Karsa Orlong

# 19 Shards of Honor (Vorkosigan Saga Book 1) by Lois McMaster Bujold 1986 - Baen paperback - 253 pages From Goodreads: The start of the Vorkosigan Saga! It was the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. And Captain Cordelia Naismith of the Betan Expeditionary Force would be forced into a separate peace with her enemy, Lord Vorkosigan .... Thoughts: Shards of Honor is the first of two novels included in the omnibus edition Cordelia's Honor, hence the cover image above. This is the story of Cordelia Naismith, commander of a team surveying a newly discovered planet. When their camp is attacked she is left stranded on the planet - in true Captain Kirk style, telling her crew to get her ship away to safety and leave her behind - and encounters the enemy, the Barrayaran officer Aral Vorkosigan. She soon discovers that he has also been marooned as the result of a mutiny, and the only way out is for them to work together to survive. All sounds pretty 'ho-hum' doesn't it? So it's something of a surprise as to just how enjoyable a tale it turns out to be. This is science fiction with the emphasis on the 'fiction' - the science side of it is simply accepted, as we accept our present-day technology. There are no lengthy descriptions of how or why something works, Bujold just gets on with the story and, most importantly, the characters. I would describe it as an easy, entertaining, absorbing read, definitely at the 'softer' end of the sf market - in contrast to Alastair Reynolds, who's at the 'hard sf' end of the same market - so I think it was perfect for me to wind down with, coming off the back of the Revelation Space books. It's space opera with a female main protagonist, told from a 'tight' third-person viewpoint, meaning we see everything through Cordelia's eyes. There is action, but it is kept brief whilst it concentrates on the clash of cultures and politics. This was Bujold's first novel, so there are some rough edges, the occasional piece of clunky dialogue and/or jarring change in tone, but these are minor complaints. Cordelia is a truly likeable character, who I warmed to straight away. She is not perfect, she has faults, she is strong but her vulnerability is shown through her not being a soldier, meaning she fights more with her wits. There's some nice humour that comes naturally through the dialogue, and there is enough going on to keep the story moving at a fair pace. It held my interest all the way through. That said, I looked at this series a few years ago and, when I saw mention of it being a 'science fiction romance', I thought 'Nah, probably not for me'. I was wrong. Yes, there is romance - you can tell from the set-up explained above cos it sounds so cliched: they're just two kids from opposite sides of the track, drawn together by circumstance, and their love blossoms despite opposition from all sides. It's very 'Romeo and Juliet', except without the suicidal tendencies. Or the balcony. But no, in truth it doesn't work out like that. For a start, Vorkosigan is in his 40s and Cordelia her 30s. It's kind of strange, although probably explained by this being Bujold's first novel, that there seems to be little in the way of actual fireworks between them, and their feelings seem to spring out of nowhere as a result, but that could be put down to their respective military and scientific upbringings. It is far from the sappy romance I feared it would be. It is generally handled in a very mature and believable way, particularly when their respective pasts are slowly revealed through well-written dialogue. I also need to mention that these two are not the main protagonists of the series as a whole: that, erm, honor falls to one Miles Vorkosigan - and this, colour me stunned, is the story of how his parents met. So out of sight, out of mind, I've been ignoring this series ever since I gained that initial impression, but my current craving for sf - and space opera, in particular - somehow brought me back to it, coupled with the excellent reviews that have been appearing on The Wertzone over the past few months, plus glowing comments on both Amazon and Goodreads. My curiosity was piqued still further when I saw that all of the novels plus all the novellas are available on Kindle, but it was finding the first omnibus edition in Forbidden Planet the other week that sealed the deal. The paperback omnibus editions can be bought for between five and six quid each and generally contain two or three novels and occasionally a novella, whereas the Kindle editions are over £5 for each indiviual novel plus around £2.50 for each novella, so the paperbacks are really a bargain. Additionally, the omnibus editions present the stories in internal chronological order, rather than publication order, so it makes it easy to sort out which story you should be reading next. From everything I've read, this is probably the weakest book in the series, and things really start to kick off with the immediate sequel, Barrayar. These two are essentially one story, so I've started on it straight away. 7/10 Edit: corrected the year of publication.

Yeah, I've been to the one in Cambridge - although that was a few years ago now. I'm assuming it's still in the same place, across the park from the town centre? Thanks! I reckon the one I'm reading at the moment might be more up your street <<ponders>> You have now! I'm still trying to work out whether the character on the cover of Deathstalker is a man or a woman

Thanks Ho hum, there was trouble on the tube when I left work, so naturally I went book browsing to pass the time whilst they sorted it out. Forbidden Planet is just a short bus ride away, and I remembered to take my list with me this time - although I only really went for one book, but they had most of the ones I wanted, and they were all in perfect condition, so of course I bought more than one (although, to be honest, I could have ended up with more than the three I did get). Young Miles (Vorkosigan Saga Onimbus 2) by Lois McMaster Bujold - contains the novels The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game, plus the novella The Mountains of Mourning. This is the one I specifically went for, as I'm currently reading the first omnibus and thoroughly enjoying it. Deathstalker by Simon R. Green. The cover's rubbish but the blurb sounds awesome Tour of the Merrimack Volume One by R. M. Meluch - contains the novels The Myriad and Wolf Star. This one's currently getting great word of mouth over on the Malazan forums. It's basically space opera set in the future using an alternate history where the Roman Empire never fell. Swords in space - what's not to like? That's twice I've been to Forbidden Planet in as many weeks, after only going there once in the past year or so. It could get worryingly habit forming Very pleasantly surprised by how cheap their import books are - these were all £5.99 each ETA: Oh, and a second-hand copy of Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny has arrived, too.

Harsh but fair I was reading the Wertzone review of Words of Radiance. Apparently it's mostly set on the Shattered Plains again, and it is s-l-o-w - or, rather, languid, as he puts it.. Not that I needed putting off this one, but I'm definitely counting myself out of this series.

Sounds like you enjoyed it a lot more than I did, Tim - I gave it a 4 out of 10

# 18 Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds 2003 - Gollancz ebook - 704 pages From Amazon: Mankind has endured centuries of horrific plague and a particularly brutal interstellar war...but there is still no time for peace and quiet. Stirred from aeons of sleep, the Inhibitors - ancient alien killing machines - have begun the process of ridding the galaxy of its latest emergent intelligence: mankind. As a ragtag bag of refugees fleeing the first wave of the cull head towards an apparently insignificant moon light-years away, they discover an avenging angel, a girl born in ice. She has the power to lead mankind to safety and the ability to draw down their darkest enemy. And on a planet where vast travelling cathedrals crawl towards the treacherous fissure known as Absolution Gap, an unsettling truth becomes apparent: to beat one enemy, it may be necessary to forge an alliance with something much, much worse... Thoughts: One aspect I have enjoyed of this trilogy is that there has been little repetition between each book, that they have each set out to tell their own story whilst still progressing the overarching plot threads that were started in the first book. Absolution Gap both revisits storytelling techniques from the previous books (three stories set in different time periods that ultimately converge) and breaks new ground by focusing on Hela, ice moon to a gas giant, where a quite frankly bonkers religion has grown from the discovery of a forty mile long bridge built - where intelligent life has supposedly never been before - across a vast gouge in the surface called, unsurprisingly, Absolution Gap. In a nice piece of symmetry, Reynolds here has his characters investigate the extinction of an alien race, the scuttlers, much as the first book dealt with the extinction of the Amarantin. He avoids repetition with a little mis-direction, the unique setting of the travelling cathedrals, and his exploration of the religious aspect. He also populates this thread with some excellent new characters: Rashmika, a 17 year old girl convinced that her missing brother has been indoctrinated into the religion, and refusing to toe the accepted line regarding the scuttlers; Grelier, a scheming doctor-type obsessed with the so-called 'bloodworks'; and Quaiche (which I kept reading as 'Quiche' - this book made me very hungry ), the treasure hunter whose succumbing to an indoctrinal virus started the whole merry-go-round in the first place. Other characters return, too. I won't say who. Some will survive, some won't. The lighthugger Nostalgia for Infinity plays a large part again, and is still one of the creepiest and most oppressively atmospheric settings I've come across in sf. Despite its excessive length, I found Absolution Gap to be a hugely enjoyable slice of modern British sf. In fact, it was only once I had finished it that its problems started to become apparent to me. I actually finished it a few days ago, and have been trying to work out what to say about it ever since. The main issue, I think, is that because Reynolds has chosen to take this story in such a different direction, the huge war against the Inhibitors, which was really beginning to kick-off so impressively in the latter stages of Redemption Ark, is largely relegated to the background. I don't have a major problem with this, really, because it allows him to maintain close focus on the characters, but it did feel somewhat anti-climactic. The main problem, though, is the ending. Reynolds' writing is as engaging and atmospheric as ever, his characters are much, much improved, and the story moves along at a good pace for 650 of its 700 pages. But then, in the last 50, it's as if he suddenly realised he was hitting a deadline and has to get it finished, and the story suddenly hurtles to a somewhat downbeat ending that, although it ties up most plot points, somehow lacks impact and complete closure. Room for another sequel, perhaps, but - even though there have been three more books since that are set in the same universe, none to date have been a direct continuation. It's a logical ending, given the scale of the backstory, it just seems a little rushed. So I'd say, in the end, that this trilogy is very good indeed, hugely enjoyable and brilliantly written, with good characters and science explained and used in a coherent and easy-to-understand way. For me to read three books on the trot by the same author and not get burn out is a sign of how good they are. Ultimately, though, it doesn't quite achieve that honoured place on the shelf. For me, of the six of his books I've read so far, House of Suns and Chasm City are still the ones that deserve that accolade. 7/10

I read Eon many moons ago, yes. I can't remember a lot about it to be honest, apart from the initial set up - I must read it again, actually! I read The Engines of God two or three years ago and enjoyed it, but it was difficult to get hold of the other books in that series at the time - luckily they were re-issued last year so I'm planning on returning to them

A couple more you could have a look at that fit this description: The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt Eon by Greg Bear Both have elements of Arthur C. Clarke about them

Don't feel bad if they're not your cup of tea If you do look into Matheson, try this edition of The Incredible Shrinking Man, as it also contains some of his marvellous short stories

It doesn't matter, really, Michelle - they're all stand alone stories Alternatively, you could try one of his non-Culture sf novels, like The Algebraist I'll throw in my usual faves: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, both by Vernor Vinge, and Hyperion by Dan Simmons. All three are fantastic. If you liked Ray Bradbury, have a look at Richard Matheson, too

I love it when they change cover designs part way through a series

It's interesting, though - if you don't have to wait to read them you'll probably enjoy them more than I did after waiting years for them The other problem for Good Ol' George is that the tv series has been confirmed for seven seasons, which means it's going to finish in 2017. He's not going to have finished the sixth and seventh books by then

What was his excuse for the last two books then?

It doesn't bother me whether he does or not - I've lost interest.

Bet it gets 4 out of 5

If you go into it with that attitude you really won't enjoy it! Thanks, though. I think.

That's not strictly true. The first three books came out in four years, between 1996 and 2000. After that he took five years to write the fourth and six years for the fifth. I don't think it's any coincidence that the first three books are far and away the best of the bunch.

It was originally released as four separate books, at least in the US, wasn't it? It's a beast - 1,100 pages or so. Think I'll be getting it on Kindle . . . I'm not sure I'd want to carry it around with me, otherwise Golden Witchbreed sounds intriguing, too.

Phew! That means I don't have to read Virginia, then

What did you think of Mary Gentle's Golden Witchbreed? I started to read Grunts a few months back and didn't get along with it, but I'm quite keen to give Ash: A Secret History a go

Welcome Couldn't agree with this more. The world-building is phenomenal and so immersive. I remember getting completely lost in its world on both occasions that I've read it. There was nothing in it to break the spell and kick me out of the experience, which is quite rare.

Got Within Temptation's new album, Hydra, pretty much on repeat play at the moment.

I'll do that if you read the Space Opera ones

Yeah, I'll just read a story from it every now and then. I'm generally not a reader of short stories but, when I do read them, I don't like to read a lot one after the other - I usually try to let each one sink in for a while before reading the next one . . . Providing I understand it, of course!