What do you think?
Rate this book
Kibou-daini is a planet obsessed with cheating death. Barrayaran Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan can hardly disapprove—he’s been cheating death his whole life, on the theory that turnabout is fair play. But when a Kibou-daini cryocorp—an immortal company whose job it is to shepherd its all-too-mortal frozen patrons into an unknown future—attempts to expand its franchise into the Barrayaran Empire, Emperor Gregor dispatches his top troubleshooter Miles to check it out.
On Kibou-daini, Miles discovers generational conflict over money and resources is heating up, even as refugees displaced in time skew the meaning of generation past repair. Here he finds a young boy with a passion for pets and a dangerous secret, a Snow White trapped in an icy coffin who burns to re-write her own tale, and a mysterious crone who is the very embodiment of the warning Don’t mess with the secretary. Bribery, corruption, conspiracy, kidnapping—something is rotten on Kibou-daini, and it isn’t due to power outages in the Cryocombs. And Miles is in the middle—of trouble!
On Kibou-daini, Miles discovers generational conflict over money and resources is heating up, even as refugees displaced in time skew the meaning of generation past repair. Here he finds a young boy with a passion for pets and a dangerous secret, a Snow White trapped in an icy coffin who burns to re-write her own tale, and a mysterious crone who is the very embodiment of the warning Don’t mess with the secretary. Bribery, corruption, conspiracy, kidnapping—something is rotten on Kibou-daini, and it isn’t due to power outages in the Cryocombs. And Miles is in the middle—of trouble!
345 pages, Hardcover
First published October 19, 2010
263 people are currently reading
3615 people want to read
About the author
Lois McMaster Bujold
189 books39.3k followersLois McMaster Bujold was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children.
Her fantasy from HarperCollins includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife tetralogy; her science fiction from Baen Books features the perennially bestselling Vorkosigan Saga. Her work has been translated into over twenty languages.
Questions regarding foreign rights, film/tv subrights, and other business matters should be directed to Spectrum Literary Agency, spectrumliteraryagency.com
A listing of her awards and nominations may be seen here:
http://www.sfadb.com/Lois_McMaster_Bu...
A listing of her interviews is here:
http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
An older fan-run site devoted to her work, The Bujold Nexus, is here:
http://www.dendarii.com/
Her fantasy from HarperCollins includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife tetralogy; her science fiction from Baen Books features the perennially bestselling Vorkosigan Saga. Her work has been translated into over twenty languages.
Questions regarding foreign rights, film/tv subrights, and other business matters should be directed to Spectrum Literary Agency, spectrumliteraryagency.com
A listing of her awards and nominations may be seen here:
http://www.sfadb.com/Lois_McMaster_Bu...
A listing of her interviews is here:
http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
An older fan-run site devoted to her work, The Bujold Nexus, is here:
http://www.dendarii.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,195 reviews
August 17, 2010
The second half of this review contains spoilers for the book. I'll post a warning before we get into them. (Note: this is an actual review for the book--which normally I don't post, as the community norm in romance is that authors don't review books. So don't assume I liked this book less than other books, simply because I say bad things about it. Which is fine--but this is not a romance, and scifi the norms are different. So this is an actual a review.)
So, this book. I have been arguing with myself as to whether this is a four or a five star book, not because I waffle as to how good the book actually is, but because I am not sure which grading scale to use.
I had some worries going into this book. My biggest worry was this: About 10 years ago, I was one of Bujold's natural readers. By this, I mean that the books she was writing were the perfect emotional fit for the books I wanted--no, needed--to read. I've read some of her books literally dozens and dozens of time (Memory, I'm looking at you). But over the last decade that has shifted. I've changed. She's changed. I still enjoy her books, but the last handful haven't caught flame in my heart the way the middle-Miles books did.
So. This book. It's a fast-pace, tightly-plotted Milesian adventure, along the lines of Cetaganda. There's a mystery. There's a pile of cryogenically frozen bodies. And the stakes escalate as the book goes on, from mystery to curiosity to planetary warfare. There's her trademark sense of humor. There's a creepy threat to the Imperium. I enjoyed it.
But this book has a problem, and his name is Jin. Don't get me wrong--I have no problem with kids in fiction. The problem with Jin is that he didn't feel like a child. Or, rather, he didn't feel like a consistently rendered child. (Nikki, on the other hand, always did.) Jin felt like an inconsistently rendered plot device--deeply ignorant, when he needed to ask a question for clarification; and yet profoundly savvy when not.
As an example, Jin (who is twelve) hears that Miles is an Auditor, and assumes that he's an insurance fraud investigator, with Gregor as his boss. Let me point out the ways that this doesn't make sense: At this point, Jin has seen that the Barrayaran consul jumps at Miles's command, that they follow his words as if he were in charge. Jin has seen Miles in action. He's seen the paths that he follows. It simply does not make sense, in light of everything that Jin has seen, that he would persist in the belief that Miles is a glorified insurance salesman, until the very end of the book. Jin is not a stupid twelve years old. He's not a foolish twelve years old. In fact, in my experience, kids--and especially smart kids--are so much less likely to be confused by labels, because they have so many fewer boxes to put things in.
If Jin was too age-stupid in some parts, his emotional concerns felt astonishingly adult-like in others. The way he evaluates Miles-as-father really felt critical in a way that adults are of other adults. In some ways, I felt like Bujold wrote a twelve-year-old child by writing someone like an adult, but with more misconceptions.
This is not to say that Jin ruined the book, but I had a hard time believing he was the narrator when we were in his point of view.
Gripe #2: Ekaterin. I loved A Civil Campaign, but this book just...argh. She's presented as so freaking domestic--and she always was domestic, but--she's so traditional. And that's not out of character for her, but...like I said, argh.
Hence, the four-star review: As a standalone effort, this is a very good book, but one that contained a significant enough flaw that my brain would not turn off in its entirety.
Now we get to the other half of the review. Because there is one way in which this book is unquestionably, undoubtedly, a five-star book.
Here there be Major Spoilers for the last five hundred and three words of the book, so please don't read any farther unless you want to be spoiled.
No. Really. I mean it. DON'T READ ANY FARTHER.
Okay, are you serious about this? Because if you haven't read the book, I don't want to rob it of the emotional impact for you. And you might think you want to be spoiled, but really... you don't.
One of the things I...regret is not the right word. One of the things that makes me wistful about writing romance is the notion that you cannot screw with the Happily Ever After. You don't kill off the spouse of the first couple in the sequel. In fact, in most instances, you show the couple of the prior books off only in order to show their increasing, sickeningly sweet happiness, and their extraordinary fecundity (without, of course, the corresponding sagging body parts).
In some ways, I feel like the extraordinarily rosy future in some ways cheapens the Happily Ever After--as if all the hard work has been done, and so now they may rest on their laurels, content with well-behaved children, estates that produce everything they could want, and milk and honey in every cup forever and ever, and no problems ever threaten the couple.
I don't believe it has to be that way. And this makes me think of what Jo Beverley said at a keynote speech that I heard--that what we should be striving for is not the saccharine happy ending, but a triumphant ending.
On that count, this book delivers. In spades. There is one way that this book is absolutely, without question, a five star review, and that is as an ode for Aral Vorkosigan. This book is a justification for death of the non-cheating variety, as a necessary component of rebirth. And even though she makes you doubt the event in question will happen, during the course of the book, she tells you the truth from the very first line of the book: "Angels were falling all over the place."
If you, like me, have read the earlier Vorkosigan books a billion times, you'll feel the echoes and reverberations throughout.
I remember. It's an echo of what Harra Csurik says to Miles in the Mountains of Mourning, when she comes to Vorkosigan Surleau, seeking justice for her murdered child. And it is Aral Vorkosigan who listens to her, and who tasks Miles with the meting out of justice. But here, instead of it being justice for the parent to the child, it's an inversion, that of justice for the child.
Throughout the book, we are consistently told that Aral Vorkosigan is aging to the point where perhaps emergency treatment, via untested lab results, is indicated. And, with Lord Mark's business interests, Bujold makes us believe, perhaps hope, even that perhaps she's going to cop out on the promise she made once--that the next book in the Vorkosigan series would be about Aral's death. But that hope is Miles's and Mark's--the belief that really, their father cannot die.
And that hope is just a fairy tale.
This book, even if it is ostensibly about planetary politics that are far removed from Barrayar, is about Aral's legacy. There's a weird symmetry to the plot: Miles saves Komarr from off-world invasion of the weirdest and creepiest variety (and think about what that means for Aral's legacy). More than that: it's about an elderly Komarran lady who, instead of being gunned down, turns to the Imperium and thus saves them all.
There are a thousand other cross-weavings.
At the very end, we have an... epilogue, of sorts, entitled "Aftermaths." Not having all my Vorkosigan books easily to hand, I can't check. But I don't believe that any book had an epilogue entitled "Aftermaths." Any book, of course, except Shards of Honor.
And so I embark on the epilogue with that first Aftermaths firmly in mind:
So, this book. I have been arguing with myself as to whether this is a four or a five star book, not because I waffle as to how good the book actually is, but because I am not sure which grading scale to use.
I had some worries going into this book. My biggest worry was this: About 10 years ago, I was one of Bujold's natural readers. By this, I mean that the books she was writing were the perfect emotional fit for the books I wanted--no, needed--to read. I've read some of her books literally dozens and dozens of time (Memory, I'm looking at you). But over the last decade that has shifted. I've changed. She's changed. I still enjoy her books, but the last handful haven't caught flame in my heart the way the middle-Miles books did.
So. This book. It's a fast-pace, tightly-plotted Milesian adventure, along the lines of Cetaganda. There's a mystery. There's a pile of cryogenically frozen bodies. And the stakes escalate as the book goes on, from mystery to curiosity to planetary warfare. There's her trademark sense of humor. There's a creepy threat to the Imperium. I enjoyed it.
But this book has a problem, and his name is Jin. Don't get me wrong--I have no problem with kids in fiction. The problem with Jin is that he didn't feel like a child. Or, rather, he didn't feel like a consistently rendered child. (Nikki, on the other hand, always did.) Jin felt like an inconsistently rendered plot device--deeply ignorant, when he needed to ask a question for clarification; and yet profoundly savvy when not.
As an example, Jin (who is twelve) hears that Miles is an Auditor, and assumes that he's an insurance fraud investigator, with Gregor as his boss. Let me point out the ways that this doesn't make sense: At this point, Jin has seen that the Barrayaran consul jumps at Miles's command, that they follow his words as if he were in charge. Jin has seen Miles in action. He's seen the paths that he follows. It simply does not make sense, in light of everything that Jin has seen, that he would persist in the belief that Miles is a glorified insurance salesman, until the very end of the book. Jin is not a stupid twelve years old. He's not a foolish twelve years old. In fact, in my experience, kids--and especially smart kids--are so much less likely to be confused by labels, because they have so many fewer boxes to put things in.
If Jin was too age-stupid in some parts, his emotional concerns felt astonishingly adult-like in others. The way he evaluates Miles-as-father really felt critical in a way that adults are of other adults. In some ways, I felt like Bujold wrote a twelve-year-old child by writing someone like an adult, but with more misconceptions.
This is not to say that Jin ruined the book, but I had a hard time believing he was the narrator when we were in his point of view.
Gripe #2: Ekaterin. I loved A Civil Campaign, but this book just...argh. She's presented as so freaking domestic--and she always was domestic, but--she's so traditional. And that's not out of character for her, but...like I said, argh.
Hence, the four-star review: As a standalone effort, this is a very good book, but one that contained a significant enough flaw that my brain would not turn off in its entirety.
Now we get to the other half of the review. Because there is one way in which this book is unquestionably, undoubtedly, a five-star book.
Here there be Major Spoilers for the last five hundred and three words of the book, so please don't read any farther unless you want to be spoiled.
No. Really. I mean it. DON'T READ ANY FARTHER.
Okay, are you serious about this? Because if you haven't read the book, I don't want to rob it of the emotional impact for you. And you might think you want to be spoiled, but really... you don't.
One of the things I...regret is not the right word. One of the things that makes me wistful about writing romance is the notion that you cannot screw with the Happily Ever After. You don't kill off the spouse of the first couple in the sequel. In fact, in most instances, you show the couple of the prior books off only in order to show their increasing, sickeningly sweet happiness, and their extraordinary fecundity (without, of course, the corresponding sagging body parts).
In some ways, I feel like the extraordinarily rosy future in some ways cheapens the Happily Ever After--as if all the hard work has been done, and so now they may rest on their laurels, content with well-behaved children, estates that produce everything they could want, and milk and honey in every cup forever and ever, and no problems ever threaten the couple.
I don't believe it has to be that way. And this makes me think of what Jo Beverley said at a keynote speech that I heard--that what we should be striving for is not the saccharine happy ending, but a triumphant ending.
On that count, this book delivers. In spades. There is one way that this book is absolutely, without question, a five star review, and that is as an ode for Aral Vorkosigan. This book is a justification for death of the non-cheating variety, as a necessary component of rebirth. And even though she makes you doubt the event in question will happen, during the course of the book, she tells you the truth from the very first line of the book: "Angels were falling all over the place."
If you, like me, have read the earlier Vorkosigan books a billion times, you'll feel the echoes and reverberations throughout.
“They’ve a right,” Miles repeated, wondering why those words seemed to resonate in his mind. He ought to know, but these days he couldn’t blame every memory lapse on his own ten-year-old cryorevival.
I remember. It's an echo of what Harra Csurik says to Miles in the Mountains of Mourning, when she comes to Vorkosigan Surleau, seeking justice for her murdered child. And it is Aral Vorkosigan who listens to her, and who tasks Miles with the meting out of justice. But here, instead of it being justice for the parent to the child, it's an inversion, that of justice for the child.
Throughout the book, we are consistently told that Aral Vorkosigan is aging to the point where perhaps emergency treatment, via untested lab results, is indicated. And, with Lord Mark's business interests, Bujold makes us believe, perhaps hope, even that perhaps she's going to cop out on the promise she made once--that the next book in the Vorkosigan series would be about Aral's death. But that hope is Miles's and Mark's--the belief that really, their father cannot die.
And that hope is just a fairy tale.
This book, even if it is ostensibly about planetary politics that are far removed from Barrayar, is about Aral's legacy. There's a weird symmetry to the plot: Miles saves Komarr from off-world invasion of the weirdest and creepiest variety (and think about what that means for Aral's legacy). More than that: it's about an elderly Komarran lady who, instead of being gunned down, turns to the Imperium and thus saves them all.
There are a thousand other cross-weavings.
At the very end, we have an... epilogue, of sorts, entitled "Aftermaths." Not having all my Vorkosigan books easily to hand, I can't check. But I don't believe that any book had an epilogue entitled "Aftermaths." Any book, of course, except Shards of Honor.
And so I embark on the epilogue with that first Aftermaths firmly in mind:
"Don't be afraid," she said. "The dead cannot hurt you. They give you no pain, except that of seeing your own death in their faces. And one can face that, I find."
Yes, he thought, the good face pain. But the great—they embrace it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2022
“All the worry people expend over not existing after they die, yet nary a one ever seems to spare a moment to worry about not having existed before they were conceived."
In Lois McMaster Bujold's Cryoburn (Vorkosigan Saga, #14), Miles Vorksigan as Imperial Auditor, investigates WhiteChrys, one of the many cryocorporations on the planet Kibou-daini freezing clients who hope they will be revived later. A solid story about what exactly is happening on this planet. I liked this, but the pacing seemed a little slow. I'm still sure, however, that I will read more from this author.
In Lois McMaster Bujold's Cryoburn (Vorkosigan Saga, #14), Miles Vorksigan as Imperial Auditor, investigates WhiteChrys, one of the many cryocorporations on the planet Kibou-daini freezing clients who hope they will be revived later. A solid story about what exactly is happening on this planet. I liked this, but the pacing seemed a little slow. I'm still sure, however, that I will read more from this author.
August 5, 2010
Ah. I got an ARC of this two weeks ago, and it’s a mark of just how fucked in the head I was by the bar exam that I couldn’t even crack it open until now. But I did at last, and ah, it was good.
This is a romp. In fact I’d go so far as to say in some places it’s a caper. Basically, it’s a hundred thousand words of Miles repeatedly happening to people. These people generally start out unsuspecting, but by the end are learning to brace for impact, even if they’re curled up in the fetal position and whimpering on the inside.
Except be careful of the corners and edges on this caper, because some of them will cut you. Like most of this series, this book contemplates a bit of speculative technology – cryo freezing and reviving, here – and asks a lot of penetrating questions about the sociopolitical fallout. Without, thank God, being didactic or prescriptive or blankly alarmist or utopian. This is a book about the institutions of death when death is temporary. Except – and I’m paraphrasing Miles here, because he sums this up nicely for us at one point – institutions and corporations and political machines are just big groups of people mostly moving in the same direction. They might feel like they’ll live forever, but they’re just us, too, and we certainly don’t.
Except when we kind of do, and how voting power would be allocated to frozen people, not to mention the economics of it (I slapped a hand over my face and laugh-groaned a lot over the commodified cryo corpse contract swaps, because ahaha, yes, that is so fucking trufax). Then again, I clearly still am fucked in the head by the bar exam, because I also thought in a frantic gabble at one point, “does this planet have an inherited Rule Against Perpetuities? Because if the voting interests don’t vest within 21 years of the end of a life in being – and technically they’re not lives in being – then the conveyances are void oh my God what is wrong with me?”
To everyone who actually understood that: I am so, so sorry.
Ahem. The point. This book is not a disappointment. It is fun and hilarious and chewy. It is also a lot more conscious of Miles’s privilege than previous volumes, in ways I appreciated. Really, one of the best things that happened to this series was the introduction of roving point-of-view, because there are so very many things that Miles does not know about himself; his quite literal entitlement is often one of them.
And then it ends with a quintet of drabbles. Really good drabbles, the kind that feel like really good haiku, where saying the perfect thing in the perfect, tiny package makes writing like origami or something else beautiful and precise and intense. Ouch.
The title isn't any better after reading, though.
This is a romp. In fact I’d go so far as to say in some places it’s a caper. Basically, it’s a hundred thousand words of Miles repeatedly happening to people. These people generally start out unsuspecting, but by the end are learning to brace for impact, even if they’re curled up in the fetal position and whimpering on the inside.
Except be careful of the corners and edges on this caper, because some of them will cut you. Like most of this series, this book contemplates a bit of speculative technology – cryo freezing and reviving, here – and asks a lot of penetrating questions about the sociopolitical fallout. Without, thank God, being didactic or prescriptive or blankly alarmist or utopian. This is a book about the institutions of death when death is temporary. Except – and I’m paraphrasing Miles here, because he sums this up nicely for us at one point – institutions and corporations and political machines are just big groups of people mostly moving in the same direction. They might feel like they’ll live forever, but they’re just us, too, and we certainly don’t.
Except when we kind of do, and how voting power would be allocated to frozen people, not to mention the economics of it (I slapped a hand over my face and laugh-groaned a lot over the commodified cryo corpse contract swaps, because ahaha, yes, that is so fucking trufax). Then again, I clearly still am fucked in the head by the bar exam, because I also thought in a frantic gabble at one point, “does this planet have an inherited Rule Against Perpetuities? Because if the voting interests don’t vest within 21 years of the end of a life in being – and technically they’re not lives in being – then the conveyances are void oh my God what is wrong with me?”
To everyone who actually understood that: I am so, so sorry.
Ahem. The point. This book is not a disappointment. It is fun and hilarious and chewy. It is also a lot more conscious of Miles’s privilege than previous volumes, in ways I appreciated. Really, one of the best things that happened to this series was the introduction of roving point-of-view, because there are so very many things that Miles does not know about himself; his quite literal entitlement is often one of them.
And then it ends with a quintet of drabbles. Really good drabbles, the kind that feel like really good haiku, where saying the perfect thing in the perfect, tiny package makes writing like origami or something else beautiful and precise and intense. Ouch.
The title isn't any better after reading, though.
February 17, 2025
*** 4 ***
A buddy read with my friends Evgeny and Maria, because we need some Forward Momentum!!!
I can't believe it has been almost 40 years on page, since we first met Miles's mom and dad, his birth, his teenage years, his loves, his Grand successes and major fallings. In this book Miles is 38 years old, a happily married father of four, a very prestigious Emperial Auditor, and still just as much Miles Vorkosigan as when we started...
The book starts with Miles waking up in the dark and unfamiliar underground maze of corridors in a planet he had been visiting in his capacity as an Auditor. Corrupt Cryogenic Moguls have created a culture in which people freeze themselves in the hope to be awakened when a cure for aging or other conditions is discovered, giving their money, rights to their lives and their voting rights to the Cryo Companies. This must require a ton of trust, because what is to guarantee that they will act in your best interest, or even wake you up at all...
So, those Companies are trying to set up shop in Barrayaran Empire's planets and Gregor and his Empress smell something fishy. Of course, the best person to send to get to the heart of the problem is Miles Vorkosigan! The little weaselly Lord can figure out anything! Unfortunately, he also always gets himself almost killed as well. And this is where we find him - drugged out of his mind, beaten up, and lost, when two locals encounter him in an abandoned derelict Cryogenic Facility. Poor and hiding folks are currently using it as their home and a small boy gives the bedraggled short outlander a helping hand. At the end, Miles repays the boy's kindness with even bigger kindness of his own, and with the typical for him manic flair.
Armsman Roic is his assigned sidekick for this adventure and it was really good to see him again. However, we didn't have any of our other favorite characters show up, but were told in passing about couple of significant deaths which just broke my ❤!!! The last several sentences in the book just killed me and it feels like an era of greatness has ended, leaving a deep scar on the soul... I cried, and now I don't really want to read anything, which truly makes no sense, since we didn't see the character that much anyway... *deep sigh*... The heart feels how it feels.
Once again there is an ethical dilemma, this time dealing with how long should we want to live, even if we have the ability to extend our live spans indefinitely. When do we have the moral responsibility to let the next generation have their turn, and if a medical cure for aging is found, should only the rich be able to afford it or should it be a right for all levels of economic groups. It is fascinating and once again the author doesn't judge but gives us only food for thought and I appreciate it tremendously!!!
Otherwise the story was more procedural than the space advanture we are used to with Miles and the pacing was slower, perked up by the two precocious children who stole the show. It was not the best book in the series, but as I have said before, even mediocre Vorkosigan book is better than no Vorkosigan book at all. I enjoyed every minute of it, despite it finding a way to smash me to the floor with its ending... I wonder where the author will go from here... It will never be the same again.
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Good Book!!!
A buddy read with my friends Evgeny and Maria, because we need some Forward Momentum!!!
I can't believe it has been almost 40 years on page, since we first met Miles's mom and dad, his birth, his teenage years, his loves, his Grand successes and major fallings. In this book Miles is 38 years old, a happily married father of four, a very prestigious Emperial Auditor, and still just as much Miles Vorkosigan as when we started...
The book starts with Miles waking up in the dark and unfamiliar underground maze of corridors in a planet he had been visiting in his capacity as an Auditor. Corrupt Cryogenic Moguls have created a culture in which people freeze themselves in the hope to be awakened when a cure for aging or other conditions is discovered, giving their money, rights to their lives and their voting rights to the Cryo Companies. This must require a ton of trust, because what is to guarantee that they will act in your best interest, or even wake you up at all...
So, those Companies are trying to set up shop in Barrayaran Empire's planets and Gregor and his Empress smell something fishy. Of course, the best person to send to get to the heart of the problem is Miles Vorkosigan! The little weaselly Lord can figure out anything! Unfortunately, he also always gets himself almost killed as well. And this is where we find him - drugged out of his mind, beaten up, and lost, when two locals encounter him in an abandoned derelict Cryogenic Facility. Poor and hiding folks are currently using it as their home and a small boy gives the bedraggled short outlander a helping hand. At the end, Miles repays the boy's kindness with even bigger kindness of his own, and with the typical for him manic flair.
Armsman Roic is his assigned sidekick for this adventure and it was really good to see him again. However, we didn't have any of our other favorite characters show up, but were told in passing about couple of significant deaths which just broke my ❤!!! The last several sentences in the book just killed me and it feels like an era of greatness has ended, leaving a deep scar on the soul... I cried, and now I don't really want to read anything, which truly makes no sense, since we didn't see the character that much anyway... *deep sigh*... The heart feels how it feels.
Once again there is an ethical dilemma, this time dealing with how long should we want to live, even if we have the ability to extend our live spans indefinitely. When do we have the moral responsibility to let the next generation have their turn, and if a medical cure for aging is found, should only the rich be able to afford it or should it be a right for all levels of economic groups. It is fascinating and once again the author doesn't judge but gives us only food for thought and I appreciate it tremendously!!!
Otherwise the story was more procedural than the space advanture we are used to with Miles and the pacing was slower, perked up by the two precocious children who stole the show. It was not the best book in the series, but as I have said before, even mediocre Vorkosigan book is better than no Vorkosigan book at all. I enjoyed every minute of it, despite it finding a way to smash me to the floor with its ending... I wonder where the author will go from here... It will never be the same again.
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Good Book!!!
May 25, 2017
Buddy read with Choko and Evgeny.
CryoBurn is the next to last book so far in the series and for most of the time is a return to Miles' galactic adventures, similar to Diplomatic Immunity. He's sent to Kibou-daini to investigate a possible ploy by one of their cryo corporations to make some trouble on Komarr. One of his official tasks is to figure out what they are planning. But in typical Miles' fashion he ends up neck deep in some local troubles and gets roped in in the role of the hero who will save them all.
Kibou-daini is one of the weirder planets of the Nexus with its obsession with cryopreservation. People are so obsessed with the idea of cheating death that they've stopped living and willingly go to the cryocorps to get frozen. *shudders* Thanks to the fact that technically all those frozen people aren't dead and have their votes, the cryo corporations own the planet, because they are the proxies by which their patrons exercise their rights. And here I thought that Jackson's Whole is corrupt! At least they don't pretend to be the good guys.
The first time I read this book I somehow skipped the Unfortunately this isn't the only heartbreaking moment of the book. In a way this is the end of an era for both Barrayar and Miles. I hope we'll have a chance to see what happens in another Miles POV book and how he handles the new situation.
Originally I rated the book 3 stars but the emotional impact of this reread made me raise my rating. It's a good book. Different from the others but still a good one. I know that a lot of people kind of dislike it as they do the one that follows (it's the one book in the series that deviates the most from the usual) but I still enjoyed the hell out of it. I loved Jin and the Consul and in my mind If you're interested in this series I strongly discourage you to start here. There are too many ties to the previous books and you'll get completely lost if you start with it. So go pick Shards of Honor and start at the beginning.
CryoBurn is the next to last book so far in the series and for most of the time is a return to Miles' galactic adventures, similar to Diplomatic Immunity. He's sent to Kibou-daini to investigate a possible ploy by one of their cryo corporations to make some trouble on Komarr. One of his official tasks is to figure out what they are planning. But in typical Miles' fashion he ends up neck deep in some local troubles and gets roped in in the role of the hero who will save them all.
Kibou-daini is one of the weirder planets of the Nexus with its obsession with cryopreservation. People are so obsessed with the idea of cheating death that they've stopped living and willingly go to the cryocorps to get frozen. *shudders* Thanks to the fact that technically all those frozen people aren't dead and have their votes, the cryo corporations own the planet, because they are the proxies by which their patrons exercise their rights. And here I thought that Jackson's Whole is corrupt! At least they don't pretend to be the good guys.
The first time I read this book I somehow skipped the Unfortunately this isn't the only heartbreaking moment of the book. In a way this is the end of an era for both Barrayar and Miles. I hope we'll have a chance to see what happens in another Miles POV book and how he handles the new situation.
Originally I rated the book 3 stars but the emotional impact of this reread made me raise my rating. It's a good book. Different from the others but still a good one. I know that a lot of people kind of dislike it as they do the one that follows (it's the one book in the series that deviates the most from the usual) but I still enjoyed the hell out of it. I loved Jin and the Consul and in my mind If you're interested in this series I strongly discourage you to start here. There are too many ties to the previous books and you'll get completely lost if you start with it. So go pick Shards of Honor and start at the beginning.
December 29, 2015
Bujold returns to her sci-fi world after 7 years and 2 fantasy series (one wonderful, the other not as wonderful). Many thanks to Lightreads for pointing the way to read this before it reaches the bookstore.
The story is deceptively simple, an investigation that becomes a mystery that turns into a rescue. I don't want to ruin anything so I won't do any of my usual summarizing that brought my grades down in English classes. This is going to be brief fan-squeeeeeEEEEEeeEEEEEeeeeeeeeEE about Bujold and her character, Miles, and my "origin story" with them.
I first stumbled across Bujold in the '90s, ordering her Memory book based on the awful and flashy cover. It was amazing - ethics, politics, loyalty, timing, a few puns, and such a beating heart at the center of it all...I laughed and gasped, and a couple times I would reach up to find tears. Its cleverness and deftness set it apart from other things I'd read until then. It didn't matter that this was maybe the tenth in the series. But I did then race out to find all she had and the entire series became my binky-books, comfort reads that I would finish only to immediately begin again. I believed in these characters who tried to do right, often effed up horribly, but managed to retrieve something if not the ideal thing out of the messes. Ripping&roaring. Thump-thump goes the heart.
I've been trying to read more literary, mature, and "important" works lately (besides the romance stuff...which is a noble experiment...sort of), and it's been depressing. They're so weighty, and my head so not able to understand what's going on although I know there are important messages if I only had the background and a heckuva lot more brainpower...sigh. I think the same sort of themes are explored in these books. But with lasers! And spaceships! More lightly because they're more adventures than serious delvings, but still. I'm invited to ponder grander and baser things without a constant bewilderment. Each book has Miles changing, showing the different priorities with his age, while leaving the core untouched. Family and responsibility always, but a need for recognition giving way to creations of identity giving way to acceptance with one's situation giving way to betterment of one's situation. I understand that sequence better as I age.
Bujold's been getting her character all settled and happy, so with each book I fear she's wrapping the series up. It was a nice surprise to see this book pop up on the feed. I don't mind adding to the binky-book collection.
8/5-8/2010
The story is deceptively simple, an investigation that becomes a mystery that turns into a rescue. I don't want to ruin anything so I won't do any of my usual summarizing that brought my grades down in English classes. This is going to be brief fan-squeeeeeEEEEEeeEEEEEeeeeeeeeEE about Bujold and her character, Miles, and my "origin story" with them.
I first stumbled across Bujold in the '90s, ordering her Memory book based on the awful and flashy cover. It was amazing - ethics, politics, loyalty, timing, a few puns, and such a beating heart at the center of it all...I laughed and gasped, and a couple times I would reach up to find tears. Its cleverness and deftness set it apart from other things I'd read until then. It didn't matter that this was maybe the tenth in the series. But I did then race out to find all she had and the entire series became my binky-books, comfort reads that I would finish only to immediately begin again. I believed in these characters who tried to do right, often effed up horribly, but managed to retrieve something if not the ideal thing out of the messes. Ripping&roaring. Thump-thump goes the heart.
I've been trying to read more literary, mature, and "important" works lately (besides the romance stuff...which is a noble experiment...sort of), and it's been depressing. They're so weighty, and my head so not able to understand what's going on although I know there are important messages if I only had the background and a heckuva lot more brainpower...sigh. I think the same sort of themes are explored in these books. But with lasers! And spaceships! More lightly because they're more adventures than serious delvings, but still. I'm invited to ponder grander and baser things without a constant bewilderment. Each book has Miles changing, showing the different priorities with his age, while leaving the core untouched. Family and responsibility always, but a need for recognition giving way to creations of identity giving way to acceptance with one's situation giving way to betterment of one's situation. I understand that sequence better as I age.
Bujold's been getting her character all settled and happy, so with each book I fear she's wrapping the series up. It was a nice surprise to see this book pop up on the feed. I don't mind adding to the binky-book collection.
8/5-8/2010
November 30, 2020
3.5 stars
Enjoyable, but not as strong as others in the series. That said, I did like it more than Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, which just didn't fulfill my hopes.
It's hard to rate books like this, because Lois McMaster Bujold's writing remains strong, and CryoBurn is a good book; it suffers mostly just in comparison to others in the Vorkosigan Saga.
That ending though :(
Enjoyable, but not as strong as others in the series. That said, I did like it more than Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, which just didn't fulfill my hopes.
It's hard to rate books like this, because Lois McMaster Bujold's writing remains strong, and CryoBurn is a good book; it suffers mostly just in comparison to others in the Vorkosigan Saga.
That ending though :(
Read
October 23, 2010It is so good to have a Miles book again! I suspect that some readers will consider this one of the lightweight ones, partly because there is a great deal of the action seen through the eyes of an eleven year old boy (which mostly works, though occasionally he's able to define adults' expressions with the cognizance of someone far more experienced in life), and partly because, though many of the characters are enduring life-threatening and -changing adventures, Miles isn't. The book opens with him undergoing extreme physical challenge, framed at the other end by another kind of challenge; between beginning and end his emotional and mental gyroscope is squarely balanced.
I appreciated the light touch because the business of death, cryo-freezing and revival, and its legal, emotional, cultural, etc ramifications could have been stodgy and or depressing. Bujold's choice to stick with the younger POVs kept a nice tension between a grim subject and a blithe, slyly humorous attitude . . . which doesn't prepare one for the shock of the end, and its elegantly terse coda. Yet that ending was set up from the very beginning of the book.
Overall result? Now I want to reread the entire series yet again.
I appreciated the light touch because the business of death, cryo-freezing and revival, and its legal, emotional, cultural, etc ramifications could have been stodgy and or depressing. Bujold's choice to stick with the younger POVs kept a nice tension between a grim subject and a blithe, slyly humorous attitude . . . which doesn't prepare one for the shock of the end, and its elegantly terse coda. Yet that ending was set up from the very beginning of the book.
Overall result? Now I want to reread the entire series yet again.
September 17, 2025
We are so back.
As it is included in my copy, and nowhere on it's own, I am including the 500 word as a part of this novel, nota seperate short story. Which is relevant, because while it's only 500 words, it was an outrageously good 500 words.
Even without it though, I loved this book. In media res start, Bujold teaching people everywhere that you can start your book later than you think you could. Jin is a treasure, Miles is still one of the best written characters I have ever encountered, and I think this book has more exploration of a sci fi topic than most Vorkosigan books. The society obsessed with keeping nearly dead people in cryo was really interesting.
Book was tense, heartfelt, and satisfying. Really, my only criticism is that the climax, and resolution could have been more climactic. But then the ending was significant enough to get a epilogue named "Aftermaths".
One Vorkosigan book to go.
9.1/10
As it is included in my copy, and nowhere on it's own, I am including the 500 word as a part of this novel, nota seperate short story. Which is relevant, because while it's only 500 words, it was an outrageously good 500 words.
Even without it though, I loved this book. In media res start, Bujold teaching people everywhere that you can start your book later than you think you could. Jin is a treasure, Miles is still one of the best written characters I have ever encountered, and I think this book has more exploration of a sci fi topic than most Vorkosigan books. The society obsessed with keeping nearly dead people in cryo was really interesting.
Book was tense, heartfelt, and satisfying. Really, my only criticism is that the climax, and resolution could have been more climactic. But then the ending was significant enough to get a epilogue named "Aftermaths".
One Vorkosigan book to go.
9.1/10
March 15, 2024
Another wild whirl with Miles Vorkosigan at its centre. He does surf the chaos with remarkable skill. As a reader, one sympathizes with Armsman Roic, who must try to protect the Lord Auditor. Miles has been sent to figure out what, if anything, is untoward about the cryogenic preservation business on Kibou-daini as it looks to expand to Barrayaran territory. A bit of an exploration of whether it is worthwhile or even moral to try to cheat death through this method, being frozen until there is a cure for whatever ailed you. And there is indeed something rotten in the state of Denmark (or Kibou-daini, as the case may be).
Miles, who seems to collect strays wherever he goes, soon acquires a young man whose mother seems likely to have the dirt that the investigation needs. Unfortunately the cryocorp goons seem to have reached her first and she is in cryogenic storage, quite literally on ice. In his usual inimitable fashion, Miles devises a plan to extract and revive her.
Rogue cryogenic facilities, a menagerie of animals, two children, a stunned planetary consul, an arson attempt, kidnapping, plus a business deal involving Lord Mark, this book has all that. It's the usual Vorkosigan experience. The epilogue, however, broke my heart. 💔
Book number 514 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project
Miles, who seems to collect strays wherever he goes, soon acquires a young man whose mother seems likely to have the dirt that the investigation needs. Unfortunately the cryocorp goons seem to have reached her first and she is in cryogenic storage, quite literally on ice. In his usual inimitable fashion, Miles devises a plan to extract and revive her.
Rogue cryogenic facilities, a menagerie of animals, two children, a stunned planetary consul, an arson attempt, kidnapping, plus a business deal involving Lord Mark, this book has all that. It's the usual Vorkosigan experience. The epilogue, however, broke my heart. 💔
Book number 514 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project
Read
July 31, 2017Četrnaesta stavka u serijalu, očigledno je da mi se sviđa ako sam dovde dogurala :) E sad, ovo mi definitivno ne spada u najbolje nastavke (ponegde se previše vide šavovi u zapletu, i uvek mi nedostaju Kordelija i Ekaterin) ali je kao i sve što sam od ove autorke čitala napisano pošteno i duhovito i sa posprdnim otklonom od Majlsovog hiperaktivnog junaštva i taman toliko ozbiljnosti (pri kraju) da ne bude sasvim lagani letnji obrok.
February 3, 2024
This was the last Miles-centric Vorkoverse novel and as such it was a good one. I liked the intrigue and all the humor and antics that Bujold does such a great job of weaving into her story. In CryoBurn, we venture to a new world and deal with cryosleep and immortality. Miles and Roic are a great team. I kind of miss the old crew, but there was passing reference to them here in this, Miles' swan song.
Fino's Reviews of Bujold Novels
Vorkosigan Universe
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Five Gods Trilogy
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fino's Reviews of Bujold Novels
Vorkosigan Universe
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Five Gods Trilogy
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 26, 2017
I have come to the end of the fabulous Vorkosigan Saga. Wish I could say it ended on a high note, but I didn't much care for this one, with the exception of the superb beginning, when Miles was lost in the cryocombs beneath the city (chapter one, not a spoiler) and suffering some pretty funny butterbug hallucinations, and when he was first staying with young Jin. I also liked some scenes later in the book, including the plot twist, when (WARNING! MAJOR SPOILER!!)
However, as a whole, CroBurn felt unfinished and heavy. It left me underwhelmed and almost bored sometimes, despite the "Conquest!" proclamation midway.
Heavy tone: Theoretical speculation and detailed exposition of the technical, moral, political, economic, and theological implications of extending life through cryonics. It was interesting to me, and sometimes profoundly so, but Bujold got carried away. Too much info. Too much focus on death. The book began to creep me out. I needed some lighthearted and loving human interactions. Some good laughs. They were in short supply.
Characterization: I partly attribute the tone to the topic, but also to the characters. They didn't much appeal. I needed someone like Eketarin or Duv or Ivan, even Gregor or Quinn. The director of the Barrayaran Embassy (Vor-something) was a fusty stick in the mud, but he began to almost supersede Miles as the main hero. Meh. (I did like Raven, though. A lot.)
Roic is nice in the background, but his POV did little for me. As an Armsman, my beloved Bothari was far more interesting. Was Roic subbing in for Ivan's schtick as a long-suffering comrade? I suppose I was expected to chuckle at his thoughts about "M'Lord" but I didn't. However, I was very interested in his POV about Sergeant Taura, the super soldier wolf-girl he loved in Winterfair Gifts, including his memories of how she rejected cryogenics in favor of death.
Here's Jin, an animal-crazy adolescent: With an air of confession, Jin lowered his voice. "Eggs come out of chickens' butts, you know." I liked Jin well enough at first, and his little sister Mina, but for some reason I started losing interest in their plight. I think it was because I guessed how things would play out for them, in terms of family relationships. Also, all those bits about the wolf spider (finding it, boxing it, naming it, feeding it, fighting over it -- there were several scenes) went nowhere. It wasn't even used to scare the villains. At least three times I was told they don't spin webs. (I actually knew that.) With all the other animals, the spider was excess; dump it, leaving room for a more complete ending. Jin's repeated thoughts about ponies got redundant, too. The sphinx-of-twenty-words was interesting.
Then Mark and Kareen entered the scene. Their interactions brought no laughter or loving either. All business. (In fact, I'm not crazy about how Bujold has developed Mark's character. He is a bit of a disappointment to me. In Mirror Dance, when he was at Vorkosigan House, and working in the basement at ImpSec, he found the missing link that led back to Lily Durona, and Miles. He was happy in that work, and made the decision that he wanted to work for ImpSec as an analyst, sifting through data. That never materialized. I understand why he wants great wealth, and applaud that he is still striving to stop clone-murder, but... Somehow, he disappoints on several levels, and I hate to say it, but his deliberate obesity is also a factor.)
Point of View: I didn't care for the shifting 3rd-person POV. So much head hopping! The transitions were abrupt, occurring within a chapter. Whenever young Jin was thinking, Miles was referenced as Miles-san (the setting is a Japanese-based planet, from what I gather). Whenever Roic was thinking, Miles was referenced as M'Lord (I really disliked that -- it made Miles seem like an "other"). The POV also switched to Miles quite frequently -- where I like it best.
Plot: Bujold left many things hanging. Whatever happened to all the old squatters in the cryo-facility -- the poverty Suze-san was so worried about? What about the clinical testing Raven planned to do? How did that turn out? But even worse, we did not get to see WhiteChrys go down the tubes. Huh? No denouement scene for Wong? No denouement for the criminals at New Egypt? Anything we learned about their collapse was told in passive, probable, vague terms.
Drabbles: The five 100-word drabbles were interesting to me as a novelty, but maybe not as an effective storytelling tool -- at least, not in this case. I liked Gregor's drabble the best. Mark's was the most disappointing. I did not care for how Bujold handled this plot twist. I needed more closure. I wanted to see the whole family together. Why only 500 words for this major watershed?
Bottom line: 3.25 stars for this book, but 4.5 for the series.
My reviews of this series (*favorites), listed in chronological order:
Shards of Honor review
*Barrayar review
*The Warrior's Apprentice review
The Vor Game review
Cetaganda review
The Mountains of Mourning review
Labyrinth review
*Borders of Infinity review
Brothers in Arms review
Mirror Dance review
*Memory review
*Miles in Love: Komarr, A Civil Campaign, Winterfair Gifts review
*Komarr review
Diplomatic Immunity review
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance review
Cryoburn review
However, as a whole, CroBurn felt unfinished and heavy. It left me underwhelmed and almost bored sometimes, despite the "Conquest!" proclamation midway.
Heavy tone: Theoretical speculation and detailed exposition of the technical, moral, political, economic, and theological implications of extending life through cryonics. It was interesting to me, and sometimes profoundly so, but Bujold got carried away. Too much info. Too much focus on death. The book began to creep me out. I needed some lighthearted and loving human interactions. Some good laughs. They were in short supply.
Characterization: I partly attribute the tone to the topic, but also to the characters. They didn't much appeal. I needed someone like Eketarin or Duv or Ivan, even Gregor or Quinn. The director of the Barrayaran Embassy (Vor-something) was a fusty stick in the mud, but he began to almost supersede Miles as the main hero. Meh. (I did like Raven, though. A lot.)
Roic is nice in the background, but his POV did little for me. As an Armsman, my beloved Bothari was far more interesting. Was Roic subbing in for Ivan's schtick as a long-suffering comrade? I suppose I was expected to chuckle at his thoughts about "M'Lord" but I didn't. However, I was very interested in his POV about Sergeant Taura, the super soldier wolf-girl he loved in Winterfair Gifts, including his memories of how she rejected cryogenics in favor of death.
Here's Jin, an animal-crazy adolescent: With an air of confession, Jin lowered his voice. "Eggs come out of chickens' butts, you know." I liked Jin well enough at first, and his little sister Mina, but for some reason I started losing interest in their plight. I think it was because I guessed how things would play out for them, in terms of family relationships. Also, all those bits about the wolf spider (finding it, boxing it, naming it, feeding it, fighting over it -- there were several scenes) went nowhere. It wasn't even used to scare the villains. At least three times I was told they don't spin webs. (I actually knew that.) With all the other animals, the spider was excess; dump it, leaving room for a more complete ending. Jin's repeated thoughts about ponies got redundant, too. The sphinx-of-twenty-words was interesting.
Then Mark and Kareen entered the scene. Their interactions brought no laughter or loving either. All business. (In fact, I'm not crazy about how Bujold has developed Mark's character. He is a bit of a disappointment to me. In Mirror Dance, when he was at Vorkosigan House, and working in the basement at ImpSec, he found the missing link that led back to Lily Durona, and Miles. He was happy in that work, and made the decision that he wanted to work for ImpSec as an analyst, sifting through data. That never materialized. I understand why he wants great wealth, and applaud that he is still striving to stop clone-murder, but... Somehow, he disappoints on several levels, and I hate to say it, but his deliberate obesity is also a factor.)
Point of View: I didn't care for the shifting 3rd-person POV. So much head hopping! The transitions were abrupt, occurring within a chapter. Whenever young Jin was thinking, Miles was referenced as Miles-san (the setting is a Japanese-based planet, from what I gather). Whenever Roic was thinking, Miles was referenced as M'Lord (I really disliked that -- it made Miles seem like an "other"). The POV also switched to Miles quite frequently -- where I like it best.
Plot: Bujold left many things hanging. Whatever happened to all the old squatters in the cryo-facility -- the poverty Suze-san was so worried about? What about the clinical testing Raven planned to do? How did that turn out? But even worse, we did not get to see WhiteChrys go down the tubes. Huh? No denouement scene for Wong? No denouement for the criminals at New Egypt? Anything we learned about their collapse was told in passive, probable, vague terms.
Drabbles: The five 100-word drabbles were interesting to me as a novelty, but maybe not as an effective storytelling tool -- at least, not in this case. I liked Gregor's drabble the best. Mark's was the most disappointing. I did not care for how Bujold handled this plot twist. I needed more closure. I wanted to see the whole family together. Why only 500 words for this major watershed?
Bottom line: 3.25 stars for this book, but 4.5 for the series.
My reviews of this series (*favorites), listed in chronological order:
Shards of Honor review
*Barrayar review
*The Warrior's Apprentice review
The Vor Game review
Cetaganda review
The Mountains of Mourning review
Labyrinth review
*Borders of Infinity review
Brothers in Arms review
Mirror Dance review
*Memory review
*Miles in Love: Komarr, A Civil Campaign, Winterfair Gifts review
*Komarr review
Diplomatic Immunity review
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance review
Cryoburn review
October 30, 2011
Lois McMaster Bujold returns to her first and most popular character, Miles Vorkosigan, in the lastest novel, Cryoburn. Sadly, the story is sloppy and uninspired, the writing hampered by Ms. Bujold's personal cliches and obvious reluctance to return to this well, follows an entirely predictable arc from beginning to end, and even ends up as its own sort of used furniture, not so much from SF as from modern television police procedurals. The sort of brilliance that turned the SF lexiconigraphic "used furniture" into the literal used furniture scene of A Civil Campaign, by reaching back fourteen (!) books to deliver one of many "oh, yes!" scenes is nowhere to be found in Cryoburn. There is only one "oh, dear God no," scene and it's almost the last scene of the story. The rest of the story runs on rickety rails.
All in all, this is a book designed mostly to Say Something About Families, And How Important They Are, a textbook Motherhood Statement, but somehow it manages to look more like Vorkosigan Fanfic, very definitively told by someone religiously avoiding Mary Sue, than it does a Vorkosigan story of any merit. This is a book that begs the audience, "Please, let's let Miles alone, this time. His time is done. Let me write something else." And the plea is strong, because it also conveys the message, "Look, I seriously injured Miles several times, and he's not going to live a completely full life. People get old, they get sick, and they die. Miles and I are only going to get worse at this, and you don't want me to write that story, do you?"
In that, the book does its job. It is time to leave Miles alone. Ten years of Miles should have been enough for all of us. It's obvious that this book was written purely to give the fans one last look at their hero in his later years, as if 39 were "later years!" Sadly, it does that job all too well.
All in all, this is a book designed mostly to Say Something About Families, And How Important They Are, a textbook Motherhood Statement, but somehow it manages to look more like Vorkosigan Fanfic, very definitively told by someone religiously avoiding Mary Sue, than it does a Vorkosigan story of any merit. This is a book that begs the audience, "Please, let's let Miles alone, this time. His time is done. Let me write something else." And the plea is strong, because it also conveys the message, "Look, I seriously injured Miles several times, and he's not going to live a completely full life. People get old, they get sick, and they die. Miles and I are only going to get worse at this, and you don't want me to write that story, do you?"
In that, the book does its job. It is time to leave Miles alone. Ten years of Miles should have been enough for all of us. It's obvious that this book was written purely to give the fans one last look at their hero in his later years, as if 39 were "later years!" Sadly, it does that job all too well.
February 22, 2016
4/5; 4 stars; A-
Cryoburn was a different kind of story than the usual Miles Vorkosigan adventure. Instead of running around space and having armed conflicts, there was more of the feeling of a detective solving a mystery.
Since Miles has become an Imperial auditor and has a serious health issue to deal with, its not surprising to see the pace and style of his activities changing. However, as a long time reader of the series, it feels a bit uncomfortable to change gears so completely.
That being said, Cryoburn featured yet another strange planet with a strange culture and political system. . Lois McMaster Bujold is always a delight because her books don't use the cookie cutter approach. There are always surprising new worlds and interesting characters to enjoy. I particularly liked Jin in this one. I also really enjoyed the periodic insights into Roic's character. I don't think you could be an armsman in the service of a Vorkosigan without undergoing some changes!
All in all, this was another good addition to the series. I am an enduring fan.
Now, I have to talk about the end of the book so don't read it if you don't like spoilers!
Cryoburn was a different kind of story than the usual Miles Vorkosigan adventure. Instead of running around space and having armed conflicts, there was more of the feeling of a detective solving a mystery.
Since Miles has become an Imperial auditor and has a serious health issue to deal with, its not surprising to see the pace and style of his activities changing. However, as a long time reader of the series, it feels a bit uncomfortable to change gears so completely.
That being said, Cryoburn featured yet another strange planet with a strange culture and political system. . Lois McMaster Bujold is always a delight because her books don't use the cookie cutter approach. There are always surprising new worlds and interesting characters to enjoy. I particularly liked Jin in this one. I also really enjoyed the periodic insights into Roic's character. I don't think you could be an armsman in the service of a Vorkosigan without undergoing some changes!
All in all, this was another good addition to the series. I am an enduring fan.
Now, I have to talk about the end of the book so don't read it if you don't like spoilers!
October 22, 2014
Another mainly Miles adventure that was pretty good. Actually, most of the book was quite up to par, but the end was a bit disappointing. Bujold strayed into too many recaps of Miles' career. She spent time explaining who he was to a couple of kids just to talk him up, I think. Redundant. This book really shouldn't be read as a stand alone & even if a person did, this information obviously wasn't needed or it would have been introduced earlier.
The very end was quite disappointing. She shifted into 5 brief POV's for a major event that was nicely telegraphed, but still felt tacked on. This could/should have been the beginning of a new novel, not tacked on to this one, IMO.
Still, it was well worth reading & the last one that I have as an audio book. I'm glad I listened to it. Read, as usual, by Grover Gardner (I FINALLY remembered his name!) who did his usual fine job. He has a great voice for this & it looks like he's read a bunch of other books as well.
The very end was quite disappointing. She shifted into 5 brief POV's for a major event that was nicely telegraphed, but still felt tacked on. This could/should have been the beginning of a new novel, not tacked on to this one, IMO.
Still, it was well worth reading & the last one that I have as an audio book. I'm glad I listened to it. Read, as usual, by Grover Gardner (I FINALLY remembered his name!) who did his usual fine job. He has a great voice for this & it looks like he's read a bunch of other books as well.
August 6, 2014
The worldbuilding was great, Miles was as hyperactive as ever, and the intrigue was quite interesting. The end of the novel was sad, for obvious reasons, and I really want to see more of Miles's own children, but the novel was quite satisfying. I get the feeling that age is really beginning to creep up on him, but his brother's little side-projects might eventually side-step the need to ever slow down. Now if only we could side-step age the same way, we might expect a lot more of these novels, eh? I'd love that!
Sigh. This concludes the current suite of novels until Ms. Bujold writes more of them. Here's for praying! Thank you for the wonderful series!
Sigh. This concludes the current suite of novels until Ms. Bujold writes more of them. Here's for praying! Thank you for the wonderful series!
September 17, 2025
This late series Vorkosigan adventure was the perfect vacation read for me these past few days. Starting in the midst of a mysterious situation with Miles on the run was such a fun way to be thrown into things on a new planet.
I found the plot to be compelling around every corner, with an extremely lovable new POV character in Jin (the first child POV I think in the series) and such a great addition to the cast as a precocious and caring twelve-year-old. Miles is always a delight, but the rotation between him, Jin, and the laconic but thoughtful armsman Roic propelled things along with engaging variety.
Bujold’s cultural worldbuilding has always been a highlight of the series, but it really takes center stage in Cryoburn with exploring an interesting new planet where greedy corporations who do cryo-freezing of people have been taking the planet down a dangerous slippery slope.
I must give a special shout-out to the epilogue called Aftermaths, which is one of the hardest-hitting bits of the entire series. It hit like a freight train, in the form of five 100-word short stories from five different POVs. The end of the last two in particular were each a masterpiece in tying emotional threads together from the whole stretch of books.
With only one book left to go, finishing this one was bittersweet — I just don’t want the journey to end.
I found the plot to be compelling around every corner, with an extremely lovable new POV character in Jin (the first child POV I think in the series) and such a great addition to the cast as a precocious and caring twelve-year-old. Miles is always a delight, but the rotation between him, Jin, and the laconic but thoughtful armsman Roic propelled things along with engaging variety.
Bujold’s cultural worldbuilding has always been a highlight of the series, but it really takes center stage in Cryoburn with exploring an interesting new planet where greedy corporations who do cryo-freezing of people have been taking the planet down a dangerous slippery slope.
I must give a special shout-out to the epilogue called Aftermaths, which is one of the hardest-hitting bits of the entire series. It hit like a freight train, in the form of five 100-word short stories from five different POVs. The end of the last two in particular were each a masterpiece in tying emotional threads together from the whole stretch of books.
With only one book left to go, finishing this one was bittersweet — I just don’t want the journey to end.
July 11, 2014
**edited 01/27/14
It sometimes seems as though fantasy is all about new and inventive ways to die. Scifi, its inverse, always--always, in the end-- involves the extension of life to a point where it begins to exceed reason and rationality. What happens when life is no longer a brief blaze of experience lodged between two eternal unknowns? Is the extension of life past the norm inevitably selfish, either through the selfishness of the individual who seeks to forestall the unexplored, or the selfishness of the family and loved ones who cannot be detached from a soul that is ready to move beyond? How much can the average lifespan grow before it is too long? Surely infinity is too dreary to slog through, but surely there must be someone to regret one's passing, or life would not be worth living in the first place. Should life be extended until the only one to regret its loss is oneself? Thus far, Bujold has delicately skirted these thorny issues, even while investigating her cryonic technology, for it has been used only to restore those whose lives have been violently cut short. While the genetically engineered Betans and Cetagandans count their years in hundreds, a panacea for old age is a new and untested invention, and one that could potentially upset the delicate balance of society. For at some point, must there not be some sort of natural order, a point at which the old gives way to the new? Cryoburn is a story about death--both the journey to, and escape from, that ultimate destination.
Kibou-daini is a city of the dead, a planet of corpses neatly packed away in thousands and millions of cryochambers, suspended in death until the moment their lives are restarted. But there's something off about the whole political situation, and it's not just the esprit de corpse. Miles Vorkosigan, Imperial Auditor, is selected by his emperor as the current expert on the mechanics and politics of death and is sent to investigate. Aided by his loyal manservant Roic, it isn't long before they're neck-deep in conspiracies--but since this is Miles Vorkosigan, neck-deep for anyone else means Miles is up to his eyeballs in trouble.
~3.5
...
Due to my disapproval of GR's new and rather subjective review deletion policy, The rest of this review can be found on Booklikes.
It sometimes seems as though fantasy is all about new and inventive ways to die. Scifi, its inverse, always--always, in the end-- involves the extension of life to a point where it begins to exceed reason and rationality. What happens when life is no longer a brief blaze of experience lodged between two eternal unknowns? Is the extension of life past the norm inevitably selfish, either through the selfishness of the individual who seeks to forestall the unexplored, or the selfishness of the family and loved ones who cannot be detached from a soul that is ready to move beyond? How much can the average lifespan grow before it is too long? Surely infinity is too dreary to slog through, but surely there must be someone to regret one's passing, or life would not be worth living in the first place. Should life be extended until the only one to regret its loss is oneself? Thus far, Bujold has delicately skirted these thorny issues, even while investigating her cryonic technology, for it has been used only to restore those whose lives have been violently cut short. While the genetically engineered Betans and Cetagandans count their years in hundreds, a panacea for old age is a new and untested invention, and one that could potentially upset the delicate balance of society. For at some point, must there not be some sort of natural order, a point at which the old gives way to the new? Cryoburn is a story about death--both the journey to, and escape from, that ultimate destination.
Kibou-daini is a city of the dead, a planet of corpses neatly packed away in thousands and millions of cryochambers, suspended in death until the moment their lives are restarted. But there's something off about the whole political situation, and it's not just the esprit de corpse. Miles Vorkosigan, Imperial Auditor, is selected by his emperor as the current expert on the mechanics and politics of death and is sent to investigate. Aided by his loyal manservant Roic, it isn't long before they're neck-deep in conspiracies--but since this is Miles Vorkosigan, neck-deep for anyone else means Miles is up to his eyeballs in trouble.
~3.5
...
Due to my disapproval of GR's new and rather subjective review deletion policy, The rest of this review can be found on Booklikes.
September 11, 2012
This book is a bit of an anomaly. Up until this point, the Vorkosigan Saga taken as a whole had been quite possibly my favorite work of fiction, full-stop. One of its strong points was and is Bujold's fascination with the dramatic process and with character development. Miles' inner life in these books is in a constant state of transformation, and his external life reflects this; some of the best books in the series focus on events in his life which transform him as a character (his creation of the Dendarii mercenaries, his eventual expulsion from them, his political ascension, his marriage).
Then we hit Cryoburn, in which Miles spends a couple of hundred pages navigating and solving a shallow and contrived mystery plot, only to stumble into the single most important event of his life on the last three pages. The most shattering event he has ever faced is tacked on seemingly as an afterthought, and is therefore not explored to any depth whatsoever.
I am extremely puzzled by this. Why would Bujold, who has shown herself to be constantly fascinated by the (often painful) transformative events which shape the personalities of her characters suddenly shy away from the biggest opportunity of all? Was she simply overwhelmed by, or overawed of, the task? And then why spend an entire book (if a brief one) putting the character through what amounts to a pointless exercise? We, as audience, know exactly how it will turn out - Miles will solve the mystery, trounce the baddies, and get in a few choice one-liners along the way - and indeed, this is exactly what happens. The whole book seems predictable and unnecessary, and together with the final compression of a life-changing event into a series of poignant but ultimately unilluminating snapshots... I found the whole book disappointing and disquieting.
Then we hit Cryoburn, in which Miles spends a couple of hundred pages navigating and solving a shallow and contrived mystery plot, only to stumble into the single most important event of his life on the last three pages. The most shattering event he has ever faced is tacked on seemingly as an afterthought, and is therefore not explored to any depth whatsoever.
I am extremely puzzled by this. Why would Bujold, who has shown herself to be constantly fascinated by the (often painful) transformative events which shape the personalities of her characters suddenly shy away from the biggest opportunity of all? Was she simply overwhelmed by, or overawed of, the task? And then why spend an entire book (if a brief one) putting the character through what amounts to a pointless exercise? We, as audience, know exactly how it will turn out - Miles will solve the mystery, trounce the baddies, and get in a few choice one-liners along the way - and indeed, this is exactly what happens. The whole book seems predictable and unnecessary, and together with the final compression of a life-changing event into a series of poignant but ultimately unilluminating snapshots... I found the whole book disappointing and disquieting.
December 20, 2010
I can't tell if I would have liked this less or more without having read the rest of the series. On the one hand, the earlier books set the bar awfully high. On the other hand, many of the recurring characters and motifs here would be awfully flat without previous encounters. But is having introduced characters in earlier books really an excuse to leave them flat? Mark and Kareen hardly existed in this book (and weren't really needed plotwise) and Ekaterin might as well have not been mentioned. It was disappointing that so much time had elapsed since the last book. And why have it be four-children-later if the children aren't in the book at all?
As always (in this series, that is) Bujold does some imaginative world-building and slips in some fascinating discussion points, in this case about life, death, and age. But the levels of both humor and and emotional intensity weren't where they are in earlier installments, so overall I found this book a bit disappointing. However, I recall that there were a couple later books in the series that I liked better on rereading, so I look forward to giving this one another chance in a year or two.
As always (in this series, that is) Bujold does some imaginative world-building and slips in some fascinating discussion points, in this case about life, death, and age. But the levels of both humor and and emotional intensity weren't where they are in earlier installments, so overall I found this book a bit disappointing. However, I recall that there were a couple later books in the series that I liked better on rereading, so I look forward to giving this one another chance in a year or two.
January 7, 2015
I keep a stock of 18 new (to me) books to read at any one time - and I'd somehow ended-up with 5 Bujold's amongst them. Normally I try to never have more than 2 by the same author... now that CryoBurn is finished we're down to 3 and I'm following it up with Ethan of Athos which will get me down to 2 :-)
Sadly CryoBurn is not the best Miles adventure - its perfectly solid, but doesn't excel in the same way as some others.
[proper review to follow]
After this I read: Ethan of Athos
Sadly CryoBurn is not the best Miles adventure - its perfectly solid, but doesn't excel in the same way as some others.
[proper review to follow]
After this I read: Ethan of Athos
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
August 29, 2024
2024 reread
Whew. A semi-fun romp until the gut punch of an ending. Gregor's drabble is beautifully placed, the best homage a Great Man could ever need.
2022 reread A mid-level Miles adventure that tackles death and...death.
As always, Gregor's POV at the very end sends me into tears. This time it was on a metro heading home, which was awkward.
Whew. A semi-fun romp until the gut punch of an ending. Gregor's drabble is beautifully placed, the best homage a Great Man could ever need.
2022 reread A mid-level Miles adventure that tackles death and...death.
As always, Gregor's POV at the very end sends me into tears. This time it was on a metro heading home, which was awkward.
September 13, 2025
Le doy 5 ⭐ porque no me parece justo darle menos que a sus predecesores, aunque sí, baja un poco el nivel, el ritmo, el tono...
Aquí Miles se encarga de una investigación en un planeta aislado, que acaba torciéndose en un embrollo paralelo bastante más cáustico.
Miles se nos ha hecho mayor, y se nota. De hecho, el libro acaba como debería, teniendo en cuenta que es el final de la saga. Pero es como si se hubiese diluido un poco...
Aunque me quedan un par más por leer de la saga, con este libro final acabado, echaré mucho de menos a tantos buenísimos personajes que han ido quedándose por el camino, así como al genial y único Miles "Almirante Naismith" Vorkosigan.
Grandiosa saga!!!
Aquí Miles se encarga de una investigación en un planeta aislado, que acaba torciéndose en un embrollo paralelo bastante más cáustico.
Miles se nos ha hecho mayor, y se nota. De hecho, el libro acaba como debería, teniendo en cuenta que es el final de la saga. Pero es como si se hubiese diluido un poco...
Aunque me quedan un par más por leer de la saga, con este libro final acabado, echaré mucho de menos a tantos buenísimos personajes que han ido quedándose por el camino, así como al genial y único Miles "Almirante Naismith" Vorkosigan.
Grandiosa saga!!!
November 4, 2025
CryoBurn ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Very good, love the concepts that were explored in this one. Didn't quite make my top tier of Vorkosigan books though.
Aftermaths ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Perfect in both concept and execution.
Very good, love the concepts that were explored in this one. Didn't quite make my top tier of Vorkosigan books though.
Aftermaths ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Perfect in both concept and execution.
February 6, 2013
[7/10]
Cryoburn marks my return to one of my all time favorite military space opera universes. After a couple of volumes more concerned with weddings and marital bliss than with warcraft and political infighting (A Civil Campaign, Diplomatic Immunity) this recent book sees our favorite hyperactive short guy, Miles Vorkosigan, back in the business of ferreting out secret plots and exposing bad guys bent on controlling galactic worlds.
There are sadly no battles between giant spaceships in this volume, we are dealing with a more mature Miles, in his role of Imperial Auditor (his job description is charmingly put by Emperor Gregor Vorbarra as: "Here, Miles, you're better at diving into the privy and coming up with the gold ring than anyone I know. Have a go." ) . The setting is the planet Kibou-daini, a Japanese inspired culture on a fringe world where progresses in cryotechnology have resulted in an industry specialized in freezing people up and taking over their assets, and their political votes. A handful of major mega-corporations control the market, presenting us with the major theme of the novel: how much can we trust in the honesty and good behaviour of an organization that has all the incentives to produce profit and few to thaw their clients out of their crypts. I forgot the name of the author who said that the more we talk about the distant future, the more we are actually talking about current events.
Let me tell you, young man - the dirty little secret of democracy is that just because you get a vote, doesn't mean you get your choice.
Of the new characters introduced here, I particularly liked the couple of runaway children: Jin, the mannish boy who had to learn to rely only on himself after his father died in an accident and his activist mother was forcefully frozen in order to shut her mouth ( Girls, hah. Nobody handled Jin smiles like that when he was scared ... he more usually got some sort of unsympathetic and bracing advice to buck up. . And Mina, his younger sister with a talent for posing uncomfortable questions. Miles himself is by now a father of four, and in the absence of his own family he takes these two youths under his wing.
For comedic effect, the local diplomat, Lord Vorlynkin, makes an excellent straight man to the excesses of Miles: "What is the next step?" asked Consul Vorlynkin, in fascinated tones. He looked like a man staring at a groundcar wreck. In slow motion. That he was in. . Old friends: Armsman Roic and sibling Mark complete the casting for this episode.
While I consider that Cryoburn is a lightweight, sideline episode in the overall saga of the Vorkosigan family, it felt good to come back to the familiar setting and, as always, the prose, the humor, the scientific ideas behind the story are vintage Lois McMaster Bujold. I actually learned a new literary term, from the original format of the epilogue:
a drabble is a story in exactly 100 words.
I must try to write one of these things myself, as a challenge.
Cryoburn marks my return to one of my all time favorite military space opera universes. After a couple of volumes more concerned with weddings and marital bliss than with warcraft and political infighting (A Civil Campaign, Diplomatic Immunity) this recent book sees our favorite hyperactive short guy, Miles Vorkosigan, back in the business of ferreting out secret plots and exposing bad guys bent on controlling galactic worlds.
There are sadly no battles between giant spaceships in this volume, we are dealing with a more mature Miles, in his role of Imperial Auditor (his job description is charmingly put by Emperor Gregor Vorbarra as: "Here, Miles, you're better at diving into the privy and coming up with the gold ring than anyone I know. Have a go." ) . The setting is the planet Kibou-daini, a Japanese inspired culture on a fringe world where progresses in cryotechnology have resulted in an industry specialized in freezing people up and taking over their assets, and their political votes. A handful of major mega-corporations control the market, presenting us with the major theme of the novel: how much can we trust in the honesty and good behaviour of an organization that has all the incentives to produce profit and few to thaw their clients out of their crypts. I forgot the name of the author who said that the more we talk about the distant future, the more we are actually talking about current events.
Let me tell you, young man - the dirty little secret of democracy is that just because you get a vote, doesn't mean you get your choice.
Of the new characters introduced here, I particularly liked the couple of runaway children: Jin, the mannish boy who had to learn to rely only on himself after his father died in an accident and his activist mother was forcefully frozen in order to shut her mouth ( Girls, hah. Nobody handled Jin smiles like that when he was scared ... he more usually got some sort of unsympathetic and bracing advice to buck up. . And Mina, his younger sister with a talent for posing uncomfortable questions. Miles himself is by now a father of four, and in the absence of his own family he takes these two youths under his wing.
For comedic effect, the local diplomat, Lord Vorlynkin, makes an excellent straight man to the excesses of Miles: "What is the next step?" asked Consul Vorlynkin, in fascinated tones. He looked like a man staring at a groundcar wreck. In slow motion. That he was in. . Old friends: Armsman Roic and sibling Mark complete the casting for this episode.
While I consider that Cryoburn is a lightweight, sideline episode in the overall saga of the Vorkosigan family, it felt good to come back to the familiar setting and, as always, the prose, the humor, the scientific ideas behind the story are vintage Lois McMaster Bujold. I actually learned a new literary term, from the original format of the epilogue:
a drabble is a story in exactly 100 words.
I must try to write one of these things myself, as a challenge.
December 1, 2020
This is an installment in Vorkosigan series (15th Chronological). I’ve read this book as a part of Vorkosigan Saga Challenge at Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels group. This novel was nominated for Hugo in 2011 but lost to Blackout by Connie Willis.
This time the imperial auditor Miles Vorkosigan (39 years old) visits a planet Kibou-daini with a covert mission. The book starts when he, drugged, wanders around corridors full of frozen bodies. For the peculiarity of Kibou-daini (as the name and names and styles of population suggest, colonized by Japanese) is that they mass market cryogenic ‘sleep’ until better times and a notable part of population uses it. However, not everyone can afford it and the fact that people are neither living nor dead, there is an interesting governance system.
As always, Miles is burning his candle from both sides and infect everyone around with his energy. Even the fact that he was kidnapped at the start only boosts his manic activity. Contacting the local underworld and befriending a local runaway boy Jin, he manage to solve the problem before him. Sadly enough, the final shows that not all problems can be solved.
"Do you have any idea how many different crimes you've just rattled off?"
"No, but it might not hurt to make up a list, should your lawyer need it. Could speed things up, in a pinch."
"I thought the task of an Imperial Auditor was to uphold the law!"
Miles-san's eyebrows flew up. "No, whatever gave you that idea? The task of an Imperial Auditor is to solve problems for Gregor. Those greasy cryocorps bastards just tried to steal a third of his empire. That's a problem." Despite his smiling lips, Miles-san's eyes glittered, and Jin realized with a start that underneath, he was really angry about something. "I'm still considering the solution."
This time the imperial auditor Miles Vorkosigan (39 years old) visits a planet Kibou-daini with a covert mission. The book starts when he, drugged, wanders around corridors full of frozen bodies. For the peculiarity of Kibou-daini (as the name and names and styles of population suggest, colonized by Japanese) is that they mass market cryogenic ‘sleep’ until better times and a notable part of population uses it. However, not everyone can afford it and the fact that people are neither living nor dead, there is an interesting governance system.
As always, Miles is burning his candle from both sides and infect everyone around with his energy. Even the fact that he was kidnapped at the start only boosts his manic activity. Contacting the local underworld and befriending a local runaway boy Jin, he manage to solve the problem before him. Sadly enough, the final shows that not all problems can be solved.
"Do you have any idea how many different crimes you've just rattled off?"
"No, but it might not hurt to make up a list, should your lawyer need it. Could speed things up, in a pinch."
"I thought the task of an Imperial Auditor was to uphold the law!"
Miles-san's eyebrows flew up. "No, whatever gave you that idea? The task of an Imperial Auditor is to solve problems for Gregor. Those greasy cryocorps bastards just tried to steal a third of his empire. That's a problem." Despite his smiling lips, Miles-san's eyes glittered, and Jin realized with a start that underneath, he was really angry about something. "I'm still considering the solution."
October 20, 2010
Really only 3.5 stars, but the last chapter made it 4 stars for me.
If you strip away the space opera and science fiction, this story boils down to a mystery/thriller where the old adage 'follow the money' proves axiomatic again.
Miles is on a new (to us) planet, Kibou-daini (settled by people of Japanese heritage). An entire culture mortally afraid of dying (pun intended) to the point where millions, if not billions, of citizens have chosen cryo preservation rather than the more traditional final frontier (i.e. Death). Oddly, since they are not dead, as citizens they still retain their votes in this democracy, albeit by proxy held by ever larger more monopolistic corporations. This sparked quite a few intriguing interpolations both in the characters and my own internal ponderings.
As Emperor Gregor suspected, thanks to his Komarran familial connections, Miles uncovers a plot that could pose an inexorable glacial threat to a third of the Barrayaran Empire and manages, in his usual manic hyperactive style, to expose and diffuse said threat.
Cameos by Ekaterin, Mark and Kareen. Briefer cameos by Cordelia, Ivan and Gregor in the last chapter, but have a box of tissues handy.
If you strip away the space opera and science fiction, this story boils down to a mystery/thriller where the old adage 'follow the money' proves axiomatic again.
Miles is on a new (to us) planet, Kibou-daini (settled by people of Japanese heritage). An entire culture mortally afraid of dying (pun intended) to the point where millions, if not billions, of citizens have chosen cryo preservation rather than the more traditional final frontier (i.e. Death). Oddly, since they are not dead, as citizens they still retain their votes in this democracy, albeit by proxy held by ever larger more monopolistic corporations. This sparked quite a few intriguing interpolations both in the characters and my own internal ponderings.
As Emperor Gregor suspected, thanks to his Komarran familial connections, Miles uncovers a plot that could pose an inexorable glacial threat to a third of the Barrayaran Empire and manages, in his usual manic hyperactive style, to expose and diffuse said threat.
Cameos by Ekaterin, Mark and Kareen. Briefer cameos by Cordelia, Ivan and Gregor in the last chapter, but have a box of tissues handy.
June 27, 2017
This reading (as an audiobook) is my second, and I had no memory of any of it except the infamous ending and the aftermaths. It's fun, and clever, and Miles is at his Auditorial best, but the whole thing remains overshadowed by As a final Miles book, it's not my favorite end to his character arc (you could argue he continues that arc in Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, but there he's no longer the main character) but it's a pretty good story nonetheless.
June 11, 2016
The book overall was very good. But the ending took it from very good to excellent, as it shifted the entire story that prefaced it. Rather like taking white light through a prism -- none of the components are any different, but how you see each of them has dramatically changed.
And the Aftermath drabbles are absolutely heartbreaking.
And the Aftermath drabbles are absolutely heartbreaking.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,195 reviews