Ethan of Athos

One of the things I like best about Bujold is her uncanny ability to create and evoke alien cultures. (The fact that those cultures don't actually involve aliens is inconsequential.) The real trick of it, I've decided, is that Bujold doesn't make a big deal out of it. With most authors, every single difference is emphasized and analyzed and justified. The result feels inherently unnatural - partly because the author is making an elaborate production out of it, partly because the author is showing their hand at work, and often because the characters end up being far too self-aware. (Neither I, nor anyone I know, pauses to give elaborate, pseudo-science lectures on why 21st century Americans behave the way they do.)Bujold, by contrast, simply allows her characters to live in the cultures she creates. Perhaps even more importantly, she lets us see the universe of her story through the unfiltered eyes of her characters, without apology or explanation.On this level, ETHAN OF ATHOS delivers in a big way. The colony of Athos was founded by patriarchs who believed, primarily, that women were a corrupting influence. Using uterine replicators, they successfully created an all-male society way out in the boondocks of civilized space. Now, however, problems have begun to appear: Their original ovarian cultures are dying out, and problems of limited diversity were rearing their head even before the most recent genetic crisis came to a head. Somebody needs to be sent out into the wider galactic community to purchase new genetic material for the colony, and that's where Ethan comes in: He leaves on the annual galactic census ship on a secret, if somewhat unexciting, mission to save his world.At which point he promptly falls into the middle of an espionage mission involving Elli Quinn (a delightful character familiar to those who have read Bujold's other Vorkosigan books).Coincidentally, this discussion of culture-building brings up something which consistently puzzles me: A lot of people seem to have the belief that Bujold's work is light on the science fiction. Or, in other words, that her work only has a thin layer of science fiction thrown in to make them genre works. The only explanation I have for this belief is that Bujold is simply too subtle a writer for these people. At first glance, ETHAN OF ATHOS is a simple adventure story starring a protagonist from an unusual culture. But take a closer look: That unusual culture is, in fact, a very sophisticated extrapolation of how technology will affect human society. And Bujold works in a complete analysis of the consequences and mindset of that culture, even while you're busy turning the pages for the exciting payoffs of the adventure story - she just refuses to Emphasize It With Capital Letters and Long Speeches Explaining the Point.And against all of this, Bujold weaves yet another theme: A softly-played, emotionally-packed character drama.Which brings me to another thing that I like about Bujold: Her humor.

Okay, let's get the worst out of the way first - this book doesn't feature Miles Vorkosigan, although there are a few references to him. It doesn't feature Aral or Cordelia, either. But the main characters are still wonderful Bujold creations, the plot is tight and gripping, and the mechanics are first-rate.The protagonists in this novel are Elli Quinn (later featured rather extensively in Miles books) and the eponymous Ethan (Urquhart). They're fun, they're smart, they're what you'd expect from a Bujold character - even though they aren't Vorkosigans.The story is fast-moving and fascinating, and it falls into that elusive subgenre, mystery science fiction - so hard to write and write well that there's hardly any out there. But Ethan of Athos follows all the rules of the subgenre, and so reveals a lot about the Vorkosigan universe its inner workings. If you've enjoyed Bujold's other novels, and you can cope with the concept of a Miles-less book, this one is for you. (And, look - she doesn't write fast enough to occupy even the slowest reader full-time. So think of this as a welcome interlude between Miles books.) And if you enjoy good characters in good SF, or especially mystery SF, this one is definitely for you.

While firmly in the Vorkosigan series, it has no actual Vorkosigans in it. This book is chronologically concurrant with "Cetaganda" and while Miles Vorkosigan is off dealing with THAT mess, his most trusted officer, Elli Quinn, is dealing with this one!The whole point of science fiction is to explore humankind from different views (whether through the lens of alien life, or high technology) and this book forces you to do just that. Imagine a person from a world in which the fascinating (and very female) Elli is bewildering, and more than slightly frightening. Dr Ethan Urqhart (Ethan of Athos) is an Athosian who must look at the world that all of us inhabit (male and female, marriages, and all that goes with it) with a completely different perspective, because he is from a world that no woman will ever see.This book has enough else going on to occupy the reader's attention (telepathy, anyone?) and watching Elli Quinn trying to outdo Miles in tricky thinking is a pleasure! Cetagandens, Jacksonians, and some poor folks caught in the middle, form the backdrop to Elli's first "Main Character" outing.My copy is worn to death from reading, as are most of the books in the series.

In this book, Bujold investigates how a man coming from a man-only planet can react to the 'normal' world where he can meet these strange beings, women (just to utter the word it is almost a blasphemy). But the deep humanity he shows toward another misfit, a telepath, demonstrates the remarkable insight Bujold has into the human mind, heart and soul. Besides, the story is a lot of fun, Elli Quinn is at her best, *and* the plot is well woven into the other Vorkosigan stories, between _Cetaganda_ and _Labyrinth_ (second novella within _Borders of Infinity_).