Robert
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Do you think, if serious about it and not needing to remove the prince and Using the plasma mirror information, Aral or even Miles could have taken Escobar? Using a sucide pilot to block Beta from sending the mirrors? Boarding the ships instead of shooting at them?
Lois McMaster Bujold
Mm, maybe, but more likely not. The Barrayarans might have gained temporary control in space, of the wormholes and maybe the orbitals. But if the purpose of the war was to annex a functioning planet, and not just reduce it to a cinder, that's ground war of a very ugly and expensive sort, with a very long and thin supply line. Escobar also has a considerable population advantage.
One must also consider the wider diplomatic context. Intimidating the neighbors is one thing; terrifying them into uniting against you, another, and more than two can play that game. Possibly by different rules. Cetagandan micro-surgically-genetically targeted biowar, anyone...? (Which, if the target planet can be quarantined behind wormholes, bears less risk of blowing back on the caster. Highly inadvisable if the opposing sides are occupying the same planet.)
Ta, L.
One must also consider the wider diplomatic context. Intimidating the neighbors is one thing; terrifying them into uniting against you, another, and more than two can play that game. Possibly by different rules. Cetagandan micro-surgically-genetically targeted biowar, anyone...? (Which, if the target planet can be quarantined behind wormholes, bears less risk of blowing back on the caster. Highly inadvisable if the opposing sides are occupying the same planet.)
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Shane Castle
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
The news today is that Philip Roth has died. In the NPR story about him, there's a reference to an interview in 2013: https://www.npr.org/2013/03/23/174949848/at-80-philip-roth-reflects-on-life-literature-and-the-beauty-of-naps . Where are you on the spectrum of retirement? Obviously, not fully retired yet, but I suspect you might be slowing down?
Kate Davenport
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Just finished rereading “Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance” and was wondering about your thoughts on Byerly’s future? It seems like he has the chance to reinvent himself, and from the little that came out about his past and Rish’s assessments if him, it seems like he could benefit from as much therapy as Mark ended up getting.
Simone Gieschler
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I read in your Q&A that you read manga, and even tracked down that French Vorkosigan comic you mentioned on your blog. Do you think there is a chance of a manga adaption of your work? May I also recommend the Manga/Anime Noragami to you? I terms of long-term plot, fully formed characters that grow and change (hurt but never abandoned by their female authors) it really reminds me of your works (which I love).
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