Memory (Miles Vorkosigan Adventures) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lois McMaster Bujold (Author)

Book Description

Series: Miles Vorkosigan Adventures | Publication Date: October 1, 1997

Dying is easy. Coming back to life is hard. At least that's what Miles Vorkosigan thinks and he should know, having done both once already. That was when he last visited the planet of Jackson's Whole, while rescuing his brother. Thanks to quick thinking on the part of his staff, and incredible artistry on the part of the specialist who revived him, his first death won't be his last. But his next one might be, a realization he finds profoundly unsettling. Even after he returns to military duty, his late death seems to be having a greater effect than he's willing to admit. Unfortunately, his weakness reveals itself to the world at large at just the wrong time and in just the wrong way, and Miles is summoned home to face Barrayaran security chief Simon Illyan. But when things begin to go subtly wrong in Imperial Security itself, 'Who shall guard the guardians?' becomes a more-than-rhetorical question, with a potentially lethal answer. Things look bad, but they are far worse than Miles imagines, as he discovers his worst nightmares about Simon Illyan don't compare to Illyan's worst nightmares-or are they memories?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Miles turns 30, and--though he isn't slowing down just yet--he is starting to lose interest in the game of Wall: the one where he tries to climb the wall, fails, gets up, and tries again. Having finally reached a point in his life where he can look back and realize that he has managed to prove his courage and competence, he can move on to bigger and better things.

Depending on how you count it, this is the eighth, ninth, tenth, or eleventh book in a series--not all are about Miles or even his extended family. A good place to start is with the first Vorkosigan story, Shards of Honor.

From Publishers Weekly

Miles Vorkosigan, secret agent extraordinaire and hero of six previous Bujold novels, has made a serious error. Not entirely recovered from the near-fatal injuries sustained in Mirror Dance (1994), he has a seizure while in combat, nearly wrecking the mission. Worse yet, fearing that he will be removed from active duty, he has falsified his report to Simon Illyan, the chief of Barrayaran Imperial Security. Illyan, who has perfect memory due to a computer implant, catches Miles in a lie and so must dismiss him from the Service. Devastated, Miles contemplates suicide. His career as a secret agent has propped up a damaged psyche; can he now live on his own? The Vorkosigan series started out as fairly lightweight space opera, but Bujold has matured as a writer over the years, and in such novels as Barrayar (1991) and Mirror Dance has both moved away from straight action and shown increasing skill as a delineator of character. Now, both Miles's strengths and his weaknesses come into play as he must struggle first with his own failure and then with a mystery that may have a potentially devastating effect on Barrayar itself. Not long after dismissing Miles, Illyan, who holds the safety of the Empire in his hands, begins to forget things and make serious mistakes himself?and only Miles, now a civilian with a serious medical disability hanging over his own head, has the knowledge needed to deal with impending disaster. Three novels in this series, including Mirror Dance, have won a Hugo for Best Novel; expect a nomination, at least, for this compelling new one. Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Baen (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067187845X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671878450
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong entry in a terrific series, August 28, 2000

By 

Marcy L. Thompson (Sammamish, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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

This book marks the turning point of Miles Vorkosigan/Naismith's life. Without giving away the plot, there's not much else to say. Miles faces his life, his choices and himself, in prose so brutally honest that it almost hurts to read. But the writing is beautiful, the plot twisty and surprising, and the characters glorious. This is the culmination of all that has gone before, and I strongly recommend that you read what has gone before. prior to dipping into this novel.

_Memory_ is a fabulous book. It would be well worth reading if it had only the great story, or only the incredibly well-drawn characters, or only the deeper layers of meaning. When you combine all of these, and add in the absolutely sublime prose, you have a fabulous book. Read the precursors, then read this. You won't be sorry.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the first 10 books..., March 13, 2000

By 

Colin R. Glassey (Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

I will venture the very bold statement that Bujold is the best woman SF writer active today (ealier claiments to that title would be LeGuin and C. J. Cherry). This series of Bujold's (about Miles) is really a remarkable work. Not only is it extensive (10+ books) but it has gone after things in a strongly chronological fashion. Instead of skipping forward and backwards in time, picking off the highlights, this series has (with a few exceptions) moved forward in time very "cleanly". I really get the feeling that I'm reading about a real person's life.

One remarkable aspect to this series is that while it is science fiction, it is very strongly about character development as well. Miles changes over time. Most other people in the series don't change but then, most other people in the books are older than Miles and more set in their ways. Another interesting thing about this series is that the "galaxy" in which this book is set is slowly coming into focus. We only see bits and pieces of the Miles galaxy but even so, it is developing very nicely as a coherent, believable background for the stories.

Now this book, Memory, is a real turning point in Miles life and in the series. It marks (what seems to be) a turn away from "space opera" and towards something new... science fiction for policy wonks? Its hard to describe but the old days of blasting your enemies are replaced by the new, more mature challenges of politics and character assassination. It also represents a chance for Bujold to engage in some "romance".

Don't take this wrong, this is not some romance novel, but it is a novel that in many ways is about relationships. Its rare to read a SF novel that is this carefull balance of comedy, mystery, and character.

Bottom line: Bujold's Miles series started pretty well 15 years ago and has transformed into a series that is unlike anything that has been written before. I find it highly enjoyable and this book is one of the best "installments" in the life of Miles.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Career for Miles, July 3, 2002

By 

WFK "alt historian" (Wolfsberg, Austria) - See all my reviews

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

The first half of the book deals with Miles' old life as Admiral Naismith becoming a memory: he has to re-invent himself (again). Tragic circumstances - his former mentor's loss of memory - open up an unusual opportunity for our hero: to become an Imperial auditor. To quote from the book: "imperial with capital imp".

So the book becomes a mystery with Miles as the investigator and - naturally - his cousin Ivan as the sidekick. And it is a great story with all the colorful, romantic background of Barrayar.

If "Mirror Dance" was the very dark but brilliant story about his clone-brother becoming Lord Mark, then this is Miles' turn to really become Lord Vorkossigan, new suite and kitchen-staff included. There is also romance in the book, but it mostly evades Miles - well, at least the emperor is happy ...

A mystery, romance, a search for oneself - it's all there in this book. I regard it as one of the best of this brilliant series. To read it before "Komarr" (and consequently "A Civil Campaign") is recommended.