Rating: 
Summary: Rip-off of faithful readers
Review: LMB run out of ideas already in the previous book "Civil Campaign"; that book was running on the momentum of the previous ones.
"Diplomatic Immunity" is much worse. It's plot, if it could be called a plot-line, is 1950's science fiction horror based, boring from beginning to end. The pages run on "idle", the reader is continuously expecting magnificence to emerge, the way the previous stories used to be ... and continuously disappointed.
The entire tome is an attempt to cash in on the glories of the past, which was truly outstanding ... BR>I have every Miles book, in hard cover, on my bookshelf. I will not buy a used paperback of "Diplomatic Immunity" and I suggest you do the same.
Shame on LMB for playing false with our trust.
Rating: 
Summary: A true culmination
Review: This is a must read for Vorkosigan fans; as well as being a 'good read' it unites many of Miles' past experiences and contacts in a most satisfactory way. Maybe, ideally, NOT the first in the series one should read - acquaintance with other books will definitely enhance enjoyment of this one, but it certainly could stand on its own. However knowing about the hero's history with the Cetagandans, a certain Betan hermaphrodite and Miles' courtship of his wife makes this more of a treat. My only concern is how the author will follow this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best effort, but still a good read
Review: I seldom give Ms. Bujold, who is my favorite author, less than five stars, but this book, though filled with her usual cleverness, just didn't have the *significance* that all of the previous Vorkosigan books had. Nothing really new occurs in Miles' life, or in the lives of any of the other major supporting cast. It's an interesting story, well told, and Miles is at his manic almost-best. He never gives less than his all, though, and you've gotta love him for that.
Rating:
Summary: More Miles, what's not to like?
Review: Fans of Miles Vokosigan will enjoy this one. Not as powerful, perhaps, as Memory or as funny as A Civil Campaign, it is nonetheless quality Bujold (as if there were another kind?) and a must-read for the fans of the diminutive hero.
Rating:
Summary: Still better than most SF
Review: This is one of Bujold's weaker efforts, or maybe it only seems so after the triumphs of Komarr and A Civil Campaign. In it, we follow Miles on an assignment as Imperial Auditor, from the time he first gets the assignment to the time he wraps it up. In it, we see Miles playing detective (a role he has played before, most notably in The Vor Game and Cetaganda.) We also see a few loose strings left over from previous books neatly tied up. In fact, this is so much of a "tidying up" book that it makes me worry that Bujold might be getting tired of Miles. The major disappointments are that it's so short, that we don't get to see any of the story from Ekaterin's perspective, and that, uncharacteristically for Miles, he doesn't manage to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. (Survival, yes, but I wouldn't exactly call it a victory.) There are also some subtle indications here and there that Bujold was paying less attention than usual to canonicity. In particular, she has Miles and another character reminiscing about their "dim and distant past", which was, I'll grant you, four books back, but only about two years ago in internal chronology. Still, this is Bujold, and Bujold at her worst is still better than 90% of the stuff on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Action/Adventure Without Angst
Review: As someone wrote in an earlier review, The 'Vor' books mainly come in three flavors: 1. Action/adventure 2. Drama/Life Events 3. High Comedy. Personally, I rate the types exactly in that order, giving action/adventure the highest marks. Thus I greatly enjoyed this newest edition to the series. Miles is running on fast forward and the reader gets to see his intelligence versus his emotional climate (as in the drama/life events flavor). I'm not a huge fan of Kat and rather like the one viewpoint as it lends itself better to suspense. Bujold does an outstanding job (again). This is well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Another side of Miles
Review: I agree that this book isn't as funny as "A Civil Campaign" or as touching as "The Mountains of Mourning" (surely one of the finest bits of writing in or out of the SF world) but it has points that shouldn't be overlooked. Miles as diplomat, friend, strategist, and husband, Ekaterin creating her own version of Lady Vorkosigan with grace, wit, and courage, Bel Thorne coping with loving, aging, and confronting its past -- these are adult themes. Sure, I realize that the old slam-bang-everybody-duck Miles isn't in this book -- most of the time. However, the intellect is there. So is the absolute rock bottom dependability and the honor of a Vorkosigan, whatever the situation. Most fascinating, however, is the point that all the reviewers seem to overlook. That's his relationship with the Cetagandan ghem-lord Benin and the haut-lady Pel. This is the sort of edgy relationship, part friendship and part diplomatic standoff, that's hard to write. Ms. Bujold does it beautifully. I admire all the Vorkosigan tales. I like to laugh out loud over scenes like the dinner party and his no-holds-barred courtship technique. I'm old enough to understand the aching emptiness left by his honored dead, and can remember being young enough that being different was the last thing you wanted to be. However, I can appreciate that not all of anyone's life can be lived on overdrive, even if you are Miles. This book proves that even a more sedate hyperactive is still enough of a character to carry a story! As an aside - Admiral Vorpatril's relationship to 'that idiot Ivan' may be Ms. Bujold's way of suggesting gently that he's not the most brilliant light in the Winterfair display, a theory that seems to be carried to conclusion by his behavior.
Rating:
Summary: Bujold has not missed yet with this growing series.
Review: This is the first story in which Miles is married, but it seems he has chosen the right partner. The whole story I was waiting for him to get in trouble with her, but it never happened. Even when Ekatrin, wife, gets to meet Bel, "old flame." Not that Miles doesn't get in plenty of trouble. In this case, none of it is his own doing, and Bujold is masterful in unfolding the mystery onion, layer by layer. His diplomatic mission is not helped by the lug-headed thinking of the military of his own nation, but somehow he prevails. I was worried when the story series made Miles Vorkosigan an "Imperial Lord Auditor." It's an office that carries almost as much power as the Emperor (in some ways more, since he has mobility) so it was hard to see how the character would have any difficulty in overcoming future obstacles. That turns out not to be a problem. The most notable thing about this series is the rare and good-natured humor that Bujold sprinkles into the story. Miles is often the butt of the joke, but takes it in stride. When his wife says, "You were an absolute lunatic when you were younger, by all accounts. I'm not sure, if I'd met you back then, whether I'd have been impressed, or horrified." Miles simply says, "I'm not sure, either." Well done. Five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Yay, a new Vorkosigan book! =)
Review: I'm really tempted to give 5 stars just because I love this series so much. I always feel silly when I'm out reading these books in a public place because I invariably end up with a huge goofy grin on my face several times during any given book. By the way, if you are a new reader, I recommend starting with either Cordelia's Honor or The Warrior's Apprentice. But, about this one... plenty of mystery and intrigue with a smattering of action to keep things interesting. And of course, Miles's trademark humor. Two reason's that I didn't give it five stars: After the previous books, I missed the multiple view points. I think every third chapter or so should have been from Ekaterin's eyes, particularly at the end. Also, I missed the great character development that we saw in books like Memory (my favorite thus far in the series), and A Civil Campaign. This was still, however, quite the enjoyable read. I only wish it had been longer. I've heard there will be a novella coming up (as part of a collection book) focusing on Miles's wedding. This should help explain the missing year and a half and prove fun in its own right.
Rating:
Summary: Honeymoon in Quaddiespace
Review: Diplomatic Immunity is the latest book in the Miles Vorkosigan science fiction series. Lois McMaster Bujold has created, in Miles, one of my favourite characters in the genre. All of the books she's written in this series have been very good, most of them great. I can't recall a clunker in the bunch. With Diplomatic Immunity, I'd say she's still on that streak, though it's not as good as the most recent books have been. This is yet another winner, but it somehow felt less consequential then most of the Vorkosigan books. The previous books have almost been "event" books in Miles's life, while this one just seemed a bit ordinary. Sure, there is the birth of their children, but that mainly provides an impetus for Miles and Ekaterin to finish the problem as soon as possible, rather than being an event in itself. It's nice to see Miles again, but I guess we've been spoiled by the previous books into expecting even more. Perhaps that's not this book's fault, though. The mystery itself is very intriguing. Bujold provides lots of twists and turns. Miles gets to use his vast intelligence to solve the problem and there's a bit of action. Bujold excels at creating characters, and that's definitely shown here. We already love Miles and Ekaterin, but the old friend of Miles who shows up is also wonderfully portrayed. Even the new people (mostly Quaddies) are well done. You can clearly see the frustration and desperation in the Quaddie security chief, Venn, as events spiral out of his control. There is not a false character in the bunch. The only minor annoyance is that there is no reason to make the Barrayaran Admiral a relation to Miles's cousin Ivan. Nothing is made of it and it just seems a bit too cute. Of course, if this is your first book of the series, then that won't bother you. She's created a very interesting society in Quaddiespace. Quaddies live in a mostly zero gravity environment, which gives them more mobility with their four arms. If they are in a gravity area, they are in anti-gravity floaters in order to move around. The society and the politics of the area are very well done. The political machinations are interesting and the reader watches the situation escalate and wonders how things are going to turn out. Throughout this series, Bujold has done a wonderful job building this entire area of space, making each society believable, and she's done well again. There isn't as much humour in this book as in the past books. It doesn't even compare to A Civil Campaign, which was a comedy. However, it's also missing some of the gentle humour that was in the series before. It's not a dark book by any means, it's actually fairly light. But you won't find yourself smiling much as you read this one. It also drags a bit toward the end, and in a 307 page book, that's not necessarily a good thing. Still, it's nice to see another Miles adventure. I certainly did enjoy the book, and I can't wait for the next one. I guess I just expect a bit more from Bujold, and she didn't quite deliver. I think it's a very good book, just not a great book. However, it is a great jumping on point if you want to "test the waters" of the Vorkosigan universe. It's completely self-contained and any backstory you need is thoroughly explained. There may be a few references that make you stop and wonder, but most of those aren't necessary for understanding the plot. If you enjoy this one, then take heart in the fact that it's not the best, so you'll have even better books to read when you start reading the series from the beginning. And I know you will. Miles can be addicting, even when he's not at his best.
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