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Miles hits 30... Thirty hits back.
Miles turns 30, and--though he isn't slowing down just yet--he is starting to lose interest in the game of Wall: the one where he tries to climb the wall, fails, gets up, and tries again. Having finally reached a point in his life where he can look back and realize that he has managed to prove his courage and competence, he can move on to bigger and better things.
Miles turns 30, and--though he isn't slowing down just yet--he is starting to lose interest in the game of Wall: the one where he tries to climb the wall, fails, gets up, and tries again. Having finally reached a point in his life where he can look back and realize that he has managed to prove his courage and competence, he can move on to bigger and better things.
Depending on how you count it, this is the eighth, ninth, tenth, or eleventh book in a series--not all are about Miles or even his extended family. A good place to start is with the first Vorkosigan story, Shards of Honor.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1996
308 people are currently reading
3405 people want to read
About the author
Lois McMaster Bujold
179 books39.1k followersLois McMaster Bujold was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children.
Her fantasy from HarperCollins includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife tetralogy; her science fiction from Baen Books features the perennially bestselling Vorkosigan Saga. Her work has been translated into over twenty languages.
Questions regarding foreign rights, film/tv subrights, and other business matters should be directed to Spectrum Literary Agency, spectrumliteraryagency.com
A listing of her awards and nominations may be seen here:
http://www.sfadb.com/Lois_McMaster_Bu...
A listing of her interviews is here:
http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
An older fan-run site devoted to her work, The Bujold Nexus, is here:
http://www.dendarii.com/
Her fantasy from HarperCollins includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife tetralogy; her science fiction from Baen Books features the perennially bestselling Vorkosigan Saga. Her work has been translated into over twenty languages.
Questions regarding foreign rights, film/tv subrights, and other business matters should be directed to Spectrum Literary Agency, spectrumliteraryagency.com
A listing of her awards and nominations may be seen here:
http://www.sfadb.com/Lois_McMaster_Bu...
A listing of her interviews is here:
http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
An older fan-run site devoted to her work, The Bujold Nexus, is here:
http://www.dendarii.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,020 reviews
August 5, 2016
a colleague asked me a series of questions while we were out drinking the other night, questions like So what's next for you? and Is this all you are planning on doing with your career? and Is your current job how you want to be defined and does that actually give you satisfaction? I found myself annoyed then defensive then offended. what gave her the right to question me, I've accomplished a lot in my job and in my life, yes I am content with my career and why the hell shouldn't I be, blah blah blah. in the end I realized that I shouldn't have been offended because I think she was asking me those questions because she was asking herself the same. and so I calmed down and we continued to get drunk while philosophizing on the choices we've made and the nature of our existence blah blah blah.
I think some people like to live in boxes. I am such a person. I love my box, it's a safe and comfortable one and I've spent a lifetime constructing it. my box is one that gives me genuine satisfaction and the feeling that I am doing only what I want to be doing with my life. but I think other people resent and reject the idea of a box; they prefer to live in what can be called a "liminal space" - that space between, that place of ambiguity and movement and looking towards what comes next. you can look at your goals in life and try to come up with a plan or timeline to achieve those goals. or you can look at your goals and see them as constantly in flux, in movement depending on where you are, liminal. or you can look at yourself and realize that you are actually not a goal-oriented person. I think all of those are different kinds of boxes. I think my colleague may disagree.
so this book, Memory, is about those sorts of things. despite opening with a character getting his legs shot off and ending with a high-stakes trap for a devious villain, this is far from an action novel. it is a thoughtful story about who we are, why we are, the boxes we construct, the identities we create for ourselves and the separate boxes those identities live in, how our identity/identities can become dominos or houses of cards falling if something or someone takes those boxes away. Miles Vorkosigan's dual identities of mercenary fleet commander and aristocratic peer of the realm have always been bubbling in the background throughout his stories; in this novel they finally come to a head. Bujold does a superb and moving job in delineating who Miles is, and was, and can be; she gives the mundane, all-too-common situations of making errors & trying to cover up your tracks, losing a job & so losing a part of your identity, a palpably emotional resonance. she does all of that and then she doubles down and gives us another ongoing character, Simon Illyan, going through a similar thing but in an entirely different manner. Miles is the sort of character who assertively rejects the idea of a box and who insists he lives in a liminal space - but who has actually been constructing two boxes to live in, and has actively not been living in the space between, in that liminal space. Simon is the sort of character who has constructed his own perfect box - one that makes his career equal his actual self - only to find that box dismantled and his sureness of purpose and self destroyed as he moves into a purely liminal space. it is fascinating comparing the two journeys.
in sum, this is a wonderful novel about figuring out that who you are does not equal your job or your birth name or any specific, singular role or title; rather, it is the sum of all such things, and your experiences, and your internal workings, your actions and your potential, your ability to change or not change, and so much else. you = not easily summed up in one word.
I love that this space opera is all about these 'mysteries' that every human experiences. I know when I pick up a Vorkosigan Saga novel that I will be enjoying some action and some intrigue and some political maneuvering and maybe even some romance. standard space opera pleasures. but I also know that I will be enjoying a human tale about actual human beings and the things that happen in life, to everyone. it is that last sentence, that particular quality, that makes this series so special.
I think some people like to live in boxes. I am such a person. I love my box, it's a safe and comfortable one and I've spent a lifetime constructing it. my box is one that gives me genuine satisfaction and the feeling that I am doing only what I want to be doing with my life. but I think other people resent and reject the idea of a box; they prefer to live in what can be called a "liminal space" - that space between, that place of ambiguity and movement and looking towards what comes next. you can look at your goals in life and try to come up with a plan or timeline to achieve those goals. or you can look at your goals and see them as constantly in flux, in movement depending on where you are, liminal. or you can look at yourself and realize that you are actually not a goal-oriented person. I think all of those are different kinds of boxes. I think my colleague may disagree.
so this book, Memory, is about those sorts of things. despite opening with a character getting his legs shot off and ending with a high-stakes trap for a devious villain, this is far from an action novel. it is a thoughtful story about who we are, why we are, the boxes we construct, the identities we create for ourselves and the separate boxes those identities live in, how our identity/identities can become dominos or houses of cards falling if something or someone takes those boxes away. Miles Vorkosigan's dual identities of mercenary fleet commander and aristocratic peer of the realm have always been bubbling in the background throughout his stories; in this novel they finally come to a head. Bujold does a superb and moving job in delineating who Miles is, and was, and can be; she gives the mundane, all-too-common situations of making errors & trying to cover up your tracks, losing a job & so losing a part of your identity, a palpably emotional resonance. she does all of that and then she doubles down and gives us another ongoing character, Simon Illyan, going through a similar thing but in an entirely different manner. Miles is the sort of character who assertively rejects the idea of a box and who insists he lives in a liminal space - but who has actually been constructing two boxes to live in, and has actively not been living in the space between, in that liminal space. Simon is the sort of character who has constructed his own perfect box - one that makes his career equal his actual self - only to find that box dismantled and his sureness of purpose and self destroyed as he moves into a purely liminal space. it is fascinating comparing the two journeys.
in sum, this is a wonderful novel about figuring out that who you are does not equal your job or your birth name or any specific, singular role or title; rather, it is the sum of all such things, and your experiences, and your internal workings, your actions and your potential, your ability to change or not change, and so much else. you = not easily summed up in one word.
I love that this space opera is all about these 'mysteries' that every human experiences. I know when I pick up a Vorkosigan Saga novel that I will be enjoying some action and some intrigue and some political maneuvering and maybe even some romance. standard space opera pleasures. but I also know that I will be enjoying a human tale about actual human beings and the things that happen in life, to everyone. it is that last sentence, that particular quality, that makes this series so special.
August 23, 2024
We*** 5 ***
A buddy read with Evgeny and Maria because we love Science Fiction!!!
Wow! I always knew that this series is special, but books like this one, emotional and poignant, are what make this series AMAZING!
Miles Vorkosigan, at the beginning of the book as his alternate persona Miles Naismith, Admiral of the Dendarii Mercenaries, is in trouble. After being criogenically preserved and subsequently restored back to life, is suffering with seizures as a complication of his rushed defreezing. Knowing that if his superiors find out they will ground him to planet, Miles is hiding his seizures, until one of those happens during a rescue mission and he almost kills the person he is supposed to be rescuing. He attempts to hide the truth in his report knowing nothing good could come of it, and is urgently called back to Barryarr. Quinn is mad with him, Elena and her husband seem to be saying goodbye, Wolf-girl is the only gentle, calming influence he has on his trip home, but even she goes her own way once they land. An empty house stuck in the past awaits him and he is terrified that another seizure could overwhelm him at any moment... Miles is already melancholy when faced with his boss Simon's questions and he chooses the wrong answer. At this moment the world he has created for himself crumbles around him and life as he knows it is changed irrevocably.
I wanted to scream, to shake him and make him take all the bad choices back! I wanted to cry, having been a witness to one of the most heart-wrenching, embarrassing, world-changing moments for two people who obviously have a lot of love and respect for one another. Simon's deep disappointment, Miles' realization that he really, really scrued up and can't dig himself out of the pit he buried himself into, and the knowledge that either one would give anything to change it, but their honor would not let them, this was one of the most emotional and memorable scenes I have come across in a very long time. The strength of this moment and all together the series comes from the deceptively simple prose and straight forward approach to storytelling. I LOVE this author!!!
From there on the story becomes one of people loosing the image of who they are, the loss of the things they build their self-identity around, the understanding of what makes them individuals... Miles and Simon are forced to say goodbye to the very constructs the rest of the world has come to know of them and try to survive the total defragmentation.... Neither man is ready to deal with it, but life doesn't pull its punches and while turning 30 years old, Miles has to not only survive, but find debts in himself he was not aware of being there... He is pushed through the hump of self-destruction by his friends, the people whose lives he had impacted, and his very useful connections with people in high places... What makes him go past existing and toward recreating himself from foundation up is the desire to find out who he really is and use that to refortify the circle of support he takes responsibility for. This is why his first step to rebuilding is to take care of Simon who is in trouble himself....
I loooooved Ivan here! He is such an unassuming dude, who has figured out early in life that if you play clueless, people tend to not pile up responsibilities on him, and playing dumb is even better. But he is a Vor and he is smart and reliable, so he has stopped being able to fool his cousin and aunty:-). Cordelia is one of the greatest female characters ever, so the only complaint I have there is not enough page time!!! Gregor shines as a very smart and capable leader, but I didn't feel comfortable with him poaching on another, despite it being what the girl wanted too. The mystery, which seemed like the skeletal structure on which the character development was propped up, was OK, but the star of the show was the complete breakdown and subsequent rebuilding of Miles and Simon. We got to say goodbye to many things, which broke my ❤, but the story left us with promises of things to come, and I am looking forward to reading every step of the way!
Although this book was slower and more contemplative, it is just as intense and palpitations inducing as the others, only planet side and a tad melancholy. Hope you all give this series a chance ☺!
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Good book!!!
A buddy read with Evgeny and Maria because we love Science Fiction!!!
Wow! I always knew that this series is special, but books like this one, emotional and poignant, are what make this series AMAZING!
Miles Vorkosigan, at the beginning of the book as his alternate persona Miles Naismith, Admiral of the Dendarii Mercenaries, is in trouble. After being criogenically preserved and subsequently restored back to life, is suffering with seizures as a complication of his rushed defreezing. Knowing that if his superiors find out they will ground him to planet, Miles is hiding his seizures, until one of those happens during a rescue mission and he almost kills the person he is supposed to be rescuing. He attempts to hide the truth in his report knowing nothing good could come of it, and is urgently called back to Barryarr. Quinn is mad with him, Elena and her husband seem to be saying goodbye, Wolf-girl is the only gentle, calming influence he has on his trip home, but even she goes her own way once they land. An empty house stuck in the past awaits him and he is terrified that another seizure could overwhelm him at any moment... Miles is already melancholy when faced with his boss Simon's questions and he chooses the wrong answer. At this moment the world he has created for himself crumbles around him and life as he knows it is changed irrevocably.
I wanted to scream, to shake him and make him take all the bad choices back! I wanted to cry, having been a witness to one of the most heart-wrenching, embarrassing, world-changing moments for two people who obviously have a lot of love and respect for one another. Simon's deep disappointment, Miles' realization that he really, really scrued up and can't dig himself out of the pit he buried himself into, and the knowledge that either one would give anything to change it, but their honor would not let them, this was one of the most emotional and memorable scenes I have come across in a very long time. The strength of this moment and all together the series comes from the deceptively simple prose and straight forward approach to storytelling. I LOVE this author!!!
From there on the story becomes one of people loosing the image of who they are, the loss of the things they build their self-identity around, the understanding of what makes them individuals... Miles and Simon are forced to say goodbye to the very constructs the rest of the world has come to know of them and try to survive the total defragmentation.... Neither man is ready to deal with it, but life doesn't pull its punches and while turning 30 years old, Miles has to not only survive, but find debts in himself he was not aware of being there... He is pushed through the hump of self-destruction by his friends, the people whose lives he had impacted, and his very useful connections with people in high places... What makes him go past existing and toward recreating himself from foundation up is the desire to find out who he really is and use that to refortify the circle of support he takes responsibility for. This is why his first step to rebuilding is to take care of Simon who is in trouble himself....
I loooooved Ivan here! He is such an unassuming dude, who has figured out early in life that if you play clueless, people tend to not pile up responsibilities on him, and playing dumb is even better. But he is a Vor and he is smart and reliable, so he has stopped being able to fool his cousin and aunty:-). Cordelia is one of the greatest female characters ever, so the only complaint I have there is not enough page time!!! Gregor shines as a very smart and capable leader, but I didn't feel comfortable with him poaching on another, despite it being what the girl wanted too. The mystery, which seemed like the skeletal structure on which the character development was propped up, was OK, but the star of the show was the complete breakdown and subsequent rebuilding of Miles and Simon. We got to say goodbye to many things, which broke my ❤, but the story left us with promises of things to come, and I am looking forward to reading every step of the way!
Although this book was slower and more contemplative, it is just as intense and palpitations inducing as the others, only planet side and a tad melancholy. Hope you all give this series a chance ☺!
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Good book!!!
June 24, 2016
This is my favorite of all the Vorkosigan books (although, oh my god, don't start here; you have to read all the ones that came before it to appreciate it), because in it, Bujold does something very difficult very well: she massively changes the main character of an ongoing, established series.
Series tend to stagnate because authors don't let their characters develop in any but inconsequential ways. Bujold has never had that problem; Miles has grown up over the course of the books he's in, developed, become a real adult.
But it became obvious, in the novels preceding Memory, that Bujold had written herself into a corner: Miles couldn't develop anymore without major changes to his life and his character. And Bujold makes those changes, and pulls it off.
I really don't want to spoil this here; if this is your thing, I want you to read it, see how she does it. So I will just say: wow. This is an impressive novel - fun plot, good pacing, strong narrative, and a character reboot done right. (And, to be honest, I wish I'd stopped reading the series here; this would've been the best ending note in all the world.)
Series tend to stagnate because authors don't let their characters develop in any but inconsequential ways. Bujold has never had that problem; Miles has grown up over the course of the books he's in, developed, become a real adult.
But it became obvious, in the novels preceding Memory, that Bujold had written herself into a corner: Miles couldn't develop anymore without major changes to his life and his character. And Bujold makes those changes, and pulls it off.
I really don't want to spoil this here; if this is your thing, I want you to read it, see how she does it. So I will just say: wow. This is an impressive novel - fun plot, good pacing, strong narrative, and a character reboot done right. (And, to be honest, I wish I'd stopped reading the series here; this would've been the best ending note in all the world.)
September 19, 2015
This next novel is probably one of the most cogent and subtle of the stories, or at least it was probably one of the more profound. Loss took on a brand new spin this time. Loss of identity, purpose, and even his alternate life. Simon's tale was as interesting and heartwarming as it was also full of loss. How both of them got back on their feet was the main impetus of the story, although it was hardly a straight line. In Miles's case, it was part happy accident, a realization that he needed to make up for his mistakes, and the need to do what was right. Fortunately, he could call in some major chips to speed him along the right path.
It was an enheartening novel, and infinitely less flashy than some of the previous ones, but probably one of the most satisfying.
It was an enheartening novel, and infinitely less flashy than some of the previous ones, but probably one of the most satisfying.
March 30, 2020
UPDATED 2020.03.29 with Worst Cover Gallery!
Well, to be honest, this was more of a "cozy mystery", than the usual space opera adventure sci-fi, as it used to be before in Miles' series. It was slower paced and there was not that much happening. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Surprisingly. Still one of my fav series.
P.S. I forgot to add the worst cover gallery but I will probably update it on the weekend. I didn't expect that working from home sometimes is more exhausting than working from work!!!
Worst Cover Gallery - be my guest!
- I don't know.
- why?
- why now??
- ...
- wow this one has some feelz!..
Well, to be honest, this was more of a "cozy mystery", than the usual space opera adventure sci-fi, as it used to be before in Miles' series. It was slower paced and there was not that much happening. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Surprisingly. Still one of my fav series.
P.S. I forgot to add the worst cover gallery but I will probably update it on the weekend. I didn't expect that working from home sometimes is more exhausting than working from work!!!
Worst Cover Gallery - be my guest!
- I don't know.
- why?
- why now??
- ...
- wow this one has some feelz!..
September 19, 2022
Qué difícil es hacer lo que hace Bujold. Después de diez libros de una misma saga, lo fácil sería repetir la fórmula, mismos personajes, cambiando algo la trama... pero lo que consigue Bujold no es que leamos una historia de aventuras con unos personajes congelados en el tiempo... lo que hace Bujold es que acompañemos a esos personajes en sus vidas. Vemos cómo Miles y compañía crecen, cambian de mentalidad, les vamos conociendo poco a poco en cada libro...y que la trama sea una space opera o una investigación de un delito es lo de menos.
En esta ocasión nos encontramos con una historia al más puro estilo Agatha Christie, donde la acción transcurre en un solo edificio prácticamente. Hay que resolver un misterio y Miles es el encargado para ello. Y lo mejor es que no se echa de menos las naves espaciales o la política interplanetaria gracias a la fuerza de los personajes y lo bien que escribe Bujold. Y porque, como digo, vemos cómo los personajes se desarrollan un poco más y dejando entrever lo que puede ocurrir en el futuro.
Leed a Bujold.
En esta ocasión nos encontramos con una historia al más puro estilo Agatha Christie, donde la acción transcurre en un solo edificio prácticamente. Hay que resolver un misterio y Miles es el encargado para ello. Y lo mejor es que no se echa de menos las naves espaciales o la política interplanetaria gracias a la fuerza de los personajes y lo bien que escribe Bujold. Y porque, como digo, vemos cómo los personajes se desarrollan un poco más y dejando entrever lo que puede ocurrir en el futuro.
Leed a Bujold.
July 4, 2013
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my GIFTS AND GUILTY list.
Regardless of how many books are already queued patiently on my reading list, unexpected gifts and guilt-trips will always see unplanned additions muscling their way in at the front.
A few weeks ago I came down quite suddenly with the Norovirus which has swept across the UK this winter. One minute I was in bed complaining of a slight stomach ache, the next I was passing out on the bathroom floor after hurling into the sink, bath and finally toilet. My wife had some big exams coming up, so rather than nurse me she threw a bag and the baby into a taxi and went to stay with friends.
Because I couldn’t even keep water down, I quickly became dehydrated and my fever spiked. Have you ever had fever dreams? Weird aren’t they? I work for a finance company and had recently finished Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold . I was having very vivid dreams, trying to explain to Tyrion Lannister that I couldn’t approve his loan because he’d recently left his position as the King’s Hand, and we couldn’t lend to unemployed customers. I also had to turn down Daenerys Targaryen because she didn’t have three years residency in Westeros.
Once reality had reasserted itself (and my body would accept water again), I still needed a couple of days of quiet recovery. This book was a way down my reading list, but it was the one that found its way into my shaking hand and kept me company between my many naps.
If you’ve never read any of the Vorkosigan Saga:
1) You lucky person, you have such a treat waiting for you – they’re great!
2) Don’t start with Memory .
This is very much a transition story. Up to this point Miles has been a quirky (but brilliant) space adventurer; a pintsize aristocrat officer working as an undercover intelligence agent, posing as a mercenary admiral. In this book – that all stops.
So if Miles is no longer Admiral Naismith, who is he? That’s the central question of this book. Everybody is moving on with their lives – Elena and Baz set the tone at the start when they tell Miles they’re retiring from the mercenary fleet to start a family, and then Emperor Gregor is falling in love too! Miles has been through so much, and what (aside from his wits) has he got to show for it?
The pace and intensity is lower here than some of the previous adventures. This is a lot more of a reflective, contemplative Miles that we’re used to. But he still needs an adventure, he can’t just brood – and the story here is predominantly a detective case, investigating who sabotaged the memory-chip in Simon Ilyan’s head (Miles ex-boss). But this slower pace is no bad thing – Bujold is a character-centric writer, and taking her foot off the gas with the plot twists allows her time to dig deeper into the cast’s psyche – something she does very well indeed.
I often find that my state of mind plays a huge part in how much I enjoy a book. Recovering from the Norovirus could have been a very tiring and lonely time – but Miles Vorkosigan has joined that elite group of fictional characters who feel like old friends in my head. He was going through a tough time in Memory , and I was doing likewise in Cardiff – it felt like we helped each other through it.
My admiration for Bujold grows with each and every book I read. I've got Komarr lined up a few books down my reading list and I'm certainly looking forward to it!
After this I read: Thomas
December 17, 2022
1st read:
It starts off slow. But then the worst thing that could happen to our protagonist happens. From there, I was hooked.
2nd read:
I am astounded by the delicacy of the thematic and plot foreshadowing.
This one is my favorite of the series, so far.
It starts off slow. But then the worst thing that could happen to our protagonist happens. From there, I was hooked.
2nd read:
I am astounded by the delicacy of the thematic and plot foreshadowing.
This one is my favorite of the series, so far.
April 7, 2024
I know there are more books but for now I choose to believe this is the end, and what and ending it is.
Current Book of the Year frontrunner. The best book in one of my favorite series of all time
9.5/10
Current Book of the Year frontrunner. The best book in one of my favorite series of all time
9.5/10
January 18, 2016
Best. Miles. Yet.
I screwed up my sleep patterns for this book, and it was worth it. Just saying.
I thought the last entry did some great character changes, with Miles injury and Mark's metamorphis. But here, Miles is in full-on identity crisis, and we also get to see Gregor making some life changes as well. I loved that, because Gregor is such a big part of their lives, but is not seen as much. So it was great to see him in such a happy place. Of course, their actions in moving on with their lives are going to create some other changes. Illyan, Ivan and Elli most notably.
Bujold seems to handle this in stride, with new characters moving in, and the old moving not off, simply offstage. It creates great scope to this great story.
I screwed up my sleep patterns for this book, and it was worth it. Just saying.
I thought the last entry did some great character changes, with Miles injury and Mark's metamorphis. But here, Miles is in full-on identity crisis, and we also get to see Gregor making some life changes as well. I loved that, because Gregor is such a big part of their lives, but is not seen as much. So it was great to see him in such a happy place. Of course, their actions in moving on with their lives are going to create some other changes. Illyan, Ivan and Elli most notably.
Bujold seems to handle this in stride, with new characters moving in, and the old moving not off, simply offstage. It creates great scope to this great story.
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 19, 2024
2024 read
It remains 5 stars. I adore this book. It has grown on me so much.
The character arcs. The foreshadowing. The damn GROWTH. And the supporting cast is magnificent, as always.
2022 reread
Ten years between rereads makes a difference. In 2012 this was a 4 star read. In 2022, it's a 5 star. Funny how things hit differently with age. This is why I love rereading this series. There're so many layers and so much that resonates at different stages, and I'm finding that while young me loved the younger Miles books with all of their action and ridiculousness, thirty-something me is really enjoying the quieter, slower books (although when Miles gets going it's always a treat) and cherishing the relationship he has with his parents (and what his parents and friends say about him).
It remains 5 stars. I adore this book. It has grown on me so much.
The character arcs. The foreshadowing. The damn GROWTH. And the supporting cast is magnificent, as always.
2022 reread
Ten years between rereads makes a difference. In 2012 this was a 4 star read. In 2022, it's a 5 star. Funny how things hit differently with age. This is why I love rereading this series. There're so many layers and so much that resonates at different stages, and I'm finding that while young me loved the younger Miles books with all of their action and ridiculousness, thirty-something me is really enjoying the quieter, slower books (although when Miles gets going it's always a treat) and cherishing the relationship he has with his parents (and what his parents and friends say about him).
July 23, 2018
Part of a Vorkosigan reread with the SpecFic Buddy Reads group in 2017/18. During my initial exposure to the Vorkosigan books, this one was actually the first of them that I'd read, and prior to reread I had not revisited it since then. As the novel that originally hooked me on the series even without all the backstory, I was really curious how it would hold up. I actually think it holds up very well indeed and actually forms a brilliant second volume of the soul-searching that began with the previous volume.
The story starts with Miles back in action with the Dendarii Mercenaries. The relatively routine mission he's on goes disastrously wrong when he experiences a cryorevival-induced seizure mid-operation and causes a friendly fire incident. Fearing his Barrayaran ImpSec superiors will remove him from active operations, he falsifies the mission report. But of course ImpSec are very good at their jobs and he's found out. So his military career is over and almost for the first time since we met him in The Warrior's Apprentice we have Miles without Admiral Naismith.
So who is Miles Vorkosigan really?
The first half of the book is the wreckage of Miles trying to answer that question. But as usual with Miles, what he really needs is action, and he gets it in the form of an attack on Simon Illyan and an obdurate response from ImpSec in his recovery. This is a situation where Lord Vorkosigan is who's required rather than the little admiral.
This book is an interesting one just from the point of view of a long series. It's distinctly the second part of Mirror Dance, it's also a pivotal story as Miles changes careers and perhaps for the first time becomes truly himself and recognized for his ability outside the tight confines of ImpSec security clearance. The first part is definitely slow, but it's also extremely necessary in the context of this nearly hyperactive who hasn't really stopped for a self-assessment since he graduated from the military academy.
From the point of view of a reread, I remember this being the start of the golden run that is Memory-Komarr-A Civil Campaign. Very much looking forward to next month's read.
The story starts with Miles back in action with the Dendarii Mercenaries. The relatively routine mission he's on goes disastrously wrong when he experiences a cryorevival-induced seizure mid-operation and causes a friendly fire incident. Fearing his Barrayaran ImpSec superiors will remove him from active operations, he falsifies the mission report. But of course ImpSec are very good at their jobs and he's found out. So his military career is over and almost for the first time since we met him in The Warrior's Apprentice we have Miles without Admiral Naismith.
So who is Miles Vorkosigan really?
The first half of the book is the wreckage of Miles trying to answer that question. But as usual with Miles, what he really needs is action, and he gets it in the form of an attack on Simon Illyan and an obdurate response from ImpSec in his recovery. This is a situation where Lord Vorkosigan is who's required rather than the little admiral.
This book is an interesting one just from the point of view of a long series. It's distinctly the second part of Mirror Dance, it's also a pivotal story as Miles changes careers and perhaps for the first time becomes truly himself and recognized for his ability outside the tight confines of ImpSec security clearance. The first part is definitely slow, but it's also extremely necessary in the context of this nearly hyperactive who hasn't really stopped for a self-assessment since he graduated from the military academy.
From the point of view of a reread, I remember this being the start of the golden run that is Memory-Komarr-A Civil Campaign. Very much looking forward to next month's read.
February 5, 2024
Review upon reread: I’ve been avoiding rereading any of the Vorkosigan books for, oh, about a decade now, because I knew that it wouldn’t quite hold up, and indeed, it doesn’t fully. Some of the assumptions that underpin this universe are no longer something I can just read past uncritically, and some of the stuff Miles says and does makes him seem like even more of an asshole than it did twenty years ago. And, let’s face it: I love Miles as a character, but he’s enough of an asshole that I would hate him in real life. I do think this book was, or at least could have been, a step toward making him less of as asshole, though. Miles, in short, is finally growing up in this one, and let’s just say it is definitely time.
But what I love about this book did hold up. I love that one of Miles’s terrible decisions finally comes home to roost, and he loses big, and survives and finds a new life in the ashes. I love the mystery, even if it was obvious the first time I read this and continues to be obvious now. I love Simon, living through a much worse personal apocalypse and finding his new life a lot more gracefully than Miles ever could. And, on a more Doylist level, I love seeing someone completely reboot a series on book 10, just change everything it and the main character are about. It’s impressively well done.
Just not quite the perfect book it used to be for me.
But what I love about this book did hold up. I love that one of Miles’s terrible decisions finally comes home to roost, and he loses big, and survives and finds a new life in the ashes. I love the mystery, even if it was obvious the first time I read this and continues to be obvious now. I love Simon, living through a much worse personal apocalypse and finding his new life a lot more gracefully than Miles ever could. And, on a more Doylist level, I love seeing someone completely reboot a series on book 10, just change everything it and the main character are about. It’s impressively well done.
Just not quite the perfect book it used to be for me.
August 2, 2017
I'm puzzled at the high rating in Goodreads. One of the weaker books imho.
Frankly half of the book nothing happens. Brooding and depressed Miles is no fun. It doesn't help that we're stuck on Barayar.
Half way through we finally get some action due to new case. But the culprit is quite obvious for the reader if not to Miles...
"Some prices are just too high, no matter how much you may want the prize. The one thing you can't trade for your heart's desire is your heart."
"You go on. You just go on. There's nothing more to it, and there's no trick to make it easier. You just go on."
"What do you find on the other side? When you go on?"
She shrugged. "Your life again. What else?"
"Is that a promise?"
She picked up a pebble, fingered it, and tossed it into the water. The moon-lines bloomed and danced. "It's an inevitability. No trick. No choice. You just go on."
"Have you ever come home, to a place you've never been before?
Frankly half of the book nothing happens. Brooding and depressed Miles is no fun. It doesn't help that we're stuck on Barayar.
Half way through we finally get some action due to new case. But the culprit is quite obvious for the reader if not to Miles...
"Some prices are just too high, no matter how much you may want the prize. The one thing you can't trade for your heart's desire is your heart."
"You go on. You just go on. There's nothing more to it, and there's no trick to make it easier. You just go on."
"What do you find on the other side? When you go on?"
She shrugged. "Your life again. What else?"
"Is that a promise?"
She picked up a pebble, fingered it, and tossed it into the water. The moon-lines bloomed and danced. "It's an inevitability. No trick. No choice. You just go on."
"Have you ever come home, to a place you've never been before?
October 23, 2014
This is well matched with the previous book chronologically. The last one explored Mark's psychology & life, this one deals with Miles. I liked it a lot better. Mark's had a lot of repetition, concentrated mostly on the few items we already knew of his past & his reactions to them over & over. While there wasn't any new information on Miles, he's a much better documented & a much more complex character. He very believably gets himself into & out of the trick bag on a regular basis, the main fun of this series. In this story, it's even better done than normal, though.
Bujold has done a great job of setting up the situation & does even better with the solution. it seemed a natural growth rather than pasted on.
She also allows the characters to grow, change, & generally move through life. Their decisions are often hard ones & some are just a shame, but that just lends them more reality.
All in all, I'm very pleased with both the book & the series. No matter how you count it, there have been about 10 books so far. Most series go stale for me long before now. This one is like a soap opera, dragging me along to see what happens, then adds some new wrinkle that I want to see to the end. As usual, it was very well read. I'm on to the next one, Komarr.
Bujold has done a great job of setting up the situation & does even better with the solution. it seemed a natural growth rather than pasted on.
She also allows the characters to grow, change, & generally move through life. Their decisions are often hard ones & some are just a shame, but that just lends them more reality.
All in all, I'm very pleased with both the book & the series. No matter how you count it, there have been about 10 books so far. Most series go stale for me long before now. This one is like a soap opera, dragging me along to see what happens, then adds some new wrinkle that I want to see to the end. As usual, it was very well read. I'm on to the next one, Komarr.
January 7, 2020
I always enjoy the adventures of Miles Vorkosigan, but this is the best book in the series so far in my opinion. I’ve always been entertained by Miles’ forward momentum, his dual roles as Lord Vorkosign and Admiral Naismith, and his willingness to plunge into danger with only a skeleton of plan. This is the book when Miles grows up and becomes a much better human being.
The book begins with Miles making a very serious error in judgement and being removed from his Imperial Security position by Simon Illyan, the head of ImpSec. Now, Lord Vorkosigan must find out who he is when he’s not pretending to be someone else. When something bad happens to Illyan, it is Miles who steps up to the plate and convinces the Emperor to let him investigate. This installment may not have interstellar travel or gun fights, it has a more “spy novel” vibe.
I wonder if Bujold became tired of the military type adventures and decided to change Miles' life course? If so, I highly approve and I can hardly wait to read the next book in the series.
Book number 346 in my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project.
The book begins with Miles making a very serious error in judgement and being removed from his Imperial Security position by Simon Illyan, the head of ImpSec. Now, Lord Vorkosigan must find out who he is when he’s not pretending to be someone else. When something bad happens to Illyan, it is Miles who steps up to the plate and convinces the Emperor to let him investigate. This installment may not have interstellar travel or gun fights, it has a more “spy novel” vibe.
I wonder if Bujold became tired of the military type adventures and decided to change Miles' life course? If so, I highly approve and I can hardly wait to read the next book in the series.
Book number 346 in my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project.
August 11, 2020
At a risk of repeating myself, this is my favourite Miles book thus far.
I have discovered that, despite preferring space opera over the other subgenres of scifi, I rather the Vorkosigan books full of political intrigue and set on Barrayar than the action adventure/space setting installments. I also prefer Lord Vorkosigan over Admiral Naismith, and Memory is truly the first book that focuses on the Vor Lord instead of the admiral for quite a while.
The opening chapters show the medical side effects and debilitating seizures Miles has been enduring following his ‘death’. His ill health, and his concealment of it, forces Miles to yield his command of the Dendarii fleet and return to Barrayar.
Soon after Miles's arrival planetside, his Impsec boss, Simon Illyan, has a memory chip (which was implanted in his brain years ago) go haywire. Illyan’s mental and physical health declines at such a rapid rate that he needs to resign his commission, leaving Miles without any chance of reinstatement when Illyan’s successor does not appreciate Miles’s... unique qualities. Miles does not, of course, let that stop him and the book's mystery plot is that of Miles investigating whether or not Illyan’s chip was sabotaged deliberately.
Although I always enjoy Miles solving a mystery, I found a lot of this book incredibly sad. Both Illyan and Miles have to discover what type of men they will be without their military personas. Somehow LMB makes all this introspective reflection and searching for identity far from boring. As LMB showed in Mirror Dance, Illyan and Miles have a lovely pseudo father/son relationship, and she raised the poignancy level in Memory again by showing us the respect and love they share. *sniff* I also loved how the situation evoked memories for Miles of his grandfather. *sniff*
It’s not just the Miles and Illyan show, my other favs Ivan, Gregor, Galeni and Taura get some quality scenes and we even get a couple featuring Cordelia and Aral (happy sigh).
Amongst the tears, LMB includes her trademark humour, a lot coming from a hilarious new character, Miles’s stand in driver-cum-butler Martin. Ivan is, of course, still the brunt of several jokes and I pretty much laughed out loud at Miles offering him a cat and his reaction to one of the romantic subplots (might I just add, this romance was the cutest!).
Memory was another of the longer books in the series but again, like Mirror Dance, I flew through it, probably ignoring real life far too much to find out Miles’s fate (for now). And of course I'm now sucked in to starting Komarr immediately.
5 out of 5 obviously
I have discovered that, despite preferring space opera over the other subgenres of scifi, I rather the Vorkosigan books full of political intrigue and set on Barrayar than the action adventure/space setting installments. I also prefer Lord Vorkosigan over Admiral Naismith, and Memory is truly the first book that focuses on the Vor Lord instead of the admiral for quite a while.
The opening chapters show the medical side effects and debilitating seizures Miles has been enduring following his ‘death’. His ill health, and his concealment of it, forces Miles to yield his command of the Dendarii fleet and return to Barrayar.
Soon after Miles's arrival planetside, his Impsec boss, Simon Illyan, has a memory chip (which was implanted in his brain years ago) go haywire. Illyan’s mental and physical health declines at such a rapid rate that he needs to resign his commission, leaving Miles without any chance of reinstatement when Illyan’s successor does not appreciate Miles’s... unique qualities. Miles does not, of course, let that stop him and the book's mystery plot is that of Miles investigating whether or not Illyan’s chip was sabotaged deliberately.
Although I always enjoy Miles solving a mystery, I found a lot of this book incredibly sad. Both Illyan and Miles have to discover what type of men they will be without their military personas. Somehow LMB makes all this introspective reflection and searching for identity far from boring. As LMB showed in Mirror Dance, Illyan and Miles have a lovely pseudo father/son relationship, and she raised the poignancy level in Memory again by showing us the respect and love they share. *sniff* I also loved how the situation evoked memories for Miles of his grandfather. *sniff*
It’s not just the Miles and Illyan show, my other favs Ivan, Gregor, Galeni and Taura get some quality scenes and we even get a couple featuring Cordelia and Aral (happy sigh).
Amongst the tears, LMB includes her trademark humour, a lot coming from a hilarious new character, Miles’s stand in driver-cum-butler Martin. Ivan is, of course, still the brunt of several jokes and I pretty much laughed out loud at Miles offering him a cat and his reaction to one of the romantic subplots (might I just add, this romance was the cutest!).
Memory was another of the longer books in the series but again, like Mirror Dance, I flew through it, probably ignoring real life far too much to find out Miles’s fate (for now). And of course I'm now sucked in to starting Komarr immediately.
5 out of 5 obviously
June 15, 2025
I completely understand why Bujold needed to take Miles in this direction, but I didn't enjoy the very beginning of this book. Miles being depressed is no fun. :( Fortunately it picked up quickly - Miles can't stay out of trouble for long. It was fun to see more of Gregor, Ivan and Simon. I've always found them interesting, and I really like Duv, so was pleased that he shows up throughout this book. Also, the good news for Gregor is a great balance for the trouble for Miles.
In fact, there are several different strands of plot in this story, which is a nice change from some of the previous ones where everything revolved around Miles or Mark. I did figure out the mystery as soon as it started. But who cares? All in all, once it got going this book was so good I had to force myself to stop listening. (The good news is, I got a lot of house cleaning done. My furniture shines and my floors are spotless. lol)
Having read this, I have to agree with the reviewer who wrote in the New York Review of Science Fiction "Reading Memory, I myself felt very much like Wordsworth seems to have when he wrote 'Ode on the Intimations of Immortality': what we had here was remarkable, spectacular, far more powerful than Apprentice and its ilk, but it was also darker, less sparkling, without that adolescent, outrageous joie d'esprit." That doesn't mean it's not a very, very good read, only that it signifies a shift in Miles and in the series. One that I think works very well and leads up to four more truly excellent books.
NB - Despite the fact that I originally read these books out of order, it is best if you read them chronologically. It just adds to the fun. There's a convenient list here: https://www.goodreads.com/series/9825...
Also - I'll repeat the the audiobooks are wonderful! So good, in fact, that I usually listen to the series when I revisit it, when I do regularly.
In fact, there are several different strands of plot in this story, which is a nice change from some of the previous ones where everything revolved around Miles or Mark. I did figure out the mystery as soon as it started. But who cares? All in all, once it got going this book was so good I had to force myself to stop listening. (The good news is, I got a lot of house cleaning done. My furniture shines and my floors are spotless. lol)
Having read this, I have to agree with the reviewer who wrote in the New York Review of Science Fiction "Reading Memory, I myself felt very much like Wordsworth seems to have when he wrote 'Ode on the Intimations of Immortality': what we had here was remarkable, spectacular, far more powerful than Apprentice and its ilk, but it was also darker, less sparkling, without that adolescent, outrageous joie d'esprit." That doesn't mean it's not a very, very good read, only that it signifies a shift in Miles and in the series. One that I think works very well and leads up to four more truly excellent books.
NB - Despite the fact that I originally read these books out of order, it is best if you read them chronologically. It just adds to the fun. There's a convenient list here: https://www.goodreads.com/series/9825...
Also - I'll repeat the the audiobooks are wonderful! So good, in fact, that I usually listen to the series when I revisit it, when I do regularly.
December 26, 2023
A novel of intrigue with some space opera trappings.
The prose, as always, is excellent. A good thing too, since the protagonist spends half the book not really doing anything other than moping around the house, attending dinner parties, going away for weekends, and so on and so forth. It's testament to the caliber writer Lois McMaster Bujold is that I didn't put this down halfway through. And fortunate too, since, as it turns out, the whole thing isn't half bad either once all has been said and done.
The characterisation is exceptional, and it is obviously the selling point of the entire series. Miles has been doing some growing up (in more ways than one), and Memory serves as a sort of bookend, if you will, between earlier era Miles and what-is-to-come.
It is a rewarding book, but it does take some time for the story to reveal itself. Patience and perseverance is the order of the day. Fortunately, it's not a tome, so if you put your mind to it you can read this at a reasonably fair trot (thanks to the graceful writing, which really is just a treat).
As far as mysteries go, the one at the heart of Memory is interesting enough. Like previous Miles books there are some fun reveals and maneuverings.
Now I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. I liked the book well enough, and in fact I am going to rate it fairly high, but the Barrayer politics and Vor family intrigues are starting to get a bit stale. I am not sure whether I really feel like continuing this series... but who knows.
The prose, as always, is excellent. A good thing too, since the protagonist spends half the book not really doing anything other than moping around the house, attending dinner parties, going away for weekends, and so on and so forth. It's testament to the caliber writer Lois McMaster Bujold is that I didn't put this down halfway through. And fortunate too, since, as it turns out, the whole thing isn't half bad either once all has been said and done.
The characterisation is exceptional, and it is obviously the selling point of the entire series. Miles has been doing some growing up (in more ways than one), and Memory serves as a sort of bookend, if you will, between earlier era Miles and what-is-to-come.
It is a rewarding book, but it does take some time for the story to reveal itself. Patience and perseverance is the order of the day. Fortunately, it's not a tome, so if you put your mind to it you can read this at a reasonably fair trot (thanks to the graceful writing, which really is just a treat).
As far as mysteries go, the one at the heart of Memory is interesting enough. Like previous Miles books there are some fun reveals and maneuverings.
Now I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. I liked the book well enough, and in fact I am going to rate it fairly high, but the Barrayer politics and Vor family intrigues are starting to get a bit stale. I am not sure whether I really feel like continuing this series... but who knows.
January 6, 2013
Well, Miles has put his foot in it good this time...whatever shall he do????? Why come up smelling like, well if not like roses at least not like that solid waste stuff that's always hitting the rotary impeller whenever he gets involved.
If you've followed Miles from early on in his "life" and like me have enjoyed his adventures then you won't be let down here. While early on I found these books occasionally hitting "speed bumps" where the story slowed down over time and installments of the saga that were better than others. While these aren't always exactly action filled speed rides they are enthralling reads.
Here we're moving into a new facet of Miles life and carrier. We see further development in not only the over all story and plot(s) but in the characters themselves. Lives change in this one and we get not only a new adventure but the setup for and beginning what will follow.
This is a good book, a satisfying addition to an excellent science fiction series.
If you've followed Miles from early on in his "life" and like me have enjoyed his adventures then you won't be let down here. While early on I found these books occasionally hitting "speed bumps" where the story slowed down over time and installments of the saga that were better than others. While these aren't always exactly action filled speed rides they are enthralling reads.
Here we're moving into a new facet of Miles life and carrier. We see further development in not only the over all story and plot(s) but in the characters themselves. Lives change in this one and we get not only a new adventure but the setup for and beginning what will follow.
This is a good book, a satisfying addition to an excellent science fiction series.
May 15, 2017
This is not space opera, this is a mystery set in a science fiction world starring Miles Vorkosigan. Luckily I like mysteries and I like Miles (he's turning into one of my favorite fictional characters) so the book worked for me. It reminded me a bit of a Jhereg novel by Steven Brust, in fact, what would it take to get a Brust/Bujold crossover novel? Now, THAT would be a book for the ages!
April 14, 2017
Listening to this series all out of order according to what I can find at the library. I continue to love this author's writing style and to love Miles of course.
April 1, 2018
Memory: An Identity Crisis for Miles - Which is the Real One?
Memory is the 8th volume in the Miles Vorkosigan Saga (if you exclude the stand-alones Ethan of Athos and Falling Free), and represents an important transitional phase between his free-wheeling alter-ego as Admiral Miles Naismith of the Dendarii Mercenaries, and Lord Miles Vorkosigan, son of Count Aral Vorkosigan and a key member of Emperor Gregor's inner circle of Barrayaran leaders. Therefore, this is definitely the wrong place to start reading the series - you'll not understand any of the background or experiences of Miles that have led up to this point. Therefore, of all the Miles Vorkosigan books, I felt this one was the least self-contained in the series, but a crucial transition point for Miles' character as he hits middle age and a sudden fork in his career and life path.
The story opens with an action-packed rescue mission by the Dendarii mercenaries led by Miles, but quickly goes disastrously wrong. As a result of this debacle and Miles' attempt to cover it up to ImpSec and Simon Illyan, he suddenly finds himself cut off from both the Dendarii and the Barryaran military, and in a mid-life crisis as he two key identities, which are so well developed they have taken on a life of their own. So what happens to a person when both are snatched away without warning?
Miles returns to House Vorkosigan, now empty of everything but memories, and tries to readjust to the stifling role of as a Vor lordling, but without the outlet of his Admiral Naismith identity or his pride as a military officer, the trapping of aristocracy are little solace. He visits the setting of the story "Mountains of Mourning", and does a lot of introspection and reflection on who he really is, and what gives his life purpose. This is another reason not to start with this book - it would be like starting the third season of a long-running drama.
Of course just ruminations and mid-life crisis do not a SF adventure make, so Miles does soon encounter some very eccentric behavior by long-time ImpSec chief Simon Illyan, and as these start to escalate he realizes something very sinister is happening inside the organization, and when he himself if framed for it, he needs to go back into Miles Vorkosigan hyperactive mind mode and use his wits to exonerate himself and track down the real culprit. So the book's pace and mystery are more like Cetaganda than the space opera military adventures of the earlier books.
It's a natural progression for Miles to start to grow out of his swash-buckling mercenary 20s, and as Mrs. Bujold has devoted so much care into fleshing out all the characters in this series, this book can devote itself to the inner struggle of Miles to come to grips with the inevitable life changes he and some of his close companions must go through, just like any of us. And she handles the story very well, as his inner monologues and thoughts are entirely realistic and consistent with all he has gone through before. Memory also sets the stage for a new phase of Miles' life, and it takes great confidence for an author to take a successful series and refuse to repeat the same formula over and over again, but instead force the main character to make changes he would rather not undergo, and still keep readers engaged in his story. Along with Mirror Dance, it's one of the most thoughtful and introspective of the Miles stories, and thought it may not be as exciting as earlier stories, it is done very well indeed.
Memory is the 8th volume in the Miles Vorkosigan Saga (if you exclude the stand-alones Ethan of Athos and Falling Free), and represents an important transitional phase between his free-wheeling alter-ego as Admiral Miles Naismith of the Dendarii Mercenaries, and Lord Miles Vorkosigan, son of Count Aral Vorkosigan and a key member of Emperor Gregor's inner circle of Barrayaran leaders. Therefore, this is definitely the wrong place to start reading the series - you'll not understand any of the background or experiences of Miles that have led up to this point. Therefore, of all the Miles Vorkosigan books, I felt this one was the least self-contained in the series, but a crucial transition point for Miles' character as he hits middle age and a sudden fork in his career and life path.
The story opens with an action-packed rescue mission by the Dendarii mercenaries led by Miles, but quickly goes disastrously wrong. As a result of this debacle and Miles' attempt to cover it up to ImpSec and Simon Illyan, he suddenly finds himself cut off from both the Dendarii and the Barryaran military, and in a mid-life crisis as he two key identities, which are so well developed they have taken on a life of their own. So what happens to a person when both are snatched away without warning?
Miles returns to House Vorkosigan, now empty of everything but memories, and tries to readjust to the stifling role of as a Vor lordling, but without the outlet of his Admiral Naismith identity or his pride as a military officer, the trapping of aristocracy are little solace. He visits the setting of the story "Mountains of Mourning", and does a lot of introspection and reflection on who he really is, and what gives his life purpose. This is another reason not to start with this book - it would be like starting the third season of a long-running drama.
Of course just ruminations and mid-life crisis do not a SF adventure make, so Miles does soon encounter some very eccentric behavior by long-time ImpSec chief Simon Illyan, and as these start to escalate he realizes something very sinister is happening inside the organization, and when he himself if framed for it, he needs to go back into Miles Vorkosigan hyperactive mind mode and use his wits to exonerate himself and track down the real culprit. So the book's pace and mystery are more like Cetaganda than the space opera military adventures of the earlier books.
It's a natural progression for Miles to start to grow out of his swash-buckling mercenary 20s, and as Mrs. Bujold has devoted so much care into fleshing out all the characters in this series, this book can devote itself to the inner struggle of Miles to come to grips with the inevitable life changes he and some of his close companions must go through, just like any of us. And she handles the story very well, as his inner monologues and thoughts are entirely realistic and consistent with all he has gone through before. Memory also sets the stage for a new phase of Miles' life, and it takes great confidence for an author to take a successful series and refuse to repeat the same formula over and over again, but instead force the main character to make changes he would rather not undergo, and still keep readers engaged in his story. Along with Mirror Dance, it's one of the most thoughtful and introspective of the Miles stories, and thought it may not be as exciting as earlier stories, it is done very well indeed.
May 20, 2019
A very subtle and interesting book. Miles wrestles with his memory issues, which continue to vex although not cripple him. Much more complex memory issues do cripple his friend, who he then tries to assist by helping find the culprit who triggered the causal event.
While his friend struggles to rebuild himself and rediscover his identity, Miles undergoes a similar process. He has to attempt the difficult transformation from his invented identity, Admiral Miles Naismith, back to the person he has always run away from, Lord Miles Vorkosigan.
I liked the parallel in the examination of identity between the two characters, and the way Miles draws strength from helping to resolve the situation of his friend. There are many excellent scenes, but the one in particular I loved was where Miles is offered a temptation almost beyond refusal. The writing in this scene is incredibly vivid in its descriptions, capturing all the conflicting and uncontrolled feelings and sensations one would expect in this situation.
An excellent transition story that not only resituates Miles in the next part of his overall story arc, but transforms him in a necessary way.
While his friend struggles to rebuild himself and rediscover his identity, Miles undergoes a similar process. He has to attempt the difficult transformation from his invented identity, Admiral Miles Naismith, back to the person he has always run away from, Lord Miles Vorkosigan.
I liked the parallel in the examination of identity between the two characters, and the way Miles draws strength from helping to resolve the situation of his friend. There are many excellent scenes, but the one in particular I loved was where Miles is offered a temptation almost beyond refusal. The writing in this scene is incredibly vivid in its descriptions, capturing all the conflicting and uncontrolled feelings and sensations one would expect in this situation.
An excellent transition story that not only resituates Miles in the next part of his overall story arc, but transforms him in a necessary way.
April 15, 2017
Buddy read with Choko and Evgeny.
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!
It's time to turn a new page in the Vorkosigan Saga and Memory is the transition point. When you read the books in the chronological order the reader can predict the initial events in the book with ease. It's a painful way to give Miles a much needed kick in the behind. Miles had reached the top as Admiral Neismith and sometimes I think that deep down inside he was no longer satisfied with that life. Why else would he sabotage himself so badly? Especially since he knows how good Simon's network of spies really is. Yes, it was painful to watch and even though I've read the book many times I still wanted to smack Miles on the head and save him the pain.
Memory is a book about moving on, forgiving yourself, accepting that not all screw-ups can be swept under the rug and that you won't always be able to turn defeat into victory. It's also about friendship and loyalty, about honor and reputation - a recurring theme in the series one that will be explored yet again very soon. And now it's time to let Lord Vorkosigan shine and to move to my favourite part of the series - Miles's adventures as a Lord Auditor :D
This is my favourite book in the series, not because of some outstanding writing or originality plot-wise but because more than a decade ago I picked up this book at a secondhand books stand while mindlessly browsing the boxes filled with books. I had no idea it's part of a series, thanks to the ridiculous way it's published in my country, but I thought it looked interesting. Little did I know that I've just picked a book from what would eventually become my very favourite series, one I reach for when I'm feeling particularly down or when I can't get out of a reading slump. Back then my English was awful, I had no idea ebooks existed and most of the books were publish before I could even read! As a result finding the rest of the series was one hell of a challenge and even now there's still some books I don't own a physical copy of.
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!
It's time to turn a new page in the Vorkosigan Saga and Memory is the transition point. When you read the books in the chronological order the reader can predict the initial events in the book with ease. It's a painful way to give Miles a much needed kick in the behind. Miles had reached the top as Admiral Neismith and sometimes I think that deep down inside he was no longer satisfied with that life. Why else would he sabotage himself so badly? Especially since he knows how good Simon's network of spies really is. Yes, it was painful to watch and even though I've read the book many times I still wanted to smack Miles on the head and save him the pain.
Memory is a book about moving on, forgiving yourself, accepting that not all screw-ups can be swept under the rug and that you won't always be able to turn defeat into victory. It's also about friendship and loyalty, about honor and reputation - a recurring theme in the series one that will be explored yet again very soon. And now it's time to let Lord Vorkosigan shine and to move to my favourite part of the series - Miles's adventures as a Lord Auditor :D
This is my favourite book in the series, not because of some outstanding writing or originality plot-wise but because more than a decade ago I picked up this book at a secondhand books stand while mindlessly browsing the boxes filled with books. I had no idea it's part of a series, thanks to the ridiculous way it's published in my country, but I thought it looked interesting. Little did I know that I've just picked a book from what would eventually become my very favourite series, one I reach for when I'm feeling particularly down or when I can't get out of a reading slump. Back then my English was awful, I had no idea ebooks existed and most of the books were publish before I could even read! As a result finding the rest of the series was one hell of a challenge and even now there's still some books I don't own a physical copy of.
July 30, 2012
This highly satisfying read represents a fine apex point in a space opera series. It can be read alone as it represents a synthesis and resolution of the risky strategy taken in prior volumes by its protagonist Miles Vorkosigan in forging an alternative life to surmount his physical handicaps and restricted choices in the ruling class of a hereditary aristocracy. Miles in his youth finds a way to thrive as the leader of a mercenary fleet tasked with undercover operations for the Imperial space navy and excels in diverse adventures in a galaxy of several competitive human empires connected by wormholes. In this tale, his epilepsy after his recovery from severe injuries and battlefield cryopreservation forces him to return home. His depression over leaving his undercover life behind is turned around when he becomes engaged by a crisis surrounding a sudden medical problem of the Imperial intelligence director. The action is thrilling and fun without resorting to shoot-em-ups one might expect from this genre, and the development of Miles' character and that of others that richly populate this tale are successful in both emotional engagement and humor.
February 22, 2011
I have dearly loved all of the Miles books, for a number of reasons. This one ranks as my favorite. Why? I laughed, snickered and guffawed out loud more times than I can remember, and was genuinely moved by Miles' decision to lay his Peter Pan existence aside, in order to grow up. I have gone through a similar experience these past months, perhaps that is why the book resonates so deeply with me. For both Miles and myself, the change was unexpected, and our lives are moving in a direction that could not have been predicted, but we're moving forward. And I'm, like Miles, not at all unhappy about it. But whatever the reason, this chapter in the Vorkosigan saga is my most treasured.
November 20, 2020
Magnífico, no puedo decir menos que eso. Para mi, el mejor de la saga hasta el momento y el mas complicado por ser el que redefine a Miles. Bujold no solo lo hace de una manera soberbia, interesante, intensa emocionalmente como lector, sino que demuestra su maestría en el género, trascendiendo totalmente de el. Es Space Opera, pero como algunas de las mejores del género, podría no serlo y ser igual de bueno. En mi cabeza Barrayar siempre ha sido la Rusia imperial del XIX y esta novela encajaría igual de bien si en vez de Ivan, el propio Pushkin fuera uno de los amigos de Miles.
De lo bueno, lo mejor.
De lo bueno, lo mejor.
September 21, 2020
I always like a good Miles Vorkosigan story. This is pretty straightforward, a touch longer than it should be for all the coverage of the rich history Miles has developed as the years have passed.
March 28, 2020
Recuerdo cuando en mi perfil de Goodreads ponía yo con algo de suficiencia: "no completo sagas". Esa declaración que me imagino, pretendía ser presumida, venía al caso porque la escribí en un año donde empecé a leer muchas primeras partes de sagas y series y una cantidad nada despreciable de ellas me dejó con una de dos ideas: o "no quiero seguir leyendo esto: me da flojera" o "los personajes están en buen punto ahora. no quiero que les pase nada. no quiero seguir leyendo esto". Así, no he leído más que Juego de Tronos (bien sabiendo lo que pasa por spoileado en varios libros) esperando la siguiente novela para arrojarme a leer todo y esperar el final al corriente, if any. No seguí ni la trilogía del Vatídico, ni la saga de Belgarath, ni Añoranzas y Pesares, ni Mago de Feist, ni Dios mío, Los Caballeros Bastardos (aunque esta última es tan episódica que siempre he dicho que no me importa no seguir). Tampoco seguí The Expanse pero en esta cuarentena eso se arregla.
Esto viene al caso porque cuando una saga te conquista, cuando sus personajes te enamoran, tienes casi por obligación seguirles los pasos y no abandonarles, cueste lo que cueste. O mal les vaya. Porque, verán... como dice Jo Walton en su maravillosa serie de ensayos sobre los Vorkosigan, hasta el momento Bujold ha estado del lado de Miles y lo ha mantenido triunfando, con algunos costos importantes (en Danza de Espejos, el costo último, reembolsado). Pero lo ha dejado ganar. Hasta ahora. Y para no poner más spoilers, diré hasta ahí.
Éste es un libro cuyo impacto en el lector depende totalmente de haber leído todos (excepto los dos spinoffs) los libros anteriores. Es una especie de reboot, pero también es contrapunto a Danza de Espejos y continúa puntos importantes que se trataron en Fronteras del Infinito y Hermanos de Armas. Aquí, Miles ha llegado al punto de encontrase de cara con la peor crisis personal de su aventurada vida y tiene que confrontar por primera vez su identidad. Éste es el tema central del libro y pega fuerte. Para mí, lleva en el misterio central algunas de mis pequeñas frustraciones personales del momento, pero lo más importante es que me permite seguir maravillado ante la mano experta de Bujold como caracterizadora.
Entre los autores de estos dos géneros hay algunos que su especialidad es la trama, otros la prosa, otros los personajes y otros más el worldbuilding. Hay algunos escritores que tienen dos fortalezas tremendas y hasta tres, pero rara vez tienen las cuatro. Bujold es excepcional en caracterización, sólida en trama, competente en worldbuilding (aquí se le va un retcon súper obvio para hacer avanzar la trama) y promedio en prosa, aunque no nivel plano como Sanderson. Los escritores que son soberbios para caracterizar te enamoran y te marean con sus personajes y no quieres desprenderte de ellos. Aunque te torturen.
Recuerdos es, la mitad y el fulcro y el punto de equilibrio de la saga, y también un exitoso reboot. Jo Walton dice que no puede leer este libro sin llorar a moco tendido. Yo leí la página final con los ojos llorosos. Eres grande, Miles.
Esto viene al caso porque cuando una saga te conquista, cuando sus personajes te enamoran, tienes casi por obligación seguirles los pasos y no abandonarles, cueste lo que cueste. O mal les vaya. Porque, verán... como dice Jo Walton en su maravillosa serie de ensayos sobre los Vorkosigan, hasta el momento Bujold ha estado del lado de Miles y lo ha mantenido triunfando, con algunos costos importantes (en Danza de Espejos, el costo último, reembolsado). Pero lo ha dejado ganar. Hasta ahora. Y para no poner más spoilers, diré hasta ahí.
Éste es un libro cuyo impacto en el lector depende totalmente de haber leído todos (excepto los dos spinoffs) los libros anteriores. Es una especie de reboot, pero también es contrapunto a Danza de Espejos y continúa puntos importantes que se trataron en Fronteras del Infinito y Hermanos de Armas. Aquí, Miles ha llegado al punto de encontrase de cara con la peor crisis personal de su aventurada vida y tiene que confrontar por primera vez su identidad. Éste es el tema central del libro y pega fuerte. Para mí, lleva en el misterio central algunas de mis pequeñas frustraciones personales del momento, pero lo más importante es que me permite seguir maravillado ante la mano experta de Bujold como caracterizadora.
Entre los autores de estos dos géneros hay algunos que su especialidad es la trama, otros la prosa, otros los personajes y otros más el worldbuilding. Hay algunos escritores que tienen dos fortalezas tremendas y hasta tres, pero rara vez tienen las cuatro. Bujold es excepcional en caracterización, sólida en trama, competente en worldbuilding (aquí se le va un retcon súper obvio para hacer avanzar la trama) y promedio en prosa, aunque no nivel plano como Sanderson. Los escritores que son soberbios para caracterizar te enamoran y te marean con sus personajes y no quieres desprenderte de ellos. Aunque te torturen.
Recuerdos es, la mitad y el fulcro y el punto de equilibrio de la saga, y también un exitoso reboot. Jo Walton dice que no puede leer este libro sin llorar a moco tendido. Yo leí la página final con los ojos llorosos. Eres grande, Miles.
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