In her first trial by fire, Cordelia Naismith captained a throwaway ship of the Betan Expeditionary Force on a mission to destroy an enemy armada. ...
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Sep 05, 2009
Jon
rated it: 
Since this is an omnibus edition of two separate books, I reviewed each book on it's own merits.
My review of Shards of Honour contains spoilers so you are warned before you click on this link: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/580...
My review of the Hugo winning Barrayar avoids spoilers so no warning necessary before clicking on this link: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/586...
Taken together, Cordelia's Honor encompasses the entire story arc of Miles' More...
My review of Shards of Honour contains spoilers so you are warned before you click on this link: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/580...
My review of the Hugo winning Barrayar avoids spoilers so no warning necessary before clicking on this link: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/586...
Taken together, Cordelia's Honor encompasses the entire story arc of Miles' More...
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Apr 14, 2010
Elizabeth
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Edit: April, 2010. I went back and wrote reviews of the two individual books because I just can't do them justice in this combined review. So. Here is Shards of Honor and Barrayar
----------------Original Review--------------------------
Cordelia's Honor is actually two books: Shards of Honor and Barrayar. The first is the story of two career officers, on different sides of a possible war and from very different cultures, who are thrown together in the wilderness of a new w More...
----------------Original Review--------------------------
Cordelia's Honor is actually two books: Shards of Honor and Barrayar. The first is the story of two career officers, on different sides of a possible war and from very different cultures, who are thrown together in the wilderness of a new w More...
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Feb 19, 2009
Stephanie
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I like science fiction. I read a lot of it. Cordelia’s Honor, on the surface, seems a standard science fiction novel with just a dash of romance. It has the customary interstellar war, political intrigue, and, of course, high-tech gadgets that we’ve come to expect from our sci-fi. What makes this book special is its title character, Cordelia Naismith.
Cordelia is not the clichéd woman you see in most science fiction. She doesn’t just cling to the arm of her leading man (which would be More...
Cordelia is not the clichéd woman you see in most science fiction. She doesn’t just cling to the arm of her leading man (which would be More...
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Sep 20, 2009
Ron
rated it:
Hardly great literature, but a fun read.
Almost not science fiction. Bujold sets most of his tale(s) on the planet whose "backward" culture and technology reads a lot like contemporary earth, maybe even overlaid with nineteenth century attitudes.
Almost not science fiction. Bujold sets most of his tale(s) on the planet whose "backward" culture and technology reads a lot like contemporary earth, maybe even overlaid with nineteenth century attitudes.
4 comments
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Jul 26, 2008
Anne
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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2 comments
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Jun 04, 2011
Estara
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11 comments
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Feb 17, 2009
Darbus
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 22, 2011
Lc
rated it: 
Enjoyable, though I greatly preferred Barrayar to Shards of Honor (this book is actually two novels in one volume). Shards of Honor certainly wasn't bad, and I was drawn quickly through the entire story, but I felt like it was mis-sold by the description on the back--here I was expecting the exciting adventure of a heroine thrown into a situation she must take charge of and overcome, and instead I found myself mostly reading a romance between Cordelia and Aral. She spends most of her time onsc
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Apr 19, 2011
Alisa
rated it:
Contains Shards of Honor and Barrayar - the two books together tell the story of Miles Vorkosigan's parents and how Miles came to be. The rest of the series is about Miles. It's not necessary to read these first -- Miles' books stand on their own and some people don't like these as much as the rest of the series -- but at some point in time, it'd be good to give them a whirl. Personally, I loved them, but I tend to warn people that Miles' parents fall in love with each other /very/ quickly wi
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Jan 12, 2011
Janine
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 09, 2011
Amber
rated it:
Perhaps it's just the books I've been grabbing lately, but I've had a hard time finding lead female characters I like. They're either whiny, weak, and wishy washy or they're buttkicking Alpha females that make Demi Moore's GI Jane look like a pushover (I don't know many people like that in real life, and the ones I do... I can't stand. I'm not sure why there are so many proliferating the pages of fiction).
Cordelia is a strong competent character without being able to beat the snot out More...
Cordelia is a strong competent character without being able to beat the snot out More...
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Dec 03, 2010
Pam
rated it:
Do not judge this book by the cover!!!! It is so lame (the cover not the book). Surprisingly this book containing two separate published books was fantastic (it won a Hugo - I should not be amazed). The author takes an unusual but entertaining approach to her characters: "So what's the worst possible thing I can do to this guy? And then (I) do it." Over and over again the characters are put into awful circumstances and left to act in a way consistent with his/her values.
T More...
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Jul 03, 2009
Carl
rated it:
An enjoyable start to Lois McMaster Bujold's space opera series, but not as engaging as her Miles books which followed. This particular book is a collection of two novels about Miles' parents. The second book in particular (Barrayar) dragged for me through most of it, but both are very credible bits of sci-fi which are very character heavy despite being labeled "military S-F" by many. And so far, with these books, I'm enjoying the fact that they engage with the military side of thin
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Oct 09, 2011
Keith
rated it:
My first read of L.M. Bujold. Not sure if I will read more or not.
I understand this book is made up of two original books: one of her first and one later in her career. In itself that is interesting but Im not sure what to make of it.
This book has two parts story-wise but several clear sections in the narrative. Some parts are fast & lose sci-fi action, there was a very interesting treatise on warfare, a section on having a child, and more. I found the end of the first book More...
I understand this book is made up of two original books: one of her first and one later in her career. In itself that is interesting but Im not sure what to make of it.
This book has two parts story-wise but several clear sections in the narrative. Some parts are fast & lose sci-fi action, there was a very interesting treatise on warfare, a section on having a child, and more. I found the end of the first book More...
May 27, 2010
g
rated it:
I only read Shards of Honour. I probably would have loved this book ten years ago (especially since the heroine is a redhead), but now...eh. It reminds me of what I remember about Margaret Weis's Star of the Guardians series (which I loooved at the time), though the romance is not as dramatic and desperate--it's actually rather appealingly understated. But I'm more of a fantasy girl than a sci-fi one, with one or two notable exceptions (Dune, Ender's Saga). Anyway, an entertaining, two- or three
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Jul 21, 2009
Chris
rated it:
It is a good thing that these two books are joined in one volume. The first book, Shards of Honor is by far the weaker book; however, when taken with Barrayar, it works.
Honor sets the stage by introducing the reader to Aral and Cordelia. These two would be lovers are from different, quasi warring, planets - Barrayar (a.k.a. Sparta) and Beta (a.k.a. Athens). I found Honor to be the weaker novel. The major problem I had was I just didn't by the fact that Aral and Cordelia were in l More...
Honor sets the stage by introducing the reader to Aral and Cordelia. These two would be lovers are from different, quasi warring, planets - Barrayar (a.k.a. Sparta) and Beta (a.k.a. Athens). I found Honor to be the weaker novel. The major problem I had was I just didn't by the fact that Aral and Cordelia were in l More...
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Nov 12, 2011
Katie
rated it:
People had been recommending the Vorkosigan series to me for years, but I kept putting it off. Foolish me. This book is fantastic.
Cordelia Naismith is exactly the sort of heroine I wish we saw more of: brave, resourceful, witty, and generally badass, but not some cardboard cutout drained of the emotions and flaws that make a character human. I adore her. I also like her relationship with Aral Vorkosigan, which is full of romance but very clearly a relationship between equals who r More...
Cordelia Naismith is exactly the sort of heroine I wish we saw more of: brave, resourceful, witty, and generally badass, but not some cardboard cutout drained of the emotions and flaws that make a character human. I adore her. I also like her relationship with Aral Vorkosigan, which is full of romance but very clearly a relationship between equals who r More...
Jan 01, 2012
Greymalkin
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 20, 2011
Nancy
rated it:
um. i'm conflicted about this. i haven't read any of the other Bujold books set in this world. the premise is kind of annoying in itself.. she's a pilot of a technical spaceship who falls for a warring captain and leaves everything she knows to become his consort(not a spoiler.. it's on the cover). in some way this makes sense. she's not fitting in on her world. in another way, i think it does her a disservice that she's a strong and successful woman who suddenly drops it all for love? or you co
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Jun 20, 2009
Stephanie
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This is an omnibus edition containing the first two (chronologically speaking) books in the Miles Vorkosigan Sci-Fi series: Shards of Honor and Barrayar. Shards of Honor tells the story of how Miles' parents (Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkisigan)meet and through unlikely circumstances fall in love. Barrayar narrates the first year of Aral and Cordelia's marriage, and the birth of Miles in midst of a civil war. Both books are also good inroductions to the planet and culture of Barrayar.
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Dec 30, 2011
Ariel
rated it:
This, Young Miles, and Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem are actually omnibus editions of the first six books of the Vorkosigan Saga, a sci-fi series that actually really lives up to the hype. Her worldbuilding is to die for - the sort of thing where I wonder "how the hell did she come up with that and make it work?" - and the main character, Miles? Okay, he is awesome. Hilarious and clever and sort of a genius Harry Potter minus the Dark Lord, his character alone is enough to make me overloo
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Apr 09, 2011
Jon
rated it:
Shards of Honor was a bit oddly structured, feeling like a collection of three related shorts moreso than a novel in its own right (which it wasn't originally intended as, anyhow.) Complicated by "not much of a plot," more of a character study of Cordelia. Still very gripping, a testament both to the quality of the writing and the strength of the character. The key romantic setup felt, not forced exactly, but somewhat nonobvious. So much of that was in subtext, though. Again, weakness
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Mar 22, 2011
Libby
rated it:
I very much enjoyed these early books in the Vorkosigan saga, despite the fact that there are plenty of new-author moments that occasionally jarred me from the narrative. These human civilizations feel very much designed to showcase the characters rather than showcase the author's world-building. Fortunately, this works very well for these books because the main characters, the titular surveyor-turned-soldier from Beta Colony, Cordelia, and Barrayan soldier-lord Aral Vorkosigan, are utterly enga
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Feb 10, 2011
Christine (AR)
rated it:
Cordelia the Betan and Aral the Vor warlord are thrown together under impossible circumstances, proceed to fall in love and then share brilliant dialogue for the next 400 pages while saving their various worlds. I love this book!
Just realized my summary makes this sound like a romance novel, but it isn't; this is one seriously kickass adventure story that just happens to have one of the best love stories I've ever read iced over the top. The characters are all perfectly drawn, the pl More...
Just realized my summary makes this sound like a romance novel, but it isn't; this is one seriously kickass adventure story that just happens to have one of the best love stories I've ever read iced over the top. The characters are all perfectly drawn, the pl More...
Jul 06, 2011
Justin
rated it:
Let’s all agree on this right up front: the covers of the Vorkosigan Saga books are horrible. Just plain awful. The cover art for anything published by Baen is pretty bad, enough to make even the proud nerds of today cringe and place the book face-down whenever possible to avoid being snickered at. But these covers in particular, with their dramatic poses and odd retro fonts, seem to house a strange breed of quasi-historical space pulp that embodies everything that “serious readers” should avoid
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Mar 16, 2011
Ericwilliams
rated it:
This should be everyone's first foray into Lois McMaster Bujold's storytelling. This isn't her first Vorkosigan book, but, if you follow her timeline, you should read it first. You WILL be launched into the Vorkosigan Sagas by the end of Shards of Honor and then Barrayar. I daresay, Cordelia will be the linchpin to all succeeding stories, even though all the rest revolve around her physically damaged, intellectually advantaged and chutzpah-gifted son, Miles. LMB ability to use words to paint
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Dec 12, 2011
Jason
rated it:
This is a collection of two novels which tell a single story, Shards Of Honor and Barrayar.
Shards Of Honor is Bujold's first book and, judged in that light, it's very, very good. Judged against the rest of the Vorkosigan series, however, it comes off less well. The ingredients are there, physical adventure and well-thought out characters bouncing off each other, but they don't jell the way they do even in Bujold's second book, The Warrior's Apprentice (in the Young Miles omnibus).
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Shards Of Honor is Bujold's first book and, judged in that light, it's very, very good. Judged against the rest of the Vorkosigan series, however, it comes off less well. The ingredients are there, physical adventure and well-thought out characters bouncing off each other, but they don't jell the way they do even in Bujold's second book, The Warrior's Apprentice (in the Young Miles omnibus).
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Sep 03, 2011
Rattyfleef
rated it:
Read these two. I enjoyed them well enough, just wasn't motivated enough to seek out the rest. Gets points for having a tough unstoppable female lead, kinda loses them for having (one of) her biggest motivators being 'i want this dude and i'm not sure why' *risks everything*. I mean the romance between them was cute enough? Liked a lot of the sf elements. One interesting tidbit that was foreshadowed to come up in later books--at one point you have a martial law situation on a ship where the conq
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Dec 01, 2010
Mike
rated it:
While the book starts off slow, and shows its age at time, it's a compelling and well-written.
Written in the early 1980s by award-winning author Lois McMaster Bujold, Cordelia's Honor follows the adventures and tribulations of Captain Cordelia Naismith. The book, which is actually a collection of two books, starts with Cordelia leading a planetary survey mission that goes horribly wrong, forcing an uneasy alliance with a man from the barbaric planet her people are on the verge of war w More...
Written in the early 1980s by award-winning author Lois McMaster Bujold, Cordelia's Honor follows the adventures and tribulations of Captain Cordelia Naismith. The book, which is actually a collection of two books, starts with Cordelia leading a planetary survey mission that goes horribly wrong, forcing an uneasy alliance with a man from the barbaric planet her people are on the verge of war w More...
Dec 07, 2010
Misha
rated it:
Cordelia is on a planetary expedition when she is taken captive by Lord Vorkosigan. Their unexpected romance brings her to planet Barrayar where politics prove seriously life-threatening to them and their unborn son.
I have long heard that Bujold’s Vorkosigan series was a good series. I knew she wrote “military sf,” which never sounded good to me. But I thought that I should give Bujold a try; so many patrons and friends have mentioned her in glowing terms over the years. In creating More...
I have long heard that Bujold’s Vorkosigan series was a good series. I knew she wrote “military sf,” which never sounded good to me. But I thought that I should give Bujold a try; so many patrons and friends have mentioned her in glowing terms over the years. In creating More...
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