Amo a Cordelia y a Aral. He devorado este libro en 3 días (no han sido menos por trabajo). Y que maravilla.

Como puede un libro que tiene 2 tercios de politiqueo enganchar tanto y tener un ritmo tan acuciante. Es que me ha flipado. ( )

My fourth Vorkosigan novel (third in chronological sequence, eighth in publication order) picks up right from the end of the previous one, Shards of Honor. Indeed, Bujold's very interesting afterword to the NESFA edition discusses how originally Shards was going to be longer but she realized she was introducing new complications instead of wrapping up existing ones, so she went backward and found a spot where it could stop, orphaning several thousand words that she'd written. It was another five years or so before she went back to that orphaned material and realized it could form the beginning of a second novel about Cordelia, one about—as the title is very clear about—her new life on the planet Barrayar.

I had actually read Shards and Barrayar before; over a decade ago my friend loaned me an omnibus edition of the two. Rereading the review I wrote at the time, it's almost hilariously lukewarm:

It has some adventure narrative tropes I find uncomfortable (the "other" being simultaneously more dangerous and more interesting than the home society), some slightly strange gender politics (the woman must give up her society utterly for the man she loves, who never seriously considers it), and some stuff that's just plain weird (everyone reveres one character who is a rapist), but overall I enjoyed it. It gets off to a rough start, to be honest-- there's a lot of journeying through a dangerous landscape, which I find tedious, and our protagonist Cordelia has a tendency to be rescued by other people a lot.  But at the one-third mark, she finally starts making her own decisions, fleeing her home planet in a fantastic sequence, and then traveling to Barrayar, where she marries Aral Vorkosigan and is forced to navigate her way in a strange society.  At this point, I was completely absorbed, and I loved all the political maneuvering and civil war stuff, and Cordelia herself shone quite well.

On this read, it was pretty obvious to me that the books are interrogating the things I found uncomfortable, and I'm not sure why I didn't know that the first time; these books are all about that contact between cultures and danger of being fascinated by the "other"; the gender politics of Barrayar are continuously scrutinized. And when on Earth was Cordelia ever a victim who needed to be rescued!? What I do think is fair is that I clearly liked Barrayar more than Shards. While Shards is good, I definitely think Bujold got better as a novelist in the interim; Shards is like three linked novellas while Barrayar has a unity of plot and, especially, theme.

The other really interesting tidbit the afterword brought into focus for me was that this was a book about parenting. I just don't think I saw that at age 24, and even if I had, it would not have resonated the way it does as a 38-year-old father of two. Most of Cordelia's emotions and decisions are driven by the fact that she's a parent. This is obviously the case when it comes to Miles, but it's true almost everywhere in the book: the way she thinks about the boy emperor, Gregor, for example, or her ability to figure out what the emperor's mother Kareena is thinking. I definitely liked the book before, but this time through I felt it, there was a real intensity to it. The book is filled with great moments, some of them funny, some of them grim, all of them thoughtful and considered. I won't list them here, but if you've read it, you'll easily bring a number of them to mind.

Science fiction can sometime feel like a young person's game: youthful people doing epic stuff like fighting empires. But Barrayar is science fiction for the middle aged. Yes, there are evil empires, but it's about the struggle to be a good parent in all its myriad forms, the right you keep up every day, not always because you want to, but because you won't be yourself if you give up.

I know there are more Cordelia-focused novels in the saga's "main" sequence, but it's a shame there aren't more of these books about her younger days on Barrayar, because in some ways she's an even more interesting protagonist than Miles.

Sequel to Shards of Honor, the second book of the Vorkosigan Saga takes place soon after the previous book ends. Our heroine Cordelia is now married to Aral Vorkosigan, living on Barrayer as Aral begins his regency for the five year old emperor, Gregor. The first half of the book moves a bit slowly, setting up the characters and featuring a few assassination attempts on Aral by mysterious forces. In the second half, the conspiracy blows up and a palace coup takes place.

During one of the assassination attempts, Cordelia is exposed to poison gas that badly endangers her fetus, and causes her to lose her future fertility. The fetus is moved to an artificial womb and it is unclear if it will be viable- and then the coup happens.

The rest of the book is quite gripping and exciting, with Cordelia first on the run in the countryside and then on a rogue mission to rescue her son from the plotters, who have taken custody of the machine in which he is gestating. We also witness the budding romance between two important characters, and the continued development of Bothari, who is in some ways the most interesting character in the book, a damaged yet heroic figure.

I like the conceit- we're following a plucky and badass alien woman from a society with equal gender roles, bringing her badassery to a sexist and hierarchical planet. It's pretty clear that change is coming, and Cordelia is going to drive it. I did find the final act a bit implausible, but still enjoyed the book. ( )

Although 7th book published about our intrepid Miles Vorkosigan this book describes his very beginnings.

We follow Aral Vorkosigan and his wife [literally from another world :)] Cordelia Naismith as they try to build their family in Vorkosigan estate on Barrayar, central world of Vors, after deadly events on Escobar [from previous "prequel" book].

While Vors are presented like SF version of Prussians and Imperial Russia from early 20th century - all with counts, their men-at-arms, Emperor and Imperial security forces and most of population primarily interested in the military service - Cordelia represents external influence of greater world outside of Barrayar. Herself a Betan she heralds the time of change on Barrayar, importing of science, technology and wider world-views that are so required to jump-start the Barrayar economy and revitalize its society.

But besides being shown as more open-minded than Barrayarans when it comes to properly judging people and making sure nobody is mistreated just because of his or hers heritage and roots, Cordelia proves that she is not as flexible as she would like others to be and at the end can be quite ruthless and extremely Vor-like (using Bothari as an extension of her will to execute action that would bring him to the very edge). And this is where Vorkosigan saga truly shines - all characters are truly human, from Bothari trying to live with his damaged psyche to Aral and Cordelia, two people so strongly in love and ready to learn from and strengthen each other.

We follow the events from the Cordelia's perspective as she tries to navigate the puzzling world of Vors after her husband becomes Regent tasked with making sure future Emperor Gregor reaches adulthood and becomes capable of ruling the Empire, ends up in turmoil of civil war and finally fights to the last breath to save her son from clutches of Barrayar conservatives.

Story has everything required for a great adventure story - great characters, witty dialogue, political backstabbing, action, sword fight, fire fights and coup d'etat aimed at our protagonists.

The very act of betrayal that is cause of the Miles' condition is truly heartbreaking. As much as the effort to heal him and make sure his bones get stronger and very turmoil this brings to Vorkosigan family. This all brings us to the bitter-sweet end that proves old saying that family always comes first and with family at his back person can achieve whatever is desired.

Excellent book. Highly recommended. ( )

“I was a casualty in Vordarian’s Pretendership before I was born!” - Miles Vorkosigan, Vor Game.

Barrayar, the second book of the Vorkosigan Saga (although the seventh book written in the series), begins almost immediately following the events of Shards of Honor. With Barrayar, Lois McMaster Bujold became the first writer since Orson Scott Card to win the Best Novel Hugo two years running. Though a handful of novels in the Vorkosigan saga separate them in their publication order, Barrayar (as noted) is the direct sequel to Shards of Honor and depicts the birth of Miles against a backdrop of insurrection and civil war.

What's it all about? At the heart of this family drama, this book chronicles the birth of Miles Vorkosigan, the character who this saga will eventually revolve around. So in essence, this is a fast-pace science fiction space opera about motherhood. At the start of the novel, Miles' mother Cordelia Vorkosigan (née Naismith) has given up almost everything of her former life on Beta Colony to be with Aral Vorkosigan. She finds herself on Barrayar, Aral's home planet. She's finding life on Barrayar somewhat hard to adjust to, however; its class and gender stratification, its emphasis on familial lineage and military might, and its lack of technological progress, all make the entire planet seem somewhat backwards to Cordelia's liberal way of thinking (whom I strongly identify with). To make matters worse, Aral, her husband, has been unwillingly thrust into a position of vast political power: regent to the four-year-old emperor. Learning to navigate the currents of Barrayaran politics is challenging enough, but the planet is full of people who will not hesitate to use Cordelia -- and her unborn son, Miles -- as pawns in their plays for power.

Things heat up when a couple of attempts on Vorkosigan's life are made, one of which, a poison gas attack, comes dangerously close to succeeding. Cordelia, heavily pregnant with Vorkosigan's first heir, is caught in the attack, and the antitoxin used to save her life effectively dooms her unborn son. But she refuses to abort the child, having it instead transferred to a Betan-designed "uterine replicator" for gestation. This causes added friction between herself and her father-in-law, for in Barrayar's culture, cripples — which is the best the baby could hope to be even if it survives — are held in shame and disdain. What's worse, Vordarian, a member of the Vor class, looks like he might have sufficient support to make an overt bid for the throne through a coup.

In the end, Vordarian is killed (in the most amazing way), the coup is trampled, and our hero Miles is born, fragile and deformed. Five years later, although he has very brittle bones, he is depicted as very active, rambunctious and intelligent.

The world building is excellent. Imagine a mix of feudal Russia meets elements of Coruscant, Naboo, & Canto Bight from the Star Wars universe and you have Barrayar. But, you read Lois McMaster Bujold for the well developed characters. Cordelia reminds an amazing character. She is smart, practical, has a wicked sense of humor, and is made of stronger stuff than most heroines. Plus she also has flaws. When you read a Bujold novel, you feel like you're reading about real people and that's always enjoyable.

Highly enjoyable sci-fi space opera from the point of view of a fiercely intelligent woman, this novel is highly recommended. Bujold is master of writing intriguing space opera and well-developed characters. I can't wait to read The Vor Game next! ( )