Customer Reviews

Miles, Mutants and Microbes

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Some of the other reviewers apparently neglected to read the book description ("Two complete novels and a short novel in one large volume"!), and gave the work a poor review on the basis of their own negligence because it wasn't new material. No, it is *not* new material, but this is not a new thing for the Vorkosigan series. This title is, in fact, the fifth Vorkosigan Universe omnibus (after Vorkosigan's Game; Young Miles; Miles, Mystery and Mayhem; and Miles Errant-- Miles in Love comes after this one). It packs all the Quaddie stories in one neat little volume: the Nebula Award-winning Falling Free, which is set 300 years P.M. (pre-Miles) and provides some fascinating background on how the universe that Miles knows came to be that way; the short story "Labyrinth," which is Miles' first contact with a living, breathing Quaddie; and the novel Diplomatic Immunity, which brings Miles and his new wife back to Quaddiespace, where it all began.

These stories include some of the best and most sensitive writing in the whole series, in my opinion, and I love the omnibus format. Not only does it save me a bit of shelf space (that is, if I can bear to toss my original copies), but it puts things together thematically-- we get the *whole* Quaddie story in one volume now, and it's much easier to see the connections between the beginning and ending novels. I adore Bujold's Miles books, and I wish she'd write more of them, too, but meanwhile, I'm happy to have the omnibus editions.

"Falling Free". Engineer Leo Graf is sent to Cay Habitat, where bio-engineering led to "Quaddie" children having four arms and no legs to perform in a zero gravity environment. His job is to train these Quaddies in welding in space. However, new technology and a bottom line mentality leave the Quaddies expendable unless Leo intervenes.

"Labyrinth". Over two centuries after Leo's mission, Miles Vorkosigan goes undercover as Dendarii Mercenary Admiral Naismith to escort a genetic research scientist defecting from his current employer on the lawless planet Jackson's Whole. However, instead of completing his secret mission successfully, his pick up refuses to leave without taking his experimental samples with him. However, to obtain them Miles must kill an eight-foot tall bio-engineered killing machine that has the other "species" buried inside his calf. The new corporate owner of the giant learns of Miles' quest leaving the outsider needing help that he receives from enigmatic Bel Thorne and Quaddie musician Nicol.

"Diplomatic Immunity". Imperial auditor Miles Vorkosigan and his wife Ekaterin enjoy their belated intergalactic honeymoon until the ship's Tau Cetan captain informs them that a Barrayaran Imperial Courier has an official sealed data disc for him. Emperor Gregor Vorbarra wants Miles to investigate a murder involving an impoundment of a Komarran trader ship on Graf Station in remote "Quaddiespace".

These well written reprints of three Quaddie tales provide readers with exciting cautionary science fiction thrillers in which Lois McMaster Bujold warns her audience to insure science does not cross an ethical line with bioengineering throwaway people. Exciting especially the Miles' saga, Quaddie fans will enjoy this omnibus edition.

Harriet Klausner

I really like Bujold's work, and I enjoyed the first story in this book. However, I am a bit ticked off to discover that this omnibus edition breaks the pattern set by the previous omnibus editions. That is, up to this point, a new fan could start reading at "Cordelia's Honor", move on to "Young Miles", and so on, knowing that one was reading the stories in chronological order and missing nothing. And so I expected would be the case with this book... however, I now discover that the first story pre-dates the rest of the series - and fair enough, it has to go somewhere and why not here? But then the second story is one I've already read in a previous omnibus ("Miles, Mystery and Mayhem") and the third is one that comes from much later in the continuity - in fact, after all the stories in "Miles in Love". But then I turn to my copy of "Miles in Love" (purchased in advance, based on the idea that I'm collecting a complete set) and discover that while the stories do continue the chronological pattern of the other omnibus editions, that "Memory" has been skipped over. So if I actually want to read them in chronological order, I'm going to have to get that separately and read it before I start on any of the books I've got in front of me.
It's not a huge thing, and ultimately the novels are enjoyable so it's not as though I feel short-changed, but it just seems like, halfway through the process of putting together the omnibus editions, they've switched from a logical and helpful system to one that doesn't make sense, for no reason and without explanation. I'll happily buy the missing book separately, but it is nonetheless a bit grating to discover this halfway through reading what I thought was my "complete" collection.

While not, perhaps, the very best of Bujold's work, the woman could write telephone books and make them enjoyable! The stories of the quaddies fit well together, and the first entry, "Falling Free", has been sometimes obscure and difficult to find, so presenting it as a prelude to the others is ideal.

What really stands out is that "Falling Free" was one of Bujold's first stories, long before she had worked out the roadmap for the Vorkosigan Saga, and probably before she ever anticipated there would be such a thing. Her ability to integrate early works with later ones, to weave hints and offhand comments into core events is nothing short of remarkable.

Bujold has created some wonderful characters; quaddies are fascinating, and you have to think about how you'd adapt to them--and living in zero G. Falling Free is a wonderful introduction to quaddies. Is it possible to rescue all of them?!

Just visiting Jackson's Whole makes you think--carefully--about bio-engineering. In Labyrinth, Miles has to rescue a teenaged girl--the only survivor of her bio-engineered group, and her metabolism runs hot!

Diplomatic Immunity concerns really sophisticated bio-engineering and the complex culture of the Cetagandans, disappearing bodies, with suspense and danger from parasites, a crazed ba, and colliding cultures. This is a great combo of stories; I enjoyed rereading them all together.

Bujold consistently delivers swashbuckling space opera, sort of like Doc Smith but better tuned to modern sensibilities. Each story combines wit, adventure, a carefully escalating series of cliff-hangers, and a triumphant finish all aorund.

The first of these stories takes place in the Miles universe, but a few hundred years before Miles appears. It tells the origin of a fascinating human race, the four-armed "Quaddies," as they progress from near-slavery in the gene labs, to biological waste, to refugees seeking a nation of their own.

Next, "Labyrinth" brings Miles into the scene, freeing another human experiment from slavery (or worse). I was a little disappointed at paying for a story I'd read before, but it's still a good one.

Finally, "Diplomatic immunity" features Miles again, years after his "Labyrinth" career. His job as diplomat and trouble-shooter returns him to the Quaddies, this time to sort out some problems with a military shore leave gone wrong. That turns out to be the least of the problems, as unwinding the first story exposes deeper secrets, even biological weapons.

Like Mary Wallstonecraft before her, Bujold explores the consequences of biological engineering. Bujold's outcomes have far more optimistic potential, however - her new people generally come across as quite likeable, expanding what it means to be human without downplaying the dire potential involved. That's just an added bonus in these lively adventures, however. Mostly, they're just fun to read.

--wiredweird

A nice grouping of books concerning quaddie-space, the quaddie race, and what life in space might be like, in the future. If you haven't read any of the Vorkosigan saga, this would be a good introduction!

I enjoy the entire Miles Vorkosigan series. However, I made a mistake in purchasing this. I already had two of the three books in this volume and the other one is only very peripherally related to the Miles saga.

Any Bujold book has loads of action, a fast pace, and fun plot twists. The three volumes in this book all pertain to Quaddies. I would suggest purchasing this specific compendium if you like the individual stories and want them in a collection.

Normally I'm a big fan of Amazon.com when it comes to making purchases of almost any kind: they're reliable, fast, and the products that they deliver are generally in perfect shape when they arrive. I'm sad to say that this was a major exception to the rule: I purchased the mass market paperback edition of Miles, Mutants, and Microbes as a gift for a friend, only to have her discover as she began reading that it featured a massive misprint that put the second half of the final story right in the middle of the first, completely removing the last half of said first story and the beginning of the second, and printing the final story again in its entirety at the end. Worse still, this appears to be a problem not with one book, but with that whole printing run: I had that first copy returned and replaced, and the next copy had the exact same misprinting issue. The mass market paperback is NOT the edition you want if you're interested in reading this book. The next time I try to buy this book, I'm going to see if the hardcover is free of these issues.

I am a huge fan of the Miles Vorkosigan saga by Bujold and eagerly looked forward to this book only to find it has all been published before. So if you are a fan like I am and have read everything in this book already, there is no need to buy it. However, if you haven't read any of this series, then treat yourself and start here.