How to start reading Bujold

[altariel]

lizblackdog and I had a short exchange about Lois McMaster Bujold in the comments on another post, and I said I'd come up with a suggested reading order for her books. Then it turned out fictualities hadn't read any, so Something Had To Be Done, and I've decided to do it as a separate entry for future reference.

I've hooked a couple of people this way, so it seems to work, but if anyone thinks there's another good way of reading her books, just say.

LMB writes fantasy and science-fiction. I don't know her earliest fantasy books, so I can't comment on those. This post is mainly about the Vorkosigan SF series. Bujold also has a new series of fantasy books, the Chalion series.


The Chalion Series

There are only three of these so far, so that's not too hard!:

• The Curse of Chalion


• Paladin of Souls


• The Hallowed Hunt

I've not had a chance to read The Hallowed Hunt yet since her stupid UK publisher isn't publishing it, chiz chiz, and I can't schlepp the hardback in from the US. The Curse of Chalion has one of the most engaging heroes I've come across - Lupe de Cazaril. He is angsty, dark-haired and cerebral. (I have this listed as an interest. You may supply your own examples.) Paladin of Souls has a female lead who is 'on the shelf' so far as her society is concerned. Very sympathetic character. The strength of the books in terms of world-building lies in the very interesting theology that Bujold has invented (with in-built heresy to supply political context).


The Vorkosigan Series

Right, the Vorkosigan books. Boy, are you in for a treat. There are (unless I've missed something) twelve novels, one short story, and three novellas. They (mostly) follow the life and times of one Miles Vorkosigan, hyper-active aristocrat and part-time mercenary. Miles - the son of a significant political figure on his home planet Barrayar - was born with physical disabilities in a militaristic society which, for various historical reasons which I won't spoil, is deeply prejudiced towards, well, just about everyone really. This personal history (the books start before Miles's birth and carry on up to his early thirties) takes place against the backdrop of the socio-political transformation of Barrayar as it becomes increasingly involved in galactic affairs.

The books are mostly jolly military space opera with characterization to die for and a satisfying amount of angst. They also genre-bend, gleefully and seamlessly stitching SF and romance. While superficially there is plenty of space hardware, there is a lot of gender politics going on, as well as exploration of the social effects of technology which directly impacts upon women's lives (not least the 'uterine replicator'). They are my absolute, sure-fire, happiness-making read, and I love 'em to bits.

The books were not written entirely chronologically, although you can read them that way. Personally, I'd suggest coming into Miles's (and Barrayar's) story part-way through, and reading a five-book arc that starts with:

First Lot

• Brothers in Arms: This is not the best of the series, but it is the beginning of the arc. It's a quick read, and fun. (Oh, and it has a B7 avatar in it - Duv Galeni, Kerr Avon or what?)


• Mirror Dance: Complex, dark themes, and the place where the writing hits a new level of maturity.


• Memory: "Miles hits thirty; thirty hits back." A book about life's sudden changes.


• Komarr: Thoughtful and mature novel about people falling in love thoughtfully and maturely. Under a big space dome! A bit like Persuasion - in space!


• A Civil Campaign: Big joyous happy-making book of joy. Bujold subtitled it: "A Comedy of Biology and Manners". If you have ever loved Jane Austen, Dorothy L. Sayers, Georgette Heyer, but have also wanted your own spaceship, then this is the book you have been waiting to read.

After all this, you should, theoretically, be in the place where you're loving these characters and want more stories about them NOW. (If you're not, er, well, sorry to have wasted your time, I think Iain M. Banks will probably have a new one out.) So now you can go back and read the earlier books.

Second Lot

Shards of Honor and Barrayar: The earliest (chronologically) in the series. SoH is Bujold's first novel; Barrayar follows on directly (literally, straight on), but wasn't written until some time later. The full story of how Miles's parents met, whilst on opposite sides of a war. After that, the books pick up with Miles in his late teens. Character-driven space opera. You may as well read them chronologically: The Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game, Cetaganda (the most SF-ish, and my least favourite).

Third Lot

If you've not had enough by now, you can fill up the corners with the other books set in the universe, at various points in the chronology. Falling Free is an early novel set a few centuries before the Vorkosigan saga. The novellas in Borders of Infinity, all of which are about Miles, are set chronologically after Brothers in Arms. Ethan of Athos is a very funny book about an innocent abroad in the big bad galaxy, who has come from a puritan planet where there are no women. Diplomatic Immunity, the most recent novel, is set after A Civil Campaign and is stylistically like one of the earlier space opera adventures. Winterfair Gifts is a short story which I think acts as an epilogue to the series (and has an incredibly touching romance).


Right, there you are. Go forth, read. Hope you enjoy them.