Book number 526 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project
If you read this series solely for Miles Vorkosigan, you will be disappointed by this installment. The Imperial Auditor appears in it but isn't the focus. The previous book centered on cousin Ivan Vorpatril and this one returns to Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan with the addition of Admiral Oliver Jole.
It takes place three years after the heartbreaking event at the end of Cryoburn. We quickly learn things about Aral Vorkosigan that I personally never suspected, namely his bisexuality. Plus, his attachment to Oliver Jole. Cordelia's too. Perhaps because I am an older woman, I welcomed the return to Cordelia's viewpoint and the acknowledgement that we don't age out of needing intimate relationships, despite what younger people may believe. Time's passage has healed both Cordelia's heart and Oliver's. It seems inevitable that they will rediscover each other.
Oliver Jole is turning fifty. Suddenly, when he believed his life and career to be winding down, he has a number of life changing decisions to make, requiring hard choices. I couldn't help but love him, as I trust Cordelia's judgment and I felt that uncertainty of choice that can feel like agony until you reach a decision.
It's been eight years since this 16th book was published. I would never count LMB out—she may write more in the Vorkosigan universe, but I got a rather final feeling from the conclusion here. It's like she needed to circle back to Cordelia, get her retired and settled, in order to wrap things up. I am okay either way: a new book would be outstanding, but I can happily reread these sixteen volumes for many years to come. Thank you, Ms. Bujold, for this entertaining ride!
No comments:
Post a Comment