Vorkosigan

I have just about finished the Vorkosigan series. I didn't just read the books; I simply swallowed them whole. 14 books in 7 days probably indicate some kind of addiction problem but I would have to work that out with my therapist...if only I have one.

Miles Vorkosigan is the main protagonist for the majority of the series. He was born a cripple due to chemical warfare lunched against his parents while he was conceived. The poison was stopped in time by an antidote; however, the cure causes calcium depletion, which is not exactly a good thing for a developing fetus.

Miles is born with extremely weak bones that shatter a lot during his mischievous adventure. Also, due to the stunt growth in bones, he possess a head the size for a 6 ft tall man but a body of mere 5 ft. In short, he is a little person with shatter glass bones. Even more, he was born in a military culture that prejudice against mutations and emphasis upon physical perfections. It makes for wonderful plots to see how Miles discovers his place in the world and set out to prove his worth.

Below are the books in chronological orders

Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan -01 - Falling Free
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 00 - Shards of Honor
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 01 - Barrayar
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 02 - The Warrior's Apprentice
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 03 - The Mountains of Mourning
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 04 - The Vor Game
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 05 - Cetaganda
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 06 - Ethan of Athos
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 07 - Labyrinth
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 08 - The Borders of Infinity
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 09 - Brothers in Arms
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 10 - Mirror Dance
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 11 - Memory
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 12 - Komarr
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 13 - A Civil Campaign
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 14 - Winterfair Gifts
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan 15 - Diplomatic Immunity

Miles is born in Book01, titled Barryar. Book00, Shard of Honor is a prequel that talks about Miles' parents and how he became who he is physically. Falling Free is a pre-prequel, set 200 back from when Miles was born. It is one of Bujold's first books and doesn't add much to the main Vorkosigan story line, I skipped that one myself so I read 14/15 books so far.

The below time line is taken straight from Bujold's webpage

Miles Vorkosigan/Naismith:
His Life And Times

Originally created for Baen's website in 1996, later additions by Michael Bernardi from the books.

Approximately 300 years before Miles' Birth

• Quaddies are created by Genetic Engineering. (Falling Free)

During the Beta-Barrayaran War

• Cordelia Naismith meets Lord Aral Vorkosigan while on opposite sides of a war. Despite difficulties, they fall in love and are married. (Shards of Honor)

The Vordarian Pretendership

• While Cordelia is pregnant, an attempt to assassinate Aral by poison gas fails, but Cordelia is affected; Miles Vorkosigan is born with bones that will always be brittle and other medical problems. His growth will always be stunted. (Barrayar)

Miles is 17

• Miles fails to pass a physical test to get into the Service Academy. On a trip, necessities force him to improvise the Free Dendarii Mercenaries into existence, he has unintended but unavoidable adventures for four months. Leaves the Dendarii in Ky Tung's competent hands and takes Elli Quinn to Beta for rebuilding of her damaged face; returns to Barrayar to thwart plot against his father. Emperor pulls strings to get Miles into the Academy. (The Warrior's apprentice)

Miles is 20

• Ensign Miles graduates and immediately has to take on one of the duties of Barrayaran nobility and act as a detective and judge in a murder case. (The Mountains of Mourning in Borders of Infinity)
• Shortly afterward, his first military assignment ends with his arrest. Miles has to rejoin the Dendarii to rescue the young Barrayaran Emperor. Emporor accepts Dendarii as his personal secret service force. (The Vor Game)

Miles is 22

• Miles and his cousin Ivan attend a state funeral on Cetaganda. Miles collects trouble, of course, but proves he is a contender. (Cetaganda)
• Miles sends Elli Quinn, who's been given given a new face on Beta, on a solo Mission to Kline Station. (Ethan of Athos)

Miles is 23

• Now a Barrayaran Lieutenant, Miles goes with the Dendarii to smuggle a scientist out of Jackson's Whole. Miles's fragile leg bones have been replaced with synthetics. (Labyrinth in Borders of Infinity)

Miles is 24

• Miles plots from within a Cetagandan prison camp on Dagoola IV to free the prisoners. (The Borders of Infinity in Borders of Infinity)
• The Dendarii fleet is pursued by the Cetagandans and finally reaches earth for repairs. Miles has to juggle both his identities at once, raise money for repairs, and defeat a plot to replace him with a double. Ky Tung stays on Earth. Comander Elli Quinn is now Miles's righthand officer. Miles and his Dendarii depart for sector IV on a rescue mission. (Brothers In Arms)

Miles is 25

• Hospitalized after previous mission, Miles' broken arms are replaced by synthetic bones. With Simon Illyan, Miles undoes yet another plot against his father while flat on his back. (Borders of Infinity)

Miles is 28

• Miles meets his clone brother Mark again, this time on Jackson's Whole. (Mirror Dance)

Miles is 29

• Miles hits thirty; thirty hits back. (Memory)

Miles is 30

• Emperor Gregor dispatches Miles to Komarr to investigate a space accident, where he finds old politics and new technology make a deadly mix. (Komarr)

Miles is 30

• The Emperor's wedding sparks romance and intrigue on Barrayar, and Miles plunges up to his neck in both. (A Civil Campaign)

Miles is 31

• Miles and Ekaterin's wedding. (Winterfair Gifts) [1]

Miles is 32

• Miles and Ekaterin's honeymoon journey is interrupted by an Auditorial mission to Quaddiespace, where they encounter old friends, new enemies, and a double handful of intrigue. (Diplomatic Immunity)

If I have the time and energy, I will do a book by book review of this whole series. I would love to analize how she writes such wonderful story too, given time. I adore her writing. I would give my left pinky to write like her except that would make it very hard to type "a", "q", "z" or press "shift" on my keyboard.

One word of advise (okay, not one word, a lot of words), if you wish to start the series, go with Barrayar first. Although you will miss little links from not having read the prequel, the book is designed as a stand-alone and I dare say slightly more interesting than the prequel.

p.s. I know I still owe you a 2005 ComicConvention update. Yet with an average of 3 hours of sleep in the past week I have to weight my health over an update no one is going to read.

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