Diplomatic Immunity
Diplomatic Immunity book cover

Diplomatic Immunity

Hardcover – May 1, 2002

by
Price
$8.67
Format
Hardcover
Pages
311
Publisher
Baen Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0743435338
Dimensions
6.13 x 1.06 x 9.25 inches
Weight
1.3 pounds

Description

Fans won't find this surprising in the least, but Miles Vorkosigan--the plucky, short-statured hero of Lois McMaster Bujold's beloved series--is uniquely incapable of having an uneventful honeymoon. Between a racially fueled diplomatic dispute, the appearance of a hermaphroditic old flame, and a bizarre Cetagandan genetic conspiracy, Miles just can't seem to get a minute of peace with his new wife, the lovely and resourceful Ekaterin (whom Miles courted in A Civil Campaign ). Miles had hoped to give "hands-on op games" a rest once and for all, but when the Emperor urgently calls on him to resolve a "legal entanglement" in Quaddiespace, diplomacy alone might prove inadequate. (Quaddies, you'll remember, are the no-legged, four-armed free-fallers introduced in Falling Free .) Our newly minted Imperial Auditor almost immediately forgets all about "Baby's First Cell Division" (after the assignment comes in, Ekaterin quickly observes "You know, you keep claiming your job is boring, Miles, but your eyes have gone all bright"), but even Miles feels the heat after his diplomatic attempts devolve into a series of flattering assassination attempts. Vorkosigan (and family now!) is as winning as ever, with Bujold offering up her usual fun mix of space-opera action and droll social commentary in a character-centered plot. And here's a bonus for Milesophiles and Vorkosiga novices alike: a book-by-book timeline detailing what trouble Miles got into and when. --Paul Hughes From Publishers Weekly Those who have followed Bujold's superb far-future saga about the undersized and unorthodox warrior, Miles Vorkosigan, will heave a sigh of relief as our hero and his beloved Ekaterin enjoy wedded bliss (including looking at "baby pictures," i.e., a sperm fertilizing an egg) on a belated galactic honeymoon until a diplomatic crisis intrudes. As a Barrayaran Imperial Auditor, Miles must look into a murder whose investigation is complicated by the boorish behavior of the Barrayaran military. When the case develops a host of new angles, Miles wonders, "How many angles can dance on the head of a pin?" A seemingly straightforward crime leads him to mass murder, kidnapping, hijacking, biological warfare and Cetagandan genetic politics, all on an orbital habitat of the quaddies (the genetically engineered four-armed humans introduced in the author's Nebula Award winning Falling Free). Preventing interstellar war is a tough job, but fortunately Miles has his lady working beside him, in the best tradition of Nick and Nora Charles or Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. As usual, Bujold is adept at world-building and provides a witty, character-centered plot, full of exquisite grace notes such as the description of quaddie ballet (hint: four arms and no gravity make many things possible). Established fans will be thoroughly gripped and likely to finish the book in a single sitting. While this isn't the best place to start for new readers, they'll be helped by a concise chronology at the end that neatly sums up Miles's earlier adventures. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Adult/High School-While Miles Vorkosigan is on his honeymoon, soldiers from his planet are imprisoned for assault on a space station run by the four-armed Quaddies. He is the only competent representative of Barrayar nearby, and he's told to go and get them out, but to try to avoid a major diplomatic incident. Along the way, Miles runs into an old flame who happens to be helping the Quaddies run their space station; an agent of Barrayar is missing in a place where people with only two arms stick out like a sore thumb; and the planet's enemy seems involved as well. Bujold deftly mixes mystery and espionage into her usual well-developed plot as Miles tries desperately to solve the problem and get back to his wife. Extremely intelligent and manically energetic, Miles is one of the most enjoyable characters in science fiction. Bujold's fans will remember the Quaddies from Falling Free (1988) and will enjoy the continuation of Miles and Ekaterin's relationship from A Civil Campaign (2000, both Baen), but a chronology gets new readers up to speed. This quick read has an abundance of plot twists to keep teens glued to the pages. The author gets the technical details right, but keeps explanations to a minimum, so this book should appeal to even non-SF readers who like a fast pace. Paul Brink, Fairfax County Public Library System, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal En route to his home to await the births of his ex-utero children, Barrayaran Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan receives a directive from the emperor: he must travel to Graf Station to investigate the impounding of an allied merchant fleet from Komorra and the seizure of Barrayaran personnel. In the course of his pursuit for the truth, Miles finds mystery, missing persons, attempted murder, and a host of suspects while simultaneously rediscovering the importance of true friends. The latest in Bujold's popular "Vorkosigan Saga" continues the adventures of one of the genre's most enterprising and engaging heroes. Recommended for most sf collections, particularly where the series has a following. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Miles Vorkosigan returns, married, much to his own and readers' relief, to Ekaterin, and, indeed, about to become a father. Lord and Lady Vorkosigan's galactic honeymoon is interrupted, however, by an incident on an orbital habitat in Quaddiespace, home of the four-armed, genetically engineered humans of the Nebula-winning Free Fall . The Barrayarans have been less than diplomatic, and everybody else's paranoia about them, and theirs about everybody else, are fueling a potentially gruesome situation. Naturally, Miles is called on to untangle several interwoven knots, involving old friends, new friends, enemies of all descriptions, the Cetagandans (of course), and Jackson's Whole and its you-pay, we-play gene engineers. There are several romances in unexpected places, though Miles and Ekaterin don't have much time for romancing. In fact, Ekaterin narrowly escapes returning to Barrayar as a widowed single mother! Most of the themes addressed refer to Miles' galactic past, but faithful followers will keenly anticipate the new Vorkosigans settling into Barrayaran society, and Bujold once again failing to disappoint them. Roland Green Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Author's Note : A Bujold Reading-Order Guide The Fantasy Novels My fantasy novels are not hard to order. Easiest of all is The Spirit Ring , which is a stand-alone, or aquel, as some wag once dubbed books thatfor some obscure reason failed to spawn a subsequent series. Nexteasiest are the four volumes of The Sharing Knife-- in order, Beguilement , Legacy , Passage , and Horizon-- which I broke down and actually numbered, as this is one continuous tale.xa0What were called the Chalion books after the setting of its first twovolumes, but which now that the geographic scope has widened I'm dubbing the World of the Five Gods, were written to be stand-alones as part of a larger whole.xa0 However, the second volume certainly contains spoilersfor the first, so Curse-Paladin is the recommended readingorder.xa0 The third is in effect an independent prequel, not sharingcharacters or setting with the other two, so readers of the priorvolumes need to adjust their expectations going in. In any case, thepublication order is: The Curse of Chalion Paladin of Souls The Hallowed Hunt In terms of internal world chronology, The Hallowed Hunt would fall first, the Penric novellas perhaps a hundred and fifty years later, and The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls would follow a century or so after that.Current internal chronology of the Penric & Desdemona tales is:"Penric's Demon""Penric and the Shaman""Penric's Fox""Penric's Mission""Mira's Last Dance" Other Original E-books The short story collection ProtoZoa contains five very early tales--three (1980s) contemporary fantasy, two science fiction--all previously published but not in this handy format. The novelette "Dreamweaver's Dilemma" may be of interest to Vorkosigancompletists, as it is the first story in which that proto-universebegan, mentioning Beta Colony but before Barrayar was even thought of. Sidelines:Talks and Essays is just what it says on the tin--a collection of three decades of mynonfiction writings, including convention speeches, essays, travelogues, introductions, and some less formal pieces. I hope it will prove aninteresting companion piece to my fiction. The Vorkosigan Stories Many pixels have been expended debating the 'best' order in which to readwhat have come to be known as the Vorkosigan Books (or Saga), theVorkosiverse, the Miles books, and other names. The debate mainlyrevolves around publication order versus internal-chronological order. I favor internal chronological, with a few adjustments. Shards of Honor and Barrayar. The first two books in the series proper, they detail the adventures of Cordelia Naismith of Beta Colony and Aral Vorkosigan of Barrayar. Shards was my very first novel ever; Barrayar was actually my eighth, but continues the tale the next day after the end of Shards . For readers who want to be sure of beginning at the beginning, or who are very spoiler-sensitive, start with these two. The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game (with, perhaps, the novella "The Mountains of Mourning" tucked in between.) The Warrior's Apprentice introduces the character who became the series' linchpin, MilesVorkosigan; the first book tells how he created a space mercenary fleetby accident; the second how he fixed his mistakes from the first round.Space opera and military-esque adventure (and a number of other thingsone can best discover for oneself), The Warrior's Apprentice makes another good place to jump into the series for readers who prefer a young male protagonist.xa0After that: Brothers in Arms should be read before Mirror Dance , and both, ideally, before Memory. Komarr makes another alternate entry point for the series, picking up Miles's second career at its start. It should be read before A Civil Campaign . Borders of Infinity , a collection of three of the five currently extant novellas, makes agood Miles Vorkosigan early-adventure sampler platter, I always thought, for readers who don't want to commit themselves to length. (But it maymake more sense if read after The Warrior's Apprentice .) Take care not to confuse the collection-as-a-whole with its title story, "The Borders of Infinity". Falling Free takes place 200 years earlier in the timeline and does not sharesettings or characters with the main body of the series. Most readersrecommend picking up this story later. It should likely be read before Diplomatic Immunity , however,which revisits the "quaddies", a bioengineered race of free-fall dwellers, in Miles's time.xa0The novels in the internal-chronological list below appear in italics; thenovellas (officially defined as a story between 17,500 word sand 40,000words) in quote marks. Falling Free Shards of Honor Barrayar The Warrior's Apprentice "The Mountains of Mourning""Weatherman" The Vor Game Cetaganda Ethan of Athos Borders of Infinity "Labyrinth""The Borders of Infinity" Brothers in Arms Mirror Dance Memory Komarr A Civil Campaign "Winterfair Gifts" Diplomatic Immunity Captain Vorpatril's Alliance CryoBurn Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen Caveats:xa0The novella "Weatherman" is an out-take from the beginning of the novel The Vor Game . If you already have The Vor Game , you likely don't need this.xa0The original 'novel' Borders of Infinity was a fix-up collection containing the three novellas "The Mountains of Mourning", "Labyrinth", and "The Borders of Infinity", together with aframe to tie the pieces together. Again, beware duplication. The framestory does not stand alone.Happy reading!xa0-- Lois McMaster Bujold A science fiction and fantasy legend, Lois McMaster Bujold has won seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. Her Miles Vorkosigan saga is a massively popular science fiction mainstay. Her many New York Times bestsellers include previous series entries Cryoburn, Diplomatic Immunity, and Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance . In 2020, Ms. Bujold was named the 36th Damon Knight Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • A rich Komarran merchant fleet has been impounded at Graf Station, in distant Quaddiespace, after a bloody incident on the station docks involving a security officer from the convoy's Barrayaran military escort. Lord Miles Vorkosigan of Barrayar and his wife, Lady Ekaterin, have other things on their minds.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

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Most Helpful Reviews

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Suspense, History and Anticipation...

Lois McMaster Bujold's first new Vorkosigan novel in two and a half years not only moves the story line to nearly two years after Miles and Ekaterin have been married (a story, presumably, to be chronicled some time in the future), but is the first novel since Mirror Dance to take place primarily outside the Barrayaran Empire.
In brief, it is a story of Miles playing troublshooter for a diplomatic incident gone horribly wrong in Quaddiespace - home of the quaddies first introduced in the novel "Falling Free". With tensions between quaddie and the Barrayarans stretched, tensions between Cetaganda and Barrayaer taking a turn for the worse, tensions between the trader Komarrans and the militarstic Barrayarns never far below the surface and a deadline for Miles and Ekaterin to return home for the birth of their first children, and deaths reported on the Quaddies' Graf Station, everything seems stretched to the breaking point even in the first chapter. As Miles investigates the situation, a relatively simple murder mystery rapidly transforms into a very palpable suspense with ties to many aspects of Miles' past.
As implied, it helps greatly to be familiar with Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga universe before reading this book. In particular, the events of "Falling Free", "Cetaganda", "Mirror Dance" and "A Civil Campaign" all feature with varying degrees of prominence in the story. While one could take the novel on it's own merits and probably enjoy it very much, it is much more effective when taken within previously established history.
While not her singularly finest Vorkosigan book to date, it is nonetheless quite good and is certainly better than the majority of science fiction available today and ranks in quality with most of the rest of her series. It weaves together old strands of plot - perhaps eternally tying up one or two - while leaving other others wide open to, undoubtedly, bedevil Miles in the future. I most certainly recommend this to the Vorkosigan fans eagerly awaiting the next installment of the series, but I would steer first time Lois McMaster Bujold readers back to "Shards of Honor" or, perhaps, if not wishing to go back quite so far, "Komarr".
55 people found this helpful
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Not the best in the series, but still worth reading

As I've grown older, I've grown more selective of the science fiction that I've read. But I still rush to the web whenever a new Lois McMaster Bujold novel comes out. I'm still amazed that Bujold doesn't have a wider following among science-fiction fans. Given her four Hugo awards, Bujold should roll off the tip of the tongue as quickly as Henlein, Asimov, or Bradbury.
DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY is another book in the Miles Vorkosigan series. Like other Bujold heroes, Miles does not conform to the standard space opera hero sterotype. Debilitated by a terrorist attack while in vitro, Miles is a brilliant, devious, hyper-energetic mind trapped in an abnormally short, hunch-backed, fragile body.
In this addition to the series, the Emperor of Barryar interrupts Miles and his new wife on their honeymoon to embroil him in a convoluted diplomatic struggle involving the 'quaddies' (a race of humans genetically modified for optimal zero-G living who have arms in place of legs), the Cetagandans (the ancient enemies of Barryar), and a mysterious cargo. As Miles pulls the threads to this knot all hell breaks loose, and Miles must use his lightning wit and endless energy to somehow prevent a new war between his planet and the Cetagandans and a bio-terrorist threat on the entire quaddie race.
Bujold has chalked another of my sleepless night up to her exciting and fast-paced novels. Even though I was vastly entertained, I found this book a little disappointing. While other Miles books often had a more serious undercurrent of the difficulties of Miles living in the militaristic Barraryaran society and his unquenchable desire to succeed despite his handicaps, this book is more of a straight adventure story with little character growth. While one of the weaker books in the entire series, fans of Miles should still find this book very entertaining and a worthwhile read.
As a note for those new to the Vorkosigan books, don't start here. Instead, check out the collection of the first Miles books in YOUNG MILES or start off even earlier and learn about Miles's parents and the Barraryaran society in the collection CORDELIA'S HONOR.
Dav's Rating System:
5 stars - Loved it, and kept it on my bookshelf.
4 stars - Liked it, and gave it to a friend.
3 stars - OK, finished it and gave it to the library.
2 stars - Not good, finished it, but felt guilty and/or cheated by it.
1 star - I want my hour back! Didn't finish the book.
48 people found this helpful
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Light reading

I'm not used to reading an entire Bujold book during a flight, but this one is rather short. This a "Vor" novel in Ms. Bujold's space opera universe of the far future. Miles Vorkosigan, her greatest creation, is the the protagonist in an adventure far outside the Barrayaran Empire of her previous few books.
"Diplomatic Immunity" is a bit of a puzzle. It is a murder mystery of sorts, as well as the sort of fiendishly complicated trap that Ms. Bujold likes to set for Miles. It includes both his wife Ekaterin & Miles old friend Bel Thorne, though they don't really do much to speak of. It gives some great backstory on Miles' bodyguard Armsman Roik and seems on the brink of using him for much more than the "beefcake" roll of the previous Vor novel, but then backs away for no apparent reason.
The villain, while not a total rehash of a previous book, is pretty close. I am doubtfull whether a new reader to the series would understand the motivations of the villain, and equally sure that a longtime reader will find nothing new here. Nothing that makes sense, that is. This book advances a new theory of the basis of power in a neighboring galactic empire that makes much less sense than that implied in a previous book. The quaddies, and especially their opera, are woefully underused and I finished the book knowing very little new about them and their society.
This book is worth reading if you are a long time reader desperate for some new Vor material, but would be very confusing to a new reader. ...
18 people found this helpful
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Honeymoon in Quaddiespace

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.
16 people found this helpful
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Miles is at it again...

Hurrah! Another Vorkosigan book makes its way into the world.
Actually, the previous sentence reminds me to warn first-time Bujold readers: this is not the book you want to start with. For a long time, the Vorkosigan books were rather independant of each other; it was possible to just pick up any of the series and give it a go. But as time (and plot) go by, characters and motiviations have begun to build on each other. I recommend reading Bujold books in the order they were written.
Lord Miles Vorkosigan and Madame Ekaterin Vorsoisson have not only gotten married, they've made it to the honeymoon, nearly one year later. But of course, in Miles's universe, nothing goes according to plan. Miles is an Imperial Auditor of Barrayar, a fancy sounding title that really means Emperor Gregor sends him in to clean up the nasty spills with discretion.
Miles and Ekaterin are diverted off course to Graff Station, home of the quaddies. Upon arriving, Miles discovers that the Barrayaran military fleet stationed there has overreacted and created a diplomatic situation, which is of course mostly their own fault. It looks like all Miles will need to do is some fancy diplomatic shoe-stepping, while meeting up with some supporting characters we haven't seen for a while. (It's nice to know that Bel Thorne landed on its feet.)
This cozy little schema quickly goes down the [tubes]. People begin to go missing, a young hothead decides to give everything up for love, and of course the classic Miles-you-should-pay-attention-to-this warning pops up: strange people do unexplainable things that don't seem to have anything to do with the current problem.
In classic Miles/Bujold style all of the loose ends are securely tied up by the end. I do wish that there was more Ekaterin in the plot. It was nice to know that she finally became aggressive when necessary, but it would have been better to "see" her do it, instead of reading about it afterwards. She was a rather flat character in Komarr, but developed so nicely in A Civil Campaign that I hoped to see more of her.
I think of this book as one of the "Vorkosigan Lite" novels, along with Cetaganda. They're funny and great to read, but they don't have the in-depth character development and life changing events like Mirror Dance and Barrayar. But that's fine with me. Sometimes it's nice to just read an interesting story about Vorkosigans, and be able to laugh at the end.
15 people found this helpful
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Solid but minor SF mystery - a lesser Vorkosigan novel

Lois McMaster Bujold's Diplomatic Immunity is the latest of her extended series about Miles Vorkosigan, an Imperial Auditor from the rather autocratic planet Barrayar. As Miles returns from his honeymoon trip, he is sent to try to solve a problem for Barrayar at Graf Station in Quaddiespace, the remote system inhabited by the "Quaddies", genetically modified four-armed humans who were introduced in Bujold's first award-winning novel, 1988's Falling Free. It seems that a Barrayaran crew escorting a group of merchant ships has gotten in trouble with the Quaddies, and the merchant fleet has been detained. Profits are at stake, as is Barrayar's reputation, and possibly their right to trade in Quaddiespace.
Miles shows up and finds that the situation is more complex than expected. One Barrayaran crew member has disappeared, and another apparently wishes to desert. The Quaddies are furious, and the merchants are furious. Luckily for Miles, he has an unexpected friend on Graf Station: Bel Thorne, who worked with Miles early in his career, and who still secretly works for Barrayar. With Bel's help, Miles starts to get to the bottom of the various mysteries, only to find that an even worse crisis looms, involving the possibility of war with Barrayar's traditional enemy, Cetaganda, as well as a threat to destroy Graf Station.
Bujold is always a readable writer, and she tells a fairly decent story here. But some of the energy of the earlier Miles books is lacking. One wonders if her interest in the series is declining, or if the newly settled nature of Miles's life (his stable job, his happy marriage) has leached the tension from the overall series story arc. This novel is enjoyable but not exceptional, and the ending is reasonable but in many ways very pat, very convenient. Minor Bujold.
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She's the Master

No one writing today surpasses LMB, as far as I'm concerned. Some of her books rise to the level of literature. Take it as a given that this book is better than 99% of the other books that will come out this year. My comments are purely to compare this book with others in this wonderful series.
As a Vorkosigan book, I'd give this one 4 stars. I can't express how happy I am that we're back in a space adventure. Seeing some familiar, non-Barrayaran faces was a true pleasure. And as much as I love that LMB has her characters both grow and grow up, it's nice to see that under the slightly conservative *coughstuffycough* Imperial Auditor we've been treated to in the last few outings, there still lingers some Crazy Young Miles/Admiral Naismith. Although the stakes involved in the main plot seem rather unimportant at first, the story does take a dramatic turn. It's very well put together and well paced.
Even though this is more of a classic Miles space adventure, it's not tired. I never felt like we've "been there, done that." The format here was slightly different than in previous books, particularly in the second half, which is reminiscent in tone of a horror movie. LMB should be commended for keeping this series fresh after 10+ outings.
As for why this only gets 5 stars . . . well, as I said, it's really an adventure story. As such, it's less ambitious than some of the later books in the series, particularly the standouts Mirror Dance, Memory, and A Civil Affair. It's not as deep or as rich as those books. This is more of a "Miles races around to solve a problem" book, so there is less in the way of character exploration or growth.
For example, given that this book is on the short side compared to some other Miles stories, I think there was room to delve more deeply into the Ekaterin/Miles dynamic. When you compare this to Cordelia and Aral's "honeymoon" adventure, Barrayar, there is definitely something lacking. Although that book had action aplenty, it also showed the difficulties that two very strong, very different people had in forming their marriage. Perhaps it would have interfered with the pacing, but I think we could have seen a more complicated Miles and Ekaterin relationship without a sacrifice in the story.
Another problem -- the ending is wrapped up way too quickly and neatly. One minute, we're in the middle of the adventure. The next, boom, done -- the resolution almost happens "off screen." I think that was a bit of a cheat.
As I said above, fantastic book. These are just quibbles. Of course, it will always be hard to top books such as Memory or Mirror Dance -- but how great is it that LMB keeps trying!
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Buy it now!

The Vorkosigan books has got to be one of the best science fiction series of all time. Unlike most science fiction stories, the plot does not rely on "special effects" and futuristic science to hold your interest. It holds your interest through well developed characters and complex, well thought out plot lines. One of the best things is watching the characters develop through the series.

This book is a murder mystery. A Komarr trade fleet is impounded at Graff station by Quaddies and a Barryaran security chief is presumed murdered. Miles interrupts his honeymoon to solve the mystery, get the fleet released and clean up the diplomatic mess the Barryaran's caused. You have to read the book to get the rest of the story, but expect plot twists, surprises, mayhem, etc.
To those that have read "Komaar" and "A Civil Campaign", you will be pleased to see how Eketerin is developing. I would not be surprised to see her playing a major role in the next book.
I do have one complaint however. I don't like waiting a year between books.
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Another side of Miles

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.
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Not quite what it could have been

My bias: Lois Bujold is one of my very favorite writers. I've read all of her public work, and have most of it on my shelves.
The long-awaited "next Miles book" is out, but even after a couple of years (Chalion) it has the sense to me of being not quite ready to go. The plot is straight-ahead, sort of like an early Miles book. But after the multiple viewpoints of A Civil Campaign, returning to a tight Miles focus seems limiting.
And the ultimate plot turns out to be, well, not up to the standards set by some of her recent work. In the end, for all the damage done, the villain is not really anything more than a petty crook.
I think Lois would have been better served by writing the same story from the viewpoint of Armsman Roic. This really should have been a Holmes and Watson story, especially since Roic was actually the character who I think interested Lois the most.
It's a good book, filled with all the ironic byplay one expects from a Bujold novel, but it seems like an uncompleted short story compared to the sweeping scale of Curse Of Chalion or the inspired plot-weaving of A Civil Campaign.
Mostly of interest to fans of Miles, I would think. It also seems designed to close up a few "frequently asked questions" about various people and cultures from earlier novels.
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