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picklish@books.theunseen.city

Joined 1 year, 12 months ago

I read largely sff, some romance and mystery, very little non-fiction. I'm trying to write at least a little review of everything I'm reading, but it's a little bit of an experiment in progress.

I'm @picklish@weirder.earth elsewhere.

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Lois McMaster Bujold: Ethan of Athos (Paperback, 1986, Baen Books) 4 stars

You'd think that an obstetrician on a planet forbidden to women would be underemployed...

Not …

"God the Father," Ethan moaned in horror, "the Population Council will think I was depraved enough to make love to a woman in a flex tube!"

"Gods forbid," Quinn, looking equally appalled, echoed under her breath, "that Admiral Naismith would think I was stupid enough to make love to anything in a flex tube!"

Ethan of Athos by  (Vorkosigan Saga) (85%)

reviewed Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga)

Lois McMaster Bujold: Ethan of Athos (Paperback, 1986, Baen Books) 4 stars

You'd think that an obstetrician on a planet forbidden to women would be underemployed...

Not …

Ethan of Athos

4 stars

This book is the logical extension of the exploration of "uterine replicator" technology. We see Betans and Barrayarans using them to have safer and more egalitarian pregnancies. We see Cetagandans using them in the previous book to design humans differently. And, here in this book, the planet Athos is using them to perpetuate their remote society made up only of men.

(And yeah, yeah, this story was written in 1986, and so we'll just handwave over what the fate of poor trans folks or non-gay men might be on this planet. On this planet, women are sort of treated as mythological demons that have hypnotized galactic men with their wiles. This book is written in a way to make Ethan come off as comically naive, but the religious indoctrination here is horrifying if you think about it to any degree.)

Ethan is the earnest straight man (:drum:) in this comedy …

reviewed Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga)

Lois McMaster Bujold: Cetaganda (Paperback, 1996, Baen) 4 stars

Cetaganda

4 stars

One of the qualities that I love about the Vorkosigan series is that because it is so long, it allows Bujold to play with different genres between books. If The Vor Game is military SF, then Cetaganda is a mystery novel. Pedantically, this book is not really a mystery proper in the way that a reader could piece together the whodunit independently; however I think this is an example of "detective Miles" mode, and one that we'll see again in Memory and Komarr especially.

This book features Miles and Ivan on a diplomatic visit to Cetaganda for the funeral of the Cetagandan empress. Miles has to juggle investigating a plot that's trying to frame the Barrayarans (but why? and by whom?), hiding things from his superiors (by implying he's a higher level spy), trying to interface with the Cetaganda police about a murder investigation (while not giving things away to …

Lois McMaster Bujold: The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga, #6) (Paperback, 2002, Baen Books) 4 stars

The Vor Game is a science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in …

"If—in your judgment—the best and most vital service you can give everyone else risking their lives here is as a minor field officer, I will of course support you to the best of my ability," said Miles bleakly.

"Ouch," murmured Gregor. "You can turn a phrase like a knife, you know?" He paused. "Treaties, eh?"

"If you would be so kind, sire."

"Oh, stop it." Gregor sighed. "I will play my assigned part. As always."

The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga, #6) by  (Vorkosigan Saga) (84%)

Lois McMaster Bujold: The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga, #6) (Paperback, 2002, Baen Books) 4 stars

The Vor Game is a science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in …

"Very good. But your most insidious chronic problem is in the area of... how shall I put this precisely... subordination. You argue too much."

"No, I don't," Miles began indignantly, then shut his mouth.

The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga, #6) by  (Vorkosigan Saga) (2%)

Lois McMaster Bujold: The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga, #6) (Paperback, 2002, Baen Books) 4 stars

The Vor Game is a science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in …

The Vor Game

4 stars

This novel won a Hugo, and I liked it more than Warrior's Apprentice, but it still jumps around quite a bit. It certainly leans a bit more "military sf" where we learn a bit more about space tactics and wormhole politics. The book feels like it has a couple of distinct sections: first, Miles on his first assignment in Camp Permafrost (until he joins a mutiny and washes out of the Imperial Military, again). Then, Miles kicking his feet "in disgrace" until he joins Imperial Security and is sent back out to potentially active the Admiral Naismith identity again. Finally, a bit where he is separated from his ImpSec minders and simultaneously tries to re-form the Dendarii Mercenaries, stop an invasion, and rescue the Barrayaran emperor all at the same time.

On this reread, I felt like that the Camp Permafrost section, even if it was interesting, didn't quite tie …

Lois McMaster Bujold: The Mountains of Mourning-A Miles Vorkosigan Hugo and Nebula Winning Novella (2014, Phoenix Pick) 4 stars

Lois McMaster Bujold: The Mountains of Mourning-A Miles Vorkosigan Hugo and Nebula Winning Novella (2014, Phoenix Pick) 4 stars

Mountains of Mourning

4 stars

This is a novella about Miles on Barrayar after the events of A Warrior's Apprentice and while he's waiting for his first assignment (surely, ship duty :drum:). Miles gets tasked by his father to help a woman from out in the country investigate the murder of her child that nobody else will listen to.

This is not so much a mystery story so much as it is an opportunity to stick Miles in a rural area with poor Barrayarans to navigate a thorny social and political situation as Lord Miles Vorkosigan. You get to see him deal with folks outside of the military or aristocracy and show more directly some of the cultural biases going on on Barrayar. (I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about how this story treats the impoverished hill folks. Miles certainly carries less bias than the officers he brings with him, but there's still …

replied to Sally Strange's status

@SallyStrange@bookwyrm.social Oh that's interesting to me that you read Aral and Cordelia that way, as I wouldn't have read them that way without this context.

There's certainly an airquotes age gap, but she's 30-something and he's 40-something and they're both competent commanders. To me, that feels much more like a peer relationship (especially compared to Fawn and Dag). Cordelia even equates their ages at one point and refers to both of them as "old", vs setting herself apart. Maybe there's other text there I didn't twig to at the time?

Lois McMaster Bujold: The Warrior's Apprentice (1986) 4 stars

The Warrior's Apprentice is an English language science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, part …

He gave his draftee his most encouraging smile, as if the offer of two days locked in struggle with the electronic labyrinth of Betan business practices was a high treat.

Elena looked doubtful. "I've never outfitted a ship before."

"It'll be easy," he assured her airily. "Just bang into it--you'll have it figured out in no time. If I can do it, you can do it." He zipped lightly over this argument, giving her no time to reflect on the fact that he had never outfitted a ship either.

The Warrior's Apprentice by  (30%)

Lois McMaster Bujold: The Warrior's Apprentice (1986) 4 stars

The Warrior's Apprentice is an English language science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, part …

Miles pressed his lips together firmly. He must not break down into howls of laughter. Yet here he sat, a man with an imaginary battle fleet negotiating for its services with a man with an imaginary budget. Well, the price was certainly right.

The Warrior's Apprentice by  (66%)

Lois McMaster Bujold: The Warrior's Apprentice (1986) 4 stars

The Warrior's Apprentice is an English language science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, part …

The Warrior's Apprentice

3 stars

With Cordelia and Aral's story mostly backgrounded, we now get to the Miles Vorkosigan stretch of novels. Miles washes out of military school due to his physical disabilities and easily broken bones; he ends up on a trip to Beta Colony as a vacation with his bodyguard Bothari, and Bothari's daughter and Miles' childhood friend Elena.

This was the first book in this series I ever read, and I almost bounced off of it the first time through. My partner also stopped reading two thirds of the way through and then came back and finished much much later. This book has big "it gets better in season 3 I promise" energy.

For me, it's a weaker book than the two Cordelia books prior in a number of ways, and honestly there's really only so much I can take of teenager Miles. It's partially his self-loathing--internalizing the way that Barrayar treats …

@SallyStrange@bookwyrm.social Oh wow, I've never heard of the term "December/May" romances before. Do you feel like Cordelia and Aral fit that mold? Thinking on other series, the Sharing Knife feels much more like this trope, writ large.

I'll keep a closer eye on this series as I get through them. My memory of relationships in this series is largely that Miles just lecherously pinballs between any woman in front of him for many books and I'm prepared to just grimace and move past that.