Tag: space opera (Page 3 of 4)

November Round Up

December 1, 2016 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner B+ This novella length audiobook follows a few months after the events of A Civil Campaign. Miles and Ekaterin are just about to get married at Winterfair (a kind of Barrayaran Christmas). Gifts are arriving and so are wedding guests. Roic, one of Miles’ armsmen is feeling like a bit of a failure after the shamozzle with the butter bugs and the Escobaran bounty hunters. He thinks Armsman Pym hates him and Miles thinks him incompetent. Roic also serves as the narrator of the story. Dendarii mercenary and former lover of Miles, Taura, arrives for the wedding. Roic grew up in the back country and hasn’t seen anyone like Taura ever. Of course, as she is the only one of her kind left, no-one else has either, but Taura makes a big impact on Roic. When Ekaterin falls ill before the wedding, Roic and Taura combine forces to work out what has caused it and save the day. Continue reading

A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

November 19, 2016 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is one from my own TBL. I don’t recommend listening to it without first reading/listening to the earlier books in the series, at the very least Komarr (but really, most of the Vorkosigan books are needed to fully appreciate this one.)

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Miles Vorkosigan has a problem: unrequited love for the beautiful widow Ekaterin Vorsoisson, violently allergic to marriage after her first exposure. If a frontal assault won’t do, Miles thinks, try subterfuge. He has a cunning plan…Lord Mark Vorkosigan also has a problem: his love has just become unrequited again. But he has a cunning plan…Lord Ivan Vorpatril has a problem: unrequited love in general. But he too has a cunning plan…If no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, just imagine what all Miles’ friends and relatives can do to his romantic strategy!

Warning: Series spoilers ahoy

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I have been hanging out to finally listen to A Civil Campaign. Especially after meeting Ekaterin in Komarr, I was completely unable to not immediately start this one next. Continue reading

Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

November 14, 2016 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is one from my own TBL.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Komarr could be a garden – with a thousand more years work. Or an uninhabitable wasteland, if the terraforming fails. Now the solar mirror vital to the terraforming of the conquered planet has been shattered by a ship hurtling off course. The Emperor of Barrayar sends his newest Imperial Auditor, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, to find out why. The choice is not a popular one on Komarr, where a betrayal a generation before drenched the name of Vorkosigan in blood. In the political and physical claustrophobia of the domed cities, are the Komarrans surrounding Miles loyal subjects, potential hostages, innocent victims, or rebels bidding for revenge? Lies within lies, treachery within treachery – Miles is caught in a race against time to stop a plot that could exile him from Barrayar forever. His burning hope lies in an unexpected ally, one with wounds as deep and honor as beleaguered as his own.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’ve been biding my time, listening to this series in order and determined not to jump ahead to the “Miles romance” books. Komarr was my (first) reward. It is here Miles falls in love with Ekaterin Vorsoisson, who is, when they first meet, married to the Terraforming Administrator of the Serifosa Sector in Komarr. While, by the end of the book, that no longer represents an impediment to Miles because reasons (and not cheaty reasons either), this is not the book where Miles gets his HEA either. (That is the next one: A Civil Campaign.) There are sniffs and hints of Ekaterin beginning to have feelings for Miles but, for many reasons, it wasn’t the right time or place for that to be fully explored. It makes sense and it satisfies but, at the same time, I could not resist immediately starting A Civil Campaign after I finished Komarr.
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October Round Up

November 1, 2016 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner – B I am slowly making my way through the Vorkosigan saga. (Next are the 2 Miles romance books and I’m so excited!!) I had heard that Memory was very sad and many of my friends report sobbing as they read/listened. I must be heartless because I didn’t have that reaction at all.

I was a bit grumpy with Miles at the start because he was being dishonest and cheating on Ellie (Quinn). At least by the end of the book he had acknowledged that he was in the wrong on the latter (in relation to the former this happened much earlier in the story). Still, Miles is supposed to be better than that!

I also thought the story took a long time to set up and get going. I knew from previous books that all of the beginning would turn out to be relevant to the tale but it didn’t have any sense of urgency for me until after Miles starts investigating what’s happening at ImpSec (I won’t spoil the story by saying exactly what he’s investigating). Continue reading

June Round Up

June 22, 2016 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner – B Another strong entry into the Vorkosigan saga, (I’m getting close to the Miles romance books! Whee!!) which I am slowly making my way through. I listened to Borders of Infinity before Brothers in Arms and the former has a framing story around three novella length tales – I’m pretty sure at least one of those short stories takes place after Brothers in Arms so I did have a bit of cognitive dissonance when Miles was doing the business with Elli Quinn. I’m sure I’ve heard a story where Ellie falls in love with someone else. (Did I get that wrong? Am I confusing this series with something else?)

I enjoyed Miles’ ponderings on what makes family and I liked Ivan’s appearance in this one – he makes me laugh actually. Ivan strikes me as a fairly simple sort of guy, not at all stupid but a little lazy and almost Miles’ polar opposite. He makes a good foil for our hero. I also liked the way Elli and Miles hooked up here and how it was implicit that they were having, essentially, a FWB relationship. Appearances are another theme in this story – Miles’ appearance, Elli’s appearance and how it has changed since Miles has known her, the various consequences of their respective visages and bodies, not to mention the appearance of “Mark”. Continue reading

Joint Review at Dear Author

April 16, 2016 / Kaetrin

Sirius and I are over at Dear Author with a joint review of Inversion Point by Kelly Jensen and Jenn Burke. Solid entry into the series. I enjoyed it better than the previous installment.