Review – Vorkosigan Saga
I’ve read the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold over 12 years ago and have recommended it to all my friends, some of whom took me up on it and loved it as well. This series is actually what got me back into reading after a long dry spell, where I would maybe read a book a year for school, maybe. What’s even more remarkable is that I read them in Russian. My reading speed in Russian was abhorrent, in the start of the series I think I read about 15 pages an hour, but the books were interesting enough for me to persist. They are fast paced and action filled so, even if you’re not a strong reader, it will grab you.
I read the series in order starting with Shards of Honour. That one is just fantastic. The next one, Barrayar, is a little slower paced in the beginning, but continues strong. In the following book, The Warrior’s Apprentice, the protagonist changes for the rest of the series and the stories are again fast paced and fantastic.
There are two stories that take place before the main story line that some recommend to read beforehand. I don’t see the point. They take place centuries before and have no impact on the current events. One of them, Falling Free, was downright boring in certain places and might put you off the entire series. The other, Dreamweaver’s Dilemma, was good, but the Saga was better.
So, yes. Read it! Start with Shards of Honour. This saga has it all: action, romance, interplanetary wars, espionage, genetically engineered soldiers, clones… everything you want from a sci-fi epic.
Oh, yea, I’ve only read until the Civil Campaign (book 12), so I have to catch up on a few.
***Note, as I looked for the book links I found out that Barrayar was published after The Warrior’s Apprentice, which now makes sense since the writing is a bit different. The events in it do take place chronologically before the The Warrior’s Apprentice.***
