a new impossible job - regent for five-year-old Emperor Gregor after his grandfather's death.
The writing is amazing. The characters fully realized and intriguing. The story is filled with moral dilemmas and quests for honor and grace. I have read this book many times since its publication in 1986 but this is the first time that I have listened to the story. The narration was wonderfully done by Grover Gardner.
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for an attack on Escobar. Cordelia is from a planet that is technologically and scientifically advanced; Aran is from a planet that was only recently rediscovered when Cetaganda decided to conquer it and which had regressed to a sort of feudal state. He's from the privileged military caste.
They get together after his crew has destroyed her crew's base camp and traitors of his crew tried to assassinate him. Her crew, except for now deceased Lieutenant Rosemont and injured Ensign Dubauer, managed to escape into space. His crew believes he is dead.
The two have to travel about 200 kilometers to a base he knows about where she can get medical attention for Dubauer and he can attempt to retake control of his own command. She gives her word of honor to cooperate in order to get care for Dubauer. As they travel, with very limited supplies (oatmeal and blue cheese dressing) and both with various injuries, they begin to get to know each other and come to respect each other and even fall in love.
However, they both have loyalties that are doomed to pull them apart. She needs to get back to her own people to stop Barrayar's invasion while he is oath-sworn to conduct it. She is sent back as the Captain of a ship to provide a decoy in order to let advanced Betan weapons through to Escobar and is again captured. This time she falls in with people that Aral had earlier described as the scum of the service. She is slated for rape and torture by an old enemy of Aral's until she is saved by Sargeant Bothari, a useful madman she met during her first capture.
She is front and center for the invasion and soon comes to learn some of Barrayar's secrets that must be kept close. When the invasion fails (see Betan secret weapons), she is again repatriated. But this time both Escobaran and Betan psychiatrists are convinced that she has been programmed to act as some sort of agent for Barrayar when she resists their attempts at a therapy that would reveal Barrayarn secrets.
Cordelia manages to escape Beta and find her way to Barrayar when she finds an Aral whose heart has been broken by what his emperor demanded of him and who is diligently trying to drink himself to death. They marry and are hoping for a quiet life with children when Aral is tapped for a new impossible job - regent for five-year-old Emperor Gregor after his grandfather's death.
The writing is amazing. The characters fully realized and intriguing. The story is filled with moral dilemmas and quests for honor and grace. I have read this book many times since its publication in 1986 but this is the first time that I have listened to the story. The narration was wonderfully done by Grover Gardner.
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LibraryThing member krazykiwi
I actually read this series years ago, but I'm rereading it, and thoroughly enjoying it. I'm wavering between a 4 and a 5, but I'm going to go high, because I think the good parts of this book outweigh the downside. And the the only downsides are: who is who of all the Vor* Barrayans has me
I love this first book particularly, Cordelia is such a great heroine, I wish girls would read this instead of some of the paranormal fantasy twaddle they are reading these days. I was a huge fantasy fan as a teenager too, but Cordelia is a heroine, a real fully rounded living breathing protagonist, not just "the main character in a book who happens to have boobs".
There is romance but it is not the focus of the book, and it feels real and like something career military adults might actually have, particularly those who found themselves on opposite sides of a war, having to make painful choices due to the demands of honour and duty and their obligations to the life they themselves chose. They don't get what they want, and even when they do, they don't get it when they want it.
A lot of reviewers find the epilogue odd, but I think of it as the post-credits scene to a movie. Not necessary to understand the rest of the book, but a nice little aftertaste for those who like it. And again, the woman protagonist in that final chapter is a real and rounded character, not just a space soldier with boobs. Like Cordelia, making the best of what life has handed her, in a painful situation.
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thoroughly confused half the time, and... well when I was younger I remember thinking it had way too much politics in it slowing the plot down, but really it doesn't, in fact it barrels along at a great pace, and packs a lot of distance, action and drama into what is actually a pretty fast and easy read.I love this first book particularly, Cordelia is such a great heroine, I wish girls would read this instead of some of the paranormal fantasy twaddle they are reading these days. I was a huge fantasy fan as a teenager too, but Cordelia is a heroine, a real fully rounded living breathing protagonist, not just "the main character in a book who happens to have boobs".
There is romance but it is not the focus of the book, and it feels real and like something career military adults might actually have, particularly those who found themselves on opposite sides of a war, having to make painful choices due to the demands of honour and duty and their obligations to the life they themselves chose. They don't get what they want, and even when they do, they don't get it when they want it.
A lot of reviewers find the epilogue odd, but I think of it as the post-credits scene to a movie. Not necessary to understand the rest of the book, but a nice little aftertaste for those who like it. And again, the woman protagonist in that final chapter is a real and rounded character, not just a space soldier with boobs. Like Cordelia, making the best of what life has handed her, in a painful situation.
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LibraryThing member SylviaC
I liked this a lot, and since the general consensus seems to be that the series gets better from here, I'm looking forward to reading the next few books. I'm not usually fond of books that are heavy on politics or warfare, but this worked for me because it was so character driven. With a few While I didn't enjoy the section involving the psychologist and Cordelia, I thought it did an excellent job of revealing the truth behind the Betan utopia. It was a hard book to put down at bedtime.
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exceptions, the characters are neither all good nor all bad. I did find it difficult to keep track of the names of all the characters, especially all those Vor____ names. I found the interactions between the characters intriguing, and often wondered where a situation was going to go. There was one scene which set off my violence alarm, but it resolved quickly, and nothing else in the book exceeded my ick factor. Show Less
LibraryThing member love2laf
Great start to the series, I'm rereading them in chronological order, not in published order. Sparse, tight, and well done.
LibraryThing member sleahey
This early novelette in the Vorkosigan series sets the stage for what comes later. Cordelia and Aral, the parents of Miles Vorkosigan, meet as enemies in this adventure tale, fall in love as captor and prisoner, and then get married. Many of the later characters are introduced or explained here,
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but this also stands alone. Show Less
LibraryThing member FrozenFlame22
The first time I read this book and came across the name "Vorkosigan", I was frustrated with trying to sound out the name and gave up thinking that it's probably a minor character anyway. Ha! This is the first book to one of my most beloved series of books. As I become older and closer to the age
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of the principle characters, I appreciate this story more and more with each reading. I find it especially remarkable that despite the book being written in the 80s, the technology is still entirely believable. Show Less
LibraryThing member PamelaDLloyd
Shards of Honor is Bujold's first published novel and the first in a long series of novels, if I can claim that it, along with Barrayar, are part of her Miles Vorkosigan series. (The main characters in these two novels are Miles' parents.) Generally, they fall into the category of space opera, but
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frankly, they transcend the genre. I am rereading this book for the umpty-umph time. There are very few books, except those by Bujold, that I reread more than once or twice; many, of course, I never pick up again after the first reading. However, Bujold's writing just gets better every time I read (er, reread) one of her books. There is no other author I've ever read whose characters speak to me with the emotional clarity and strength of Bujold's. She blurs the line between plot-based and character-based fiction. Yes, the books in this series are fast paced, but it is how the characters respond to the circumstances in which they find themselves, and how they shape those circumstances, which are at the heart of the stories. These characters live and breathe, they care, they think, they act in accordance with their ideals (and sometimes they betray their ideals), they suffer consequences, and they grow.I simply can't recommend this book (or anything else by Bujold) highly enough. Go out and read this book! Show Less
LibraryThing member Steph78
good fun space opera. a nice alternative to watching the soaps on telly.
LibraryThing member iayork
Sets the stage for the rest of the series: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with othersSTORY: Cordelia Naismith
MY FEEDBACK:
I picked this up because so many other books in this series have won the Hugo and/or Nebula. This book definitely sets the stage for what is to come: high political intrigue and assassinations; dangers that require bravery and courage; and events to challenge friendships and loyalty; and of course some romance. This book has all these in one sense or another.
The friendship and loyalty of characters really stands out and makes you really love the character of Aral Vorkosaigan. This is also an intelligent story, where solutions are not only resolved by chance or brute force but clever use of what resources are at hand. It gave me the grand and subtle pleasantness I had when reading Asimov's Foundation series. It had just enough science in the fiction to be appreciated and it had just the right touch of romance so as not to turn some of us testosterone males off to the story. I really enjoyed this story and found it a very easy read.
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with othersSTORY: Cordelia Naismith
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meets Lord Aral Vorkosaigan while on opposite sides of the war. In the midst of political pressures and physical dangers, they dare to fall in love with each other while trying to avoid their destiny.MY FEEDBACK:
I picked this up because so many other books in this series have won the Hugo and/or Nebula. This book definitely sets the stage for what is to come: high political intrigue and assassinations; dangers that require bravery and courage; and events to challenge friendships and loyalty; and of course some romance. This book has all these in one sense or another.
The friendship and loyalty of characters really stands out and makes you really love the character of Aral Vorkosaigan. This is also an intelligent story, where solutions are not only resolved by chance or brute force but clever use of what resources are at hand. It gave me the grand and subtle pleasantness I had when reading Asimov's Foundation series. It had just enough science in the fiction to be appreciated and it had just the right touch of romance so as not to turn some of us testosterone males off to the story. I really enjoyed this story and found it a very easy read.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Officially not quite the start of the Miles Vorkosigan saga, this of course doesn't feature him at all, and is instead the story of one Cordelia Naismith, and her finding an attachment to Aral Vorkosigan. It's a great easy reading introduction to space opera lite, and perfectly readable as a
Cordelia is a Survey Commander explorng a new planet when she returns from a fieldtrip to find her basecamp in ruins. She also manages to find one of the 'invaders' who was left behind by his crew. He turns out to know the location of a supply cache, She is obviously not initially impressed with him, but over the course of their wilderness trek they learn about each other's societies. On both sides various misconceptions are explained away, however when they reach the supply cache, matters turn more serious.
There' a couple of big timeline jumps as action in the wider universe moves on without our heros being involved. But it all hanfs togther quite well. The first person POV helps to keep it current, without the confusing character jumps that some authors employ. The action whips along,carried by dialog between Aral and Cordelia. There's no particular emphasis on technology, a few of the usual assumptions are made - wormholes for FTL, and various medical scanners. Some of the background politics is a little confusing when it's not quite clear how galaxy of humans is being organised - but it does resolve somewhat in due course.
There are no wider thoughts or paralells drawn to contemporary society. Cordelia is well described, and although we only see Aral through her eyes, he too comes across sympathetically - although I feel that many of the problems he hs with his 'honour' could have been more clearly elaborated. However none of the supporting characters manage much more than cardboard status.
It's fast, fun and enjoyable light sf fluff. Don't expect anything more from it, and it is one of the prime examples in the genre.
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standalone without the rest of the series.Cordelia is a Survey Commander explorng a new planet when she returns from a fieldtrip to find her basecamp in ruins. She also manages to find one of the 'invaders' who was left behind by his crew. He turns out to know the location of a supply cache, She is obviously not initially impressed with him, but over the course of their wilderness trek they learn about each other's societies. On both sides various misconceptions are explained away, however when they reach the supply cache, matters turn more serious.
There' a couple of big timeline jumps as action in the wider universe moves on without our heros being involved. But it all hanfs togther quite well. The first person POV helps to keep it current, without the confusing character jumps that some authors employ. The action whips along,carried by dialog between Aral and Cordelia. There's no particular emphasis on technology, a few of the usual assumptions are made - wormholes for FTL, and various medical scanners. Some of the background politics is a little confusing when it's not quite clear how galaxy of humans is being organised - but it does resolve somewhat in due course.
There are no wider thoughts or paralells drawn to contemporary society. Cordelia is well described, and although we only see Aral through her eyes, he too comes across sympathetically - although I feel that many of the problems he hs with his 'honour' could have been more clearly elaborated. However none of the supporting characters manage much more than cardboard status.
It's fast, fun and enjoyable light sf fluff. Don't expect anything more from it, and it is one of the prime examples in the genre.
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LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
Out of the first three Vorgosagin books (Ethan of Athos, Shards of Honor, and the Warrior's Apprentice), this is my favorite one. We have Cordelia, a simple captain on assignment to survey a new planet. When her camp is ambushed and destroyed, Cordelia must trust her enemy to get her out of a bad
What I like about this book is that Cordelia is a very strong woman. Many authors go for strong, but end up with Whiny females that end up grating. Also, Lord Vorkosigan is a very worthy man, the romance makes sense, and both characters act like the people they are portrayed to be.
I liked the plot, it made sense, although much of the bad characters blended in to each other and I lost who was who.
I didn't like the ending. The psychiatry was heavy handed and didn't match the culture described in the book. I'd rather see more of a focus on the media.
It's a fun romp, simply written but strong. I like the characters, I like the universe.
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situation. What I like about this book is that Cordelia is a very strong woman. Many authors go for strong, but end up with Whiny females that end up grating. Also, Lord Vorkosigan is a very worthy man, the romance makes sense, and both characters act like the people they are portrayed to be.
I liked the plot, it made sense, although much of the bad characters blended in to each other and I lost who was who.
I didn't like the ending. The psychiatry was heavy handed and didn't match the culture described in the book. I'd rather see more of a focus on the media.
It's a fun romp, simply written but strong. I like the characters, I like the universe.
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LibraryThing member TheCrow2
Nothing more than a space opera but an interesting and exciting one. It's a shame that the hungarian cover is a crap and the thanslation is shitty....
LibraryThing member cmbohn
A friend recommended some sci-fi writers recently, and I think this was one of them. I found that this was her first book, so I decided to start here. (Incidentally, I was happy to see that the book was dedicated to one of my favorite children's authors, Patricia C. Wrede.
About the book - Captain
It sounds like I'm complaining, but it was a pretty fun book. Not super compelling, and sometimes confusing, but I liked the two main characters. I've heard this is not her best, so I think I will give her another chance before I make up my mind.
About the book - Captain
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Cordelia Naismith and Adal Vorkosigan are sort of stranded together on an unexplored planet. Their countries are not officially at war, but unofficially, they are on opposite sides. But they work together and fall in love. And there's some cool sci-fi stuff in there, weird aliens creatures, and a bunch of politics I didn't care much about. One really nasty bad guy, and then a happy ending.It sounds like I'm complaining, but it was a pretty fun book. Not super compelling, and sometimes confusing, but I liked the two main characters. I've heard this is not her best, so I think I will give her another chance before I make up my mind.
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LibraryThing member Lymsleia
For the last half hour I've asked myself how to say what I want about the book without spoiling too much, and I'm still not sure I've found a good answer. Anyway, here we go.
There are basically three parts to this story: In the first, our scientist captain heroine from one planet and her military
This is perhaps the part of the book that I liked the most: we get to know the two leads just as they get to know each other, and there are many good character moments between them as Cordelia discovers that Vorkosigan might not quite be the ruthless war criminal that he's made out to be on her home world and Vorkosigan finds out that his "prisoner" might very well be the only person that he can have an honest, unguarded conversation with.
The mutiny mystery and all the complications that come with it are interesting too and I enjoyed both the action and the glimpses we get at the greater conflicts in this universe and on Vorkosigan's home planet.
The second part of the story takes place half a year later, when a war has broken out between his planet and a planet allied with Cordelia's, and she gets involved in it and gets captured and there are a lot of intrigue and schemes and counter-schemes going on and a grand space battle that we see... not terribly much of, actually.
I was less thrilled with this part than the first one for several reasons. For one, it became more and more obvious that while I was really digging the chemistry between the two leads, I didn't really buy the romantic tension (relatively subdued as it was), something that didn't really change at all over the course of the book.
Also, Cordelia is at one point during her imprisonment threatened with rape (this goes so far that (see (1) below the spoiler warning)) and I found myself asking, "Really, book? Was that *really* necessary?", except I was actually quite pleased with the fallout later re:pregnancies resulting from similar cases, which, if nothing else, was quite clever. Still, nnnnnnot exactly my favourite plot device in the world, to put it mildly.
The third act, then, is partly about Cordelia returning home (where basically half the planet celebrates her as a heroine and the other half thinks she has a rather spectacular case of Stockholm syndrome), and wrapping up about half a dozen different plot threads from earlier in the story quite neatly. There is also an epilogue that doesn't have anything to do with anything. (I liked it, but it felt more like a short story that happened to be set in the same universe than anything to do with the story it was tacked onto.)
The part about Cordelia's homecoming (and her dealings with some really creepy, unethical psychologists and therapists) was captivating, but a lot of the rest felt like some very by-the-numbers wrapping-up that happened a bit too quickly for my taste, (not to mention that during it, Cordelia herself becomes a bit of a non-character who more or less just observes the events rather than shaping them actively as she had before) and just as the book seemed to return to form, it... ended. Oh well.
I am definitely interested in reading more of this 'verse (I've read one of the author's later books (in the Fantasy genre; The Curse of Chalion before and loved it to bits), especially keeping in mind that this is the author's début novel, and things can (and will) get better. A strong three stars, definitely.
If you need trigger warnings/additional info, PM me and I'll do my best to provide them. :)
- - -
Beware of SPOILERS in the following paragraphs.
(1) she is chained to a bed naked and first about to be raped by a man who has been tortured and drugged (and was not terribly mentally stable to begin with), and then by the captor himself, although both cases end before the actual rape happens, in the latter case because the captor is killed by the other victim
Other, spoilery things I liked (character spoilers rather than plot spoilers):
- One major character is on the neurodiversity spectrum and while he occasionally falls into Unfortunate Implications territory, he remains a sympathetic character throughout.
- Apparently our hero is actually, textually queer? (Or has at least dated a man at some point in the past; the text dances around the issue a bit and the source of information is not the most reliable but Cordelia certainly believes him? If you've read the rest of the series, just tell me whether or not this is at any point confirmed more than it is here, but not necessarily in which direction, please.)
- All the little instances in which Vorkosigan's frequently mentioned honorable-to-a-fault-ness is shown rather than told, particularly the way he deals with Gotyan during the mutiny plot
There are basically three parts to this story: In the first, our scientist captain heroine from one planet and her military
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hero counterpart from another not-quite-at-war-with-them planet are kind of stranded on this uninhabited planet and must survive the trek through the wilderness together to get to the place where his people have made camp and where things start to get a lot more complicated because he has a mutiny on his hands...This is perhaps the part of the book that I liked the most: we get to know the two leads just as they get to know each other, and there are many good character moments between them as Cordelia discovers that Vorkosigan might not quite be the ruthless war criminal that he's made out to be on her home world and Vorkosigan finds out that his "prisoner" might very well be the only person that he can have an honest, unguarded conversation with.
The mutiny mystery and all the complications that come with it are interesting too and I enjoyed both the action and the glimpses we get at the greater conflicts in this universe and on Vorkosigan's home planet.
The second part of the story takes place half a year later, when a war has broken out between his planet and a planet allied with Cordelia's, and she gets involved in it and gets captured and there are a lot of intrigue and schemes and counter-schemes going on and a grand space battle that we see... not terribly much of, actually.
I was less thrilled with this part than the first one for several reasons. For one, it became more and more obvious that while I was really digging the chemistry between the two leads, I didn't really buy the romantic tension (relatively subdued as it was), something that didn't really change at all over the course of the book.
Also, Cordelia is at one point during her imprisonment threatened with rape (this goes so far that (see (1) below the spoiler warning)) and I found myself asking, "Really, book? Was that *really* necessary?", except I was actually quite pleased with the fallout later re:pregnancies resulting from similar cases, which, if nothing else, was quite clever. Still, nnnnnnot exactly my favourite plot device in the world, to put it mildly.
The third act, then, is partly about Cordelia returning home (where basically half the planet celebrates her as a heroine and the other half thinks she has a rather spectacular case of Stockholm syndrome), and wrapping up about half a dozen different plot threads from earlier in the story quite neatly. There is also an epilogue that doesn't have anything to do with anything. (I liked it, but it felt more like a short story that happened to be set in the same universe than anything to do with the story it was tacked onto.)
The part about Cordelia's homecoming (and her dealings with some really creepy, unethical psychologists and therapists) was captivating, but a lot of the rest felt like some very by-the-numbers wrapping-up that happened a bit too quickly for my taste, (not to mention that during it, Cordelia herself becomes a bit of a non-character who more or less just observes the events rather than shaping them actively as she had before) and just as the book seemed to return to form, it... ended. Oh well.
I am definitely interested in reading more of this 'verse (I've read one of the author's later books (in the Fantasy genre; The Curse of Chalion before and loved it to bits), especially keeping in mind that this is the author's début novel, and things can (and will) get better. A strong three stars, definitely.
If you need trigger warnings/additional info, PM me and I'll do my best to provide them. :)
- - -
Beware of SPOILERS in the following paragraphs.
(1) she is chained to a bed naked and first about to be raped by a man who has been tortured and drugged (and was not terribly mentally stable to begin with), and then by the captor himself, although both cases end before the actual rape happens, in the latter case because the captor is killed by the other victim
Other, spoilery things I liked (character spoilers rather than plot spoilers):
- One major character is on the neurodiversity spectrum and while he occasionally falls into Unfortunate Implications territory, he remains a sympathetic character throughout.
- Apparently our hero is actually, textually queer? (Or has at least dated a man at some point in the past; the text dances around the issue a bit and the source of information is not the most reliable but Cordelia certainly believes him? If you've read the rest of the series, just tell me whether or not this is at any point confirmed more than it is here, but not necessarily in which direction, please.)
- All the little instances in which Vorkosigan's frequently mentioned honorable-to-a-fault-ness is shown rather than told, particularly the way he deals with Gotyan during the mutiny plot
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LibraryThing member Neale
Audio book review - being a fan of LMB's later fantasy work I was keen to listen to some earlier sci-fi. The reviews were all good for this audio book but I can't agree. The dialog was stilted, you couldn't get into the characters the story was all over the place and didn't flow - I can't see how a
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long series was started from this. I love sci-fi but this was only average. Show Less
LibraryThing member thombr
I read this and Barrayar after having read the rest of the series. What fun! I really enjoyed finding Miles' mannerisms evident in his mom and dad. I'm not sure I would have caught the inheritance without having Miles' behavior ingrained from all the subsequent books.
LibraryThing member suzemo
I adore this book, and I absolutely love the characters of Aral Vorkosigan and Cornelia Naismith.
I had read McMaster Bujold's fantasy books before, and adored them (the Chalion books), but I was afraid of her space opera after I ran amok of her Sharing Knife book (I hated it with a passion). I'm so
The writing is tight, the characters are wonderful and there is enough action and plot to keep anyone happy.
I had read McMaster Bujold's fantasy books before, and adored them (the Chalion books), but I was afraid of her space opera after I ran amok of her Sharing Knife book (I hated it with a passion). I'm so
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glad her space opera/romance is so wonderful!The writing is tight, the characters are wonderful and there is enough action and plot to keep anyone happy.
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LibraryThing member AmySterlingCasil
I think this is one of the best books published in the 1980s and definitely stands the test of time.
LibraryThing member stefferoo
Being a big fan of Lois McMaster Bujold's fantasy works, I recently decided to give her science fiction a try, starting with, of course, the first book of her Vorkosigan series Shards of Honor. It's most definitely a space opera if I've ever seen one, but I don't use that term pejoratively. I still
As usual, Bujold shines at writing strong female protagonists, but I also very much enjoy the characterizations of her male leads. Aral Vorkosigan is definitely worthy of a fictional-character crush. I like a little romance in my books, and even though the one in this book isn't really that convincing, it's the overarching story here that counts. Looking forward to the next book, which promises to be even better than the first.
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think I prefer her fantasy, but this was great nonetheless.As usual, Bujold shines at writing strong female protagonists, but I also very much enjoy the characterizations of her male leads. Aral Vorkosigan is definitely worthy of a fictional-character crush. I like a little romance in my books, and even though the one in this book isn't really that convincing, it's the overarching story here that counts. Looking forward to the next book, which promises to be even better than the first.
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