Rating: 
Summary: Future clashes with past=great fun
Review: "Barrayar" is a cool book. It flows flawlessly, one chapter merges into the next without any convenient spots to put the book down--which is great if you've got 5 hours to spare. Anyway, the novel is set in the far, far future, in a galaxy trillions of light years away (I think the road directions is something like travel at warp speed for several hours, turn at the second black hole, go through customs, park....). The heroine is Cordelia Naismith, a Betan transport captain who married Lord Aral, Count Vorkosigan of Barrayar. Vorkosigan is the Regent of the planet, so he's the target of assassinations, political backstabbings, and even a revolution. Poor Cordelia is trapped in the middle of the struggle, pregnant and rather miserable because Barrayar is so barbaric compared with her Star Trek-like old lifestyle. Anyway, things really heat up when a nasty Pretender to the throne successfully carries off a coup d'etat, now, Cordelia's friends and her husband's allies are on the run for their lives. This provides the oportunity for Bujold to write some nail-biting cliff-hangers.... An engaging heroine, a Duke of Wellington-like hero, stuck on a planet that's a cross between revolutionary France and the Klingon homeworld, equals unparalled entertainment. Unborn baby Miles Vorkosigan takes a supporting role in this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Recommended
Review: "Barrayar" was the first novel by Ms. Bujold that I read. Immediately after finishing it, I went out and bought every other book she had in print, and I eagerly snap up each new offering. I have always been thoroughly entertained. The characters, scenes, situations, and dialog are all skillfully woven together - consistent, believable, and engrossing. This book contains one of the most powerful and memorable scenes I have ever read - when Cordelia returns after ending the Vordarian Pretendership (with extreme prejudice). It is the climax of the book in every meaning of the word. I re-read the scene several times, relishing its perfection, and I have re-read the novel several times with no loss in the power of that scene. If you cannot find this book (it's out of print) read "Cordelia's Honor", a combination of "Barrayar" and "Shards of Honor". Then read each and every book about Miles Vorkosigan, the child of Cordelia and Aral. You will be fascinated by this (and all her other) characters. My other favorite authors are David Drake, Robert Heinlein, Jerry Pournelle, S.M. Stirling, Harry Turtledove, Robert B. Parker and John D. MacDonald, so Ms. Bujold is in some very good company.
Rating:
Summary: Hugo award-winning 3rd story in the Vorkosigan Saga.
Review: "Barrayar," winner of the Hugo award, is itself out of print, but available in the new paperback, "Cordelia's Honor," which also has "Shards of Honor." Both together are the story of Cordelia Naismith, a survey officer from civilized, polite Beta. She was first captured by, then married, Lord Aral Vorkosigan, "The Butcher of Komarr." "Barrayer" is the story of the incredible effect Cordelia had on Vorkosigan's warrior planet Barrayar, and how she stopped the civil war that threatened to slag down the planet. The heir she bore Vorkosigan was twisted and deformed from an assassination attempt during pregnacy. This son, Miles, Lord Vorkosigan, is the hero of the following 9 books (so far) of the Vorkosigan saga. I am very fond of David Drake's and S.M. Stirling realistic SF war stories. Lois McMaster Bujold's "Barrayar" and the Vorkosigan Saga stories are Drake's and Stirling's equal. "Barrayar" is very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Future clashes with past=great fun
Review: "Barrayar" is a cool book. It flows flawlessly, one chapter merges into the next without any convenient spots to put the book down--which is great if you've got 5 hours to spare. Anyway, the novel is set in the far, far future, in a galaxy trillions of light years away (I think the road directions is something like travel at warp speed for several hours, turn at the second black hole, go through customs, park....). The heroine is Cordelia Naismith, a Betan transport captain who married Lord Aral, Count Vorkosigan of Barrayar. Vorkosigan is the Regent of the planet, so he's the target of assassinations, political backstabbings, and even a revolution. Poor Cordelia is trapped in the middle of the struggle, pregnant and rather miserable because Barrayar is so barbaric compared with her Star Trek-like old lifestyle. Anyway, things really heat up when a nasty Pretender to the throne successfully carries off a coup d'etat, now, Cordelia's friends and her husband's allies are on the run for their lives. This provides the oportunity for Bujold to write some nail-biting cliff-hangers.... An engaging heroine, a Duke of Wellington-like hero, stuck on a planet that's a cross between revolutionary France and the Klingon homeworld, equals unparalled entertainment. Unborn baby Miles Vorkosigan takes a supporting role in this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Recommended
Review: "Barrayar" was the first novel by Ms. Bujold that I read. Immediately after finishing it, I went out and bought every other book she had in print, and I eagerly snap up each new offering. I have always been thoroughly entertained. The characters, scenes, situations, and dialog are all skillfully woven together - consistent, believable, and engrossing. This book contains one of the most powerful and memorable scenes I have ever read - when Cordelia returns after ending the Vordarian Pretendership (with extreme prejudice). It is the climax of the book in every meaning of the word. I re-read the scene several times, relishing its perfection, and I have re-read the novel several times with no loss in the power of that scene. If you cannot find this book (it's out of print) read "Cordelia's Honor", a combination of "Barrayar" and "Shards of Honor". Then read each and every book about Miles Vorkosigan, the child of Cordelia and Aral. You will be fascinated by this (and all her other) characters. My other favorite authors are David Drake, Robert Heinlein, Jerry Pournelle, S.M. Stirling, Harry Turtledove, Robert B. Parker and John D. MacDonald, so Ms. Bujold is in some very good company.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Recommended
Review: "Barrayar" was the first novel by Ms. Bujold that I read. Immediately after finishing it, I went out and bought every other book she had in print, and I eagerly snap up each new offering. I have always been thoroughly entertained. The characters, scenes, situations, and dialog are all skillfully woven together - consistent, believable, and engrossing. This book contains one of the most powerful and memorable scenes I have ever read - when Cordelia returns after ending the Vordarian Pretendership (with extreme prejudice). It is the climax of the book in every meaning of the word. I re-read the scene several times, relishing its perfection, and I have re-read the novel several times with no loss in the power of that scene. If you cannot find this book (it's out of print) read "Cordelia's Honor", a combination of "Barrayar" and "Shards of Honor". Then read each and every book about Miles Vorkosigan, the child of Cordelia and Aral. You will be fascinated by this (and all her other) characters. My other favorite authors are David Drake, Robert Heinlein, Jerry Pournelle, S.M. Stirling, Harry Turtledove, Robert B. Parker and John D. MacDonald, so Ms. Bujold is in some very good company.
Rating:
Summary: Hugo award-winning 3rd story in the Vorkosigan Saga.
Review: "Barrayar," winner of the Hugo award, is itself out of print, but available in the new paperback, "Cordelia's Honor," which also has "Shards of Honor." Both together are the story of Cordelia Naismith, a survey officer from civilized, polite Beta. She was first captured by, then married, Lord Aral Vorkosigan, "The Butcher of Komarr." "Barrayer" is the story of the incredible effect Cordelia had on Vorkosigan's warrior planet Barrayar, and how she stopped the civil war that threatened to slag down the planet. The heir she bore Vorkosigan was twisted and deformed from an assassination attempt during pregnacy. This son, Miles, Lord Vorkosigan, is the hero of the following 9 books (so far) of the Vorkosigan saga. I am very fond of David Drake's and S.M. Stirling realistic SF war stories. Lois McMaster Bujold's "Barrayar" and the Vorkosigan Saga stories are Drake's and Stirling's equal. "Barrayar" is very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome SF
Review: A book review by C. Douglas Baker Barrayar is an outstanding work in the universe of the now well known Miles Naismith Vorkosigan. Most of the events take place before Miles' birth centering around his mother's adjustment to becoming the wife of the new regent to the Emperor Gregory. Barrayar is a planet with a history of political violence, intrigue, assassination, and sheer chicanery that rivals any of the medieval governments of Earth. Aral Vorkosigan, Miles' father, survives a couple of assassination attempts, one an attack with poisonous gas that affects Cordelia while she is pregnant with Miles. The antidote to the poison gas severely damages the fetus but Cordelia refuses to abort the pregnancy. Cordelia recruits a research driven expert in the field of military poisons and the planet's best obstetrician to place Mile's in an "uterine replicator". The replicator is used extensively on Beta, Cordelia's homeworld, as a replacement for natural childbirth. The zygote is placed in the replicator and it acts as an artificial womb freeing women of the inconvenience and pain of natural childbirth. It also allows the application of treatments to Miles' fetus to keep it viable. Cordelia wants to save her child, despite that it will be deformed and stunted in growth. While Miles is incubating at the Imperial Military Hospital, a rebellion occurs which pits Aral Vorkosigan against an arch conservative "pretender" to the throne. The pretender, Vordarian, takes possession of the capital city and the uterine replicator. This launches Cordelia into a plot, along with her closest companions, to rescue young Miles. Cordelia's daring evasion of her own husband's military personnel (he has forbidden her to make such an attempt) and her rescue of Miles is the highlight of the novel. Barrayar is a masterpiece in character development. The reader feels an intimate knowledge of the main characters and their relationship to each other by the end of the novel. Aral Vorkosigan is an enlightened man in a world of backward thinking politicians. In a militaristic, xenophobic world where women are second class and babies with the slightest defects are aborted or let die by exposure, Aral attempts to avoid wars and conflict, marries an off-world, strong willed woman whose advice he seeks out, and genuinely loves his unborn child despite his known defects. Cordelia is that strong willed woman who stands up not only to Piotr, Aral's conservative father who cannot bear the thought of having a deformed heir, but also launches a daring scheme to rescue her son from the clutches of Vordarian. For anyone who has never read a Miles Vorkosigan novel, the final eight pages are a must read. In just those eight pages one gets a humorously painted personality sketch of young Miles and what we can expect from him in the future. Bujold also manages to maintain the drama of Cordelia's rescue of Miles, despite our knowledge of its success given previous works of Miles' adventures as a young adult. The only real criticism I have of Barrayar is the writing of the action scenes. Fighting or other quick paced activity tends to unfold too slowly taking the excitement out of the scene. This drawback is definitely overshadowed by the overall quality of the entire work.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome SF
Review: A book review by C. Douglas Baker Barrayar is an outstanding work in the universe of the now well known Miles Naismith Vorkosigan. Most of the events take place before Miles' birth centering around his mother's adjustment to becoming the wife of the new regent to the Emperor Gregory. Barrayar is a planet with a history of political violence, intrigue, assassination, and sheer chicanery that rivals any of the medieval governments of Earth. Aral Vorkosigan, Miles' father, survives a couple of assassination attempts, one an attack with poisonous gas that affects Cordelia while she is pregnant with Miles. The antidote to the poison gas severely damages the fetus but Cordelia refuses to abort the pregnancy. Cordelia recruits a research driven expert in the field of military poisons and the planet's best obstetrician to place Mile's in an "uterine replicator". The replicator is used extensively on Beta, Cordelia's homeworld, as a replacement for natural childbirth. The zygote is placed in the replicator and it acts as an artificial womb freeing women of the inconvenience and pain of natural childbirth. It also allows the application of treatments to Miles' fetus to keep it viable. Cordelia wants to save her child, despite that it will be deformed and stunted in growth. While Miles is incubating at the Imperial Military Hospital, a rebellion occurs which pits Aral Vorkosigan against an arch conservative "pretender" to the throne. The pretender, Vordarian, takes possession of the capital city and the uterine replicator. This launches Cordelia into a plot, along with her closest companions, to rescue young Miles. Cordelia's daring evasion of her own husband's military personnel (he has forbidden her to make such an attempt) and her rescue of Miles is the highlight of the novel. Barrayar is a masterpiece in character development. The reader feels an intimate knowledge of the main characters and their relationship to each other by the end of the novel. Aral Vorkosigan is an enlightened man in a world of backward thinking politicians. In a militaristic, xenophobic world where women are second class and babies with the slightest defects are aborted or let die by exposure, Aral attempts to avoid wars and conflict, marries an off-world, strong willed woman whose advice he seeks out, and genuinely loves his unborn child despite his known defects. Cordelia is that strong willed woman who stands up not only to Piotr, Aral's conservative father who cannot bear the thought of having a deformed heir, but also launches a daring scheme to rescue her son from the clutches of Vordarian. For anyone who has never read a Miles Vorkosigan novel, the final eight pages are a must read. In just those eight pages one gets a humorously painted personality sketch of young Miles and what we can expect from him in the future. Bujold also manages to maintain the drama of Cordelia's rescue of Miles, despite our knowledge of its success given previous works of Miles' adventures as a young adult. The only real criticism I have of Barrayar is the writing of the action scenes. Fighting or other quick paced activity tends to unfold too slowly taking the excitement out of the scene. This drawback is definitely overshadowed by the overall quality of the entire work.
Rating:
Summary: Buy-if out of print, "Cordelia's honor"
Review: A masterpiece that rightly won a Hugo award. You'll probably want to read the whole series after this. It's out of print, but you can buy "Cordelia's Honor" instead, which is a repackaging of "Shards of Honor" and "Barrayar" in one volume. My other favorites in the series (I've got 'em all except for the last one): "Mirror dance" (just awesome -- possibly the best SF book I've ever read), "Ethan of Athos" (in a humorous way) and "Memory", but you won't be disappointed in any of them.
|
