The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga, #6) in Beyond Reality

Jun 30, 2013 mark monday rated it liked it

Shelves: x-vorkosigan-saga, scifi-modern

Miles be nimble!
Miles be quick!
Miles jump over ~~the candlestick~~ any situation or dumbass that gets in your goddamn way!

Go, Miles, Go!

so Miles finds himself stuck in a miserable freezing arctic station as his reward for graduating from the Barrayar military acadamy with top honors but also with a serious issue of not treating authority with the respect and passivity and obedience that authority apparently deserves. and from the arctic station he finds himself tossed pell-mell, willy-nilly, etc, ri Miles be nimble!
Miles be quick!
Miles jump over ~~the candlestick~~ any situation or dumbass that gets in your goddamn way!

Go, Miles, Go!

so Miles finds himself stuck in a miserable freezing arctic station as his reward for graduating from the Barrayar military acadamy with top honors but also with a serious issue of not treating authority with the respect and passivity and obedience that authority apparently deserves. and from the arctic station he finds himself tossed pell-mell, willy-nilly, etc, right into the middle of a plot teeming with ruthless villains, a young emperor trying to escape his duties, nervous colonies, anxious bodyguards, two mercenary camps, new space gadgets, and reunions galore with characters from prior novels. the novel is fast and fun fun fun.

I suppose one take-away from the series is ALWAYS QUESTION AUTHORITY. nice.

the character of Gregor le petit emperor really comes into his own here. a beautiful bit of characterization and not a little tragic as well.

my favorite part of the novel was the first third, in that freezing arctic station. watching hyperactive Miles practically bounce off of the walls trying to figure out what to do was wonderfully amusing. and the setting was certainly well-rendered. cooooooooold.

there is a spicy lil' villainess just like Miles is a spicy lil' hero. she wears some kind of sexy catsuit. or it may be a jumper but I much prefer to imagine it as a catsuit, plus I really wanted to type the word "catsuit". much like Miles, she has a quick and improvisatory way of thinking, always on the fly and always taking advantage of any opportunity she sees. for some reason the novel takes pains to compare Miles and Catsuit, at times even theorizing that if Miles doesn't watch out, he may end up like the amoral Catsuit sometime in the future. ha! as if. equally key to Miles' persona are his decency and his compassion and his refusal to see death as something that just happens so time to move on. those traits are hallmarks of this book and its predecessors as well. Miles ain't gonna turn into no Catsuit! although I do predict that he will eventually tap that Catsuit.

this review is a part of a larger piece on the Vorkosigan Saga novels I've read so far, posted on Shelf Inflicted ...more

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Sep 02, 2008 Stephen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: award-nominee-hugo, audiobook, award-nominee-locus, award-winner-hugo, multiple-award-nominee, sf-space-opera, sequels

5.0 stars. Outstanding, smart science fiction novel with heart. Miles Vorkosigan is an amazing character. Highly recommended.

Winner: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1991)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1991)

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Mar 21, 2011 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf

I'm really enjoying this series. Bujold takes to heart the suggestion that writers put their protagonist into trouble and then more trouble but I love the ways she gets Miles out of it. ...more

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Nov 24, 2009 Kerry rated it really liked it

Shelves: reread, sf, 9-out-of-10, ebooks, 2009, 8-out-of-10, 2008, read-pre-tracking

REREAD: 7 Apr 2008 - 17 Jun 2008 (9/10)
The Vor Game - Lois McMaster Bujold
Vorkosigan, Book 4; SF; audiobook; reread; 9/10
I love Bujold and I love this series. I started listening to the audiobook of The Vor Game and loved it all over again. Then I hit a stage where I couldn't concentrate on much of anything (a theme you've probably already seen in these comments) and started listening to shorter podcasts instead of the book. It had been languishing for a while when I added it to my books to fini ...more

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Sep 26, 2009 Frank Taranto rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

Continuing the adventures of Miles Vorkosigan.
Miles is an interesting character who gets into major trouble wherever he goes. From being involved in a mutiny(?) at his first duty station, to losing and finding Emperor Gregor.
The other major characters are also well written, I especially enjoyed Cavilla and her plots.
His exploits with the Dendarii mercenary fleet are always fascinating.

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Jun 23, 2013 Banner rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

The series continues with another enjoyable adventure of Miles Vorkosigan. The pace of the story certainly sped up in this book. There were a few twist and turns that kept the pages turning. Miles seems to be finding his own way, but man he has a great dad. Wish he could find a girlfriend. Anyway, maybe next time.

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Jan 28, 2009 Shanshad Whelan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, adventure, series, space-opera

The third piece in Young Miles. This novel is one I think I missed the first time I was reading through Vorkosigan stories. These stories are some of my favorite. Utterly fluffy in how Miles manages to pull everything off but delightfully so.

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