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314th out of 2,947 books
—
12,439 voters
Diplomatic Immunity (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication order) #13)
by
Lois McMaster Bujold (Goodreads Author)
When a Komarran merchant fleet is impounded in Quaddiespace, Miles Vorkosigan, as the emperor's troubleshooter, must answer the call of duty. The downside of being a troubleshooter comes when trouble starts shooting back.
Paperback, 367 pages
Published
2003
by Earthlight
(first published January 1st 2002)
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This is the fourteenth novel in the Vorkosigan Saga, a science fiction series mostly centering on Miles Vorkosigan, one of the most memorable protagonists in science fiction. Unlike the usual action hero with bulging biceps, Miles was born with potentially crippling physical problems--stunted, brittle boned. Which means Miles survives on his wits. Much more than just survives, and the story in Diplomatic Immunity puts on display a lot of the hallmarks that makes Miles one of my favorite fictiona...more
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3.5 stars. Good but not great. Miles and Ekaterin are enjoying a belated honeymoon, visiting other planets while their twin babies grow in their uterine replicator back home on Barrayar. A problem occurs in Quaddiespace, and Emperor Gregor asks Miles to check it out as his official Imperial Auditor -- a kind of inspector general or chief snoop with almost unlimited imperial power.
So off he goes with Eketarin, running into his old pal Bel Thorne, former pilot and captain of the Arial in the Denda...more
So off he goes with Eketarin, running into his old pal Bel Thorne, former pilot and captain of the Arial in the Denda...more
God I love these books. I was so excited about this one that I made the mistake of ordering an advance copy to be read online in installments (see the Baen Webscriptions site). It's a great idea, but turned out to be pure torture when I was left at a crisis point two-thirds of the way through the book and no more chapters for a month. Ack!!!
The main character, Miles and his new bride, Ekaterin, are on the last leg of their honeymoon when he gets a call from the Emperor informing him that they ha...more
The main character, Miles and his new bride, Ekaterin, are on the last leg of their honeymoon when he gets a call from the Emperor informing him that they ha...more
This novel was chronologically the last one in the Vorkosiverse for several years until Cryoburn came out. Miles and Ekaterin are diverted from their honeymoon as Miles is ordered to Quaddiespace in order to sort out a diplomatic tangle involving an interned Komarran/Barrayaran trade fleet. Needless to say, complications abound as a Cetagandan plot involving haut unborn babies is uncovered.
Not knowing at the time about Cryoburn coming years later, it was quite bittersweet to read the last of the...more
Not knowing at the time about Cryoburn coming years later, it was quite bittersweet to read the last of the...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Aug 01, 2012
Mike (the Paladin)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
You know, Miles has an interesting life, and now so does his wife.
Here we have another satisfying addition to the saga of Miles Vorkosigan. Having overcome his challenges had spade command, been a super spy, saved countless lives, become the voice of the Emperor what more does one aspire to? Well, parenthood of course.
But (again "of course") things never go as planned in his life...how many other diplomatic spy military tactical strategists get called away from their honeymoon to prevent a war....more
Here we have another satisfying addition to the saga of Miles Vorkosigan. Having overcome his challenges had spade command, been a super spy, saved countless lives, become the voice of the Emperor what more does one aspire to? Well, parenthood of course.
But (again "of course") things never go as planned in his life...how many other diplomatic spy military tactical strategists get called away from their honeymoon to prevent a war....more
3 likes · like · see review
A thrilling and fun space opera tale that fires on all cylinders. We get an exciting mystery in an exotic locale, an imaginative projection of social impacts of bioengineering and other technologies, a rendering of the endemic human foibles for power, greed, and racial stereotyping, and a comedy of human manners in cultural and military spheres. The intrepid Lord Miles Vorkosigan, past hero as an undercover agent for Barrayaran Imperial Security, is now working as an Imperial Auditor, i.e. a tro...more
A Civil Campaign is an exceptionally tough act to follow. I think I was bound to feel a little let down by whatever book had the poor fortune to be next in the queue.
That said, Diplomatic Immunity is a perfectly serviceable Vorkosigan adventure; the last hundred pages or so could easily rival Mirror Dance in the suspense department. And it was a treat to see Bel Thorne again (if slightly bittersweet--their reunion reminded me of the moment in A Civil Campaign when Miles puts on his Admiral's tun...more
That said, Diplomatic Immunity is a perfectly serviceable Vorkosigan adventure; the last hundred pages or so could easily rival Mirror Dance in the suspense department. And it was a treat to see Bel Thorne again (if slightly bittersweet--their reunion reminded me of the moment in A Civil Campaign when Miles puts on his Admiral's tun...more
On the way home from his honeymoon, Miles is diverted to Quaddiespace to try and sort out some trouble caused by a missing crewman, an impounded trade fleet, and an overzealous military response. His investigation reveals a deeper problem that could threaten the Quaddies, the ships, and even the Barrayaran Empire itself.
It started a little slow, though I loved the idea behind the mystery. Things picked up quite a bit once that started to come together. Ekaterin was underused this time. It was di...more
It started a little slow, though I loved the idea behind the mystery. Things picked up quite a bit once that started to come together. Ekaterin was underused this time. It was di...more
[Audio book] The audio book versions of the Vorkosigan saga was always a joy as they hired some very good reader/actor. This time it's a new person again which took a while to get used to, but the writing is so well done and the character of Miles is so well written that one quickly get used to the new voice.
The Vorkosogan Saga is "light" formulaic SF (light as in "like an episode of Jeeves and Wooster in tone"). There's always an element of comedy to it. THrough out the series the books went fr...more
The Vorkosogan Saga is "light" formulaic SF (light as in "like an episode of Jeeves and Wooster in tone"). There's always an element of comedy to it. THrough out the series the books went fr...more
I just don't get it - how can every single book in the Vorkosigan saga be a home run?! It's a smaller cast, only a few of our favorite characters show up, but the book does not suffer for it. Such an imaginative wild ride of a whodunnit. This is a must read!
Babies all around! I love the way each book is a complete story unto itself, and yet the entire series tells its own on-going tale. Layers upon layers. I also enjoy the way she brings the story to a complete and satisfying ending, and then tacks on an epilogue for those of us who can't be satisfied with the ending of a meeting, or party, or wedding, and then want to get together to talk it over again. That's the purpose her epilogues serve for me, give me a chance to say long lingering good-byes...more
I have a couple problems with this book.
First, I'm reading it as part of the omnibus editions that Bujold herself assembled. This one was packaged with Falling Free because they both are heavy on the quaddies, those charming four-handed, zero-gee space mutants. Problem is, she skipped 2 other books in the chronology to achieve this packaging, dropping a major spoiler in the process. I know that Bujold intended these to be read in any order and so wasn't as concerned with thpoilerth as the averag...more
First, I'm reading it as part of the omnibus editions that Bujold herself assembled. This one was packaged with Falling Free because they both are heavy on the quaddies, those charming four-handed, zero-gee space mutants. Problem is, she skipped 2 other books in the chronology to achieve this packaging, dropping a major spoiler in the process. I know that Bujold intended these to be read in any order and so wasn't as concerned with thpoilerth as the averag...more
May 07, 2010
Jon
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Jon by:
Beyond Reality Series Selection May 2010
I read this as part of the omnibus edition Miles, Mutants & Microbes and as the Beyond Reality book club series selection for May 2010.
On the return trip from their delayed honeymoon, Miles and his wife are diverted by Emperor Gregor to do diplomatic damage control duty in Quaddiespace. Since they are expecting twins back home on Barrayar (via the ultraconvenient uterine replicators), they are anxious to mop up the mess and be on their way. Like an onion, the layers of mystery unpeel slowin...more
On the return trip from their delayed honeymoon, Miles and his wife are diverted by Emperor Gregor to do diplomatic damage control duty in Quaddiespace. Since they are expecting twins back home on Barrayar (via the ultraconvenient uterine replicators), they are anxious to mop up the mess and be on their way. Like an onion, the layers of mystery unpeel slowin...more
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A solid, if not spectacular, entry to the Vorkosigan series. Diverted from his honeymoon (at least they were on their way home), Miles must unravel a knotty diplomatic problem and a potential murder mystery in a far distant and unfamiliar system. Even on the far end of space, Miles can't quite completely escape his past in the form of old friends and maybe old enemies.
Miles must deal with strange forms of humanity (Quaddies and others), vanishing people (tricky on a space station), potential bio...more
Miles must deal with strange forms of humanity (Quaddies and others), vanishing people (tricky on a space station), potential bio...more
The authurs SF and Fantasy stories move at a cracking pace and the plots are people driven.I have read that she tries to imagines the situation that her hero would find the most difficult to cope with an puts him in it.[return]She has generally a fluid writing style with a nice line in bon mottes.[return]On the down side she has a tendency to continuity errors not that I noticed any in this book. It was not however all that good. To much background from other books in that universe was needed, t...more
This is the last book in the Vorkosigan series (for the moment, anyway) and about average. For those who haven't read any of them, it's space opera where Miles (the main character) is a hyperactive con-man: Think Harold Hill from the Music Man, on speed, setting up a mercenary fleet instead of boys' band. In space. Bujold is really a wonderful writer, although as you can imagine in a setup like that there is a tendency for the plots spiral out of control in the weakest books.
By this point in the...more
By this point in the...more
While A Civil Campaign was a great book in its own way, I love that Diplomatic Immunity is a straight-up Miles Vorkosigan adventure. Tied in nicely with Cetaganda, which is one of my favorites (I think I've given all of these books 5 stars because they're so much above everything else, but I do have favorites). Looking forward to WinterFair Gifts.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Sep 21, 2012
Sierra
added it
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click here.
start out with mini-mystery grating against people's nerves... (view spoiler)
2nd time through this book for me, first time with the audio, and, as ever, Gardner does a fantastic job, with people of all genders well-represented...more
2nd time through this book for me, first time with the audio, and, as ever, Gardner does a fantastic job, with people of all genders well-represented...more
This is the first book of Miss Bujold's that I have read. Frankly, I found it to be an uninteresting read for the most part. Her characters are flat, with obvious nudges towards previous novels, and no explanations for these nudges whatsoever. The plot is thin in many places, the characters are somewhat predictable in their mannerisms. Her writing style is somewhat short, and her plot mechanisms are thread-bare. But I will note, that this is one book in a series. My impressions may have been dif...more
“If you make it plain you like people, it's hard for them to resist liking you back.”
Um, I don't know what to say, this book is Bujold writing as Bujold, of Miles being Miles, no surprises here... don't get me wrong, I love everything Bojold have to write, I just wanted something new.
throughout this series, the character of Miles Vorkosigan grew, changed and developed, getting to know him was both a privilege and a joy. so now, after about 12 books into the series I know him inside out, upside...more
Um, I don't know what to say, this book is Bujold writing as Bujold, of Miles being Miles, no surprises here... don't get me wrong, I love everything Bojold have to write, I just wanted something new.
throughout this series, the character of Miles Vorkosigan grew, changed and developed, getting to know him was both a privilege and a joy. so now, after about 12 books into the series I know him inside out, upside...more
Good science fiction comes in many different forms and genres. You have hard science fiction (bouyed by speculation and imagination, but grounded in hard-core science), fantesy, cyberpunk and more...and you have Space Opera. Space opera is not concerned overly with building its worlds or concepts on scientific fact (or if it does, it clothes itself rather loosely in the robes of scientific fact) but with ideas, characters, and grand situations. For example, Star Wars is the classic space opera m...more
It was great to see Miles and Ekaterin working as a team in this story. Our Lady Vorkosigan is a worthy partner for the "little hyperactive git" (as Armsman Roic sometimes thinks of him), and her ability to stay calm and think clearly under pressure keeps Miles out of ... well, not trouble, because there's plenty of trouble for him here, but she certainly smooths things over at several critical moments. Hell, she manages to stop a war, albeit off-camera. This book made me wish again for more sto...more
Jun 06, 2009
Tom Rowe
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who has read the previous Vorkosigan books.
This and Komarr are the weakest of the Vorkosigan series. By the end, I really didn't care how it was going to end, I just wanted it to end. A Civil Campaign, which fell between Komarr and Immunity, was very good so I don't think I can chalk it up to series fatigue. I think that this book was more stand alone and presented little character developement. I think seeing character development over a long series is what makes this series so great. Plus, things just stared to get redundant. Also, the...more
Just re-read this one while re-acquainting myself with the later books in this excellent series. It's a good read: we meet lots of old friends from Miles' past, and get to see the Quadies' society up a little closer. There's some good mortal danger combined with those signature crazy-but-just-might-work Miles plans at the end. However, it does not compete with "Komarr" or "A Civil Campaign," its most recent predecessors. Everything is from Miles' POV again, and none of the characters are moved a...more
Oct 21, 2009
Nicolas
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
space-opera,
politique,
cycle-la-saga-vorkosigan,
enquête,
enfant,
mutants,
rayon-fantasy-et-sf
Ce tome raconte donc la fin de la Lune de Miel de Miles et Ekaterin, ainsi que son interruption brutale pour démêler un conflit diplomatique entre le traditionnel empire Barrayaran et une station de quaddies, lequel semble, au début, avoir de bonnes chances de dégénérer. Bien sûr, pour éviter une guerre, ou même une attaque de la station par un quelconque vaisseau de combat, Miles devra user de sa finesse d’esprit, de sa vivacité intellectuelle, et parfois d’un peu de chance. Néanmoins, je trouv...more
Jun 20, 2008
Tani
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of the earlier Vorkosigan books
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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One of the most respected writers in the field of speculative fiction, Lois McMaster Bujold burst on to the scene in 1986 with Shards of Honor, the first of her tremendously popular Vorkosigan Saga novels. She has received numerous accolades and prizes, including two Nebula Awards for Best Novel (Falling Free and Paladin of Souls), four Hugo Awards for Best Novel (Paladin of Souls, The Vor Game, B...more
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