Vorgosigan serie by Lois McMaster Bujold
Some of my friends still haven't read those, so I'll do a bit of introduction to them. I believe most of
you would love it.
Currently it's one of the books I re-read the most often. They're comfort reading, but they're also incredibly smart and occasionnally deep albeit not in a flashy way. They're extremely fun to read both in term of comedy and adventure. The characters are all extremely loveable. There's action, intrigue, witty lines, romance, investigation, political and societal satire, good sf ideas, great characterization... so they're overall extremely well rounded books.
In case you worry about getting onto a huge, seemingly unending series, don't worry about that. Each book is a standalone and a self contained story which can totally be read separately.
The series also have a small but active fandom which features gen, het and slash (err, mostly slash I think).
The universe the books are set is a light Space Opera, with many human-inhabited planets connected by "Nexus" which are of certain strategic importance. (Some planet have only one way to the other systems, some have many. The ones that have many get invaded more often). There are no aliens thought there are a few heavily genengineered human sub-species (such as the Hermaphrodites or the Cetaganda Hauts). We get the feeling of a variety of political systems to the various planets.
The serie in particulary focus onto Barrayar, which is still in form a feodal empire and considered as backward barbarians by a lot of the other planets. Barrayar's unique Nexus was suddenly closed for a couple of centuries at some point after its colonization, which is when it regressed a lot in technology and gained a rather colourful history. It got re-opened just as suddenly about three or four generations before the beginning of the serie so there's a lot of tension between modernism and traditionnalism. Since then Barrayar has been involved in quite a few wars (especially two Cetagandan invasions), and no fewer civil wars.
The Barrayar aristocracy are called Vors, they are a land-owning, political and military class.
The main character of most of the books (with a few exceptions) is Miles Vorkosigan, who belonds to this class, with all the military expectations he's supposed to have from his class. Unfortunaly, Miles suffers from a condition because of a chemical bomb that targetted his mother when she was pregnant : he's way shorter than average, and his bones are about as brittle as glass - and this in a society which looks upon mutants as the most disgusting thing ever. Luckily, Miles is very intelligent and charismatic in a hyperactive way, so this helps - a little bit. When all other things fail, he can always count on nepotism.
(So, yeah, Tyrion looks incredibly like Miles as a character concept : same short stature, very quick mind and scheming ability, witty tongue, tendancy to speak himself into more trouble than he initially was, a something of a chilvarous nature. Miles has a kinder father. Makes a lot of difference.)
The books of the serie (in chronological order of events) are :
Shard of Honour
Barrayar
Both books are compilled into the Omnibus Cordelia's Honour.
They focus not onto Miles, but onto his mother Cordelia, who comes from the extremely egalitarian and progressive Beta society and how she meets and marries Miles' father, as well as the civil war in which foetus!Miles is injured.
The Warrior's Apprentice
The Vor Game
Compilled in the Young Miles omnibus collection, as well as a short story "The Mountains of Mourning".
These make a very good introduction to the serie, and I think are the biggest on military action.
Cetaganda
Ethan of Athos
Compilled in the Miles, Mystery and Mayhem omnibus collection as well as the short story "Labyrinth".
I don't have a shining memory of Ethan (one of the rare book that doesn't feature Miles), but I liked Cetaganda a lot. Both have a lot of diplomacy/spying, interplanetary intrigue and investigation.
Brothers in Arms
Mirror Dance
Compiled into the Miles Errant omnibus collection as well as the short story "Borders of Infinity".
Books which feature Miles' clone-brother Mark. Both of very high quality (Mirror Dance is especially among my all time favourite). I think with these two we reach to the limit of what I'd personnally advice to read before having read previous, althought they're still self-contained.
Memory
My other all time favourite of the series, althought I think I'd strongly advice against reading it before having some introduction to the serie. I love the blurb which describes it as "Miles hit 30. 30 hits back" ^_^
Komarr
Back to spying/investigation intrigues and the introduction of Ekaterin's character, whom I adore and who gives a much quieter and deeper tone to the book, I find.
A Civil Campaign
Subtiled 'a Comedy of Biology and Manner', and according to that description has even more amusement value as before, and quite a few extremely clever ideas about the impact of some biological technologies on societies. It also features a much more varied chorus of voice, focussing on many characters (unlike the other which tends to center around one or two characters at most)
Diplomatic Immunity
The lattest book but slightly lackluster. More interplanetary investigation and diplomacy. ^^
Also :
Borders of Infinity a short story collection, which contains all these shorts stories spread across the various omnibus collection.
Falling Free set in the same universe but two centuries before the series. Frankly, I found it very much avoidable, but for the sake of completeness...
Okay, now, go ahead and read them.
you would love it.
Currently it's one of the books I re-read the most often. They're comfort reading, but they're also incredibly smart and occasionnally deep albeit not in a flashy way. They're extremely fun to read both in term of comedy and adventure. The characters are all extremely loveable. There's action, intrigue, witty lines, romance, investigation, political and societal satire, good sf ideas, great characterization... so they're overall extremely well rounded books.
In case you worry about getting onto a huge, seemingly unending series, don't worry about that. Each book is a standalone and a self contained story which can totally be read separately.
The series also have a small but active fandom which features gen, het and slash (err, mostly slash I think).
The universe the books are set is a light Space Opera, with many human-inhabited planets connected by "Nexus" which are of certain strategic importance. (Some planet have only one way to the other systems, some have many. The ones that have many get invaded more often). There are no aliens thought there are a few heavily genengineered human sub-species (such as the Hermaphrodites or the Cetaganda Hauts). We get the feeling of a variety of political systems to the various planets.
The serie in particulary focus onto Barrayar, which is still in form a feodal empire and considered as backward barbarians by a lot of the other planets. Barrayar's unique Nexus was suddenly closed for a couple of centuries at some point after its colonization, which is when it regressed a lot in technology and gained a rather colourful history. It got re-opened just as suddenly about three or four generations before the beginning of the serie so there's a lot of tension between modernism and traditionnalism. Since then Barrayar has been involved in quite a few wars (especially two Cetagandan invasions), and no fewer civil wars.
The Barrayar aristocracy are called Vors, they are a land-owning, political and military class.
The main character of most of the books (with a few exceptions) is Miles Vorkosigan, who belonds to this class, with all the military expectations he's supposed to have from his class. Unfortunaly, Miles suffers from a condition because of a chemical bomb that targetted his mother when she was pregnant : he's way shorter than average, and his bones are about as brittle as glass - and this in a society which looks upon mutants as the most disgusting thing ever. Luckily, Miles is very intelligent and charismatic in a hyperactive way, so this helps - a little bit. When all other things fail, he can always count on nepotism.
(So, yeah, Tyrion looks incredibly like Miles as a character concept : same short stature, very quick mind and scheming ability, witty tongue, tendancy to speak himself into more trouble than he initially was, a something of a chilvarous nature. Miles has a kinder father. Makes a lot of difference.)
The books of the serie (in chronological order of events) are :
Shard of Honour
Barrayar
Both books are compilled into the Omnibus Cordelia's Honour.
They focus not onto Miles, but onto his mother Cordelia, who comes from the extremely egalitarian and progressive Beta society and how she meets and marries Miles' father, as well as the civil war in which foetus!Miles is injured.
The Warrior's Apprentice
The Vor Game
Compilled in the Young Miles omnibus collection, as well as a short story "The Mountains of Mourning".
These make a very good introduction to the serie, and I think are the biggest on military action.
Cetaganda
Ethan of Athos
Compilled in the Miles, Mystery and Mayhem omnibus collection as well as the short story "Labyrinth".
I don't have a shining memory of Ethan (one of the rare book that doesn't feature Miles), but I liked Cetaganda a lot. Both have a lot of diplomacy/spying, interplanetary intrigue and investigation.
Brothers in Arms
Mirror Dance
Compiled into the Miles Errant omnibus collection as well as the short story "Borders of Infinity".
Books which feature Miles' clone-brother Mark. Both of very high quality (Mirror Dance is especially among my all time favourite). I think with these two we reach to the limit of what I'd personnally advice to read before having read previous, althought they're still self-contained.
Memory
My other all time favourite of the series, althought I think I'd strongly advice against reading it before having some introduction to the serie. I love the blurb which describes it as "Miles hit 30. 30 hits back" ^_^
Komarr
Back to spying/investigation intrigues and the introduction of Ekaterin's character, whom I adore and who gives a much quieter and deeper tone to the book, I find.
A Civil Campaign
Subtiled 'a Comedy of Biology and Manner', and according to that description has even more amusement value as before, and quite a few extremely clever ideas about the impact of some biological technologies on societies. It also features a much more varied chorus of voice, focussing on many characters (unlike the other which tends to center around one or two characters at most)
Diplomatic Immunity
The lattest book but slightly lackluster. More interplanetary investigation and diplomacy. ^^
Also :
Borders of Infinity a short story collection, which contains all these shorts stories spread across the various omnibus collection.
Falling Free set in the same universe but two centuries before the series. Frankly, I found it very much avoidable, but for the sake of completeness...
Okay, now, go ahead and read them.