A Civil Campaign

Rating:
Summary: Same Miles, different style
Review: The latest entry in the Vorkosigan Saga is a return to form for Bujold, after some recent entries that I felt were not quite up to her standard, and a continuation of the evolution of the series from its space opera origins.

The early volumes of the Miles Vorkosigan series emphasized action with lots of space battles and narrow escapes. In the more recent volumes, Miles has been forced by politics and injuries to end his career as a mercenary admiral and return to his homeworld of Barrayar. The most recent books, "Memory" and "Komarr", were essentially detective stories with Miles unraveling plots against the Barrayar Imperium. Although Bujold's first attempt at combining the SF and Mystery genres, the novella 'In the Mountains of Mourning' from "Borders of Infinity" is the finest blend of the two styles I've ever read, better than Asimov's Robot mysteries, these books never quite took off.

In "A Civil Campaign", Bujold adopts yet another genre and writes a 'comedy of manners and biology' with a dedication to 'Jane [Austen], Charlotte [Bronte], Georgette [Heyer] and Dorothy [Sayers?]'. The result is a brilliant success, in many ways the best book in this superior series. For all her gifts and all her skill in describing high society dinner parties, Jane Austen regrettably never stopped to consider the possible ways they could be thrown into chaos by sex-change operations or genetic engineering run amok. Bujold does, and the disastrous party in the center of this novel is, all by itself, worth the price of admission.

The action that dominated earlier installments and slowed down in recent ones is altogether gone in "A Civil Campaign". There is one ambush, where Miles is not present, and a 'battle' fought with tubs of bugbutter, a gooey product of genetically redesigned bugs off which Miles's clone brother Mark hopes to make his fortune.

The slower pace and greater length of this book allow for further development of the characters. Miles is developed, of course, but his longtime sidekick, Ivan Vorpatril, also is very visible, and for the first time playing an independent part. Cordelia is back, more prominent than she has been for some time, and the Koudelka daughters make their first appearances as prominent adult characters, with various adult romantic entanglements. Comic situations often appeared in earlier installments, but usually as bits of relief thrown in between the action sequences. Here the comic situations are also more fully developed than in earlier volumes, producing the funniest Vorkosigan novel to date.

This book is heavily dependent on the complex back story created in earlier volumes and would probably be frustrating for a reader not familiar with the series.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!! A masterpiece, by a phenomenal writer
Review: I just finished this book late tonight. I began reading this book online at the publisher's website and was so enthralled by the first 9 chapters that I haunted every bookstore in town to get a copy as soon as it came out. This is truly an impressive book, Ms. Bujold sincerely deserves all the glowing reviews posted on this site. Her writing style, while deceptively easy to read, manages to convey an astounding array of emotion and symbolism. This book is a lively and complicated story of romance, biology and, and political intrigue. At times I found myself simultaneously cringing at the terrible predicaments the characters had put themselves in and rolling on the floor with laughter at how gut-wrenchingly funny it all was. A Civil Campaign is an exceptional introduction to an exceptional author for those new to Ms. Bujold's work, but it is also full of allusions to previous books in the series and delightful inside jokes to thrill readers already familiar with the series. If you don't read this book, you are missing one of the best books of any genre written in years. Five stars aren't nearly enough to express how fantastic and impressive this book is.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: A bit less action then the other books

Rating:
Summary: Manners, Indeed.
Review: To fully appreciate this book, it helps to have read Miles's previous adventure, "Komarr", which ends just about exactly where this one picks up. However, Ms Bujold does include enough backstory in this volume to get by on.

The author's dedication includes several ladies listed only by first names -- among them "Jane" (Austen) and "Georgette" (Heyer). Certainly, the ladies' spirits are hovering close ocer this story, because it is a thoroughly enjoyable Comedy Of Manners from start to finish.

Part of the fun, though one tends to cringe as one looks ahead, is in watching the step by step manner in which Miles Vorkosigan, the resourceful former covert ops whiz and youngest Imperial Auditor, who *always* comes out ahead no matter how hopeless the situation, meticulously setting up an inevitable Hideous Flaming Social Disaster for himself. Only the truly brilliant can be truly stupid when they Miss The Point and push on, anyway, and Miles is beyond brilliant.

Miles, you see, has Fallen In Love. For real and for permanent, this time, it looks like. And he has no clue at all as to how normal people connect up and pair off in the Real World.

Of course, he has helpers, partners and accomplices in setting up his own humiliation -- his clone-brother Mark arrives with a true Mad Scientist in tow and sets up a lab in Miles's basement.

Three beautiful sisters with conflicting motives and plans for various of the male characters help to stir the brew.

And then there are the butter bugs... but we won't talk about the butter bugs here, except that they are Rather Important to the plot.

"Mother, Father, I'd like you to meet... She's getting *away*!"

If you enjoy a romp through society's ins and outs; if you have enjoyed Georgette Heyer's wonderful Regency romances, then you must try this book.

And if you like it as well as i think you will, and decide you *must* know more about Miles and his family and Barrayar, then either jump *all* the way back to "Cordelia's Honor", which is the two novels that are earliest in series order ("Shards of Honor" and "Barrayar"), or you might want to jump back to "The Warrior's Apprentice", which is the beginning of Miles's adventures.

Or you might just want to pick up any of the series and enjoy yourself.

Rating:
Summary: great s/f is just great fiction - despite bad cover art
Review: Don't get put off by the book covers. Don't be put off because you don't read s/f. Bujold is a great storyteller with wonderful characters, style, plot and humor.

Each time I finish one of Bujold's books, I wonder how could she possibly top it. Then with her next publication, she impresses me again. In many series, the sequels are rehashed plots and the players stuck in endless loops. Bujold lets her characters change, mature and grow without destroying their basic identity. It's been fascinating to watch the progression. Bujold's deft exploration of science (genetic manipulation, cloning); anthropology (interplanetary customs, class differences); and their respective impacts (political, societal, individual) enhances her tale. Unlike many S/F writers, she doesn't let these issues bog down character development or plot.

If you've never read Bujold's previous works, you'll still follow and enjoy this book. You probably won't understand the raves until you explore the rest of the series. Innocent lines are easily understandable but disguise a wealth of backstory and humor. It's incredible how Bujold has crafted a story that is sure to be enjoyed by new readers and weaved into it details and depth that satisfy her long time fans ... and keeps both groups clamoring for more.

Rating:
Summary: Read this -- and then read the new novella that follows!
Review: Love A Civil Campaign & the book right after it, Diplomatic Immunity? Well -- through the magic of out-of-order authorship, we can now go back and enjoy the period *between* those two books!

Bujold has written a new Miles novella called Winterfair Gifts. It's in the anthology Irresistible Forces by Jennifer Roberson, et al., to be released February 3, 2004. The story reportedly covers . . . events presaged in A Civil Campaign.

Rating:
Summary: A Harlequin Romance in the Worst Sense
Review: I couldn't take it. Day after day, I forced myself to read a little bit more of this book. Day after day, it made me more and more ill. It's hard to believe that such a good writer as Bujold could take her Vorkosigan saga and turn it into this. For all intents and purposes, there's no plot whatsoever outside of Miles trying to woo his lady love. Oh, sure, there's Mark having troubles with his girlfriend and with a startup business. There's some stuff about Gregor and his wedding. And, in the closest thing to approach anything beyond self-absorbed mush, there's some stuff involving the succession to a couple of Countships. But, as of page 295 (out of 534), there's nothing else. Ugh. I'm sorry. But, where's someone saving the world? Or, how about saving a fleet? Destroying an evil scourge? Saving Miles' life? Mark's? Anyone's? Nope. Nothing. It's all trivial stuff that's important only to the characters involved. I'd also like to point out that almost every person in the book, though most are over 30, acts like a love-sick, idiotic teenager. In fact, to show you how out of character everyone is, the most mature person in the book is Ivan, Miles' cousin. It looks like this is the last of the Vorkosigan series I'll ever read. I've read all the other books in the Vorkosigan series (and loved them all). I've also read Bujold's books outside the series and they're pretty good. So, I guess that's where I'll look from now on.

Rating:
Summary: Hysterically funny...
Review: This book is just awesome. It has everything you could ask for in a book: lovable and complex characters, humor, and a great plot. Miles in romeo/domestic mode is just plain hilarious. Using his Admiral Naismith-methods of wooing Ekaterin, a widow who has sworn off marriage, he causes scene after scene of humor, disasters, and clumsiness. Combine that with Mark's get-rich-quick scheme involving bugs that make butter, strong female characters, and a fight in corriders of a high Vor house involving "bug butter" splashing... and you have the recipe for a great book. I mean, Miles' parents meet the girl with an introduction from Miles of "Let me introduce you to.... she's getting away!"

There isn't so much scifi to this book as there is romantic comedy. But, it isn't just for girls. It has political intrigue and a good strong plot as well. It's a chance for the readers to see Miles struggling to be something besides a soldier, and Bujold does a beautiful job.

Unfortunately, the Vorkosigan saga (and this book in particular) has set a new standard for me with the scifi genre. Now I want everything, especially a unique society such as the Vor one. So I find myself unhappy with most of my books, feeling they just aren't putting enough effort in.

Rating:
Summary: Characters are great
Review: I have to agree with one of the other reviewers, the dinner scene in this book is the highlight. That being said, the rest of the book is still absolutely great in the expected Bujold style. Miles is definitely settling into life without the Dendarii and finally becoming real Vorkosigan while actually seeming to enjoy it. If you are looking for shoot-em-up, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for character interaction, twists, turns, and triumph in the manner in which you've become accustomed to from Bujold, get it. True fans won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: The Battlefield of Love
Review: Miles Vorkosigan is at it again, merrily planning (and attempting to execute) a very exacting military campaign. The only trouble is, the military objective is inducing his new-found lady love Ekaterin to marry him. His plan includes notable pieces of strategy: not to be too obvious about it, as she is still in mourning for her late husband (see the earlier book Komarr for details); keep other suitors well away; make sure there are frequent opportunities for the two to be in each other's presence; ensure that she becomes aware of all the niceties that would entail from marrying into one of the noblest families on Barrayar. Each piece of his plan, though, runs into one minefield after another, and as he puts emergency stop-losses in place, his situation continuously deteriorates, culminating in a dinner where absolutely everything goes wrong.

The dinner may be the high point of this book - the person who can read this section and not fall over laughing, cringing, and crying all at the same time isn't a real human being. For this book is not about military action, political plots, or single-handed world-saving, but is rather a very witty comedy. The picture of Miles making just about every mistake a lovelorn suitor can is both marvelously funny and very believable, and the picture of Barrayaran society is solidly fleshed out, making the whole a perfect environment in which to play out such a comedy of manners. As usual, Bujold keeps several plot threads spinning at once, whose resolution, while (for once) not at all earth-shaking, makes for a nicely unified wholeness to the basic story.

In another departure for Bujold, this story is told from several viewpoints, not just Miles', which adds a lot to the reader's perspective of the society and situation, and also allows for much greater character development of Ivan Vorpatril, Mark (Miles' clone brother), and Ekaterin than has been the case with previous books in this series.

Perhaps my only real objection to this book was that some of the side plots from the main story just didn't seem to have enough importance and weren't detailed enough to make me really get involved with them, so that their major effect on the final outcome seemed to be larger than justified and a little bit of a surprise. This is a pretty minor quibble, though. Nominated for the 2000 Hugo award, this is a fine entertaining read, full of chuckles and belly-laughs, managing to make Miles into a normal human being without totally losing his aura of impossible competence, engaging and heart-warming. Possibly the best of all the Vorkosigan books.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)