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Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication order) #8)

by Lois McMaster Bujold (Goodreads Author)

4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 · rating details · 6,646 ratings · 165 reviews

Lord Miles Naismith Vorkosigan leads a double life. A noble of his home planet Barrayar, and a second, secret identify as a mercenary admiral, who sells his military skills to the highest bidder, but usually in the discreet service of his homeland.

Vorkosigan visits the Earth, the revered, original planet of humanity. He seeks rest and succour for his mercenaries and a res...more

Mass Market Paperback, 560 pages

Published March 1st 1995 by Baen Books (first published 1994)

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May 04, 2013 Clouds - (¿head-in-the?) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-series, locus-sci-fi, hugo, science-fiction, 5-star, reviewed

Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.

On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.

While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became...more

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May 13, 2013 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, fiction, space-opera

"Don't begrudge me my little ship, Quinn. After all, my parents gave my big brother a whole fleet of ships."

Mark Vorkosigan is a 22-year-old clone, six years younger than his "twin brother" Miles. His intentions are good when he sets out to free 50 adolescent clones, but he puts Miles in gravest jeopardy. However, in his efforts to save Miles, this tormented soul -- reared by a violent psychopath, trained to kill, and denied an identity -- discovers his own raison d'être, discarding shame, dist...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Jefferson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Suspenseful and Satisfying Space Opera of Identity

To read the first chapter of Lois McMaster Bujold's Mirror Dance (1994) is to receive a stimulating shock. That's because the previous four novels (in internal chronology) in her entertaining, character-driven space opera series featuring Miles Vorkosigan have all been narrated from his point of view, so that when Mirror Dance begins with the perceptions of a 4' 9" tall guy who's self-conscious about his "dwarfish" stature and large head, we assu...more Suspenseful and Satisfying Space Opera of Identity

To read the first chapter of Lois McMaster Bujold's Mirror Dance (1994) is to receive a stimulating shock. That's because the previous four novels (in internal chronology) in her entertaining, character-driven space opera series featuring Miles Vorkosigan have all been narrated from his point of view, so that when Mirror Dance begins with the perceptions of a 4' 9" tall guy who's self-conscious about his "dwarfish" stature and large head, we assume that it's Miles. But, down to his last chance, he is too malevolent and hates his body too much and has some major identity issues. Wait! It's not Miles but his psychologically damaged and brilliant clone ("brother!") Mark attempting to pass himself off as Miles so as to lead a squad of mercenaries on a quixotic and dangerous mission to rescue fifty cloned kids from their crèche on Jackson's Whole, a planet of crime syndicate houses. Though the clones believe that their parents will come to get them, in fact their brains will be discarded as medical waste to free up their young bodies to house the brains of aged and wealthy clients. Mark desperately wants his gambit to succeed, because he sympathizes with the clones and wants to strike a blow against the clone body harvesting industry and because he needs to prove himself to be as capable as his charismatic and successful older "brother" Miles in order to form his own identity. Thus whenever one of Miles' mercenaries lights up when mistaking him for Miles, Mark's resentment towards his progenitor grows.

After this disorienting opening, Bujold alternates point of view chapters between the two young men as the clone discovers that leading a Miles-esque mission is not so easy and Miles discovers that cleaning up after his clone ("brother!") is not so easy either. Throughout the novel, Bujold explores identity--through clones (e.g., how a clone feels towards his or her progenitor), gender (e.g., how a hermaphrodite receives and resists male or female classifications), torture (e.g., how a person's personality is exposed and fragmented by torture), death (e.g., how people who die and revive may forget who they were), families (e.g., how siblings shape and are shaped by each other's personalities), and roles (e.g., how an emperor plays a simulacrum of an emperor). The book demonstrates how we form our identities by seeing ourselves mirrored in the people around us.

In her Vorkosigan books, Bujold does not write sublime descriptions of nature, space, or artifacts ala Iain Banks or Alistair Sinclair, but her vision of human nature is at times as bracingly dark as theirs, and she is just as good at creating compelling main characters and political situations. Mirror Dance is the most disturbing, moving, and satisfying of the five books featuring Miles that I've read so far (including Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game, Cetaganda, and Brothers in Arms). Although it would be best enjoyed and understood in the context of the previous books, it can stand on its own. Bujold is so good at writing believable characters we care about and want to watch in action that she leaves us wanting even more. I'm looking forward to spending time with Miles and Mark in future books in the series.
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Jan 04, 2013 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, size-acceptance, sci-fi, space-opera, glbt, dystopian, bechdel

Mirror Dance is one of the best SF books I have read in a number of years. Bujold has outdone herself with this story.

The book is mainly about Mark, Miles' clone who was introduced in Brothers in Arms. In fact (view spoiler) Meanwhile Mark is extricated from the awful situation he got the Dendarii into and ends up on Barrayar, finally meetin...more Mirror Dance is one of the best SF books I have read in a number of years. Bujold has outdone herself with this story.

The book is mainly about Mark, Miles' clone who was introduced in Brothers in Arms. In fact (view spoiler) Meanwhile Mark is extricated from the awful situation he got the Dendarii into and ends up on Barrayar, finally meeting his genetic parents, Aral and Cordelia, who treat him like the long-lost son that he is.

He then has to return to Jackson's Whole where he has deduced Miles has been resurrected. The fallout from the rescue of Miles and the capture and physical and psychological torture of Mark by Ryoval one of the ruling Barons is horrific, causing Mark's personality to splinter in to five fragments to protect his mind from what is being done to him.

Mark eventually escapes pulling off a major coup against the system at Jackson's Whole. He and Miles are reunited, and both return to Barrayar, now treating each other like the brothers they really are.

One of the most interesting things about the book is Bujold's treatment of Mark's weight. He is a clone who has been "sculpted" to be short like Miles, but actually has the metabolism and appetite of a 6ft+ man.

Mark was starved for much of his life whilst under the control of his creators to ensure he looked like Miles, but in this book his appetite is unleashed and he gains an awful lot of weight, partly to distinguish himself from Miles, and partly because he has a natural tendency to gluttony which has never been allowed to be indulged.

This tendency is picked up by the Baron Ryoval and used in Mark's torture which makes for some pretty disturbing scenes - he hates his torture, but loves it at the same time. Very powerful indeed and I think Bujold has done pretty well in looking into the sordid depths of Mark's psyche and still coming out with Mark being a character the reader has an awful lot of sympathy for.

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Nov 20, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is set two years after Miles meets his clone brother Mark on Earth. Since then, Mark's whereabouts have been monitored by Imperial Security until recently. He manages to go undercover as Miles' alter ego Admiral Naismith in order to assume a small Dendarri mercenary force to go to Jacksons Whole. The mission - rescue as many clones as he can before their bodies are used to insert the brain of some aging Baron.

While Mark is identical in appearance and knows a lot about both the Vorkosig...more This book is set two years after Miles meets his clone brother Mark on Earth. Since then, Mark's whereabouts have been monitored by Imperial Security until recently. He manages to go undercover as Miles' alter ego Admiral Naismith in order to assume a small Dendarri mercenary force to go to Jacksons Whole. The mission - rescue as many clones as he can before their bodies are used to insert the brain of some aging Baron.

While Mark is identical in appearance and knows a lot about both the Vorkosigan and Naismith personas, he lacks Miles' experience and cunning so the mission goes badly. The group ends up in the hands of House Bharaputra. Admiral Naismith arrives to rescue Mark and the other Dendarri after negotiation fails. The rescue is going well until one of the clones wants to stay and in trying to get her back Miles is killed taking a disruptor for Mark.

Mark must now go to Barrayar and face the Count and Countess. His reception is better than expected and he even finds a friend in Emperor Gregor. Impsec does everything it can to find the cryo-chamber that Miles' body is in - a quick thinking tech was able to get it packed and shipped off before he was also killed but he left a vague clue where it was sent. Mark - with the help of Gregor, convinces Impsec to allow him to work on the investigation and he comes up with a possible location, back on Jacksons Whole.

The countess finances a rescue attempt that manages to get Mark captured while trying to negotiate for Miles's return. It gets real ugly here as Mark ends up in the hands of Baron Ryoval who is convinced he is Admiral Naismith who destroyed most of his lab a few years ago.

The story reaches depths of depravity and psychological detail that is incredible. I won’t reveal the ending but it is intense.

This is my favorite Vorkosigan book and one of my top ten overall. The intense emotion of both Mark and Miles in this book makes it a great read. I especially like the way she writes the four distinct personalities Mark exhibits when being tortured by Ryoval. Also watching Miles slowly recover his memory is also a treat. The other books that follow this are all excellent but this one always shines.
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Jul 25, 2012 Smcleish rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Originally published on my blog here in June 2000.

Bujold's Vorkosigan series is very well done, rather old fashioned science fiction, with echoes of many classics of the genre from Poul Anderson's Flandry stories to Gordon R. Dickson's Dorsai novels. Miles Vorkosigan, hero of the series, has previously been revealed as having a clone, created by an enemy to impersonate him for an assassination attempt on his father. In this novel, the clone (named Mark) impersonates the famous mercenary Admiral...more Originally published on my blog here in June 2000.

Bujold's Vorkosigan series is very well done, rather old fashioned science fiction, with echoes of many classics of the genre from Poul Anderson's Flandry stories to Gordon R. Dickson's Dorsai novels. Miles Vorkosigan, hero of the series, has previously been revealed as having a clone, created by an enemy to impersonate him for an assassination attempt on his father. In this novel, the clone (named Mark) impersonates the famous mercenary Admiral Naismith - an alter ego created by the bored Miles - to lead an expedition to free a group of clones being raised to become donors of bodies for brain transplants ordered by the super rich but morally bankrupt. Since Mark does not have the same talents as his original, the rescue fails, and leaves Miles with the task of rescuing his "brother" and his subordinates.

Like much traditional science fiction, Mirror Dance is centred around an issue, exploring aspects of the possible relationships between normally conceived individuals and clones. By extension, this relates to any individual who is seen as a chattel, and so any treatment of the subject resonates with ideas from civil rights campaigns of almost every sort - anti-slavery, anti-child labour, racial equality, feminism. Other interesting questions are raised, such as inheritance rights of clones, their relationship to the parents of the cloned individual, but these are less important to Mirror Dance than the morality of creating clones to be used as organ donors. Living in a world in which mammalian clones are already possible, such issues as these begin to seem more immediate concerns.

Though these issues are important, they are never allowed to dominate the story. Their presence is there as motivation for the characters as well as the author, but the novel is never preachy. It is suspense filled - indeed, it is almost as strongly influenced by the thriller genre as by science fiction. It may not be ground breaking or original, but it is an excellent inheritor of the traditions of the genre.(less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I did not enjoy it. It was tedious. It dragged. I wanted it to be over.

STORY BRIEF:
From previous books: Miles is a government agent (sort of) and an admiral. Because his father is a powerful government figure, enemies obtained Miles’ DNA and created a clone now called Mark. They tortured and trained the clone to be an assassin with plans to kill the father. Mark was set free (or escaped) from the bad guys and met Miles.

In this story Mark pretends to be Miles in order to steal his ship and crew....more

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Mar 27, 2011 Andreas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Miles’ twin brother Mark is back. He manages to infiltrate the Dendarii while acting as Miles. In short order, he is taking a ship on a harebrained mission to Jackson’s Whole in order to free clones doomed to act as replacement bodies for the rich, a procedure which leads to the clones’ brain being dumped. Naturally, it all goes to hell, with Miles chasing after. Miles is shot “fatally” and cryo-frozen, at which point Mark is whisked off to Barrayar to meet the parents for the first time. Meanwh...more

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Mar 26, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hero-s-journey, science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’ve read this several times, and it’s still a treat. Miles Vorkosigon’s evil clone/beloved little brother Mark decides to take a shot at redemption, hijacks Miles’s mercenary fleet, and tries to rescue other clones being raised to have old men and women’s brains transplanted into them. Wackiness ensues. Miles dies.

It’s not permanent. But it takes a long time for someone to bring him back, and longer still for him to come back to himself. Or, at least, to the new him. Meanwhile, Mark has to mak...more I’ve read this several times, and it’s still a treat. Miles Vorkosigon’s evil clone/beloved little brother Mark decides to take a shot at redemption, hijacks Miles’s mercenary fleet, and tries to rescue other clones being raised to have old men and women’s brains transplanted into them. Wackiness ensues. Miles dies.

It’s not permanent. But it takes a long time for someone to bring him back, and longer still for him to come back to himself. Or, at least, to the new him. Meanwhile, Mark has to make is way in Miles’s world. The world he was created to destroy. By becoming his clone brother, killing their father, and bringing their civilization down around his own head. The world he’s suddenly got a place in, as, possibly, the next Vorkosigon heir. He gives it a go. Then he decides to try his hand and rescue Miles from death and other darksome fates.

The Vorkosigan books have an interesting trajectory. The first couple are fine. The feudal civilization of Barrayar violently rejoins the galactic human civilization after many generations of isolation. Miles is a hybrid; 5/8th galactic, 3/8th Barrayaran –but totally Barrayaran on the male line. He’s also a seeming mutant in a world that hates mutants; a brilliant mind in a world that loves beautiful bodies; a mercenary commander where that’s punishable by death. He navigates it all with grace and style and a fairly minimal unintentional body count. And he’s four foot nine. He’s like a really short, feminist, Captain Kirk. When this series hits its stride, it’s awesome, and Mirror Dance might be the best of the books.

Mark is exactly what the title implies. He’s Miles’s mirror. Miles without loving and insightful parents. Miles with no aversion to killing. Bujold knows her tropes and she plays with them beautifully.

It’s awesome, in the sense that we’re seeing the same DNA grow up two dramatically different ways. Both shaped by other people’s will; both groomed to be a means to someone else’s end. Mark is prepared for nothing else. Miles has people who love him, but Mark had no one in his life who was not using him for something until, maybe, he met Miles.

Definitely not a stand alone book. The first 180 pages don’t stop for a breath, and if you don’t already know the characters, it’s a little mystifying. The cryo phlebotinum goes down easier if you’ve seen it before and Bujold doesn’t waste time showing us why this mercenary fleet worships their little admiral.

When Miles meets Mark, in a previous book, everyone around him wants the clone dead. He was designed and groomed to be an assassin after all. But Miles knows his mother would think of this clone as her child and would ask him, “Miles, what did you do with your brother?” It’s very utopian, in the sense of someone taking that age old declaration, “This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine” and deciding yes, it is. And I’m gonna find a good place for him.
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Dec 12, 2011 SA rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

"Miles Learns About Consequences" and "Mark Learns About Self-Identity." Holy shit, this book. This book.

To say that it puts you through the wringer would be a gross understatement. Flipping between perspectives--the first time Bujold has done this, I believe, and deftly utilized here--served to underscore the differences between Miles and Mark. And there are so many, spawning an argument beyond Bujold's case for the many guises of humanity into one of the affects of genetics versus experience....more "Miles Learns About Consequences" and "Mark Learns About Self-Identity." Holy shit, this book. This book.

To say that it puts you through the wringer would be a gross understatement. Flipping between perspectives--the first time Bujold has done this, I believe, and deftly utilized here--served to underscore the differences between Miles and Mark. And there are so many, spawning an argument beyond Bujold's case for the many guises of humanity into one of the affects of genetics versus experience.

But if that is the philosophical core of Bujold's bioethics experimentation, the human element itself is the more compelling one. The burgeoning relationship of Miles and Mark, what they mean to each other and how that drives them to act, was just fascinating. On Miles' part, to encounter one's brother twenty plus years down the road is an emotional hat trick; for Mark, to be given a name and a place so readily after being a pawn in someone else's game for so long--it's as devastating as it is freeing.

For all that they didn't spent much time on the page actually together, you felt the influence they exerted over each others' lives palpably. And I couldn't bear to put the book down when Mark came to Barrayar for the first time, met the family that adopted him with barely a breath of hesitation, met Cordelia who never fails to inspire admiration and respect even in the most recalcitrant of latecoming sons. Actually, the parenting relationship, as explicated by Cordelia, was just facinating from the Betan point of view. That they entered into that social contract mutally, but with some bewilderment, was as remarkable a piece of familial dialogue as I've ever read.

And of course, Miles' death and recovery, and Mark's torture and self-discovery. Raw and ugly and terrible to read, but for all that it was well written, well handled, and better for having gone there than not at all. What can you say, really? By that point, Mark had established enough of himself that it was awful going through that experience with him, but his savage articulation of his own strength and freedom on the other side of it was just magnificent.

Miles' own loss of self, of cleverness and what that means to him, was excruciating. The version of him that was not hyperactive and eager to dive into whatever problem presents itself was not a lesser version of Miles, per se, but it most assuredly was not the Miles we have come to know, nor does it seem to be the Miles he himself would prefer to be.

I don't know. To call this book "good" doesn't seem to do it service, and it's not even that it was a special pleasure to read. But it was extremely powerful, a book that operates as the hinge between "before" and "after" for this series, I think. It requires the set-up of all the previous knowledge to be that powerful, and it was well worth the trip despite cautiously looking to what happens next. Tour de force.

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Nov 16, 2010 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

When Miles Vorkosigan's cloned younger brother, Mark, attempts to surprise the Dendarii mercenaries with a bold new plot, he quickly gets in over his head. Miles swoops in to try and save the day once again, but his troubled rescue mission makes the situation even more complicated. Then it's Mark's turn to show how far he's willing to go to set things right.

This is one of my favorites in the series so far, though that might be partly because it spent a good amount of time on Barrayar with Cordel...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Victoria added it

Recommended to Victoria by: Joseph S

One of the most disturbing books I've ever read. Not for the weak of heart - this book has torture, and its psychological ramifications, spelled out to a (slightly optimistic, let's be realistic here) tee.

Even as it shocked me, I have to admire Bujold for her ability to turn each book of this series into its own little world, with its own genre and purpose, yet keep the characters vivid and fascinating throughout. And yet... this book is a very difficult one for me to rank.

If Bujold hadn't estab...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fiction, sci-fi

Mark Vorkosigan, Miles' renegade clone/brother, at last decides who he wants to be; and he must draw upon everything he has--all the twisted gifts of his creator, Galen--to make that choice a reality.

This is the best Vorkosigan book since Barrayar--and that's saying something! But it's also one of the most disturbing. Dark, violent, intense, and almost unbearably suspenseful. It's incredibly difficult to watch these beloved characters endure so many physical and psychological torments. But suff...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, military, space-opera

I loved the psychological layers and thrilling action in this 5th in a delightful series of military space opera novels featuring Miles Vorkosigan. As usual, he must juggle his identities as the aristocratic son of a planetary prime minister, a lieutenant with Barrayar Imperial Security, and an admiral of a mercenary fleet which takes on undercover operations. The theme of identity becomes even more prominent when Miles� clone brother Mark, introduced in the preceding �Brothers in Arms�, assumes...more

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May 10, 2012 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Science Fiction Fans

Shelves: fiction, novels, science-fiction

Two things. First, the rating. I acknowledge this isn't an undying classic. If you're looking for science fiction with literary prose, go read Ursula Le Guin or Ray Bradbury or William Gibson. Or for the "Big Ideas" go to Robert Heinlein or Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke. What Bujold offers is different--characters you care about and want to spend time with, and in that regard, I'd say Mirror Dance is the strongest story in the series I've read yet--and given its Miles Vorkosigan is one of my...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Curtis Edmonds rated it 5 of 5 stars

As much as I don't really want to admit it, I think that Bujold made the right decision here to keep Miles Vorkosigan off-stage for most of this novel. (How she does that is quite the surprise and I won't discuss it here if you haven't read the book.) A little Miles Vorkosigan goes a very long way. This is not to say that you can't have a good book that's mostly told from Miles's perspective. I think that that, say, Cetaganda is a very good read, but it's a good read mostly because the focus is...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Leons1701 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mark is back and chaos can't be far behind. Other people might have evil twins, Miles Vorkosigan has an idiot twin. This might be the best entry in the Vorkosigan series (although both Barrayar and A Civil Campaign give it a good run). A big part of the series has been examining the Great Man's Son syndrome but here we also see at work Great Man's Brother syndrome perhaps.

Mark steals part of the Dendari fleet and sets off on a wild plan to free the clones of Jackson's Whole. Miles follows, inten...more

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Feb 04, 2010 Kathi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 27, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I'm a little tempted to include some of these on my "Spy-Fi" shelf, LOL.

I was advised for a long time to read the Miles Vorkosigan series, but as it's another rather long series I had put it off. Now that I've started I think I owe a thank you to all those who kept recommending them. I've read several books by Lois McMaster Bujold. Some I've liked greatly others, frankly I almost disliked by the time I got through them. These are in my estimation the best so far.

I haven't read all these in order...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars

My first reading of this book involved frantically skimming it till 6am in the morning. Then I read it properly, and fell in love with it.

Mirror Dance combines the edge-of-seat adventure I've come to expect from Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan stories with the delving around in her character's psychologies I so enjoyed in her earlier books Shards of Honor and Barrayar.

The relationship between the clone brothers was beautifully explored as Miles saves Mark then Mark saves Miles, and comes to the realis...more

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Jul 08, 2010 Minh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

All throughout the novel I wanted to bash Mark on his head for being so incredible obstinate, head-strong, stubborn! But then I realised all of those words mean exactly the same thing.

While Brothers in Arms served as a quick introduction to Mark, this novel truly takes us into the mind of a man thrown into an unimaginable situation. Miles' personality is so overbearing at time you cannot help but feel the loss of his presence for half the novel and the cause of his absence truly stopped my brea...more

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Apr 28, 2013 PatK rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, hugo

This is my favorite selection in the Vorkosigan saga so far. It is a different kind of hero's journey than those of the self confident Miles ne Naismith. This is Mark's story. But that doesn't mean it is any less interesting. Imbedded in a circuitous plot is an equally complicated adventure of one man's discovering his self worth. When last we left Mark Vorkosigan this reader breathed a sigh of relief. He was not a sympathetic character. He was confusing, self-contradictory, irrascible, untrustw...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Sherry rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 23, 2010 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jon by: Beyond Reality Series January 2010 Selection

Shelves: fiction, read-in-my-40s, science-fiction, space-opera

3.5 stars

I read this novel as part of the omnibus edition Miles Errant.

Miles' six years younger twin brother, Mark, garners most of the screen time in Mirror Dance. Less lighthearted fun and more unhinged passion and desperation pervades while we focus on Mark. Miles' fate remains unknown for much of the story.

I enjoyed Mark meeting Aral and Cordelia. Miles' mother treated me to some wonderful scenes with Mark or that Mark overheard. Sadly, Aral suffers nearly the same fate as Miles. But no on...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Em rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

it took me a while to warm up to bujold's vorkosigan saga. i didn't care for the cordelia books much and after "the warrior's apprentice" i didn't particularly care for the admiral naismith storyline either! but the amazing thing about the saga is the character development and backstory that develops over time. 'cetaganda' is earlier in the internal chronology than 'mirror dance' and can stand alone as a standard sci-fi space opera/action story, but from the perspective of story sequence, 'mirro...more

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Apr 15, 2013 C. Owen rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book has a lot going for it: it is very well written and constructively disturbing. But it is also the beginning of the end, in my view. My rating reflects not so much the book itself, but where the book pointed the rest of the series. I strongly sense that Bujold was getting bored and fatigued with Miles and his life here, and she wanted to do something "completely different."

And she did. I suppose that may have some merit, bu I will always miss the Miles that got left behind.

I also thin...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Scott Harris rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my first entree into the Vor series by Bujold and although it is a later novel in the series, it holds together very well on its own. I have now taken to going back to some of the earlier stories and pursuing it from a more developmental perspective. This novel though stands alone as a good reflection of Bujold's skills as an author and of the unique futures she can imagine. I always find it intriguing how she builds strong female characters and weaker male characters as a backdrop for...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Zach rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read a lot of fiction where the protagonist starts out as a bad guy, then undergoes a dramatic transformation of character in which the inherent goodness of the erstwhile-hated opposition wins him over and he is reborn as a paragon of virtue. This trope is especially common in science fiction for whatever reason, and it's often badly done. I can recall very few novels whose protagonists suffer believable reversals of fortune, where the reader can follow a series of events and internal dialogue...more

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Dec 23, 2010 Isis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, science-fiction

Read as part of an Omnibus edition with other stories. One of my favorite Miles books so far, perhaps because it's not all about Miles. Er, not that I don't like Miles. But we get a large dollop of Cordelia again, hooray! And Mark's evolution from the reluctant villain of Brothers in Arms (which I didn't like nearly so much as this book) to a character in his own right is really interesting. By contrast, maybe, once Miles is established as Miles, his adventures are less interesting to me than th...more

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Aug 28, 2009 Nicolas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cycle-la-saga-vorkosigan, combat, enfant, mort, mémoire, top, voyage, rayon-fantasy-et-sf

Dans ce tome, on retrouve Miles et Mark qui vont se retrouver plongés jusqu'à la gorge dans les sales magouilles de l'ensemble de Jackson. Pour détailler un peu Mark va tenter de prendre la place de Miles pour réaliser une opération audacieuse qui n'échouera qu'à peine (suffisamment, en tout cas, pour que les conséquences en soient dramatiques).
Pour ceux qui croyaient qu'un clone encombrant était une oeuvre autonome, ce roman est un démenti flagrant : on retrouve Miles encombré avec son clone su...more

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About Lois McMaster Bujold

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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The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga, #2)

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“Since no one is perfect, it follows that all great deeds have been accomplished out of imperfection. Yet they were accomplished, somehow, all the same.” — 55 people liked it

“It’s important that someone celebrate our existence," she objected amiably. "People are the only mirror we have to see ourselves in. The domain of all meaning. All virtue, all evil, are contained only in people. There is none in the universe at large. Solitary confinement is a punishment in every human culture.” — 16 people liked it

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Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication order) #8)

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