Customer Reviews

Ethan of Athos

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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. It's believable and real and rib-achingly funny. It's the humor of actual people living in an actual world, and it demonstrates the vividness with which Bujold evokes her stories. And, like most living humor, its all about context. (You'll see what I mean when you understand the line: "Apparently they had committees on Kline Station, too...")

So, we've got great prose, keen foresights, a fully-realized world, compelling characters, and an exciting plot.

And this is one of Bujold's weaker novels? There's little doubt in my mind that she's the best science fiction author writing today.

After re-reading this book recently (I'm working my way through the entire Miles Vorkosigan works in chronological order) I appreciate it much more now than I did after the first reading. I still find the first part, about Ethan before he leaves his home planet of Athos, uninteresting if not repulsive (a world with no women is my idea of Hell), but once he gets out into the wider galaxy, and especially after he runs into Elli Quinn (yes, Vorkosigan fans, THAT Quinn) it gets a lot better and turns into a highly interesting mystery/space opera in the classic Bujold style. The first time I read it I didn't know who Quinn was; now I do. Since knowing seemed to add a great deal of enjoyment to the second read, I recommend you not read this until you have read at least some of the Miles Vorkosigan novels. (No, Miles is not in this book, except for an occasional mention of the absent Admiral Naismith, Miles' alter-ego.) Chronologically, it fits between The Vor Game and "Labyrinth," the second story in Borders of Infinity, but I would recommend waiting until you've read all three stories in Borders before taking this book en passant, as it were. If you're determined to plow through the Miles V. series as fast as possible, you could side-step this book completely, but if you like Bujold (how could you not?) read it sometime. Read it twice. It's worth it.

This is a fun romp through a space station through the eyes of a man who has never seen a woman and has been raised to believe that they are the ultimate evil. Unfortunately for him, he's also pretty open-minded and a genuinely nice guy. Plus, one woman in particular (Quinn) keeps saving his life from the machinations of the bad guys and eventually it seems like bad form to run away from her every time he does so. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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.

This volume is generally one of the less popular among Bujold fans, probably due to the absence of Bujold's most celebrated character, Miles Vorkosigan. But it's a solid story with pleasures of its own.

Ethan comes from Athos, a planet founded by misogynists who took their loathing of women so seriously that they founded a planet populated only by men. Uterine replicator have been used for reproduction, but now they are failing and there is a need to import fresh genetic material, so Ethan is sent to Klein Station to pick up new materials.

On Klein Station, Ethan encounters betrayal and conspiracies from galactic powers that isolated Athosians have little understanding of. His only ally is Elli Quinn of the Free Dendarii mercenaries.

Wild adventures ensue, with the usual amount of double-crosses, mysteries, and sudden plot twists, all of which are handled well and are a sufficient reason to read the book. But the greatest pleasure in this story for me is the Bulold's world-building. She has really thought about Athos and about Klein Station, and she creates them as plausible places, showing what they are like. And, as another reviewer has properly pointed out, she shows the uniqueness of these societies not with long chunks of exposition that break up the story, or characters who deliver implausible lectures on the differences between their societies and 20th Century Earth, but by allowing you to see events from the perspective of people from those societies.

This isn't Bujold's best. But it's an illustration that Bujold, even a bit off form, is still better than most and a very rewarding writer.

Because this book doesn't include Miles Vorkosigan and his complicated personal issues, it will be an easier read than most Bujold books for somebody unfamiliar with 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_).

Years ago I lent this book to a friend who promptly lost it. For years I have been searching for another copy as it is one I want in my permanent library to read and re-read. This is a book that gets and keeps your attention with its story line while making you laugh all the way through it!! Now that I've found it in Amazon, I can't wait to read it again and again!!

Though I frequently came across her name as a highly recommended science fiction author, I missed out on Lois McMaster Bujold until recently, when I read Ethan of Athos. That scifi adventure involves a man from an all-male planet who uses technology to provide children for his world's population. Ethan happens to be gay; many of the other Athosians simply practice celibacy. Unfortunately, something goes awry, and Ethan must leave Athos on a mission that will cause him to rely on a woman for help.

Despite the strange plot and the comical tone, Bujold delivers an exciting story and characters that seem real. I like that she doesn't remind me of any other writer.

As someone who enjoys reading (and writing) science fiction or fantasy novels with queer themes, I suggest this novel, as well as Wraeththu (by Storm Constantine), Cinátis (by Ronald L. Donaghe), The Left Hand of Darkness (by Ursula K. Le Guin), Stealing Some Time (by Mark Kendrick) and The Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood). Other readers could suggest more, but I loved those and plan to read many related titles.

Years ago I lent this book to a friend who promptly lost it. For years I have been searching for another copy as it is one I want in my permanent library to read and re-read. This is a book that gets and keeps your attention with its story line while making you laugh all the way through it!! Now that I've found it in Amazon, I can't wait to read it again and again!!