Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Cetaganda (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication order) #9)

by Lois McMaster Bujold (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 5,745 ratings · 179 reviews

The fifth installment of the Hugo-award winning adventures of Miles Vorkosigan.

In this novel Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan travel to Cetaganda, the long-standing enemy of Barrayar, to represent their Barrayar at the funeral of the mother of the Cetagandan emperor. From the moment they arrive they are swept into a complex and little understood political game between...more

Mass Market Paperback, 302 pages

Published October 1st 1996 by Baen (first published 1996)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

216th out of 2,946 books — 12,387 voters

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Science Fiction Books by Female Authors

17th out of 396 books — 211 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 04, 2011 Cindy Griffin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, science, series

Miles is at it again! In this installment of the Vorkosigan series, Miles is sent with his cousin Ivan to Cetaganda to attend an Imperial funeral. Miles and Ivan are charged with representing the Barrayaran nobility at the somber affair. They definitely represent Barrayar, but not in the expected manner. At least on this trip, the trouble, mayhem, and murder were thrust on Miles against his wishes. Miles finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation, fighting off attacks on him and Ivan,...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 13, 2013 Jordi Vicens rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20thcentury, english, science-fiction

The Vorkosigan Saga

It's been a long overdue read of mine this series. I've been wanting to read it for a long, long time.

I was quite prejudiced when it came to start reading it because I thought I wouldn't like it at all.

Actually, it reads quite well, in a Golden Age of Scifi spaceopera way. It has all the elements I got to love in a spaceopera when I was a teen: Long saga, intelligent characters, a cohesive universe... Oh! I would have loved it very much back then.

Nowadays? I haven't loved it t...more

like · see review

Jan 20, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-awesomeness, miles-vorkosigan, favorite-characters, notable-reads-of-2012

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

Miles Naismith Vorkosigan has come a long way since his miserable attempt to qualify for the Barrayaran Military Service Academy - since then he's created a commanding (if solely based on smoke and mirrors) mercenary fleet, saved the Barrayaran Emperor, and thwarted a full-out war. Officially serving out a position as Imperial Security Courier, the brilliant (if physically less-appealing) Miles and his cousin the handsome (if decidedly less-brilliant) Iva...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 05, 2013 Smcleish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally published on my blog here in November 2001.

The central idea of this Miles Vorkosigan novel can be summed up in a sentence from it (also quoted on the back of this edition): "Miles had always dreamed about saving the Empire. He just never expected it to be the Cetagandan Empire." Although currently at peace with his native Barrayar, Cetaganda has long been a traditional enemy, having at one time been an occupying power Miles is a member of the Barrayan delegation to the mourning ceremo...more

like · see review

Nov 07, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This installment of the Vorkosigan saga is set after The Vor Game and in between the stories in Borders of Infinity (both of which are reviewed on my web site). Miles and his cousin Ivan are sent to the home world of the Cetagandan Empire to attend the funeral of the Empress. Before they even get to the planet, their shuttle is visited by a Ba (a servitor of the haut women) who leaves a strange device behind and ends up murdered later in the hall where the Empress lies in state.

This sucks Miles...more

like · see review

May 06, 2012 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of the Series

Shelves: fiction, mystery, novels, science-fiction

Cetaganda is the fifth story in the Vorkosigan Saga, a space opera series by Bujold. By this time a whole lot of story has passed, and I wouldn't try reading this novel as a standalone. This is a favorite series of mine, primarily for it's foremost character, Miles Vorkosigan. Miles is born with near-crippling physical disabilities, short, brittle-boned and hunchbacked, into a military culture that prizes physical vitality and good looks. That means he has had to work hard for acceptance and res...more

like · see review

Mar 27, 2011 Andreas rated it 3 of 5 stars

Miles, now a Lieutenant working for Imperial Security, is sent off to a Cetagandan state funeral along with his less than brilliant but dashingly handsome cousin Ivan Vorpatril. While there, they are embroiled in a complex plot to stir the waters of Cetagandan nobility genetic engineering.

The plot is in fact very complex, and while showcasing Miles’ intelligence, it goes perhaps a bit too far. The Cetagandan empire is a remarkable edifice constructed by McMaster Bujold. The highest caste control...more

like · see review

Feb 19, 2011 Zach rated it 5 of 5 stars

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

In other books in the series, the Cetagandan Empire is a rather faceless collection of baddies that exist as...more

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 23, 2009 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jon by: Beyond Reality Series October 2009

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

3.8 stars

Miles and Ivan travel as diplomatic representatives of Emperor Gregor to the home world of the Cetagandan Empire for the funeral of the Empress. A ten-day trip to observe and enjoy social customs (and parties) quickly turns sour when Miles become embroiled in a mystery and suicide/murder that threatens to frame him, and by implication Barrayar, for a treasonous usurpation plot.

Miles, being Miles, convinces himself, and Ivan, that only he can save Barrayar's honor and salvage the Cetaga...more

like 4 likes · see review

Jun 02, 2010 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

When Miles travels to Cetaganda for a state funeral, he finds himself drawn into a conflict that could endanger his own home planet. The complicated social customs of his hosts make it difficult for Miles to investigate, but he's determined to work against the hidden enemy that tried to use him in their power play.

There were some action scenes in this one, but it was more intrigue-heavy than most of the previous books. I loved that aspect of it, and I adored the interactions between Miles and Iv...more

like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This is the third book in the Miles Vorkosigan saga (the first 2 aren't about Miles) and it's the weakest I've read so far. The book is another adventure in the convoluted history of Miles' somewhat...unusual "military" career. "Technically" assigned to Barrayarian Security Miles has been sent to Cetaganda for the funeral of the Cetagandain Empress.

The book sets out to tell an intricate, Byzantine type story of palace intrigue. It does a pretty good job and the story holds the interest fairly we...more

like 1 like · see review

May 04, 2009 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Another decent Miles Vorkosigan novel. I keep reading these (despite their collective failure to "wow" me yet) because I want to read the award-winning novels that come later. I'm beginning to second-guess my hopes that the novels will improve, however, after reading Barrayaran -- which won a Hugo Award for best novel -- which didn't overwhelm me. This isn't to say that the novels are bad; they aren't. They just aren't as good as some of the other novels I've read this year that have also won aw...more Another decent Miles Vorkosigan novel. I keep reading these (despite their collective failure to "wow" me yet) because I want to read the award-winning novels that come later. I'm beginning to second-guess my hopes that the novels will improve, however, after reading Barrayaran -- which won a Hugo Award for best novel -- which didn't overwhelm me. This isn't to say that the novels are bad; they aren't. They just aren't as good as some of the other novels I've read this year that have also won awards (Spin and Speaker for the Dead, for example). I may cool it for a while on these, and give a few other space opera novels a chance (I have an entire series on my Kindle that I downloaded for free).

Anyway, in this one, Miles and Ivan (I do like the relationship between these two -- I think Ivan is a lot smarter than Miles ever gives him credit for) travel to Cetaganda for the funeral of the Emperor's wife. Cetaganda is an interesting society broken into classes -- the Haut (a genetically enhanced population of politicians that are constantly tinkering with their own DNA to create "perfect" humans) and the Ghem (a warrior class that the Haut allow to mate and propogate without controlling them, watching for good surprises in their gene pool). Upon arriving at the orbital at the capital planet of the Cetaganda empire, a Ba, a genetically sexless serving class of people created by the Haut to serve the Haut, comes into Miles and Ivan's shuttle, surprising all parties involved, resulting in a fight. Miles and Ivan take something from the Ba, which they later learn is the key that belongs to the Empress which she uses to keep track of and "unlock" the genetic bank of the Haut. For some reason, Miles doesn't tell the Barrayaran Diplomat or the ImpSec spy on the diplomat's staff about the encounter (and of course, Ivan goes along with this, but with constantly increasing reluctance).

The Ba, who turns out to be the late Empress's personal servitor, is later killed (but made to look like a suicide), and the rest of the novel is about Miles and Ivan escaping attempts to assisinate them, unravelling the mystery surrounding the Ba and the Key (turns out the Empress wanted to give all of the Haut governers of the various planents in the Cetaganda empire their own key so they could all start tinkering with their genes -- she was concerned about genetic stagnation in the Cetaganda Constellations), and trying to foil the apparent plot to set up Barrayar for the fall.

Miles interacts with the Haut Ladies, who ride around in float chairs in opaque bubble force fields to prevent people from seeing them, and ends up becoming infatuated with one in particular: Rian, the late empress's hand maiden.

Miles and Rian (and a couple other Haut ladies) uncover the plot by one of the Haut Governors to steal all of the copies of the Key, thereby preventing the other governors from obtaining the power that would come with tinkering with the Haut genes, allow a Cetagandan Security Officer to discovery who actually murdered the Ba, and end up gaining the Emperor's favor. The emperor gives miles a medal, makes Rian the late Empress's replacement, and promotes the Cetagandan Security Officer to ghem-general.

The book was good, and had humerous parts (Ivan trying to be a womanizer after being ingesting poison that makes him impotent; Miles interactions with the staff of the Barrayaran embassy while trying to solve the mystery, making the Barrayaran's think he is on a special ops mission from Illyan, the head of ImpSec) and all of course turned out well in the end. (less)

like 1 like · see review

Dec 12, 2011 SA rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

"Miles Learns About Investigating." One of the first things I learned about the Vorkosigan Saga, when someone was trying to convince me to read it a few years ago, was that Miles was a space detective. I've spent these first five or six books vaguely wondering when that was going to come true. Cetaganda is the first hint at that. It's also a much needed reminder about Lt. Vorkosigan, the bit of Miles' personality that tends to get lost in the shuffle most of the time.

I have to admit I spent a l...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 05, 2012 Felix Zilich rated it 3 of 5 stars

Молодые дипломаты с Барраяра Форкосиган и Форпатрил прибывают в столицу Цетагандийской империи на похороны матери местного императора. Майлс – мастер брать на понт и доводить бешеных солдафонов до баттхерта, но здесь его таланты оказываются бесполезны. В отличии от маленького и бедного Барраяра Цетаганда – настоящая империя о семи планетах и с генетически выведенными правителями, поэтому местные “макиавелли” играют совершенно по иным правилам. Это примерно как если бы двое самураев оказались при...more Молодые дипломаты с Барраяра Форкосиган и Форпатрил прибывают в столицу Цетагандийской империи на похороны матери местного императора. Майлс – мастер брать на понт и доводить бешеных солдафонов до баттхерта, но здесь его таланты оказываются бесполезны. В отличии от маленького и бедного Барраяра Цетаганда – настоящая империя о семи планетах и с генетически выведенными правителями, поэтому местные “макиавелли” играют совершенно по иным правилам. Это примерно как если бы двое самураев оказались при дворе цинского богдохана и попытались разобраться во всех местных интригах.

Несмотря на все эти сложности, Майлс оказывается вовлечен в серьезную конспирацию, в ходе которой он спасает империю от гражданской войны (да, уже вторую), а всю остальную Вселенную – от этой империи.

Грустное открытие: Форкосиган без дендарийцев – это довольно тоскливо. По ходу романа герою обрезают все крылья (и ноги почти тоже), из-за чего герою не удается реализовать толком ни один из своих скрытых талантов. Сомневаюсь что это было сделано писательницей осмысленно, на все сто процентов. Буджолд излишне увлеклась своими генетическими фантазиями и забыла про любимца. Плюс еще и Girl Power, который говорит у неё здесь в полный голос. Одна радость – последние две главы, где свежее имперское порно снова спасает положение.(less)

like · see review

Jun 22, 2012 Melinda Le Baron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: exciting, dramatic, mystery, violent, political, tragedy, high-society, high-tech-weapons, highly-technilogical, futuristic, thriller, science-fiction, emotional, favorites

This was an absolutely fabulous book! What an imagination Bujold has. This is not only a political thriller, but the possible military implications of Miles visit are unimaginable. Someone wants to frame the Barrayarans for a crime they did not commit. It is up to Miles and his Cousin Ivan to get to the bottom of this, on a planet that is completely alien to them, meanwhile, someone is trying to kill them. Will they succeed?

THE PLOT: Miles Vorokosigan and his cousin Miles Vorpatril have been cho...more This was an absolutely fabulous book! What an imagination Bujold has. This is not only a political thriller, but the possible military implications of Miles visit are unimaginable. Someone wants to frame the Barrayarans for a crime they did not commit. It is up to Miles and his Cousin Ivan to get to the bottom of this, on a planet that is completely alien to them, meanwhile, someone is trying to kill them. Will they succeed?

THE PLOT: Miles Vorokosigan and his cousin Miles Vorpatril have been chosen as emissaries from Barrayar to Cetaganda for the funeral of the Cetagandan Empress. Miles now works in Imperial Sercurity reporting to the Head Boss. When they dock, an unknown attacker accosts them in their pod with a stunner as well as something unknown in another pocket. Miles disarms her, takes the stunner, as well as the unknown artifact. She rushes off into the night. They find out from a tell tale hair that she was wearing a wig, and that all the video cameras had been torn out. They request new docking parameters and continue on. This little episode will catapult the two of them to the highest levels of Cetagandan society in a plot that reaches all levels both haut and ghem, even up to the Emperor himself. Miles must find a way out of this mess, so that Barryar will not be complicit in a crime that a ghem lord is commiting in space at the funeral. He uses is genius level brain to work on the problem, leaving Ivan to work on the women and other obvious avenues of clues.

CHARACTERIZATION: Bujold had to create not just human characters this time but ghemlords and hautlords as well as haut ladies, who travel in force bubbles, so no one will see them. This had to be a challenge. There were also the ba servitors, who were neither male or female, but clones and genetically reproduced people that had the correct characteristics to serve the haut ladies in the Celestial Garden where they lived with the Emperor. The details Bujold put into these characters was amazing. Each unique yet of a type, it was nothing less than magical how she did it. Miles is one of my favorite characters of all time. His genius level intellect, coupled by the fact that he acts by the seat of his pants commonly lands him hot water, but he has the smarts to get himself out to his own advantage. That doesn't mean that people don't get irritated - because they do. The one who gets irritated the most is his boss. No one could ever control Miles, so he has to report to the Head Boss, so he can't ruin anyone else's career. What a grand character he is. His disability barely holds him back, though mentally it drives him even harder than it would otherwise if he was normal. It is a unique situation. Ivan is a lazy womanizer who likes to drink and fool around and even though he's in the military, he prefers action with the women to action on he battlefield. Miles and Ivan are opposite ends of spectrum, but Ivan wouldn't rat out Miles because he is family, that's what makes Miles plan work. Ivan is his cover, while Miles does all the leg work - no pun intended.

WORLDBUILDING: Just like in Barrayar, Bujold has only a single planet to focus on, and this is where she shines, if you equate a planet to automaton and each detail of that planet and society to a gear, push rod, or motor to a detail about that planet, then you'll find that Bujold can build the most magical automaton on the face of the Earth with her worldbuilding. The gears will all mesh precisely, the push rods do their jobs, the motors work precisely, powering the automaton to do its many functions. In this book, she got to describe Cetaganda through the eyes of Miles, as the book is through his POV. The Celestial Garden where the Emperor lives with all the Haut ladies and their ba servitors, the lovely gardens and the frogs that sing in chorus. All the Haut ladies have float chairs that they travel in that are covered by their force bubbles, so you can't see them, they just look like floating bubbles which are white in color for the funeral. The Prime Haut ladies control the genetics of the entire planet through their gene bank which resides at the Celestial Garden. Their role is genetic reproduction and different combinations of genes determining what result from each. This is their territory - and no one can usurp it. It determines breeding and marriages. This is their power in society. The Ghem lords were charge of the military - expanding territory of Cetaganda.and fighting wars. They are also the artisans and the tradespeople. The Cetigandin culture is so unique, I've never seen anything remotely like it. This is the power of Bujold at her best.

DIALOGUE: The Haut Lords and Ladies don't talk too much, only the Ghem Lords and Ladies speak, and of course, Miles and Ivan, and their Hosts, the Barrayaran Ambassador, the Imperial Security assigned to Cetaganda, and the Ambassador's girlfriend. These people actually speak. Miles mouth gets him into a lot of trouble. Since the book is in his POV, you get to hear the thoughts in his head as well, which sounds just like his speech. Ivan tries to sound just like a suave, smooth ladies man, but when he's around Miles and they're are alone, then he's afraid that Miles is leading him into danger in a terrible way, but he won't rat him out. He won't let on. He may beg and plead to tell those in charge all the details, but Miles can always talk him out of it. Ivan is an easy mark. The Barrayaran Ambassador to Cetaganda just doesn't want to cause an international incident. All of these people speak formally at the appropriate times, since Miles is a Count. They also speak informally when together at their housing. It all works, never a note out of place, never a work that doesn't ring true. Each voice is as unique as each person in her galaxy, Bujold is a master of characterization and dialogue.

THE ENDING: The ending of the story was surprising, and had so many ramifications, it had you thinking about them long after the novel had ended. Miles, reporting to the Head Boss of Imperial Security had a lot to answer for. On the way home, he had time to get his story straight as they flew home to Barrayar. Ivan, on the other hand, was just happy to be going home with his life. Miles also had to face his Father, which was the hardest thing he had to do. Of course as the book ends, all this is conjecture as they are flying in their ship to Barrayar. During the end their is sneaking into enemy territory, hiding in different places, over hearing enemy plans, stunning enemies, disguising people, play acting, capturing the enemy, grabbing evidence, releasing tied up friends, holding people at gun point, security rushing in, and a whole lot more.

The upshot is that anyone interested in different civilizations - whether ancient or in outer space will be interested in this book. Bujold does an amazing job creating Cetaganda out of whole cloth. They could have been an ancient race except for their advanced technology. The book is also a political, medical and military thriller. With all of this wrapped in a bow, it should please most people. And of course, people who love science fiction will love this too. It is a thumping good read of the first order. Ms. Bujold has outdone herself with Cetaganda. (less)

like · see review

Mar 26, 2013 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Packed full of interesting themes - Bujold uses the Cetagandan genetic development system to explore this issue of handpicking the genes of your decendents from a really interesting angle. Miles in an outsider but he still gets drawn into a plot to protect the most privileged prejudiced class on the Cetagandan planet. Much of what he sees disgusts him, for example, the Cetagandan aristocracy (Celestial class, lol) practice their genetic manipulations on servants bred without gender first. But he...more

like · see review

May 08, 2011 Charlie George rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, space-opera

Probably my least favorite Bujold yet, but of course still excellent. Miles as detective, matching wits with an unknown and unseen mastermind, up until a surprisingly anticlimactic end.

I would not go so far as to say an unsatisfying end, though. Miles heroism and accomplishments will be classified and secret, but they are known to some, to those who matter.

Miles' "first crush" didn't make a lot of sense, though it was cool she turned out to be like a shadow empress. What about Elena!?

Another t...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Lorena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

What Barrayar was thinking, sending Miles and Ivan to represent them at the funeral of the Empress of a long-standing but currently quiet empire, I will never know. If you had an uneasy truce with a planet with which you'd been at war for years and years, would you send, to a formal event, the two people who can't seem to go anywhere without getting into the kind of trouble that quickly escalates to global proportions?

But, no conflict, no story; so off these two instigators go... and soon there...more

like · see review

Jan 04, 2013 Stela Koycheva rated it 5 of 5 stars

книгата от поредицата, която най-много ми хареса. може би защото светът на сетаганда е прелестен и богат. завладяващ и много жесток към уродливите. много по-интересен от тези до момента. а и няма безкрайни битки със скучни кораби, а градини и неземни красоти. интригата е интересна и действието се развива достатъчно бързо за да не стане досадно. би ми се искало да има повече моменти с иван, но пак е забавно.
а може би ми стана любима тъй като разбрах, че с майлс най-много от всички чудесни геро...more

like · see review

Oct 05, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Having just met Gavin Guile in The Black Prism, I was less impressed with Miles than I should have been. I think I like him more later in his career. (Or right at the beginning.)
I started out interested in the mystery, but in the end I kept reading because of the additional depth of Cetagandan society revealed with each new chapter. Bujold did an excellent job of building a culture founded on the power of genetic manipulation. (Compare to her similar use of cryogenic preservation in CryoBurn, an...more

like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I am a McMaster Buold fan. I enjoy most of her books. Out of the 7 books I've read by her, two of them (Mirror Dance, Barrayar) are among my all time favorites.
That said, Cetaganda was an interesting, worthwhile read, but not top tier. I enjoyed the very richly drawn world of Cetaganda and it's strange customs. Bujold has a great imagination and the world she creates is strange, but comprehensible. Bujold has a fascination with genetic manipulations. It is one of the ongoing themes in the Vorko...more

like · see review

Feb 28, 2013 Murasaki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Questa donna è un genio e i suoi libri sono una droga. Per fortuna ne ha scritti così tanti che pur considerato l'osceno ritmo di lettura a cui sto procedendo (un libro al giorno), manca ancora un po' per mi ritrovi orfana del suo mondo e alla ricerca di qualcos'altro che mi intrighi così tanto.
La commistione tra fantascienza/giallo/spionaggio è davvero ben riuscita e lo stile, colmo di ironia, magistrale.
Ammetto, dopo un po' risulta difficile credere che il caro Miles riesca a infilarsi sempre...more

like · see review

Jul 08, 2010 Minh rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Cetaganda was a bit of a strange fish in the Vorkosigan world, Miles is clearly not grown up yet and still causing havoc wherever he goes and the novels are still very much in the form of 'Mystery of the Novel'. While the overall novel was enjoyable it was entirely forgettable with almost nothing of relevance happening in the series.

Once again we saw Miles and Ivan running around getting into trouble as they become entangled in a political mess with the Cetaganda political world in turmoil afte...more

like · see review

Jun 25, 2009 Elizabeth S. Q. Goodman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the first Miles Vorkosigan book I started to read, and I was too young for it at the time. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT start with this book!! It is too slow-paced, too much of an aristocratic game, and most of the action is in Miles' head and conversations at first. So it didn't work for me before I knew Miles. Though as a study of high sci-fi aristocracy and genetic engineering it has its own merits as a sci-fi book, it is in this way rather different from other Bujold books I've read. Re...more

like · see review

Sep 11, 2011 Grete rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Miles is now a Lieutenant and as Lord Vorkosigan, he is ordered to Eta Ceta along with his cousin Ivan. The Cetagandan Empress has died and they are to be ambassadors for Barrayar in the forthcoming mourning and funeral rites. What should have been a simple diplomatic event, turns into something far more serious as Miles becomes embroiled in a plot that could destroy the very nature of Cetaganda.

While I enjoyed Cetaganda, I did find it a bit confusing. The caste system and hierarchy weren’t clea...more

like · see review

Aug 26, 2009 Nicolas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cycle-la-saga-vorkosigan, complot, enquête, humanité, politique, palais, rayon-fantasy-et-sf

Dans cette histoire, Miles est envoyé avec son cousin Ivan chez les Cetagandans pour assister à un enterrement. Simplement parce qu'ils sont Barrayarans, ils vont se retrouver plongés dans un complot visant à modifier profondément l'équilibre des pouvoirs au sein de l'empire Cetagandan, ennemi de longue date de Barrayar.
Il y a beaucoup de finesse dans ce complot interne Cetagandan. Et beaucoup de finesse aussi dans la façon que Miles va être obligé d'utiliser pour démêler les noeuds de cette int...more

like · see review

Nov 07, 2011 Eric Moreno rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi

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

like · see review

Jan 11, 2010 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoy the Vorkosigan series. Miles always lands on his feet. While this probably isn't my favorite of all of them, it had tons of great interaction between Miles and Ivan--what great foils they are for each other!

I love a good series. I love getting to know characters and having the chance to re-visit them. It's a wonder I never got into soaps! Ha! Wait, I guess I said a "GOOD" series! Anyway, I love this series because there is witticism, mystery, strategy (but not too much!), and a c...more

like · see review

Jan 07, 2013 Renée rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history-future, ebook, feminist, future, own-it, politics, scifi, suspense, spies

Man these books have the worst covers. I wish someone would modernized them so that they appealed to a wider visual audience.
This book sets up so much of the oncoming story. It's a bit hard to follow in terms of the setup of the Cetaganda social and political structure, but according to the narrative it's hard for anyone to grasp who isn't a native. I think I mostly couldn't relate to any of the Cetagandans so I sort of cared less about them than I might have. It's fun to see Miles out with Iva...more

like · see review

Nov 08, 2009 Kathi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

This is my favorite book so far in the Miles Vorkosigan series.

What I liked: A limited sphere of action, fewer characters than some of the other books, a mystery to be solved, and a closer look at the Cetagandan civilization.

Miles does more thinking things through in this novel, rather than making so many intuitive leaps. We get to see more of his relationship with his cousin Ivan (who provides some of the laugh-out-loud moments in the book). Miles continues to learn about himself, continues to...more

like 2 likes · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (26)

More editions...

Genres

Science Fiction

354 users

Science Fiction > Space Opera

60 users

Fantasy

23 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

20 users

Mystery

18 users

Adventure

14 users

Speculative Fiction

12 users

Space

11 users

War > Military

10 users

Sci Fi Fantasy

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Conflict of Honors
by Sharon Lee
In Enemy Hands
by David Weber
The Far Side of the Stars
by David Drake
Winning Colors
by Elizabeth Moon

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

More about Lois McMaster Bujold...

Books by Lois McMaster Bujold

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

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Cetaganda

1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Cetaganda

“It was suicide, wasn't it?"
"In an involuntary sort of way," said Vorob'yev. "These Cetagandan political suicides can get awfully messy, when the principal won't cooperate."
"Thirty-two stab wounds in the back, worst case of suicide they ever saw?" murmured Ivan, clearly fascinated by the gossip.
"Exactly, my lord.” — 6 people liked it

“Mia Maz glanced aside in concern at his muffled snort. "Are you all right?"
"Yes. Sorry," he whispered. "I'm just having an attack of limericks."
Her eyes widened, and she bit her lip; only her deepening dimple betrayed her. "Shhh," she said, with feeling.” — 4 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Cetaganda
avg rating	preview: Cetaganda Goodreads rating: 4.10 (5745 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76812.Cetaganda?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348687028l/76812.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76812.Cetaganda?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold[/url]

Cetaganda (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication order) #9)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website