I am now moving into the latter part of Miles Vorkosigan's career in Komarr, part of the omnibus volume Miles in Love. And this one is all about Miles' love, Ekaterin Vorsoisson. Her hapless husband ends up involved in a plot to attack Barrayar by closing its wormhole, but this is something of a sideshow. In Komarr we return to the style of Shards of Honor--the galactic fantasy, a romance novel set in space. Ekaterin and Miles have intense conversations laden with internal dialog. Her failed marriage has caused her to harden her heart--can it be softened again? An odd place for a hard SF fan, but not so odd for SF itself--Mercedes Lackey has written a lot in this space, and a very strong fraction of fantasy literature is romance-novel inspired.
Miles doesn't get as much development here, other than as possibly having found his love at last. He's having a lot of fun on the Imperial Auditor gig, it's just what he needed, and lets Bujold go anywhere with him. And we'll see where, there's only a few books left. Onward...
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Memory, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Continuing my reading of the Vorkosigan series, this week I picked up Memory. I went ahead and paid for this at Baen Webscriptions for a Kindle version. Oddly enough, it is the only one in the series not on the Cryoburn CD, kind of an odd omisson, but there it is. I could have gotten it at my public library, though, and am sure you can too.
It's a worthwhile read, especially if you have read the others. Bujold is really enjoying Miles as a character. He's going through a lot of troubles in this one, most directly related to being killed and revived in the last one (Mirror Dance). He's having seizures, making him unfit for combat or anything stressful (his denial of this is a big part of the plot). Being an adrenaline junkie this is really painful. It looks like he is going to have to let go of his pet project, the Dendarii Free Mercenaries and Admiral Naismith.
What follows is a very satisfying story of personal growth. Miles finds a new dimension to his capabilities while investigating an attack on his supervisor. Death smacks some of the megalomania out of him, even as he gets more opportunities to indulge it.
This story very strongly indicates that Miles is heading in a different direction--adventuring days may or may not be done, but they don't define him anymore. Am looking forward to the rest of these, it is a series worth revisiting. The technical references are few and feel dated since they are from 15 years ago, but the characters are the point. Four stars for this one. Onward and upward
It's a worthwhile read, especially if you have read the others. Bujold is really enjoying Miles as a character. He's going through a lot of troubles in this one, most directly related to being killed and revived in the last one (Mirror Dance). He's having seizures, making him unfit for combat or anything stressful (his denial of this is a big part of the plot). Being an adrenaline junkie this is really painful. It looks like he is going to have to let go of his pet project, the Dendarii Free Mercenaries and Admiral Naismith.
What follows is a very satisfying story of personal growth. Miles finds a new dimension to his capabilities while investigating an attack on his supervisor. Death smacks some of the megalomania out of him, even as he gets more opportunities to indulge it.
This story very strongly indicates that Miles is heading in a different direction--adventuring days may or may not be done, but they don't define him anymore. Am looking forward to the rest of these, it is a series worth revisiting. The technical references are few and feel dated since they are from 15 years ago, but the characters are the point. Four stars for this one. Onward and upward
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Mirror Dance, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Coming off the disappointing Brothers in Arms, I approached the companion in Miles Errant with some trepidation. Had read some reviews that it was better. And those reviews were right. This may be the best one in the series so far.
Mark really comes into his own as a character here, differentiating himself in as many ways as he can from his brother. He likes to eat more, does not like combat, and is much more analytic. Being a clone, he defines himself in terms of his progenitor, but by the end of the book he has worked through all that. Though he definitely seems to have more than his share of the bad luck between the two.
It will be interesting to see if Mark gets to play an ongoing role in the future books. The synopses are still all about Miles.
And Miles himself goes through some changes here, having ended up dead trying to rescue his "brother" early in the book. He comes back considerably weakened, but since he is pretty weak anyway this doesn't change his perspective much. He's getting better all the time at seducing women--even manages it as a particularly nasty looking convalescent.
This is one to look forward to in the series. I give it four stars, just because I don't hand out five stars easily. Matter of fact, I haven't done it yet.
I've been reading all these on my Nook, and rate it a very pleasant way to read. But I think we're going to get a Kindle Fire. We'll see what we think of it.
Mark really comes into his own as a character here, differentiating himself in as many ways as he can from his brother. He likes to eat more, does not like combat, and is much more analytic. Being a clone, he defines himself in terms of his progenitor, but by the end of the book he has worked through all that. Though he definitely seems to have more than his share of the bad luck between the two.
It will be interesting to see if Mark gets to play an ongoing role in the future books. The synopses are still all about Miles.
And Miles himself goes through some changes here, having ended up dead trying to rescue his "brother" early in the book. He comes back considerably weakened, but since he is pretty weak anyway this doesn't change his perspective much. He's getting better all the time at seducing women--even manages it as a particularly nasty looking convalescent.
This is one to look forward to in the series. I give it four stars, just because I don't hand out five stars easily. Matter of fact, I haven't done it yet.
I've been reading all these on my Nook, and rate it a very pleasant way to read. But I think we're going to get a Kindle Fire. We'll see what we think of it.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Brothers in Arms, by Lois McMaster Bujold
And so we come to what seems to happen to every character with a long enough history--an evil twin. Such is Brothers in Arms, my latest read in the Vorkosigan saga. This one is on the short side, just under 250 pages. And it's OK that it's not longer--while it is well-written, this novel just doesn't seem to have a destination. There are several interweaving plots against Admiral Naismith, the most salient of which is a clone (the evil twin) under the control of a Komarran rebel. Miles foils the plots by treating Mark as a brother, basically, though it is obvious that is going to come back to bite him. His highly dynamic personality is not really on display in this book, though. It's just tough to engage. He does finally get it on with Elli Quinn, so we'll see where that goes.
My understanding from other reviews is that this is the low point in the series. It gets better again. Onward and upward, then.
My understanding from other reviews is that this is the low point in the series. It gets better again. Onward and upward, then.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Labirynth, by Lois McMaster Bujold
I'm now returning to the Vorkosigan saga with Labirynth, a novella set somewhat in mid-career for Miles Naismith. In this volume he is Admiral Naismith, commanding the Dendarii Free Mercenaries. We get to see something of Jackson's Whole, the libertarian paradise where most anything goes. Miles is to recover a talented genetic engineer, who won't come without his samples, which turn out to be embedded in an ideal soldier prototype.
Here we see, for the first time in the internal chronology, Miles as a sexual being. He claims to have had sex at 15, but where in previous volumes he was mostly frustrated he now has acquired a backstory of at least trying to get laid. And get laid he does, by the soldier, an 8-foot tall female frightening powerhouse. Well well. In the aftward to the omnibus volume linked above, Bujold says that this volume explores more of the boundaries of what it means to be human and acceptable. It's effectively done and a nice add for the series. I am plunging on, hoping to finish by Christmas. After all, next year's awards start soon after that! And I do have a few other things in mind to read.
Here we see, for the first time in the internal chronology, Miles as a sexual being. He claims to have had sex at 15, but where in previous volumes he was mostly frustrated he now has acquired a backstory of at least trying to get laid. And get laid he does, by the soldier, an 8-foot tall female frightening powerhouse. Well well. In the aftward to the omnibus volume linked above, Bujold says that this volume explores more of the boundaries of what it means to be human and acceptable. It's effectively done and a nice add for the series. I am plunging on, hoping to finish by Christmas. After all, next year's awards start soon after that! And I do have a few other things in mind to read.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Zoo City, by Lauren Beukes
This is the last of my World Fantasy Award reads, and this time I had to pony up for it--will donate it to the Library. And really, it was worthwhile, Zoo City is a unique read in many ways.
The book is set in Johannesburg, in a ghetto named after the book title. Our protagonist is Animalled--has an animal familiar, a side effect of having committed a major crime. This is supposedly the result of a virus of some kind, though there is a heavy dose of magic involved and the explanations don't really put all the pieces together. The author even has a reference to Pullman's Dark Materials series, since it is based on animal familiars as well. But Zoo City is much darker.
This is a noir mystery, and very well done. The book is aimed at the South African audience, with a later American release, so it's interesting to read a novel not aimed at us Yanks. Zinzi December is a sympathetic figure despite being a former and current criminal and drug addict. She is still trying to do right, trying to save children. The interplay with the animals is mildly underdone--they can't speak, so the interchanges are more like what one would have with a very close pet, as opposed to Pullman's dialogues. You could almost get the idea of what it would be like to be very attached to a very exotic pet in real life. Also interesting are the hints at societal accommodation (food for your animal in jail). There will be more, there's plenty of room for a sequel at the end. I recommend it with a solid three and half stars. Probably my favorite among the World Fantasy Award nominees this year.
The book is set in Johannesburg, in a ghetto named after the book title. Our protagonist is Animalled--has an animal familiar, a side effect of having committed a major crime. This is supposedly the result of a virus of some kind, though there is a heavy dose of magic involved and the explanations don't really put all the pieces together. The author even has a reference to Pullman's Dark Materials series, since it is based on animal familiars as well. But Zoo City is much darker.
This is a noir mystery, and very well done. The book is aimed at the South African audience, with a later American release, so it's interesting to read a novel not aimed at us Yanks. Zinzi December is a sympathetic figure despite being a former and current criminal and drug addict. She is still trying to do right, trying to save children. The interplay with the animals is mildly underdone--they can't speak, so the interchanges are more like what one would have with a very close pet, as opposed to Pullman's dialogues. You could almost get the idea of what it would be like to be very attached to a very exotic pet in real life. Also interesting are the hints at societal accommodation (food for your animal in jail). There will be more, there's plenty of room for a sequel at the end. I recommend it with a solid three and half stars. Probably my favorite among the World Fantasy Award nominees this year.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Redemption in Indigo, by Karen Lord
Continuing my reading of the 2011 World Fantasy Award winners, I just finished Redemption in Indigo
by Karen Lord. My local library was tasteful enough to pick up a copy. Reading the award nominees has really helped stretch my reading taste, and this little morsel worked well for me.
The book is based on a Senegalese folk tale, but the author is from Barbados and flavors that in heavily. Paama is a woman of good and wholesome spirit, who was made a poor match in her endlessly hungry husband. She has left him to live with her family, but he finally comes to find her. He is just a fool in this story, though, as the gods (the djombi) decide to involve themselves in her life. She is given the Chaos Stick, the power to influence events in unlikely ways. This power had belonged to another djombi, and their interaction over his attempts to recover it provide the meat of the story.
The story is pretty light, overall, no serious pain or ugliness. It meanders to a beginning and end, which the storyteller makes plain is on purpose. I feel better for having read it, though I don't know that I will remember it for very long.
I was intrigued by the author's biography. She has done many things and is now in academia, and writes on the side. This is just the sort of book one can get from an author who does not write fiction for a living. It is done purely on its own terms. Read it as a good counterpoint to full-on professional writing like Guy Gavriel Kay or the Wheel of Time series.
by Karen Lord. My local library was tasteful enough to pick up a copy. Reading the award nominees has really helped stretch my reading taste, and this little morsel worked well for me.The book is based on a Senegalese folk tale, but the author is from Barbados and flavors that in heavily. Paama is a woman of good and wholesome spirit, who was made a poor match in her endlessly hungry husband. She has left him to live with her family, but he finally comes to find her. He is just a fool in this story, though, as the gods (the djombi) decide to involve themselves in her life. She is given the Chaos Stick, the power to influence events in unlikely ways. This power had belonged to another djombi, and their interaction over his attempts to recover it provide the meat of the story.
The story is pretty light, overall, no serious pain or ugliness. It meanders to a beginning and end, which the storyteller makes plain is on purpose. I feel better for having read it, though I don't know that I will remember it for very long.
I was intrigued by the author's biography. She has done many things and is now in academia, and writes on the side. This is just the sort of book one can get from an author who does not write fiction for a living. It is done purely on its own terms. Read it as a good counterpoint to full-on professional writing like Guy Gavriel Kay or the Wheel of Time series.
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