(Cover for the two book omnibus that contains “Shards of Honor” and the Hugo award winning “Barrayar”)
Cordelia Naismith is captain of a Betan Survey Ship, exploring a recently discovered planet when she and her crew come under attack by a group of Barrayan soldiers led by Captain Lord Aral Vorkosigan. Captain Naismith is knocked unconscious and when she awakens she discovers that she has been abandoned along with one of her severely injured crew members. To make matters worse, she also discovers that she is a prisoner of Lord Vorkosigan. The two leaders, and their injured charge, become unlikely compatriots as they face a hostile planet in a journey towards a cache of supplies that may prove to be their only salvation.
Thus begins award-winning author Lois McMaster Bujold’s first novel in her long-running and popular Vorkosigan saga, a novel of feudal trappings set in a fully realized science fictional universe. Bujold’s series has been a popular topic of conversation during the time I’ve belonged to the Classic Science Fiction Book Club and I put this two-book collection on my wishlist last year and received it for a Christmas gift. I’ve been curious about reading it ever since and the chilly weather brought on a science fiction hunger that I chose to fill with a reading of the first book in the series, Shards of Honor. At 254 pages it is not an overly long series debut and proved to be a solid, if occasionally flawed, introduction to a world that has me curious to conduct further exploration.
One of the few criticisms I’ve read of Shards of Honor is its romantic leanings. This is most certainly Interplanetary Romance and if that is not your bag then I suspect Shards of Honor might not be for you. I found myself thinking several times during the read about the fact that this was written by a woman as I don’t think it would have been as widely accepted had it been written by a man. And by that I mean that I found it refreshing to read a contemporary novel, if you can call a novel written in the mid-80’s “contemporary”, in which the lead female protagonist so overtly embraced her romantic notions. Coming from a man this would have felt less authentic, but Bujold manages to successfully promote the idea that a woman can be a capable leader with strong convictions and also be swayed by the sometimes unfathomable vagaries of romantic attachment.
Bujold takes an interesting route with her novel in that she places the lead male and female protagonist together almost immediately and doesn’t shy away from very quickly informing the reader that these two form an instant attachment. Placing them in a situation in which they are forced to be together for days, enduring very un-romantic hardships, allows the reader to get to know the characters, at least from Cordelia Naismith’s viewpoint, and also allows them to get a sense of the rules and parameters of the universe that Bujold has created. Bujold keeps the focus on the characters, eschewing the ‘info dump’ and she still manages to unveil a corner of a universe filled with different planets, customs and cultures. The science fictional elements are present in abundance but provide more of a backdrop for the human drama than a focal point. At the same time Bujold introduces a number of interesting concepts that propel the story forward.
I mentioned occasional flaws and those come in the form of about half a dozen instances when Bujold made a transition or revealed some thought process that didn’t quite flow and I found myself noticing when this occurred because I would go back to re-read that section to figure out what I missed. It is almost as if Bujold knew all the ins and outs of what she was trying to convey during those instances and made assumptions that the reader could fill in the missing clues. None of these instances detracted from the story in any significant way and I suspect that she irons out these inconsistencies in her later novels. These “flaws”, as perceived by me, were minor and throughout the majority of the novel Bujold proves herself to be a very competent, capable author with skills that promise an engaging series of novels to explore.
I liked Captain Naismith from the get-go and found Vorkosigan to be an interesting enigmatic character. The story had twists and turns and tension that was not always expected and made the journey very entertaining. There was an extremely tense and very dark moment not quite mid way through the book that had me squirming with discomfort and strongly contemplating whether or not I would continue reading depending on the outcome, but Bujold knew just how to use that moment to the greatest effect without glorifying all the gory details.
I’m very pleased to have finally spent some time in Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga. Lois McMaster Bujold crafted a story with an old world charm, filled with classic concepts like honor and duty that does not feel at odds with the futuristic setting in which the story takes place. Bujold created characters that the reader can identify with and care about while pacing the action in a manner that builds tension and suspense. This first taste of the Vorkosigan Saga is a good one. I will be back for more.
Bujold’s name has been bandied about for many, many years in discussions of fine SF authors, and I have a collection of her short stories which I have not read, and I’ve also not read any of her novels. I may have to correct that either with the shorts or this very novel.
The group is pretty divided about this novel. Some enjoy it and others find it to be an unworthy example of her writing. I enjoyed it myself and am glad I am starting with these first two novels that focus on Cordelia, but others would recommend starting with the first Miles book (as he is the central character of all the subsequent novels, from what I understand). So keep that in mind when you are making your decisions, Richard. Even those who didn’t like this one and have kept reading seem to agree that her better stuff is very, very good. The second Cordelia novel is Barrayar, which won the Hugo, so I’m looking forward to seeing for myself if that one is a step up in quality.
Hurray! you’ve made your first step into a wonderful, well-imagined, mad new universe. 😀
Looking forward to your meeting Miles and the younger generation of Vorkosigan’s & Vorpatrils!!!
Thanks, glad to hear that you are a fan and I’m happy to hear another vote of confidence that things only go up from here.
I just read the second book in this series (and the first Miles book) recently and really enjoyed it. I do want to go back and read this one, too, as Miles is a fascinating character – I assume his parents had something to do with that 🙂
Which one was that, Aarti? I am planning on reading Barrayar next but not sure exactly when I will get to it. Looking forward to it though.
I think I have had Shards of Honor on my list to get for a little while now. I have YOung Miles, which is an omnibus which contains The Warrior’s Apprentice and The Vor Game. Not read yet, it’s on my shelf of books to be read one day.
I enjoyed your review, and thoughts on the romance aspect. Do you think it helps the story have a wider appeal? Does it detract from the science aspect? I’ll have to try some Miles soon. I know I have read a few books by her, Paladin of Souls is a favourite. One of the best science fiction books I have read, I love the heroine – a middle-aged woman! and yes, there is a romance…..though not like what Cordelia has in the book you reviewed. Interesting. Thanks, Carl!
My theory, without any research to back it up, is that the romance angle would certainly make this book have a ‘wider’ appeal as far as going across genres and outside the perceived norm of sf being a male-centric genre. The second buzz quote in the book is from Romantic Times or something like that (don’t have the book in front of me) and romance readers are voracious readers and if you can appeal to them with a science fiction book I certainly think that is a good thing for readers in general and for the sf genre as a whole. It can become a nice ‘gateway’ book, as they say. John Scalzi has had success in bridging gaps like this as his books, particularly The Last Colony, have garnered a lot of praise from romance readers and romance publications because of the relationship focus that is part of the overall story.
I neglected to mention that Cordelia and Vorkosigan are also ‘older’, not young twenty-somethings, which I think adds a little something to the romantic element and also makes them more believable as characters. You have the idea that they have a lot of life experience under their belts which is why they can be the strong characters that they are.
I definitely have to get to this sooner rather than later, if Cordelia and Vorkosigan are ‘older’! She does them so well, I like the maturity this gives them – they can be thoughtful and experienced, rather than thoughtless, and they can look at other characters with a knowledgeable eye.
I have read a John Scalzi, Old Man’s War, and I did enjoy it. I have the sequel, Zoe’s Tale ( I think it’s called), to read. I do enjoy science fiction, I can read romance, though I like it best when the romance is part of the story, like in Moving Mars. That romance ran all through the book, and yet the big part was the science. I loved it. It makes the science fiction universe real if there are human relations and emotions involved, so that we can imagine it is possible for it to be like that one day.
At the very least you are making us all run to our shelves to see what Bujold we have on it! 😀
I don’t have the book in front of me but my memory tells me that she is in her late 30’s and that he is older than that. She certainly makes a point of the fact that Cordelia is considered past her prime to some degree as far as the romance dept. goes, or at least Cordelia feels that way herself.
The sequel to Old Man’s War is actually Ghost Bridages, then The Last Colony. Zoe’s Tale is a retelling of The Last Colony from a teenage girl’s point of view and it also fills in some gaps in the story. It is very much worth reading but it is much more rewarding to read the other two books first. The romance between the characters builds through these two books.
I’ll have to check out Moving Mars. It sounds familiar and yet I am not picturing it.
I get annoyed when authors rely too much on readers to make mental leaps to follow along. I know not every step of a story has to be explained, but if I scratch my head and think, “Now where in the heck did this come from?” I get irritated. Sounds like her novel wasn’t too bad in this department.
Yes, it wasn’t bad that way. It was more like on occasion she would have the character in some internal monologue for a paragraph or two and it was like reading one side of a conversation and wondering exactly what was supposed to happen. On most occasions she would soon reveal what happened but that didn’t stop that paragraph from being jarring in its confusion, if that makes any sense. But overall this happened very seldom and was only noticeable because it was in such contrast to the overall high standard of her writing.
Excellent review, Carl! This wasn’t the first story I’d read in this series, but close, and I loved it. But then, I like character-based fiction, and romance can definitely be a part of that.
However, I’d like to point out the humor in this story, too. This isn’t a comedy, but there’s humor throughout the story (as in much of Bujold’s writing). That’s a big draw for me.
I didn’t mention it, but you are correct Bill, there is some really nice humor here, humor that fits the overall mood of the story. Not comedy, as you point out, but characters with a good sense of humor, even in the midst of stressful situations.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it too, and thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
I started this series at the beginning of the year and that is about all so far… I need to get back to it!
It was nice to finally get to it after having it sit on my shelf for about a year.
Lois McMaster Bujold is a terrific storyteller. I’m slowing working my way through her books (to make the experience last!). I read one or two of her books per year (I’m doing the same with Anthony Trollope…I just have a dozen of his books left!). I’m not a big rereader (so many books, so little time) so when I finish reading all the books by an author, it’s a Sad Day. I was gloomy for a week after I finished reading my last Ed McBain 87th Precinct novel.
I’m glad to hear that you think so George. I enjoyed this first foray and have an idea that I’ll like further trips into her series.
It is sad when you catch up with all of an author’s work and you either have no more to read ever because they are no longer with us or you have to play the waiting game until their next novel comes out.
Thanks to your review, I just ordered this book for my brother. I’m sure he’s going to be happy.
I’m glad to hear it, the first of the two novels was a good one and the second is an award winner so I have high hopes.