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Summary: Great book - 2 books, actually. The synopsis is full of @#$
Review: I love this story. The book is actually a combination of Shards of Honor and Barrayar. Lois Bujold's series is wonderful. Her writing gets better and better, but Barrayar is really my favorite of the series. Please note that the synopsis they're listing is totally wrong. The marriage is neither forced nor unwanted, he's not her arch enemy, and the heir to the throne is not an infant! Ignore the synopsis, but definitely read the book, and the rest of Bujold's work as well.
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Summary: Cordelia is my hero
Review: I loved this book from the first time I read it to the tenth time I re-read it over the years. Cordelia comes alive in Bujold's hands. While the events might be too much to make believeable in most authors hands, here you cheer for Cordelia. From the matter of fact treatment of sexual knowledge to the practical use of future technology, Cordelia's refreshing views on the world of Barrayar shine as a light for our times as well. There is plenty of action, and the book moves rapidly along, so you wish immediatly to go get more Bujold when the plot is concluded. Enjoy!
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Summary: Cordelia's Honor
Review: I never cared for fantasy till this! The plot was excellent, holding your interest.
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Summary: Fulfilling, fun, intelligent, space romp
Review: I read this book before I even knew of Bujold or the Miles Universe. Despite the cheesy old cover, I pressed on and discovered a treasure of an epic space saga. Cordelia's Honor is actually two books: Shards of Honor and Barrayar. This is a novel for the space opera fan and those who appreciate skillful writing. Bujold's talent leans more on the character driven side rather than the scientific side (a la Star Wars). You will be introduced to galaxy spanning human colonies, namely: Beta and Barrayar. These two worlds collide via the Betan captain - Cordelia - a liberated, headstrong female captain of an expeditionary science ship and Aral - the so called Butcher and warlord from the monarchical Barrayar. Forced to surive together in a remote world, they discover each other's humanity after bridging the gap between their worlds that seemed so violently different because of xenophobia and ignorance. Bujold's intelligent characterization evoke pity and terror in a remarkable tightly woven tale - and its her first published book!In Barrayar, Aral marries Cordelia despite his world's disapproval and she learns to deal with the patriarchal society despite her liberated upbringing on Beta Colony. This is where it most reminds of me of Star Wars: monarchies, corrupt leaders, and political intrigue. The action sequences are smart and suspenseful. In both books there's a whole slew of supporting characters and none of them are two dimensional. At the end is a spinoff to the Miles Universe and you will learn how he was born with his deformity and will get a whole 8 (?) more novels that are just as good as this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Fell far short of expectations
Review: I was really expecting more after seeing Bujold was a Hugo Winner and reading all the gushing ratings here. The story, dialogue and characters simply did not move me. When I look back to other Hugo winners such as Robinson, Brin, Gibson, Card, Simmons and Vinge, I remember books that are real page turners (All of which I would give 5 stars). The plots are compelling, the environments fantastic, mysterious or intriguing and the characters are developed in ways that make you care-for or despise them. Cordelia's plot moves as slow as molasses or develops in ways that just simply are not that compelling. With about 130 pages to go in Barrayar, I was ready to put the book down and move on. But, seeing as I had already invested time in the first 85 percent of the saga, I finished out of a sense of obligation. I thought that perhaps this book ends in a way that justifies all the hoopla. Well I finished it and there was one bright side. The last 130 pages made good practice material for speed reading. Other reviews have spoken of great relationships and emotional development. This aspect of the book felt as if I were reading an abridged version of a possibly great and sweeping romance. As I was reading, I kept thinking that I could care less if any of these characters died and what the impact might be on other characters. On the other hand, well developed characters and relationships will bring a tear to even this 31 year old male when tragedy strikes. Finally, one part of the book that really bothered me in the characters development and believability department was the "rape". Due to an injury, one of the male characters never knew if he'd be able to father children due to some male erectile dysfunction problems. The woman he is attracted to enters the room and his problem is solved. In a fit of passion, the two strip down and "do the deed". In the aftermath, the woman was quite happy with the course of events, but the man is devastated because he believes he raped the woman. Huh?!?!?! Perhaps my rating is harsh, but I just really expect more from a Hugo winner.
Rating:
Summary: One Good store, should be made into a movie
Review: It is GOOD. Love, Hate, Relationships. All of it is in there. And come to think of it. This book is much more than just a SCI FI. You can see human nature in it as well.
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Summary: Fantastic chronological start to an outstanding series
Review: It's fun to follow a series you enjoy from the publishing of the first novel, where you can feel your enjoyment grows with the evolution of the series - I feel like I'm in on the secret of how good the series is from the start. But what a joy it is to find an established series and gorge yourself on it to repletion. This is what I have found with the reading of this the first 2 books combined into one volume of the multi Hugo award winning series Vorkosigan Series. It is densely written, full of emotions, politics (yes, Bjuold is able to successfully merge the two), military manoeuvrings and to some extent science. Something for every reader of both science fantasy, and I think also science fiction. These 2 books (Shards of Honor and Barrayar) are well paired together. They feature the story of how Cordelia Naismith, eventually Mile's mother, comes to meet Lord Aral Vorkosigan. In Shards of Honor the two 'enemies' come to find each other, to survive physical hardship together, and to conquer their emotional pain and fear together. Literally from different worlds, they must play the star crossed pair for most of the book, and Bjuold describes well the pain and loss that Cordelia feels, as the book is told entirely from her viewpoint. Although at first she decides to return to her own 'side' in the interplanetary war, ultimately she joins Aral in Barrayar - there is no doubt of the joy they find in each other. Her leaving her home is not without cost, but the scene in the pavilion where she and Aral come together at last is the most touching of the book. Barrayar extends from that start, showing Aral and Cordelia's new life together on Barrayar. The feelings of homesickness she undergoes, and regret for the loss of the superior facilities - especially medical - of her own planet are a running theme of the book, as they would be in real life. The politics are less complicated here - I sometimes got lost in 'Shards of Honor' on this point - but nonetheless the foundation of the plot line. Aral is now Regent to the young emperor, and the political intrigues that job brings touches on all aspects of their lives. Aral and Cordelia have to find their feet in a slippery political sphere, and it is not without cost that they do so. Cost to innocents. There are more players here, and if you can work your way past the many 'Vor' prefixes (ruling caste) to sort out the individual players, in this book I found I got to know them more than in 'Shards of Honor' - particularly Sergeant Bothari, so badly damaged and strange (a unique relationship with Cordelia), Kou and Drou. Bjuold is not afraid to have characters come to an untimely end, as many military stories must, and even - or maybe especially - those on 'the right side'. I loved these 2 stories, and the series promises to be a fantastic one.
Rating:
Summary: One of Bujold's Best
Review: Lois McMaster Bujold has long been my favorite Science Fiction author. She earned that status with her wit, believable characters, and beautiful prose. Cordelia's Honor, a combination of her two books _Shards of Honor_ and _Barrayar_, is one of her best. It has it all: romance, drama, action, adventure. Yet it is not mere melodrama. The story is about Captain Cordelia Naismith of the Betan Expeditionary Force and her love, Admiral Aral Vorkosigan, known throughout the galaxy as the infamous "Butcher of Komarr." They fall deeply in love despite being on opposite sides of a war, and yet they are both still determined to do their duty. Bujold has written many styles of book, from space opera to mystery to romantic comedy. Cordelia's Honor is high drama, a love story set against the backdrop of both interstellar and civil war. The main characters are not your standard heroic twenty-somethings; they are mature people, who nonetheless learn to grow together. Neither is perfect, but both try to be the best they can be, both apart and together. But there is still plenty of action, everything from space battles to assasinations to inflitration of the enemy capital.
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Summary: Bujold's writing is beyond compare.
Review: Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the best writers out there today, period. She's not afraid to put her characters into tough situations and she's not afraid to take risks. Every time I read her books I am impressed all over again by how well she draws the reader into the universe where Cordelia and Aral live. I especially love all of Cordelia's comments about the barbarous Barrayaran society she's chosen to live in. I have recommended this book to several people and all have enjoyed it. Others in the series that blew me away with their intensity were Memory and Komarr (her two latest about Cordelia and Aral's son, Miles.)
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Summary: A great read- couldn't put it down!!
Review: Ms. Bujold has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The development of her characters, with all their strengths and fears, mixed with the political intrigue of people caught in the nexus of civil war, kept me turning page after page..
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