Customer Reviews

The Vorkosigan Companion

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

 

 

This was not the best companion book I've ever had. I didn't have the errors mentioned in a previous review so the print run must have been corrected (for those who still want the book). Other companion books have had maps and pictures to flesh out the stories. This book only has a 'map' of the planets and their relativity in space. What about Barrayar, or Sergyar, or other planets where the characters covered wide areas? Where are the different areas in relation to each other? Or floor plans of Vorkisigan House so that we can see the Great Butter Bug Battle? How about a picture of Taura? Or the bubble chair of the Cetagandans?

This book was mainly about LMB and the genesis of each story. Don't get me wrong - it was interesting. But not in a companion book to the stories. There was also a pronunciation guide AND a concordance. A lot of this was repetition and the size of the book would have been much less if the two had been combined. The summaries of each book would be good if you were new to the series - but what new reader is going to buy a companion book? That's for those who love the series and are die-hard fans.

This book just didn't measure up to expectations and if I'd seen it before I bought it then it would have stayed where it was. Unfortunately that didn't happen so it will sit on the shelf as a bad buy. Only get this book if you really are die-hard and must have everything written by LMB.

The Vorkosigan Companion: The Universe of Lois McMaster Bujold is a 'must' for any prior reader of her Vorkosigan books: it is packed with essays, articles, and even a new interview with Bujold and discusses the sociology, science and psychology of her themes and novels. The Vorkosigan universe is complex: chapters delve into underlying meanings, influences, and more and provide a satisfying companion reader highly recommended for any prior avid fan of Bujold's books.

This book has a few very nice essays by LMB and by the editors but there isn't enough _to_ it to justify buying it while it is still in hardcover, which I did. I am a very big Bujold fan, although just as much for her other stuff as for the Miles stories, but I should have waited for the paperback. I'm not unhappy that I have the book but it doesn't transcend the nature of such books. I would rather save my time and money for fiction.

The Vorkosigan Companion (2008) is a guide to the Vorkosiverse. It includes a preface, seventeen articles divided into five Parts and three appendices. This work provides almost more than a reader would want to know about Miles Vorkosigan, his relatives, his friends, his world, his fans and his author.

Preface by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Part One: Creator of the Vorkosiverse

- Putting It Together: Life, the Vorkosiverse, and Everything by Lois McMaster Bujold.

- A Conversation with Lois McMaster Bujold by Lillian Stewart Carl.

- Publishing, Writing, and Authoring: Three Different Things by Lois McMaster Bujold.

- A Conversation with Toni Weisskopf by John Helpers.

Part Two: Aspects of the Vorkosiverse

- Romance in the Vorkosiverse by Mary Jo Putney.

- Biology in the Vorkosiverse and Today by Tora K. Smulders-Srinivasan.

- "What's the Worst Thing I Can Do to This Character": Technology in the Vorkosiverse by Ed Burkhead.

Part Three: Appreciations

- Through Darkest Adolescence with Lois McMaster Bujold, or Thank You, But I Already Have a Life by Lillian Stewart Carl.

- Foreword to Falling Free by James A. McMaster.

- Foreword to Shards of Honor by James Bryant.

- More Than the Sum of His Parts: Foreword to The Warrior Apprentice by Douglas Muir.

- Foreword to Ethan of Athos by Marna Nightingale.

Part Four: The Fans

- Come for the Bujold, Stay For the Beer: Science Fiction Writers as Occasions of Fandom by Marna Nightingale.

Part Five: The Vorkosiverse Itself

- A Pronunciation Guide to the Vorkosigan Saga by Suford Lewis.

- An Old Earther's Guide to the Vorkosigan Universe by Denise Little.

- The Vorkosigan Saga Novel Summaries by John Helfers.

- The Vorkosigan Saga Concordance by Kerrie Hughes, John Helpers, and Ed Burkhead.

Appendices

- A Map of the Vorkosigan Universe.

- Timelines of the Vorkosigan Saga.

- A Brief Guide to Barrayaran Genealogy.

Naturally, this compendium is not the last word on Miles Vorkosigan. Not only will he have new readers, but we can reasonably hope that there will be more stories about him. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Vorkosigan fans and for anyone else who enjoys knowing more about a favorite author and character.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This book is for for poeple who can't help but reading everything related to Miles, Barrayar and the Vorkosigan saga in general. Considering the long-lasting abstinence from newly published novels, it is a good opportunity to learn more things about the Vorkosiverse and its genealogy. Above all, I appreciated the conversation with Lois. Whilst I hate the drawing on the cover-page. The pronunciation guide is intriguing but hardly understandable for a non english mother-tongue speaker.

I found this a useful over view of the series and an enjoyable look into the creation of them. Worth the cost.

Don't bother. Just get a new Vorkosigan novel.
I'm sorry but this one didn't add anything to the experience. I like Lois's books, but the "companion was (to me) a waste of money, as it didn't add anything worth while. Avoid...

It's one of 5 books up for the 2009 Hugo Award in the "Best Related Book" category. The Awards will be presented at the 67th World Science Fiction Convention, August 6-10, 2009 at the Palais de Congrès in Montreal, Québec.

I'm still reading through parts of this, but have enjoyed what I have read so far.