A buddy read with Choko and Maria.It all began innocently enough. An Empress of a mighty Empire which had fairly bad attitude towards Barrayar (the former tried to conquer the latter and got their butts kicked bad - this kind of situation does not usually bring strong alliances) died of natural causes. Miles was sent to the funeral ceremony as a diplomatic representative of his planet accompanied by his cousin Ivan who was supposed to keep his relative out of troubles. To keep a long story short...

this one hit a sweet spot that I didn't know I even had: incredibly beautiful, highly intelligent, aristocratic geneticists who prize elegance and subtlety, float around in their floating chairs while encased in pearly force fields, and never cut their hair! much like the protagonist Miles, I was immediately enchanted.unlike Miles, the reader is able to quickly discern that these remote and regal ladies actually control their empire. power lies not with the Emperor nor the warlike generals, and

*** 4.44 ***A buddy read with Evgeny and Maria, because we love Miles!!! What a great ride!!! I am here to report with complete delight that Miles can never stay out of trouble and he never disappoints!!! What did I do without this lovable character in my life up to now, I have no idea. I would not want to be his mom, since he has one of those and she is great, but I have those protective feelings for him, mixed up with worry, pride and pure exhilaration where he is concerned, so I feel like the...

UPDATED 2017.04.02 with Worst Cover Gallery - check down below and feel free to comment!_________________________I had so much fun with this book. It was fast paced, it was funny, it had intrigue and very interesting characters. Miles was his usual self, saving the world (and the lady) in what was a complete improv, but extremely effective one nonetheless. Ivan was, well, he was real Ivanushka! I like how Bujold's stories are so well balanced and are the perfect mix of adventure, world building,...

Re-Read 2/2/18:Buddy Read!Mystery. Intrigue. Politics. A mouth that consistently gets Miles in trouble. Not much to say here except the world-building is quite fascinating. Cetaganda's culture is a real treat, but I think I'm always going to focus on the trees. You know, the cats. :)Funny, fast, and it's so WEIRD how Miles is so honorable. Some might say... stupid... with women. Any women. All women. Boys. lolOriginal Review:I really enjoyed the inner workings of Cetaganda and the intrigue. Mile...

I hate people who are cheerful in the morning.This has to be the only thing I agree with Miles about.*sighs*This apparently is a very well-known and beloved SF series. Which is one of the reasons why I started reading it with my group here. I really enjoyed the first, loved the second and third and thus had great hopes for all novels. However, as soon as Miles entered the stage, things took a dive for me. This book was supposed to be better because it is a relatively typical whodunnit, a murder

Cetaganda doesn't have the manic energy of The Warrior's Apprentice, which retains top spot as my favourite Vorkosigan book so far. It lacks that pell-mell, out-of-control sense of urgency that I absolutely fell in love with. But it is still a solid entry into the series, and Miles remains an incredibly appealing character to read about.Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.In the mea...

Another fun misadventure with Miles. Interesting and unusual Cetagandan world, priceless banter with Ivan, series of ridiculous and dangerous events and a tough case for Miles to solve. Probably the most fun book with Miles so far.

Buddy read with Choko and Evgeny.It's time to explore a new planet in the Nexus. From the start of the series we've been told about the big bad Cetagandans and their unquenchable thirst for new conquest and it's time to finally meet them face to face. And let me tell you, they sure are something different.Ever since the first time I read this book I've been fascinated by the complex culture of the Cetagandans. The haut are the ruling class and are the closest thing to aliens in the Vorkosigan Un...

3.5 starsReally nicely written with excellent worldbuilding. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the previous books mainly because it is a mystery set planetside on Cetaganda rather than an action adventure in space or in various locations - so a matter of my taste for stories. But really, this series continues to be excellent.

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 FINISHING THE SERIES! list.I loves me a good series! But I'm terrible for starting a new series before finishing my last - so this reading list is all about trying to close out those series I've got on the go.The general consensus amongst fans of the Vor

Cetaganda: A murder mystery amid exotic political intrigueThis is the third book about Miles Vorkosigan in internal chronology, and unlike its manic predecessors The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game, there are no space battles, Denarii Mercenaries, Sargent Bothari, Cordelia, Aral, or Emperor Gregor. In fact, Miles's only companion this time is his slightly dim playboy cousin Ivan Vorpatril. Still, as a comic foil Ivan does yeoman work, and this time the story is a murder mystery set in the

This review is for my reread of the Vorkosigan Saga with SpecFic Buddy Reads during 2017/18. When I signed on for the series read this is the book I was most curious about. Cetaganda (the place) had been mentioned in earlier books as antagonists and in much later books (notably Diplomatic Immunity), but they always seemed to have a lot of background that I just wasn't getting.With this Miles and Ivan are on detached duty to visit Cetaganda for the state funeral of an important figure in their go...

I remember reading this book when it was first published and thinking it was very light by comparison to the rest of the series--well, it followed Mirror Dance, so that made sense. It's still one of my favorites, and I'm impressed by the Cetagandan culture and how Miles and Ivan tromp all over it in their Vor size twelves (or whatever size shoe Miles wears). It's a clever little mystery, very enjoyable, and I cannot get the image of the kitten tree out of my head.

"What did you think you were doing, Vorkosigan?""I stopped the Cetagandan Empire from breaking up into eight aggressively expanding units. I derailed plans for a war by some of them with Barrayar. I survived an assassination attempt, and helped catch three high-ranking traitors. Admittedly, they weren't our traitors, but still. Oh. And I solved a murder. That's enough for one trip, I hope."

This is an installment of Vorkosigan saga, which chronologically follows The Vor Game. This time the author decided to write a SF spy thriller of James Bond variety. I read is as a part of Vorkosigan challenge at Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels group.Our protagonist, Miles and his Cousin Ivan go to Cetaganda with a diplomatic mission: the empress died and about to be entombed with a great pomposity. Right after docking, Miles gets a possession of a strange artifact that can start a new war bet...

So much that is fun in this book. The Cetagandan society, Miles trying to figure out what is going on, Ivan providing a lot of amusement. As always the character development is top notch. The book is by turns witty and serious. Miles falls in love (for a time) with a Cetagandan haut woman and tries to save her, not realizing that she is the one with all of the power. The structure of Cetagandan society is at once weird and lovely and stultifying. Are the haut even human. If they are now, will th...

Finally, we get to meet the Cetagandians, who have largely featured as kind of a boogey-man enemy for Miles Vorkosigan through the previous volumes. Bujold is great at imagining radically different societies (the Betans, the Barrayarans, and now the Cetagandians) and she gives us a good romp through the upper echelons of Cetagandian society.Miles Vorkosigan is the Master of Chaos, in that he seems to be able to create it wherever he goes and then surf the chaos waves to an acceptable conclusion....

This, the sixth Vorkosigan book I’ve read, was unfortunately a bit of a disappointment and my least favourite thus far. I was actually really excited about it as I was aware it was more of a diplomatic mystery set planet-side as opposed to a military space adventure. I thought this would mean the plot would be more grounded and realistic, like the second novel Barrayar, but, in the end, I think the opposite was the case.Yes, weirdly, considering I love scifi and this is scifi, I found the scifi

I must admit it took me really long to get into this novel. To be honest I can see some appeal, the adventure start very early and it was quite fast-paced throughout the whole book. There is also the whole Empire of Cetaganda introduced, both from scientific and cultural perspective as Miles and Ivan travel there to attend funeral rites of the late Empress. The intrigue becomes more and more complex, the mystery is there, the crime and investigation… Everything is in place and yet it didn’t work...

Although the fifth of the Vorkosigan books in the series's internal chronology, this is one of the later books that Bujold wrote. In filling in some missing details in her fictional timeline, she brings to bear the collective weight of the story and characters as they exist elsewhere in the universe of the Vorkosigan Saga to present a fascinating answer to the question of the Cetagandans.In other books in the series, the Cetagandan Empire is a rather faceless collection of baddies that exist as

Not my very favorite in this series so far, but still an excellent mystery/adventure. Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin are sent as diplomatic envoys to a state funeral on Cetaganda. Basically, all they're expected to do is to show up and look suitably grave.However, the minute their spaceship docks, a mysterious assault occurs. In a combination of diplomatic tact and egotistical curiosity, Miles stays silent about the event, and embarks on solving the mystery himself. Murder, politics, an enigmat...

While this was another fun addition to the series, it struck me as a bit too convoluted & convenient to really work at times. Much hinged on security & technology gaffs that didn't fully make sense, still it was a fun trip featuring Miles & Ivan. They're great characters & if you just go along for the ride, it's quite entertaining.It was also nice to get a better look at Ceteganda. They're mentioned quite often in other books, but this is the first time we get to see the beasts in their natural

3.5 stars. A solid entry in this excellent space opera series. Not my favorite of the bunch, but still a good read.

Mystery rather than military SF. for a change, the people that interact with Miles are his equals in intelligence rounding out the story much more convincingly.

This is the third book in the Miles Vorkosigan saga (the first 2 aren't about Miles) and it's the weakest I've read so far. The book is another adventure in the convoluted history of Miles' somewhat...unusual "military" career. "Technically" assigned to Barrayarian Security Miles has been sent to Cetaganda for the funeral of the Cetagandain Empress.The book sets out to tell an intricate, Byzantine type story of palace intrigue. It does a pretty good job and the story holds the interest fairly we...

Not as great as the previous two, but still fascinating...and such a flex. Going from space opera to a socio-political commentary on genetics, cultures and the future, with a little murder mystery and Ivan getting laid splashed in to keep it interesting.Full RTC.

Read this as a part of a challenge for the Hugo and Nebula:Best Novels Group.To me this was probably the first book in the series that I could actually call sci-fi and I believe it was better off for it. To me the sci-fi aspect of previous novels was purely cosmetic, the stories could have played out in a naval/pirate setting, a western and anything in between. The plot is organic, with events progressing if not smoothly then at least with some logic. The far fetched coincidences are also finall...

3.8 starsMiles and Ivan travel as diplomatic representatives of Emperor Gregor to the home world of the Cetagandan Empire for the funeral of the Empress. A ten-day trip to observe and enjoy social customs (and parties) quickly turns sour when Miles become embroiled in a mystery and suicide/murder that threatens to frame him, and by implication Barrayar, for a treasonous usurpation plot. Miles, being Miles, convinces himself, and Ivan, that only he can save Barrayar's honor and salvage the Cetaga...

Not sure what to think of this, but it was one of my least favorite books in this series, which I've been dabbling with for some time. It's not my favorite series, but it tends to be reliable and entertaining, but ... but ... this one never really spoke to me.Part of me thought this installment was too complicated by half. And maybe I was just distracted and didn't focus enough early on, but I found I just ... didn't ... care ... that ... much about how things were playing out for the primary ch...