Komarr (Miles Vorkosigan Adventures) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lois McMaster Bujold (Author)

Book Description

Series: Miles Vorkosigan Adventures | Publication Date: April 1, 1999

Accident or Treachery? Komarr could be a garden-with a thousand more years work. or an uninhabitable wasteland, if the terraforming fails. Now the solar mirror vital to the terraforming of the conquered planet has been shattered by a ship hurtling off course. The Emperor of Barrayar sends his newest Imperial Auditor, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, to find out why. The choice is not a popular one on Komarr, where a betrayal a generation before drenched the name of Vorkosigan in blood. In the political and physical claustrophobia of the domed cities, are the Komarrans surrounding Miles loyal subjects, potential hostages, innocent victims, or rebels bidding for revenge? Lies within lies, treachery within treachery-Miles is caught in a race against time to stop a plot that could exile him from Barrayar forever. His burning hope lies in an unexpected ally, one with wounds as deep and honor as beleaguered as his own.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Lois McMaster Bujold comes through again with another sharp Miles Vorkosigan novel. Komarr can be read as a standalone, though it is part of a whole series. (Komarr brings the total to 16 books!) Miles is a hugely popular character with fans--and they won't be disappointed with his latest adventure.

The planet Komarr is undergoing centuries-long terraforming when one of the orbiting mirrors crucial to the effort is smashed by an off-course ship. Miles Vorkosigan is sent to Komarr to investigate the incident; once there, he becomes embroiled in political and scientific battles. To make matters worse, the name Vorkosigan is anathema on Komarr. But our intrepid hero can't be put down easily. While trying to save Komarr, he manages... maybe... to find true love at last! Bujold's original and intelligent blend of politics, science, and cliffhanging-good space opera makes this book a satisfying adventure and a charming romance. --Therese Littleton --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Rendered unfit for military service by incurable seizures resulting from his having died, been cryofrozen and then revived, Miles Vorkosigan has managed to land on his feet once again, this time as an Imperial Auditor handling top-secret investigations of the most difficult and vital sort. When a gigantic solar-powered satellite necessary to the terraforming of the planet Komarr is damaged in a collision with an ore freighter, Miles and another Auditor are sent to determine whether the collision was an accident or sabotage. Conquered within living memory by the Barrayaran Empire, which Miles represents, Komarr has a history of rebellion. Worse, Miles's father, Lord Vorkosigan, who put down the last revolt, is hated by many Komarran patriots. Miles eventually uncovers what is apparently a straightforward scheme involving bribery in high places, but a darker and more dangerous plot is brewing below the surface, one that could destroy the Empire. In addition, he falls in love with the unhappily married wife of the government official who is his host. As usual, Bujold (Memory) tells a fast-moving story that combines just the right amount of action and wit as Miles continues to mature in a manner unusually complex for a series protagonist. Breaking new ground, Bujold tells much of her story from the viewpoint of Ekaterin Vorsoisson, the woman Miles falls in love with, and the portrait that emerges of a good woman stuck in a loveless marriage is both believable and intensely painful. Bujold continues to grow as a writer, and her work remains among the most enjoyable and rewarding in contemporary SF. (June) of the year and was a finalist for both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Baen (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671578081
• ISBN-13: 978-0671578084
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read Me!, August 3, 2002

By 

A. Trotter (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Komarr (Miles Vorkosigan Adventures) (Mass Market Paperback)

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 Honor
Barayar
(these two books are also combined into "Cordelia's Honor")
The Warrior's Apprentice
Short Story: The Mountains of Mourning
(all short stories are contained in "Borders of Infinity")
The Vor Game
Cetaganda
Ethan of Athos
Short Story: Labyrinth
Short Story: The Borders of Infinity
Brothers in Arms
The Borders of Infinity
Mirror Dance
Memory
Komarr
A Civil Campaign
Diplomatic Immunity

Now, go start at the begining and read them all the way through to the end.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Combat wasn't as tough as administration! :), April 16, 1999

By 

Geoffrey Kidd (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Komarr (Miles Vorkosigan Adventures) (Mass Market Paperback)

One thing Lois McMaster Bujold never does is keep doing quite the same thing each time. Miles' predicament in this novel reminds me of a scene in Farley Mowat's "Dog Who Wouldn't Be" where the dog is trying to sit on five wounded ducks at once. He has four paws and five ducks... Here, Miles has to solve a mystery, discover true love for the first time in his life, learn a new profession and a couple of other things that I'll let you find out by reading the book. At the same time, we get a fascinating glimpse of what it's like to watch the "Dwarf Tornado" as our favorite hyperactive tries to play whack-a-mole in real time. As always, I had an awful lot of fun reading this book and I absolutely can't wait for the next one, "A Civil Campaign."

Incidentally, I've seen some complaints that Miles seems a bit thick-headed as an Imperial Auditor. I don't agree. In the earlier books, Miles was leading the band. Here, he's essentially a cop, and, as somebody once commented, cops are historians. They come along *after* the deeds are done and try to cope with the mess. That's a lot harder than combat. I've read this book three times, and expect to read it a few more.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, atypical space opera, February 17, 1999

By 

Morgil Ravenswing ([e-mail]) (Silverport, Gwenethlin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Komarr (Miles Vorkosigan Adventures) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this one before it came out, courtesy of a friend in publishing, and it was wonderful to see an SF novel that, for once, lets its hero grow up. Miles has undergone more than enough physical and psychological trauma to drive a person mad; having him continue to run around swashbuckling after being killed, having most of his organs and bones replaced, etc., would be as ridiculous as having Admiral Nimitz lead a boarding party. As Dorothy Sayers put it when a reader complained that Lord Peter Wimsey no longer had "elfin charm," "Any man of that age who has 'elfin charm' should be euthanized."

It's also nice to see a heroine who's an adult woman who attempts to deal with the consequences of her decisions, not a stereotypically beautiful woman-child or a Heinleinian superwoman who only wants to have babies. Dr. Laura's excoriations(she's an exercise physiologist, not a psychologist, BTW) really don't apply. And why should they? Would it be better to have Ekaterin be a Friday clone?

Regardless, I look forward to the next book. It's easy to write space opera. God willing, Bujold can take Miles (and herself) to the next level.