The Vor Game

This isn't the first book. Have you read the first book? If not, you should immediately drop everything and order it. Now. Immediately. Right away. Read the whole series. Ok, ok. Here's the series: Shards of HonorBarayar(these two books are also combined into "Cordelia's Honor")The Warrior's ApprenticeShort Story: The Mountains of Mourning (all short stories are contained in "Borders of Infinity")The Vor GameCetagandaEthan of AthosShort Story: LabyrinthShort Story: The Borders of InfinityBrothers in ArmsThe Borders of InfinityMirror DanceMemoryKomarrA Civil CampaignDiplomatic ImmunityNow, go start this series at the begining and read it through to the end. No Excuses!

In The Vor Game, Miles has graduated from the Imperial Academy, and has been rewarded with a choice posting indeed. Well, okay, it's one of the worst postings on record. He wanted ship duty. He's been sent to Kyril Island, lovingly called Camp Permafrost, to predict the weather. From almost his first moments on the island, he's on a collision course with the commanding officer, which leads to a snowy showdown that Miles both wins and loses.Back at home (well, at least his hometown), Miles is recruited into Imperial Security - the infamous ImpSec - and sent off on a mission involving Admiral Naismith. Unfortunately, things go wrong, and soon he's wrapped up in an Imperial problem, flying by the seat of his pants and breaking rules and orders with practiced elan. (Well, after all, this is a familiar position for him.)The Vor Game is one of my favorite of the Vorkosigan series; it is, really, the last book of Miles' youth. It is an award-winner, and deservingly so; the characters continue to develop, which is quite the challenge in the fourth book of a series, and the plot is fun. Bujold writes SF with a light hand, and interjects a great deal of humor. It's rare to find an SF writer who knows how to make us laugh.Read the Warrior's Apprentice, at minimum, before you read this - but read it.

*grin* i can't seem to stop praising Ms bujold because the vorkosigan series is truly one of the best series on earth! the vor game is the second major tale in the miles vorkosigan series following the warrior's apprentice and the short story mountains of mourning. again, we have a really funny miles novel. after graduating from the academy, he is sent to kyril island (cold hell on barrayar!) as a weatheman for the military base. again he gets into trouble (this is afterall, miles *grin*) and then we slip into the more substantial part of the book where he begins his impsec career and saves the day (and the emperor) with the dendarii. yes, miles is reunited with the dendarii in this book! great book, wicked humour, smart plot, engaging chracters. do try the vorkosigan series if you have never before. start with shards of honour (about miles' parents) or jump right in with miles in the warrior's aprpentice or young miles(a collection encompassing the vor game). get it!

This book won Bujold yet another Hugo award (She has the second most in history but yet few people have heard of her). As always Miles seems to be able to do the work of five people, but it takes him the work of ten to get into the military, his dream career on army mad Barrayar. His amazing wit, insight into the mind of his comrades and enemies (supplied by Bujold of course), and amazing intellect are as always seemingly eclipsed by his father's and grandfather's achievements. The characters may seem young and whiney to some but it actually shows them rather believably in my opinion. Gregor's world image was just subtly but still utterly shattered and forcibly rearranged. Miles has just had his resolve and self confidence weakened by problems on Kryil Island and with his superior officers throughout the service, his idea of his dream career in the military not quite working our right; but by the end he became the pushy self-confident force he becomes in the persona of Admiral Naismith. An all around great read, how can it be out of stock all ready?

Miles spent more energy getting into the military than any other ten people -- so he should get a lot out of it, right? Right. Miles's finds himself not on board a battleship, but assigned as weatherman in the Barrayar equivalent of Siberia -- not exactly the start of a brilliant military career. Trust Miles to make a bad situation worse, and trust Bujold to keep him hopping. This book has it all, action, pain, humor and Miles succeeding beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Bujold has managed to create a character who convinces me that he is indeed a genius as well as more human than most. Bravo. If you are new to the series, this is probably not the best book to begin with -- try Shards of Honor or The Warrior's Apprentice.