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.
Lois McMaster Bujold
I doubt Byerly will be getting much therapy on Jackson's Whole, but he is getting a challenging and extremely varied new job, or several, which may be just as good. Any complaints about getting stale (and he was) back in the dodgier parts of the Vorbarr Sultana high-Vor scene will be right out the airlock.
No, I haven't worked out any canonical thoughts in detail, but as Our Man On Jackson's Whole, he ends up doing an excellent, if suitably Byerly-ish, job. He'll likely be stuck out there for a lot longer due to his competence than due to putative exile for that unfortunate little architectural incident back home.
Good question whether he does come back home, or when. Rish won't be leaving the Jewels for a very long time, if ever. And the Barrayar Byerly eventually comes back to will be much changed, granted mostly for the better. He could end up feeling alien on both ends. Which suggests he might need to reinvent himself for a third time, at age 60-something. Well, he has Simon Illyan's example...
(Which leads to the question of what Simon and Alys will be doing, after their year-long galactic-holiday/informal exile creates a sharp break with both their former jobs and scenes. No, I have no clue, but something part time and occasional, absorbing but not demanding, seems suitable to their then-ages. Alys is about 5 years younger than Simon, just fyi. Sergyar has been the all-purpose answer of where to park excessively powerful retirees, but I'm not sure it would suit this pair.)
Ta, L.
I doubt Byerly will be getting much therapy on Jackson's Whole, but he is getting a challenging and extremely varied new job, or several, which may be just as good. Any complaints about getting stale (and he was) back in the dodgier parts of the Vorbarr Sultana high-Vor scene will be right out the airlock.
No, I haven't worked out any canonical thoughts in detail, but as Our Man On Jackson's Whole, he ends up doing an excellent, if suitably Byerly-ish, job. He'll likely be stuck out there for a lot longer due to his competence than due to putative exile for that unfortunate little architectural incident back home.
Good question whether he does come back home, or when. Rish won't be leaving the Jewels for a very long time, if ever. And the Barrayar Byerly eventually comes back to will be much changed, granted mostly for the better. He could end up feeling alien on both ends. Which suggests he might need to reinvent himself for a third time, at age 60-something. Well, he has Simon Illyan's example...
(Which leads to the question of what Simon and Alys will be doing, after their year-long galactic-holiday/informal exile creates a sharp break with both their former jobs and scenes. No, I have no clue, but something part time and occasional, absorbing but not demanding, seems suitable to their then-ages. Alys is about 5 years younger than Simon, just fyi. Sergyar has been the all-purpose answer of where to park excessively powerful retirees, but I'm not sure it would suit this pair.)
Ta, L.
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