Books by authors whose earlier works I’ve liked better

[cyphomandra]

Consider the title fair warning. I was not impressed by either of these, and if you liked them or haven't read them, you should probably skip over this. It may or may not help to know that my next post will probably be about 15 volumes of BL manga (all by the same author), which I accidentally read while writing my Yuletide story, and involve me

Comments

[alecaustin]

I still haven't finished All Clear, which I would have if I hadn't found pretty much all of the things you call out annoying. And the ambulance sequence didn't really work for me either (it was just more running around pointlessly, which seemed to be the central theme of Blackout and All Clear - okay, I guess "cheap structural tricks" is in the running too).

I liked Cryoburn okay, but that may just be comparing it to Diplomatic Immunity - all of your points regarding Kibou-Daini and Mark are well taken. I think Bujold's read on governments in the Milesverse is a little more complex than you've put it here, but it's hard to dramatize democracies in ways that lead to strong reader investment. I also think that Bujold's best Miles books are Memory, Komarr, and A Civil Campaign, so saying that Miles being Lord Auditor is the trouble doesn't seem quite right to me. It's clear that Diplomatic Immunity and Cryoburn don't measure up to her previous work, though, and don't even get me started on the Sharing Knife books.

[cyphomandra]

My favourites are Mirror Dance and A Civil Campaign, although Memory has also grown on me.

My argument about exceptional enlightened individuals possibly sounded better in my head :) I do agree that Bujold has had a more complex view of things than that - both Barrayar and Memory certainly have more nuanced takes on government and the perils of dictatorships - but I think these subtleties are absent from her last few books. There's a feeling that now the *right* people can take over, and the right sort of progress will ensue. Having said that, I think it's hard to avoid in this sort of series if you want a positive ending (rather than nihilism or the futile repetition of history!).

Miles as Lord Auditor - I think part of my problem is also what's now at stake for him. Both Diplomatic Immunity and Cryoburn put the things/people that are really important to him off-stage and safe, whereas in Komarr and A Civil Campaign, they're right there and not falling into accordance with his plans. But I still have problems with the degree of

[alecaustin]

Yeah, the whole *right people* thing is... troubling, though as you note it is hard to avoid if you want to keep the series going and not charge headlong into barricades and revolutions and clashes between the old and new orders that are reminiscent of the English Civil War or the French Revolution and its aftermath. Personally, I like that sort of thing, but when you have a cast of characters you like and aren't keen to have half of them die or get horribly maimed in the course of a book, that sort of plot does become somewhat more problematic.

I agree with you on the stakes, though, and I think that part of the issue there is exactly the tendency that I point out above - the creeping sanctity and security of the established cast (aside from the very end of Cryoburn, I guess, but even that felt like a cop-out in terms of how much emotional weight got thrown behind it - I felt that should've had a whole novel, or at least the first half of one, as its preface). The issue isn't that Miles has been rewarded with power (at least, I

[cyphomandra]

Yes, I was thinking about the French Revolution as a comparison as well. Paula Volsky's Illusion rewrites it in a fantasy world, but I can't remember much of the details past the guillotine equivalent. I also like this sort of thing, but I do see the problems!

And I definitely agree on the self-limiting aspect. I'd like to see Miles more trapped by expectations, society, personal ties etc rather than less - surely he and Gregor have to disagree about something, for example?

[ext_143902]

I haven't read book by either authors, but...I'm curious about how one 'accidentally reads' 15 volumes of BL manga? BTW, how's Book Depository going :)

[cyphomandra]

I have just ordered another two books off them and am contemplating more!

Accidentally reading 15 volumes of BL manga - I'm as surprised as you are! Possibly I tripped over something and landed on them :)

[ext_143902]

Possibly I tripped over something and landed on them :)

LOL!