Miles Vorkosigan is the leader of a fast growing mercenary force and the hero of an all-out space battle. At the end of the conflict, he heads a fl...
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Dec 21, 2011
Andreea
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I always thought that boys of Miles age (his age as in "The Warrior's Apprentice," that is) are particularly chafing in their self-centeredness, in their self-absorption which prevents them from understanding that their inoffensive acts of "proving themselves" are in actuality harmful to the people they love. Ms. Bujold creates such a believable character that two thirds of the book, I wanted to castigate and point out to him the consequences of his "quest." He is y
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May 03, 2011
Daniel
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Having just finished "Shards of Honor" and "Barrayar", I simply couldn't wait to pick up the first book in the Miles Vorkosigan series. Unfortunately for me, it seems Mrs. Bujold has shifted tones when going from Cordelia to her son Miles.
Where Cordelia's novels were sometimes funny, sometimes inclined to the romantic, but as a whole well-crafted and dramatic, "The Warrior's Apprentice" feels more like a running joke. It seems Mrs. Bujold has decided she would show More...
Where Cordelia's novels were sometimes funny, sometimes inclined to the romantic, but as a whole well-crafted and dramatic, "The Warrior's Apprentice" feels more like a running joke. It seems Mrs. Bujold has decided she would show More...
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Mar 27, 2011
Andreas
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This was the second novel that McMaster Bujold wrote, and the first one about Miles proper. Miles fails the entrance exam for the Barrayar (military) Service Academy in spectacularly humiliating fashion. The physical handicaps caused by his in utero poisoning make him short, crooked, brittle boned and ugly. As a young Vor lordling, he doesn’t really need to work for a living, but he is expected, and expects of himself, to serve Barrayar. For now, he is sent off to visit his grandmother (Cordelia
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Mar 12, 2011
Kyle
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The Warrior's Apprentice is the third book in the Vorkosigan Saga, and it focuses primarily on Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, and his ascent into manhood. I thought this installment was a bit faster paced than the previous two books. Thankfully, Bujold employed more dialogue, and less instances where you could see what Miles was thinking.
As with the other books, the entire story is told through a single character's perspective. I still feel this hinders Bujold's writing because she tr More...
As with the other books, the entire story is told through a single character's perspective. I still feel this hinders Bujold's writing because she tr More...
Jan 05, 2011
Sarah, the Webbiegrrl Writer
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One of the slickest Comedies of Errors ever written--plus, hey, exploding spaceships! :) Lois is a master weaver of plots, characters, settings and extrapolation of science facts. There's a reason she's won enough Hugos and Nebulas to make a necklace out of them!! This book is not the "first" in the series but it is a really good starting point for new readers because it introduces the entire premise upon which the balance of the series is built. Much of the reference back to the earli
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Dec 12, 2010
Elizabby
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This is the start of the adventures of Miles Vorkosigan - I think the best space opera series I have ever read. I read them at the library, then couldn't live without owning copies of them all and even pre-ordered the last one which has just been released. C'mon Lois - write faster!
I think the thing that sets this series apart is that Miles is very much a flawed and real person. He makes mistakes, does well-intentioned but ultimately not well thought-out things and learns to live with More...
I think the thing that sets this series apart is that Miles is very much a flawed and real person. He makes mistakes, does well-intentioned but ultimately not well thought-out things and learns to live with More...
Jan 19, 2010
Adrienne
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Miles Vorkosigan has a famous military father, whom he wants to impress. The best way to do this is (obviously) to get into the Military Academy, but that won't be easy. It's not that Miles is stupid, or lazy. He just has very brittle bones, which means he has to be super careful when doing anything physical, and he's also a bit less than 5 feet tall. So Miles makes it through the written entrance exams fairly easily, but at the beginning of the first physical test, he breaks both legs and effec
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Nov 21, 2009
Sara
rated it:
The Warrior's Apprentice introduced me to a memorable character--Miles Vorkosigan. His adventures are so fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, one-thing-after-another! It's great fun. The series starring Miles has been around for a couple of decades, and I can see why it is so popular.
In this book, Miles wants to become a military officer but fails his physical due to his fragile bone structure (a birth defect caused by in-utero poisoning). Having some time off and not knowing what to More...
In this book, Miles wants to become a military officer but fails his physical due to his fragile bone structure (a birth defect caused by in-utero poisoning). Having some time off and not knowing what to More...
Mar 28, 2010
Lighthearted
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Miles Vorkosigan is just shy of 5 feet tall, has a crooked spine and incredibly brittle bones. He’d hoped to follow in his family’s military footsteps but an accident in the testing process resulted in his early discharge from the Academy. Unfortunately, there’s not much else for a royal to do on the planet of Barrayar, a world which values physical strength and military prowess. At his father’s suggestion, he sets off for his mother’s home world of Beta Colony for an extended vacation.
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Mar 06, 2011
Suz
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This book is hilarious, entertaining, and interesting all at once. It's a humorous story about an intrepid little (literally) man who is bumbling his way through space. I've never read a humorous space opera that was so much fun, and yet serious. It's the first story in the Vorkosigan Saga that features Miles Vorkosigan himself, and I hope it sets the tone for the series.
Miles, a deformed scion of the impressive Vorkosigan line, must not only deal with his physical disability, but More...
Miles, a deformed scion of the impressive Vorkosigan line, must not only deal with his physical disability, but More...
Feb 26, 2011
Cindy
rated it:
Fun! Just good, unadulterated, space-faring fun.
If you want some spaceships, wormholes, planetary conflicts, plasma guns, shenanigans and mercenaries, then this is totally for you! It's one of those books that I could just escape into - entertainment to avoid the world. But when I wasn't reading the book, I wasn't thinking about it at all. The writing is simple and straightforward.
Although this is the 3rd book in a long series, it more or less stands on its own. However, More...
If you want some spaceships, wormholes, planetary conflicts, plasma guns, shenanigans and mercenaries, then this is totally for you! It's one of those books that I could just escape into - entertainment to avoid the world. But when I wasn't reading the book, I wasn't thinking about it at all. The writing is simple and straightforward.
Although this is the 3rd book in a long series, it more or less stands on its own. However, More...
Aug 21, 2009
Jon
rated it:
3.75 stars
I warped through this novel in record time, finishing almost before I realized it, because it was so much fun to read. I returned to the world of Barrayar and the Vor to pickup Miles at age seventeen. And how much trouble can one 17 year old "cripple" get into in say four months time? An astonishing amount apparently.
I am grateful that I first read Cordelia's Honor so I had the back stories and histories of some of the supporting characters and I More...
I warped through this novel in record time, finishing almost before I realized it, because it was so much fun to read. I returned to the world of Barrayar and the Vor to pickup Miles at age seventeen. And how much trouble can one 17 year old "cripple" get into in say four months time? An astonishing amount apparently.
I am grateful that I first read Cordelia's Honor so I had the back stories and histories of some of the supporting characters and I More...
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Dec 29, 2008
Vera
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Oct 20, 2011
Eric
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Aug 15, 2010
Neil
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As the Vorkosigan Saga turns from the parents to the child, Bujold is in top form. This novel is just pure unadulterated adventure from start to finish. Miles Vorkosigan is eminently likable, a kid with brittle bones but a quick mind and almost manic personality. When his physical problems prevent him from getting into the military academy on Barrayar, he turns a trip to his grandmother's on Beta, a trip that is intended to distract him from his woes, into an ever-escalating adventure. Starting
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Dec 04, 2011
SA
rated it:
I wasn't sure how readily I would get into Miles' pov after spending so much time with Cordelia, but after the first chapter and his sardonic, clever view of the world I was sold. In my head I'm mentally subtitling these books along the convention of "Miles Learns About..." and this one is "Miles Learns About Power," because that basically seems to be the thesis of the story.
A lot of the initial reading for me was getting a handle on the perspective and narrative More...
A lot of the initial reading for me was getting a handle on the perspective and narrative More...
Dec 08, 2009
Kelsha
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This is the first book about Miles in the Vorkosigan Series. These books are darkly and often ironically funny. None of Bujold's characters are ever perfect, and Miles is less so than most. Early in the series we see a lot of young Miles sticking himself in it and pulling himself back out. Later, in other books of this series we get to watch Miles grow up a lot. Through all his flaws though, miles overwhelmingly charismatic nature makes everyone around him (including the reader) want to be
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Aug 26, 2009
Kathi
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Miles Vorkosigan (going by Miles Naismith during most of this story) is an adolescent of long noble lineage, short stature, and a bone disease. He has galloping hormones that are outstripped by his ingenuity, capacity for risk, and sheer inventiveness.
Lois McMaster Bujold has written a rollicking tale with more than its share of lucky coincidences, yet it is a layered tale of characters trying to define or redefine themselves, of characters exceeding the expectations of others, of More...
Lois McMaster Bujold has written a rollicking tale with more than its share of lucky coincidences, yet it is a layered tale of characters trying to define or redefine themselves, of characters exceeding the expectations of others, of More...
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Aug 19, 2009
Sisimka
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Miles Vorkosigan was born into a culture that has only just barely come to accept his birth defects and consider him a viable human being. Twenty years earlier he probably would have been aborted or not survived his birth. But due to his mixed parentage (his mother's culture is more forgiving) and changing political climate he gains a grudging acceptance, if only within his family and a close circle of friends.
Therefore the structure of his life is that he feels he must prove hims More...
Therefore the structure of his life is that he feels he must prove hims More...
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Jan 09, 2011
Zach
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The first Miles Vorkosigan book has all the appeal of the standard underdog prodigy story. Miles is a deformed, undersized runt in a society that rejects all physical defects. After failing to make it into the imperial military academy because of his fragile bones, he strikes out on his own and has a grand adventure in a neighboring star system, where his winning personality, quick wits, and a lot of luck combine to reward him with prestige and power beyond his wildest dreams.
Bujold More...
Bujold More...
Oct 02, 2011
lamesalmon
rated it:
Fun and engaging book (and a good plane read!). It reminded me of Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars, but way less sexist. In fact, one of my favorite aspects of the book was <spoiler>the way Miles's relationship with Elena was handled. Our Hero has been in love with The Girl since they were both very young, and does a lot of what he does in order to win her affection. But she doesn't want to be a Lord's wife because of how greatly it would constrain her own life, and even though she loves hi
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Jan 18, 2011
Craig
rated it:
one of those books where the author just piles onto the main character. Seriously, how many bad things can happen to one poor guy, without one really good thing happening? But in the end, you care BECAUSE it's such a good book.
So, although at 1/2 way in I swore I'd never read another book by her, I've already got the next book set up in my audiobook queue.
The writing is a little stiff and formal. I don't want to seem sexist, but this is the first time, as I listened to a More...
So, although at 1/2 way in I swore I'd never read another book by her, I've already got the next book set up in my audiobook queue.
The writing is a little stiff and formal. I don't want to seem sexist, but this is the first time, as I listened to a More...
Jun 04, 2009
Paula
rated it:
I'm not completely sure how I managed to avoid the Vorkosigan series of books for so long, but I finally succumbed to the hype and picked up this one. Technically speaking, it's the third in Bujold's series, after Shards of Honor and Barrayar (also available in one volume as Cordelia's Honor), but it still stands well on its own.
Our hero is Miles Vorkosigan, son and heir to the Vorkosigan name, who we first meet as he's attempting to join the Barrayaran military. Miles was left disab More...
Our hero is Miles Vorkosigan, son and heir to the Vorkosigan name, who we first meet as he's attempting to join the Barrayaran military. Miles was left disab More...
Jul 08, 2010
Minh
rated it:
After leaving behind Aral and Cordelia we're introduced to the young Miles, and oh is he ever young. After a misplaced attempt at joining the Military (the result of which being 2 broken legs), he decides to visit his maternal Grandmother on Beta along with childhood friend Elena.
Along the way Miles somehow finds himself the Admiral of a mercenary group with multiple ships and an even bigger debt to his name. Not bad for a guy who couldn't make it into the Army. With Ivan Vorpatril by his side More...
Along the way Miles somehow finds himself the Admiral of a mercenary group with multiple ships and an even bigger debt to his name. Not bad for a guy who couldn't make it into the Army. With Ivan Vorpatril by his side More...
Aug 26, 2009
Frank
rated it:
Miles VorKosigan fails to get into miltary school due to failing the physical test because ofhis brittle bones. He visits his maternal grandmother on Beta colony and proceeds to get himself in to trouble.
The book is all about the adventures he gets into from deciding to buy a cargo ship to save the pilot and transport a load of goods to a war torn planet.
The book is really good because Miles is not your typical hero. He is not a pyhysical specimen due to a prenatal injury.
His More...
The book is all about the adventures he gets into from deciding to buy a cargo ship to save the pilot and transport a load of goods to a war torn planet.
The book is really good because Miles is not your typical hero. He is not a pyhysical specimen due to a prenatal injury.
His More...
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Jul 11, 2011
Adam
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Despite the fantasy-esque title, this is one of the better sci-fi novels I've read and it has nothing to do with fantasy. The characters are terrific. The story moves along at a good pace, and focuses on characters rather than space battles. I have enjoyed novels that feature interesting space battles (The Lost Fleet and the Honor Harrington series, for example), but the characters in those novels always seemed bland. Their flaws were like bad interview answers. ("What is my greatest w
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Sep 03, 2010
Roshni
rated it:
Miles Vorkosigan is one of the most endearing characters in science fiction. When you're feeling down, and unusually sorry for yourself, read a bit about this super-smart super-funny guy who struts on the stage of his life with aplomb despite a four-foot nine, brittle-boned, hunchbacked body and basically just doesn't refuse to accept the verdict of his entire home-planet that he should never have been allowed to be born!
The plot is a bit strained in places, too many happy (& unhappy More...
The plot is a bit strained in places, too many happy (& unhappy More...
Sep 11, 2011
Grete
rated it:
At 17, Miles Naismith Vorkosigan is eager to join the Barrayar Military Service but his body lets him down. Courtesy of the assassination attempt on his father when he was in his mother’s womb, it wrecked his bones, leaving them brittle and prone to fracture from little stress. On a visit to his maternal grandmother on Beta Colony, he accidentally forms a mercenary fleet called the Dendarii free mercenaries and uncovers a plot against his father. He must fulfil obligations he made, avoid t More...
Aug 25, 2009
Nicolas
rated it:
Dans ce troisième tome, papa et maman laissent enfin la place à leur difforme, mais génial, rejeton pour sa première aventure en solo.
Aventure qui commence plutôt mal avec deux jambes brisées (entraînant avec elles les espoirs du jeune Miles de servir l'empire). De dépit, il va aller se réfugier chez les betans plus modernes et se laisser entraîner dans des aventures qui le conduiront à l'invention de son fameux alter-ego : l'amiral Naismith, redoutable chef d'une armée de mercenaires tota More...
Aventure qui commence plutôt mal avec deux jambes brisées (entraînant avec elles les espoirs du jeune Miles de servir l'empire). De dépit, il va aller se réfugier chez les betans plus modernes et se laisser entraîner dans des aventures qui le conduiront à l'invention de son fameux alter-ego : l'amiral Naismith, redoutable chef d'une armée de mercenaires tota More...
Feb 03, 2009
Yarrow
rated it:
so far, the plot makes very little sense, but i like Elena. it's entertaining, and her fantasy comes highly reccomended (by Martha Wells, no less, whose work i am crazy in love with), so i'll probably give the author another try. particularly if she pulls this one together; i'm only about a third of the way in.
****later update. Okay, not only have i finished this book, and decided that Miles is so freaking crazy it's impossible not to love him, but i am now about 8 books deep in More...
****later update. Okay, not only have i finished this book, and decided that Miles is so freaking crazy it's impossible not to love him, but i am now about 8 books deep in More...
