Lois’s answer to “Hello Lois, I'm just starting my umpteenth re-read of the Vorkosigan series, and I wanted to ask y…” > Likes and Comments
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Actually, I haven't even gotten back to Aftermaths yet. It's chapter 15 I was wondering about. It seems like Shards could have wrapped up with Cordelia and Aral reuniting, or marrying, or Elena's birth--but the scene where Ezar calls Aral back in is what I was wondering about. I'd wondered whether it was written later as sort of a lead-up to Barrayar, but it sounds like the answer is no. The whole of chapter 15, from Ezar talking to Aral, through Aral giving Koudelka his tabs, to Aral telling Cordelia, "Naturally not. Fountains keep nothing for themselves," is really emotionally impactful for me. Bravo, and thank you. Hard to imagine that it was early work.
@ Rachel --
Ah, OK. That's different.
Chapter 15 was me just writing along, feeling out my story as I went. It was where I found the best stopping place when I circled back looking for one, when I stalled out after the soltoxin attack, and really wanted to get a finished piece out to maybe sell.
In the first draft, Drou was introduced in that Ch. 15 section, but I cut her in the final edit because the now-last-chapter was no place to be introducing entirely new characters.
Also in the first draft the story had gone on to what is now Chapter 2 of Barrayar -- when I pulled those carbons out of my attic and tackled the story again, I wrote a new first chapter to ease readers in, and reintroduced Drou.
Ta, L.
Interesting! Was Drou still introduced by Kareen, but in some event separate from the ball? Or introduced by some other character? Perhaps Negri...Negri lived large in the series without a speaking role.
@ Chris --
Negri probably, consequent to the regent appointment.
Drafts are long gone, so I can't look it up.
Ta, L.
Ah, too bad the drafts are gone...I was hoping for bootleg outtakes, which are all the rage in music now (a "Cordelia's Honor" boxset!). Were they actually thrown away or simply lost in the vagaries of life?
@ CW --
Sold, actually, to a collector/dealer back in the mid-90s... can't remember his name now. ...Goes and looks it up... Barry R. Levin. I expect he's long gone now. No idea where they went after that.
All paper material prior to winter of 2013-14 when I last moved went to the U. of Northern Illinois, who had a collections librarian, Lynn Thomas, who came and got them in a van, bless her. More recently I've been shifting my wastepaper, er, manuscripts, to the U. of Minnesota, also via a librarian willing to come get them.
In general, I would not want my old outtakes brought to light -- there were good reasons some were deleted.
Ta, L.
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Rachel
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Dec 06, 2025 02:14PM
Actually, I haven't even gotten back to Aftermaths yet. It's chapter 15 I was wondering about. It seems like Shards could have wrapped up with Cordelia and Aral reuniting, or marrying, or Elena's birth--but the scene where Ezar calls Aral back in is what I was wondering about. I'd wondered whether it was written later as sort of a lead-up to Barrayar, but it sounds like the answer is no. The whole of chapter 15, from Ezar talking to Aral, through Aral giving Koudelka his tabs, to Aral telling Cordelia, "Naturally not. Fountains keep nothing for themselves," is really emotionally impactful for me. Bravo, and thank you. Hard to imagine that it was early work.
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@ Rachel --Ah, OK. That's different.
Chapter 15 was me just writing along, feeling out my story as I went. It was where I found the best stopping place when I circled back looking for one, when I stalled out after the soltoxin attack, and really wanted to get a finished piece out to maybe sell.
In the first draft, Drou was introduced in that Ch. 15 section, but I cut her in the final edit because the now-last-chapter was no place to be introducing entirely new characters.
Also in the first draft the story had gone on to what is now Chapter 2 of Barrayar -- when I pulled those carbons out of my attic and tackled the story again, I wrote a new first chapter to ease readers in, and reintroduced Drou.
Ta, L.
Interesting! Was Drou still introduced by Kareen, but in some event separate from the ball? Or introduced by some other character? Perhaps Negri...Negri lived large in the series without a speaking role.
@ Chris --Negri probably, consequent to the regent appointment.
Drafts are long gone, so I can't look it up.
Ta, L.
Ah, too bad the drafts are gone...I was hoping for bootleg outtakes, which are all the rage in music now (a "Cordelia's Honor" boxset!). Were they actually thrown away or simply lost in the vagaries of life?
@ CW --Sold, actually, to a collector/dealer back in the mid-90s... can't remember his name now. ...Goes and looks it up... Barry R. Levin. I expect he's long gone now. No idea where they went after that.
All paper material prior to winter of 2013-14 when I last moved went to the U. of Northern Illinois, who had a collections librarian, Lynn Thomas, who came and got them in a van, bless her. More recently I've been shifting my wastepaper, er, manuscripts, to the U. of Minnesota, also via a librarian willing to come get them.
In general, I would not want my old outtakes brought to light -- there were good reasons some were deleted.
Ta, L.
