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edenfallingDecember 5: I spot a Vorkosigan Saga tag over on the right. Exposition? Is it a series you've read before? (for ![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Grumpy_Old_Snake) [Tumblr crosspost]
I am now trying to remember how and when I first discovered the Vorkosigan series. I think it may have been via the purchase of a used paperback copy of A Civil Campaign? Which is a decidedly weird entry point, but I literally cannot pick up that book and read an excerpt without getting sucked into rereading the whole thing and laughing so hard tears run from my eyes, so you know, there are worse introductions. *grin* Then I used the little timeline cheat sheet in the back to read the rest in chronological (rather than publication) order.
That was probably sometime after 2003, but definitely before 2006; I can't be more specific.
First and foremost, the books are entertaining. I mean that as a high compliment! If a book of fiction does not provide enjoyment to the reader, it's failing at its most basic task, but catching and holding attention is harder than one might think. Bujold makes it look effortless. I think the most important ingredients are characters with strong and distinct personalities and goals who have enough agency to make things happen without being so overpowered that they encounter no serious difficulties and obstacles on their paths. Bujold is also good about maintaining emotional reality, so when characters ought to be shaken or excited or angry about events, they get shaken or exited or angry or whatever. And of course these books are like catnip if you have a competence kink: lots of intelligent, capable people facing huge problems and solving them.
Bujold doesn't seem hugely interested in the 'hard' science of her settings, though she's clearly put some thought into the physics of space colonies and wormhole jumps and weapons and whatnot. She's more interested in biology and sociology, which I think is neat. That's also an unusual perspective for military sci-fi, but I think the books are stronger for the combination -- the wars and politics lend bite and edge to the bio-ethics, and the sociological conundrums humanize the realpolitik and guns.
I'm not really in Vorkosigan fandom, insofar as it exists, though I've read some Vorkosigan fic over the years. I'm happy with canon as it is, and even if I wanted to add stuff or fill in gaps, the twisty, kinetic nature of Bujold's plots and the wit of her dialogue are not things I am remotely qualified to imitate.
(Ekaterin and Gregor are my favorites, though Miles runs a very close second.)
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December Talking Meme: All Days
I am now trying to remember how and when I first discovered the Vorkosigan series. I think it may have been via the purchase of a used paperback copy of A Civil Campaign? Which is a decidedly weird entry point, but I literally cannot pick up that book and read an excerpt without getting sucked into rereading the whole thing and laughing so hard tears run from my eyes, so you know, there are worse introductions. *grin* Then I used the little timeline cheat sheet in the back to read the rest in chronological (rather than publication) order.
That was probably sometime after 2003, but definitely before 2006; I can't be more specific.
First and foremost, the books are entertaining. I mean that as a high compliment! If a book of fiction does not provide enjoyment to the reader, it's failing at its most basic task, but catching and holding attention is harder than one might think. Bujold makes it look effortless. I think the most important ingredients are characters with strong and distinct personalities and goals who have enough agency to make things happen without being so overpowered that they encounter no serious difficulties and obstacles on their paths. Bujold is also good about maintaining emotional reality, so when characters ought to be shaken or excited or angry about events, they get shaken or exited or angry or whatever. And of course these books are like catnip if you have a competence kink: lots of intelligent, capable people facing huge problems and solving them.
Bujold doesn't seem hugely interested in the 'hard' science of her settings, though she's clearly put some thought into the physics of space colonies and wormhole jumps and weapons and whatnot. She's more interested in biology and sociology, which I think is neat. That's also an unusual perspective for military sci-fi, but I think the books are stronger for the combination -- the wars and politics lend bite and edge to the bio-ethics, and the sociological conundrums humanize the realpolitik and guns.
I'm not really in Vorkosigan fandom, insofar as it exists, though I've read some Vorkosigan fic over the years. I'm happy with canon as it is, and even if I wanted to add stuff or fill in gaps, the twisty, kinetic nature of Bujold's plots and the wit of her dialogue are not things I am remotely qualified to imitate.
(Ekaterin and Gregor are my favorites, though Miles runs a very close second.)
-----
December Talking Meme: All Days
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(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-06 12:33 am (UTC)I like Gregor, too. I wonder if Bujold will do any more with him. She seems to be working on other projects now; having tied up various loose ends (what end could be looser than Ivan?), she may not go back to it again. But you never know: there was a long hiatus between Diplomatic Immunity and Cryoburn.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-06 03:39 am (UTC)I think Bujold is more interested in new projects, but the thing about an extensive and popular series is that it's easy to go back to -- there is always something new to explore, and there's a built-in audience -- so I wouldn't be terribly surprised if she wrote more Vorkosigan books and/or short stories over the next few decades. But it almost certainly won't be her main focus anymore.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-06 02:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-06 03:41 am (UTC)Grumpy Old Snake
Date: 2014-12-14 06:28 pm (UTC)I think I ran into The Vor Game first. My mom has the majority of the series in paperback, and I picked it up late one night when I couldn't sleep. That short story at the beginning, where he's assigned to the base, made a pretty good introduction to the series, and after that I just kept chewing through them.
And I'd have to agree that the characters are definitely a core part of what makes the books so enjoyable. I think I liked the focus on the human ramifications of things--the books felt personal, a lot of the time, because of it.
Re: Grumpy Old Snake
Date: 2014-12-14 09:53 pm (UTC)Yeah, the opening of The Vor Game encapsulates a LOT of the basic series elements.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-05 05:51 pm (UTC)Ekaterin is just a pistol, in a thoroughly Barrayaran, ladylike way. Definitely one of a kind, and one of the very few people who can manage to handle Miles full-time.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-05 06:19 pm (UTC)Ekaterin is amazing, full stop, and my one complaint about Diplomatic Immunity is that we don't get to see her take on events. I think several incidents might have worked better from her POV, and at the least she would have noticed a lot of world-building that Miles is too busy to pay attention to.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-06 07:29 am (UTC)Probably my favorite is Cordelia. She's a dangerous, dangerous woman. Have you read those books yet?
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-06 07:49 pm (UTC)