Must have Books - The Vorkosigan Series

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	Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold So how is Shards? It's very, very good, especially for a first novel. Cordelia Naismith is on a survey mission for her home planet, Beta, when her landing party (to borrow a phrase from Star Trek) is ambushed and almost completely wiped out by a Barrayaran force that is using the planet as a supply depot. Cordelia is captured by Captain Aral Vorkosigan, the commander of the Barrayarans. However, things aren't quite what they seem, as Vorkosigan's crew seems to be divided between loyalty to him and mutineers. Vorkosigan was left for dead by the mutineers, and so he and Cordelia (along with an injured member of Cordelia's team, who's mind has been blown away by a Barrayaran weapon) have to make their way to the supply depot. The mutineers are the ones who wiped out Cordelia's crew, as Vorkosigan is too honourable a man to do something like that. She finds herself being drawn to him during the many days of their journey, and a bond develops between them. Cordelia ends up helping Aral in dealing with his crew. Once this section of the book is over, they separate, but events transpire to bring them together again, and their bond grows. The book details the story of how their relationship develops, deepening into a love that is a lot more mature than relationships are sometimes portrayed in science fiction. Usually, the heroes that get involved in romances are very young, where sex is the most important thing. The romances seem very physical. That doesn't happen in this relationship, though, as both parties are drawn to the mind of the other person, their honour and how they react to people. It was very refreshing.
	Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold Cordelia Naismith had married a simple retired soldier. Now pregnant with their first child, she expected a peaceful country life with Aral Vorkosigan and their children. Instead, dying Emperor Ezar Vorbarra appointed Aral to rule Barrayar until Prince Gregor, four-year-old heir to the throne, could come of age. Just months after Aral was sworn in, an attempt was made to kill him. Who would most benefit from killing the new Regent? Cetaganda? Komarr? A disgruntled Vor lord? Who will control Barrayar? This is, simply put, a fabulous book, featuring the adventures of Miles Vorkosigan's parents in the period just before Miles' birth. You have not read a climax to a science fiction novel like the one here, as Cordelia Vorkosigan sneaks into the enemy camp and single-handedly puts an end to the Vordarian pretendership. Spine chills of the highest order. I wish Ms. Bujold could write these books faster, is all.
	The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold Miles Naismith Vorkosigan comes of age. After failing the Barrayaran Military Academy physicals, the brittle-boned, dwarfish son of Cordelia and Aral Vorkosigan uses a clever touch of creativity to finance a shipment of munitions into a war zone. When the simple merchant expedition draws the attention of an unexpected enemy, Miles is forced to masquerade as commander of a fictional fleet of hired guns he names after the mountains near his home--the Dendarii Mercenaries. His original crew of misfits grows into a considerable force as enemies become allies, guided by the delicate political maneuverings Miles learned from his father. Locus Poll Award Nominee
	The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold In The Vor Game, Miles has graduated from the Imperial Academy, and has been rewarded with a choice posting indeed. Well, okay, it's one of the worst postings on record. He wanted ship duty. He's been sent to Kyril Island, lovingly called Camp Permafrost, to predict the weather. From almost his first moments on the island, he's on a collision course with the commanding officer, which leads to a snowy showdown that Miles both wins and loses. Back at home (well, at least his hometown), Miles is recruited into Imperial Security - the infamous ImpSec - and sent off on a mission involving Admiral Naismith. Unfortunately, things go wrong, and soon he's wrapped up in an Imperial problem, flying by the seat of his pants and breaking rules and orders with practiced elan. The Vor Game is one of my favorite of the Vorkosigan series; it is, really, the last book of Miles' youth. It is an award-winner, and deservingly so; the characters continue to develop, which is quite the challenge in the fourth book of a series, and the plot is fun. Bujold writes SF with a light hand, and interjects a great deal of humor. It's rare to find an SF writer who knows how to make us laugh.
	Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold Miles is stuck visiting Cetaganda with his doltish cousin Ivan, representing Barrayaran nobility at an Imperial funeral. Miles must have suspected that it wasn't going to be dull after the bogus docking instructions and the odd man who launched himself into their ship and started to pull a weapon on them. Three attacks and a mysterious murder later, Miles is juggling two emperors, two secret services, and a half-dozen traitors--nd that's not even counting the women.
	Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold After the audacious prison camp escapade described in Borders of Infinity, Miles is on the run from the Cetagandans, who aren't about to take that kind of thing lying down. The worst of it is, Miles and his friends are starting to see double, and it takes a while to find out who is responsible. In the wake of unexpected planetary peace and the disappearance of the Dendarii payroll, mercenary captain Miles Naismith attempts to discover the link between the insufferable Captain Galeni and the Komarran rebel expatriates.
	Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold This collection of short stories includes tales that take place before The Vor Game and others extending past Brothers in Arms. The variation in tone across the tales is handled exceptionally well, as we see Miles mourn and get a better look at his relationship with Illyan. The stories include Miles's first outing as a detective, in which he's faced with a case of infanticide in the mutant-phobic hill country; his largest rescue mission ever; and the most distressed damsel for whom he ever played the knight.
	Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold Miles Vorkosigan faces more than his share of troubles as the protagonist in Mirror Dance. Not only is he deformed and undersized but he has a cloned brother who gets into a jam in the free enterprise plague spot known as Jackson's Whole. Miles tries to help his brother but ends up injured, placed on cryogenic suspension and then lost in intergalactic limbo. And that's just in the first 100 pages. The following 300 pages add a wealth more to this fantastic tale that's both humorous and finely written. Mirror Dance won the 1995 Hugo Award for Science Fiction.
	Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold In the latest Miles Vorkosigan adventure, the matter of his dual identity as Lord Miles and Admiral Naismith comes home to roost. For concealing a health problem, he is dismissed as leader of the Dendarii Mercenaries--so exit Admiral Naismith. Unfortunately, he has done very little to make his real identity worth much, a situation that promptly changes when a gruesome assassination plot against his mentor, head of imperial security Simon Illyan, comes on the scene. By the time Miles uses the combined experience of both his identities to reveal the plot, he has been granted high official rank in his own person as well as helped the emperor Gregor finally garner a consort. There is so much harking back to previous Vorkosigan tales in this book that it is hardly the place to start on the undersized hero's adventures, yet Bujold fans of long standing will justly hail it as a masterpiece that contains some of her finest prose and characterization. Bujold continues to prove what marvels genius can create out of basic space operatics.
	Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold Lois McMaster Bujold comes through again with another sharp Miles Vorkosigan novel. Komarr can be read as a standalone, though it is part of a whole series. Miles is a hugely popular character with fans--and they won't be disappointed with his latest adventure. The planet Komarr is undergoing centuries-long terraforming when one of the orbiting mirrors crucial to the effort is smashed by an off-course ship. Miles Vorkosigan is sent to Komarr to investigate the incident; once there, he becomes embroiled in political and scientific battles. To make matters worse, the name Vorkosigan is anathema on Komarr. But our intrepid hero can't be put down easily. While trying to save Komarr, he manages... maybe... to find true love at last! Bujold's original and intelligent blend of politics, science, and cliffhanging-good space opera makes this book a satisfying adventure and a charming romance.
	A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold A Civil Campaign opens where Komarr ends, with Miles determined to court Ekaterin. Unfortunately, his approach is described as "General Romeo Vorkosigan, the one-man strike force." By his father. The potential for comic disaster increases when Miles's clone brother Mark arrives. He's brought a brilliant but scatterbrained scientist who's created a bug producing a perfect food: bug butter. They set up a lab in the basement of Vorkosigan House. Mark has also found a nice Barrayaran girl--she even likes the bugs--with whom he got together on the sexually liberated world of Beta. But now Kareen's living at home. Naturally, disaster strikes, repeatedly and on all fronts. Bujold unfolds her comedy of manners while continuing to explore familiar themes: the difficulties in becoming a strong adult woman in a patriarchy, the need for trust and honesty in relationships between the sexes, the difference between appearance and identity, and the impact of advanced biotechnologies on society. A Civil Campaign is a sure-fire Hugo and Nebula nominee, likely to add another statue to Bujold's already full shelf. It's charming, touching, and quite funny too.
	Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold Fans won't find this surprising in the least, but Miles Vorkosigan--the plucky, short-statured hero of Lois McMaster Bujold's beloved series--is uniquely incapable of having an uneventful honeymoon. Between a racially fueled diplomatic dispute, the appearance of a hermaphroditic old flame, and a bizarre Cetagandan genetic conspiracy, Miles just can't seem to get a minute of peace with his new wife, the lovely and resourceful Ekaterin. Miles had hoped to give "hands-on op games" a rest once and for all, but when the Emperor urgently calls on him to resolve a "legal entanglement" in Quaddiespace, diplomacy alone might prove inadequate. Our newly minted Imperial Auditor almost immediately forgets all about "Baby's First Cell Division" (after the assignment comes in, Ekaterin quickly observes "You know, you keep claiming your job is boring, Miles, but your eyes have gone all bright"), but even Miles feels the heat after his diplomatic attempts devolve into a series of flattering assassination attempts. Vorkosigan (and family now!) is as winning as ever, with Bujold offering up her usual fun mix of space-opera action and droll social commentary in a character-centered plot. And here's a bonus for Milesophiles and Vorkosiga novices alike: a book-by-book timeline detailing what trouble Miles got into and when.