Hello again, everyone! Ready for book review number two? I promise I won't keep an obsessive count of all of these. Who would want to get three years into this and hear, "Ready for book review number three-hundred and fifty six?" Indeed. We'd all be tired of it by then.
I have recently just finished "Cordelia's Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold, one anthology of many in The Vorkosigan series. It is comprised of two parts: "Shards of Honor" and "Barrayar", neatly and smoothly packaged up into one thick book. I was first introduced to these books by a friend and have been ravenous ever since. Though the anthology reaches 590 pages, this isn't a book that will take you three months to read. I think it took me about a week on top of all my other class work. It is one of those books that caught me thinking "Oh, I'll go to bed early tonight, I have a test tomorrow, yes, I'll be good and sleep.....but....I'm almost done....maybe just a little bit...."
And nearing one in the morning I realize that my eyes are crossing and I have to put the book down. Yes, people. One of *those* books! Sleep is for the weak in the face of this novel!!
This anthology is technically a science fiction novel (I know I know, I'm supposed to be reviewing *fantasy*). But, my friends, this is a book that even the most anti-science fiction among you will enjoy! Unlike some Asimov and Clark, you won't feel like you have to peel apart your brain in order to wrap it around some of the deeper physics of space travel and laser refraction, which has its own inherent attraction for those of us who like that sort of thing. In any case, for those of you who are straight up fantasy buffs, you simply have to try these books.
Following the family Vorkosigan and the inhabitants of the planet Barrayar, the novels are located in a post-colonization, space-travel era. Earth has long ago sent out its scientists and colonies, and interstellar travel as well as worm hole jumping is the main means of transportation between planets. Barrayar is one such planet, but here is where some of the fantastical humors come from. The society and customs of Barrayar are set back into a twist of futurism and an Earth-like Middle Ages. Due to a collapse of the worm hole that led the colonies to Barrayar, the planet experienced a Time of Isolation where they were forced, literally, to start from scratch, cut off from all the other planets in the systems-- Beta Colony, Cetaganda, Jackson's Whole, Athos, Escobar, among many others in between.
Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the most brilliant writers I have come upon in a long, long time. Her characterization and construction of identity, down to the last tidbit and hormone, is so incredibly flawless that you don't even realize she's doing it until you've become so incredibly invested, attached, and related to her characters that you literally can't put the book down. There is a beautiful flavor to her books-- you might hear me talk about books being like food often. A good, hard science fiction novel is for me like a rich, chocolate torte: decadent, but only truly enjoyable in small portions at a time. A really good fantasy is like a fragrant, full-bodied tea. And these books from Barrayar are very much like a savory, saucy meal...add in whatever sounds incredibly appetizing there, whether it be eggplant or tender chicken or both. And imagine you're starving. And imagine it's your birthday. And you just won a million dollars. Am I getting ridiculous yet? Good.
I have read one other anthology in the series, "Young Miles" which comes after "Cordelia's Honor". It doesn't matter what order you read these two in, I've found, but I really enjoyed reading "Young Miles" before its prelude. There are some delightful links between the two that I think are even more voraciously appreciated when the light bulb comes on after the fact. But by far, "Cordelia's Honor" is even better than the book that comes after it. Every page in this book is seeped with emotional power, whether it be charming warmth from the perfectly bizarre Lady and Lord Vorkosigan or hysterical misunderstanding between other lovers in the tale...or fierce, heart-wrenching fury, pain, action, and retribution. There is not a single main character in this book that is not either well-loved or well-hated by the end, but don't worry, there are plenty of side character to take the strain off your emotional well-being.
And each one of them is incredibly believable. Not one of the heroes is that overly perfect knight in shining armor, and the villains in their blackness are still incredibly human. Some people have mixed feelings about mixed characters, and in these books there is one who jumps to mind that may cause confusion: Sergeant Bothari. How you interpret his being is entirely up to each individual reader, but this strange character has got to be one of the tenderest, most thoughtful, ruthless madmen I have ever had the extreme pleasure to read about. See? You're interested already!! I'd go to a bookstore or check out Amazon.com about now if I were you.
I literally have nothing bad to say about this book. I only wish I could tell you more, but I dare not give away even one ounce of delicious plot. The length of each segment is neither too long nor too short, there are no page after page-long battle scenes with yawn-worthy descriptions of how metal twisted this or that way-- in fact they're realistically short. Death comes in an instant, and Bujold does a masterful job of describing a full battle in as much time as it would actually take while still packing in enough description and emotion to make it realistic. The characters are brilliantly sketched and fleshed out, each one hooking you deeper and deeper into the tale, and every word is a bead of water to thirsting lips.
I cannot wait to get my hands on another one of these anthologies. The next to come include "Miles, Mystery & Mayhem", "Miles Errant", "Miles, Mutants & Microbes", and "Miles in Love". As you can probably guess, the majority of these stories center around the being of Miles. Who is Miles? Well...you'll just have to read and find out, now won't you?
Until next time, and next book. I believe on the horizon looms...vampires! And no, we're not talking Twilight here. Sheesh...
Caitlyn
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