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Welcome to the second book of Sci Fi Aficionados' series read of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga!

We are using (somewhat) the series' Internal Chronology:
http://www.goodreads.com/series/98254...

Although we have skipped the first 2 books in the internal chronology, I expect we will get to those eventually.

So Barrayar is the direct sequel to last month's excellent Shards of Honour, featuring that book's protagonists Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkosigan, parents to the series' eventual primary protagonist Miles Vorkosigan.

I loved Shards of Honour and am really looking forward to the next installment of their adventures. Happy Reading!

After two books I'm not real excited about the series. I did see some hope with the introduction of Miles. This one felt like background material for characters that I was suppose to already know about (but don't because I haven't read any of the other books yet).

I am looking forward to the next one.

I'm really enjoying this one so far. I like the adaptation Cordelia is making to this new society. But I'm anxious to see Miles!

I finally started this morning....I am so behind on things!

Banner wrote: "After two books I'm not real excited about the series. I did see some hope with the introduction of Miles. This one felt like background material for characters that I was suppose to already know a..."

I think you will like Miles, Banner. Some of the "innovation" aspects that Aral and Cordelia pass on to Miles with their separate concepts honor are pretty important to his character. I think these early books are more than just background material, but my opinion only.

While I haven't felt overwhelmed by this series yet, I have enjoyed it and I'm quite optimistic about the rest of the books in it - I did read Book 4 first, then Book 1 and have developed affinity for the people and the world in the series, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading this book.

I think I'm going to like Miles also. I've been wanting to get into this series for awhile and having this as a group read is fun.

Just finished the omnibus version Cordelia's Honor and upped my rating from 3 stars to 4 stars. Couldn't help comparing these stories to the Honor Harrington books by David Weber; strong female protagonist, military, duty, honor and love all common themes, but very different styles. I found this book a much easier, maybe softer, but also more enjoyable read than the HH books, better written in my mind and definitely not so concerned with the technology and military tactics. The Romance aspect of the story certainly plays a greater role and adds a very particular flavor to the two stories, one which I don't taste very often in my usual reading.
Looking forward to carrying on with the series now we've said hello to a young Miles, who does appear to promise to be an interesting character indeed.

Well, I tore through the 2nd half of this book. The first half was enjoyable, but the second really stepped up the game and got rather exciting, and I'm very impressed with the way it was handled - the author didn't draw out the saga and suspense like so many authors tend to do where you're bored by the time there is resolution, or exhausted from it all. I really enjoyed this book I'll have to say and I'm now very eager to read more of the series.

I have a dozen of the Vorkosigans's series of books I purchased long ago. I have only vague memories of the books today. I have only read the first five of them. After a while I found I get burned out authors that keep producing the same books of the same world. I will not read any more books of the Vorkosgan book by Lois Bujold.

I am also burned out on Jack McDivitts - Alex Benedict novels. William Gibson novels all have the same theme... Burned out.
The only series I have enjoyed was Isaac Asimov's Foundation and the Empire Novels.

I did thoroughly enjoyed the first few novels as imaginative and fascinating. But when authors keep churning out the same world every time with slightly different story lines, I tend to stop buying, or reading, those novels. Trilogy's are my max for story lines now.

But then it is the same with music, after I here the same style from the same musician after awhile, I get tired of it and never listen to that musician again.

Maybe someday I might read the rest of Lois McMaster Bujold books.

I liked this installment better as well...looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks of The Warrior's Apprentice

I just finished this one last night - I agree - the second half was exciting without being drawn-out. Also, the introduction of Miles is excellent. In just the little glimpse we see of 5-year-old Miles, his issues are not minimized, but boy does his personality shine through.

Suzanne wrote: "Also, the introduction of Miles is excellent. In just the little glimpse we see of 5-year-old Miles, his issues are not minimized, but boy does his personality shine through"

Could not agree more, and I loved the way the horses are being used to bring Miles into the heart of his Grandfather - I thought it was a great technique the author used to ensure that Piotr didn't become (or stay), "the monster who disowned his grandson merely because of an imperfection" (especially when said Grandson becomes the central character of the series going forward). It saves Piotr's reputation as a good character, brings the family closer together, creates a stronger Barrayar bond with Miles (and Cordelia) via the horses - quite a nice way the story was wrapped up at the end, but without being trite or contrived in any way.

I'm a bit over halfway through and glad to hear that from some of the above comments that things will be picking up! So far, I am not enjoying it quite as much as I did Shards of Honor.

I just finished this yesterday and started Warriors Apprentice. I'm really enjoying this series; it's a lot of fun. My library has it in their audio book collection so I have really been looking forward to my twice daily dog walks!

Shards of Honor reminded me a little bit of Anne McCaffery's Freedom series which also made for fun dog walking.

Lisa wrote: "I just finished this yesterday and started Warriors Apprentice. I'm really enjoying this series; it's a lot of fun. My library has it in their audio book collection so I have really been looking ..."

Lisa, I'm so jealous you started the next book already! I've also enjoyed the series very much so far and have been looking forward to reading the next book, but have been denying myself reading them all until the next month with the group - what a silly man I am I admit, but in the meantime at least I got to read a new Dresden Files book (over the weekend), and yesterday I started the Revelation Space series (which I've been wanting to read for awhile). Lucky dogs indeed - do they get even longer walks when you're listening to books you really enjoy? :-)

i'm about halfway through and am enjoying it as well. maybe not as much as Shards of Honour but no real complaints either. i like the domestic tone (? not sure if "tone" is the right word), i haven't come across that too much in my scifi. definitely fits in with what i've seen of Bujold's focus on interpersonal dynamics and the intimate scale of her narratives.

I have always found it interesting that Bujold has said that she wrote roughly the first third to half of this as part of Shards of Honor, but then cut it out when she realized that that book had gotten way too long. She then came back a few books later and finished it off. Does anyone see any discontinuity between the two parts, or even where the line is? I never could.

there is a quite abrupt change in pacing right around the halfway point (and actually right after i wrote my post above). the first half has its moments of drama - two assassination attempts are certainly dramatic! - but still felt very domestic in its concerns and intimate in scope. the second half (or approximately, i'm taking about everything that happens starting with the attack on Piotr's villa) is all forward-moving action. i liked the division, it was unexpected. i knew that the narrative would have to ramp up eventually, or at least i assumed i did, but i did not expect it to be so breathless and action-packed.

I thought the first part was needed to show how Cordelia handles acclimating to Barrayar. She was a survey Captain and she did participate in the war, but she's still from Beta and not used to this militaristic, male-centric society.When the action kicks in is when her own innate personality shines through and I realized that indeed she could and would be able to deal with whatever Barrayat threw at her.

Alexa wrote: "I have always found it interesting that Bujold has said that she wrote roughly the first third to half of this as part of Shards of Honor, but then cut it out when she realized that that book had g..."

I didn't know that about the book, and never noticed a break, per se. I see what Mark is talking about, though, and that is a good possibility.

I finished on Saturday and must say the second half was different from the first in the amount of action going on! It did not, however, seem disjointed. Shards and Barrayer could easily be one book. It was interesting that the epilogue skips 5 years and all the trauma Miles had to undergo. A good way to do it, I think. I look forward to the next installment!

I do have a question. The paperbook I read lists Falling Free as the first book in the series and states it took place 200 years prior to Shards. What is the connection with the Quaddies?

Linda wrote: "I do have a question. The paperbook I read lists Falling Free as the first book in the series and states it took place 200 years prior to Shards. What is the connection with the Quaddies?"

Quaddies show up in a Miles book later on. They are in the same "universe" (series-wise) I suppose is the answer.

Linda wrote: "It was interesting that the epilogue skips 5 years and all the trauma Miles had to undergo. A good way to do it, I think. ..."

agree! i was pretty happy with that decision.

I am behind on this series, but I have the books so I need to get going. What a perfect summer project!

i just put up The Warrior's Apprentice thread. now to find the book and read it!

there is a free e-version on Baen books...:)

thanks! i'll add the link to the Warrior's Apprentice thread.

sad to say, it looks like it is no longer available.

Just started, should be caught up with the group on the series read soon.

I was really behind with this series (got sidetracked by other books...:-)). I just want to add that I loved both boths (Shards of Honor and Barrayan). Although I am curious to go forward with Miles, I feel very sad to leave Aral and Cordelia behind. I hope they continue to pop up in the series, since I really liked them. But there are always re-reads in the future...

I know, I'm way behind. I've read Shards of Honour last December and forgotten lots of important details. So, I'm somewhat confused with the domestic political maneuvers, assassination attempts and implications. It's got a quite different tone than the first novel and I don't know how to feel about it.
On the one hand, I like the characterizations and insights into Cornelia e.a.
On the other hand, I find the Barrayanian culture quite boring.
Let's see how it develops, I'm only a quarter through the book. Currently, I'd give 2-3 stars and I don't understand how it got the Hugo award in 1992 when there were other nominees like Swanwick or McCaffrey. Must have been one of those nerd things :) Anyways, it's way too early to come to a conclusion and I really hope that it's getting better!

At exactly 50%, Bujold flipped the switch:
Massive action incoming, the real Cornelia acting!
Where it was like 2.5 stars in the first half, I'd give it 3.5 stars for the second. Not exactly a mind-blowing read, but I enjoyed it.

I quite liked this book but thought it didn't compare well to Shards of Honour. although it did get super exciting in its second half, as you discovered.

I don't know why it won the Hugo. I think Vorkosigan Saga novels were/are mainstays as nominees for that award.

unlike you, I do find Barrayaran culture to be interesting. but much like Cordelia, I am disdainful of it as well.

My enjoyment of the series didn't really start until Miles becomes center stage. I'm thinking I will enjoy these more on a reread after I have learned to like the characters so well.

Barrayaran culture is interesting. As the series develops and I understand the Isolation and how that effected all the planets. I do see positive changes in Barrayar as the series progress, at least I don't think I'm projecting.

I have to re-read Shards and Barrayar together to make sense of them both. It's hard to understand the culture shock and bemusement in the first half of the latter without the events of the former.

I love that folks are still in process of reading the series, as it may well keep it fresh longer for those of us who devoured each month's selection over the last year plus.

I love this series. Not just for the characters, but for the world-building. What is so enjoyable is looking at the different cultures that arise from what must be Earth-colonized worlds.

It is comparable to Honor Harrington, but I like these books just a little better.