The familiar old SF "planet of women: chestnut is reversed in the planet of Athos— an all-male planet made possible by the invention of the uterine...
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Jan 19, 2012
Andreea
rated it: 
3.5 stars. I feel sad to write a less-than-laudable review for anything that Ms. Bujold wrote, but this book was a little disappointing.
First of all "Ethan of Athos" is very short, a novella of barely 180 pages. Obviously the size is not a problem in itself but the cause of other issues, as for instance the flat and bidimensional characters. If someone else wrote this story I would have rated it higher, but I got to expect so much more from Ms. Bujold's actors. The other n More...
First of all "Ethan of Athos" is very short, a novella of barely 180 pages. Obviously the size is not a problem in itself but the cause of other issues, as for instance the flat and bidimensional characters. If someone else wrote this story I would have rated it higher, but I got to expect so much more from Ms. Bujold's actors. The other n More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Holly
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Jan 31, 2012
Serena
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I really loved this book. Heidi Cullinan recommended it to me in an "unofficial" side bet of the M/M Romance group "monthly pick it for me challenge" - or I might have never even picked it up.
Even though it was written in 1986, it contains quite a few new (to me - and I've read lots of sci-fi) and interesting ideas. It tells the story of an obstetrician/geneticist on the all-male planet of Athos. I liked the descriptions of a society where religious doctrine presc More...
Even though it was written in 1986, it contains quite a few new (to me - and I've read lots of sci-fi) and interesting ideas. It tells the story of an obstetrician/geneticist on the all-male planet of Athos. I liked the descriptions of a society where religious doctrine presc More...
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Feb 19, 2008
Stevelvis
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ETHAN OF ATHOS by LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD -- A SciFi spy thriller with medical technology, intrigue, fast paced action, and humor. Highly recommended as a lot of fun.
Lois McMaster Bujold's Ethan of Athos is an action packed fun romp of a science fiction book with secret agents and political intrigue. On Athos, a completely isolated all-male planet located at the end of the galaxy, the ovarian tissue cultures used for reproduction in the labs have decayed and Doctor Ethan Urquhart the More...
Lois McMaster Bujold's Ethan of Athos is an action packed fun romp of a science fiction book with secret agents and political intrigue. On Athos, a completely isolated all-male planet located at the end of the galaxy, the ovarian tissue cultures used for reproduction in the labs have decayed and Doctor Ethan Urquhart the More...
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Aug 18, 2011
Sheherazahde
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This story takes place in the Vorkosigan universe but the only regular character involved is Elli Quinn, who claims to be on vacation but is actually on a mission. [return][return]The main charter is Dr Ethan Urquhart, Chief of Biology at the Severin District Reproduction Center on Athos an all male planet. Because there are no women on Athos (for religious reasons) children are conceived in vitro using egg cultures brought by the original colonists and brought to term in artificial wombs. Bu
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Feb 08, 2009
Siria
rated it:
Having read the blurb on the back cover—Dr Ethan Urquhart, a specialist in reproductive medicine from the male-only planet Athos, who has never before seen a woman, has to leave his isolationist, backwater homeworld to seek out some new ovarian samples so that the Athosian population doesn't die out—I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It could all have gone horribly wrong, but somehow Bujold manages to turn this book, despite its fairly thin plot, into a clever, funny romp. Parts
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Dec 29, 2011
Rachel
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It's actually been years since I read this, but I was reminded of it today by one of Sean's status updates for Angelfall, the one where he laments that the MC and the angel are going to start romancing each other. I sympathized (though I haven't read Angelfall), and that got me wondering whether the romancing is inevitable or necessary to make a good book.
Skip ahead to the answer: it's not. Here's proof.
(Bear in mind that the following is from memory, and forgive me if I get More...
Skip ahead to the answer: it's not. Here's proof.
(Bear in mind that the following is from memory, and forgive me if I get More...
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Jul 27, 2011
Simcha
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Dr. Ethan Urquhart is an obstetrician on the isolated, all-male planet of Athos where women are forbidden and infants are conceived in uterine replicators. Since the establishment of the planet, two hundred years ago, the same ovarian culture has been used for the reproduction of infants, but now those cultures have begun breaking and must quickly be replaced in order to keep the population from dying out. New ovarian tissue is ordered by mail but when it arrives the box contains trash instead
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Mar 27, 2011
Andreas
rated it:
Somewhat unexpectedly, this story doesn’t feature Miles at all. One of the main characters is Elli Quinn, introduced back in “The Warrior’s Apprentice”. She is now a Commander in the Dendarii Free Mercenaries and is hunting down a mysterious character named Terrence Cee. The titular protagonist, Ethan of the planet Athos, comes from an isolated society made up exclusively of males. He is a reproductive specialist who is sent on a mission to find ovarian cultures in order to enrich Athos’ failing
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Mar 25, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
I had utterly forgotten this book When Artemis told me I needed to read it. A world of men, uterine replicators, and parenting/nurturing being one of the most prestigous occupations a man can choose. Sounded fascinating.
Really most of the book is a fun action adventure in which the new eggs headed for Athos get ovarynaped and Ethan enters the frightening outside world (full of evil and dangerous women) (he's never seen one before) to buy ovaries from a reputable dealer, only to b More...
Really most of the book is a fun action adventure in which the new eggs headed for Athos get ovarynaped and Ethan enters the frightening outside world (full of evil and dangerous women) (he's never seen one before) to buy ovaries from a reputable dealer, only to b More...
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Feb 19, 2011
Zach
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I was a little disappointed that this book didn't star my favorite space dwarf, Miles Vorkosigan, instead giving the spotlight to the titular character and his planet. But Bujold's premise of a planet composed entirely of men, made possible by uterine replicator technology and ovarian cultures, was interesting enough to make up for my disappointment.
Ethan comes from Athos, or the "planet of the fags" as it's known to the rest of the galaxy. Established several hundred years More...
Ethan comes from Athos, or the "planet of the fags" as it's known to the rest of the galaxy. Established several hundred years More...
Feb 19, 2011
June
rated it:
An interesting portrayal of phobias. How would you view a telepathic? A spy? A pediatric doctor for pre-verbal patients? Or a doctor for stroke or accident victims who have lost the ability to communicate? A menace or a savior? What does a person's assumptions or views say about her or him? Probably 3.5, just disappointed that Miles didn't appear.
A very sympathetic, homosexual character. The ovarian tissue cultures Athos had ordered had been sabotaged. In order to save his all More...
A very sympathetic, homosexual character. The ovarian tissue cultures Athos had ordered had been sabotaged. In order to save his all More...
Jul 01, 2010
Katie
rated it:
Ethan of Athos is a fun, fast-paced space thriller. Perhaps a little too fast-paced, since there were some intriguing characters and bits of worldbuilding that I would have enjoyed seeing in more detail.
The main character, Ethan, is a doctor from a planet, Athos (gotta love a title that tells it like it is) where there are no women. (As a side note, I find it hard to believe that the all-male Athos could be quite so idyllic.) For the 200 years since the planet was founded, the men More...
The main character, Ethan, is a doctor from a planet, Athos (gotta love a title that tells it like it is) where there are no women. (As a side note, I find it hard to believe that the all-male Athos could be quite so idyllic.) For the 200 years since the planet was founded, the men More...
Mar 28, 2010
Surreysmum
rated it:
[These notes were made in 1989:]. Remind me to try to hunt down some more sci-fi by this lady. Not that this tale is spectacularly well-written - the tone is rather self-consciously flip at times - but the incident-filled plot is fairly well-handled, and the characters are attractive enough, with occasional flashes of real being. Ethan of Athos [Athens? Greek love?:] is a baby-grower from a homosexual male planet. Commander Elli Quinn is a female mercenary soldier with a quick tongue. She d
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Jun 07, 2010
Donna
rated it:
Ethan is a doctor specializing in reproductive medicine on a planet that's basically an overgrown "No Girls Allowed" treehouse. The men of Athos reproduce using donated eggs and uterine replicators, but after two hundred years their stock of female genetic material is starting to deteriorate. When their attempt to mail-order more ovary cultures goes badly, Ethan leaves home to make the new purchase himself. But on Kline Station, he'll face things even more frightening than women.
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Nov 24, 2009
Jon
rated it:
3.5 stars
Miles is completely absent from this Vorkosigan series installment. Elli Quinn returns, with a new face and a new mission. The story is told mostly from the point-of-view of Ethan. Again, the theme swirls around genetics and reproduction, but definitely with a twist. The flip side of the female controlled genetic finesse of Cetaganda proves to be Athos, an all male planet rapidly running out of viable ovary cultures at their Rep Centers. When the batch of new ovaries is More...
Miles is completely absent from this Vorkosigan series installment. Elli Quinn returns, with a new face and a new mission. The story is told mostly from the point-of-view of Ethan. Again, the theme swirls around genetics and reproduction, but definitely with a twist. The flip side of the female controlled genetic finesse of Cetaganda proves to be Athos, an all male planet rapidly running out of viable ovary cultures at their Rep Centers. When the batch of new ovaries is More...
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Nov 21, 2009
Kathi
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Dec 12, 2011
SA
rated it:
"Not a Story About Miles." I spent approximately 1/3 of this book hating everybody, including Ethan; 1/3 of this book interested in the genetic politics of Bujold's galaxy; and 1/3 of this book in shaky relief that Bujold didn't stick the landing.
I realize this is a very early novel for Bujold, and I'm willing to forgive a lot based on the sheer enjoyment I've had with this series and her writing so far. But it was deeply unclear to me whether she was going to push the age More...
I realize this is a very early novel for Bujold, and I'm willing to forgive a lot based on the sheer enjoyment I've had with this series and her writing so far. But it was deeply unclear to me whether she was going to push the age More...
Oct 05, 2011
Samrat
rated it:
This was interesting. These books generally work on two levels - as light-hearted, fast-paced, smartish mystery novels (in space!) and with some allegorical themes, exploring questions of race, religion, gender, sexuality, class, honesty, taboo, romance, yadda yadda yadda. This one's much of the same. I liked it a little less than others as Ethan's character didn't arc as much as I'd hoped/expected.
I think Ethan of Athos will always remarkably stand out in my mind for provoking thoug More...
I think Ethan of Athos will always remarkably stand out in my mind for provoking thoug More...
Feb 07, 2010
Kernos
rated it:
A Gay positive exploration of a man who left his all male planet on a quest to acquire ovarian tissue for use in reproduction on his planet Athos. He meets and is forced to interact with true aliens, females, for the 1st time in his life. The plot is driven by the mystery of stolen ovarian cultures and unexpected twists that resulted in their theft.
The book has a great plot, but I wish the idea had been fleshed out more. It is more of a novella and a novel. I want to know more about More...
The book has a great plot, but I wish the idea had been fleshed out more. It is more of a novella and a novel. I want to know more about More...
Jul 26, 2011
Sarah Pi
rated it:
I'm wavering between three and four stars. I think I liked this one more than a lot of you did. I like that Bujold felt confident enough in her series that she could step away from her main character entirely. I'm not sure whether this one was written earlier or whether she slotted it into the chronology of the other books. Either way, I enjoyed getting to know more about Elli Quinn. Ethan's terror about women and skewed world view made him an entertaining character to follow as well. It was fun
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Dec 12, 2010
Elizabby
rated it: 
This book is not directly in the sequence of books about Miles Vorkosigan, although set in the same universe. It is still excellently written and contains vivid and memorable characters. It is an exploration of the themes of what it means to be the "Other" and what it means to society to exclude some. The main characters are Ellie Quinn (from the Miles Vorkosigan books) a beautiful but deadly mercenary, Ethan of Athos, a homosexual doctor on a mission and Terrence Cee a telepath and ru
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Nov 23, 2008
Krom
rated it:
This story is set in the Miles Vorkosigan world, but really happens completely apart from those characters save for one member of the Dendarii Mercenaries joining forces with the protagonist as part of her own investigation.
One of the key technologies of this universe is the uterine replicator, a piece of equipment that lets people make babies without a women carrying the baby to term herself. So the idea of a bunch of religious nuts deciding women are evil and settling a remote p More...
One of the key technologies of this universe is the uterine replicator, a piece of equipment that lets people make babies without a women carrying the baby to term herself. So the idea of a bunch of religious nuts deciding women are evil and settling a remote p More...
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Jun 29, 2009
Set in the Vorkosigan universe, Miles does not appear in this book although he's occasionally referred to. This book takes place shortly after Cetaganda, although it was written much earlier. It sort of shows, in that there is information that comes out in Cetaganda that might have been known to the characters of this book if the author had written the previous book and, thus, developed the Cetagandan culture much more heavily than it was developed when this book was actually written.
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Sep 11, 2011
Grete
rated it:
Dr. Ethan Urquhart is the Chief of Biology at the Severin District Reproduction Centre. On a planet entirely populated by men and forbidden to women, it takes ingenuity to keep the species going. When there is a drastic shortage of viable ovarian tissue cultures, steps have to be taken to order supplies in from off-world. When the delivery turns out to be substituted junk, Ethan has to leave his cloistered planet in search of new tissue cultures. Eli Quinn of the Dendarii Free Mercenaries h More...
Nov 09, 2009
_Ethan of Athos_ (Vorkosigan Saga, #6)
The group Beyond Reality will start reading Ethan of Athos on Sunday, November 15, 2009.
The Goodreads author description says:
"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."
ABOVE QUOTE FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/160...
P.S. I've been a More...
The group Beyond Reality will start reading Ethan of Athos on Sunday, November 15, 2009.
The Goodreads author description says:
"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."
ABOVE QUOTE FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/160...
P.S. I've been a More...
Nov 14, 2009
Michael
rated it:
Don't start this one thinking Miles is in it. You'll only be disappointed. The little guy is mentioned quite a bit though and one of the major characters is Elli Quinn, some might remember her from The Warrior's Apprentice. The main protagonist is this chap Ethan. He lives on a male only planet inhabited by blokes who live in superstitious dread of women (otherwise known as uterine replicators with legs). The fun starts when he has to leave his home planet in search or a replacement supply of ov
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Oct 26, 2011
Janet
rated it: 
Not enough Miles! (Actually, no Miles, at all, beyond a couple mentions of his name.)
I was amused by the idea of the monks of Mt Athos founding a colony world, and using reproductive technology to ensure that only male babies would be born. My hopes that Bujold would at least touch on the issues of a world that entirely negates the value of the female half of the human equation were not met, which is one reason I couldn't rate the book any higher. It was an ok story, but more like an e More...
I was amused by the idea of the monks of Mt Athos founding a colony world, and using reproductive technology to ensure that only male babies would be born. My hopes that Bujold would at least touch on the issues of a world that entirely negates the value of the female half of the human equation were not met, which is one reason I couldn't rate the book any higher. It was an ok story, but more like an e More...
Sep 30, 2011
Philip
rated it:
Boy howdy these are fun. Excellently written if not of much consequence. That's just fine though. Spaceships and stunners are right by me when they're this smart (and character focused). I did like how in the far off year of the future pagers have retaken cell phones as the primary means of wireless personal communication. Can't predict them all, Bujold.
Reading these in publishing order. I hear they become less Space Opera and more Space... something-else. Looking forward to the evol More...
Reading these in publishing order. I hear they become less Space Opera and more Space... something-else. Looking forward to the evol More...
Jul 27, 2010
JoyfulK
rated it:
I was inspired to re-read this old favorite after reading an essay about it in The Vorkosigan Companion. This novel contains deep characterization, comedy, plot (and plotting), and investigates some themes that are all too current, even 25 years after its first publication: the value of unpaid labor; genetic engineering; same-gender couples parenting children; what's worth doing in the name of intelligence and counter-intelligence; the potential design of a space habitat. All tied up in a comic
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