Backcountry Hick Goes to the Big City...
Rating: 5/5
Pros:
Witty dialogue, well-scripted suspense, great pace.
Cons:
If you can find any, get back to me.
The Bottom Line:
A rollicking good read.
Recommended:
Yes
... except that the Big City is actually the capital planet of an eight-planets-and-sundry-dependencies empire called Cetaganda, and the backcountry is a measly three-planet upstart empire. Oh, and lest I forget, the hick in question is Lord Miles Vorkosigan, he of the diminutive stature, hunched back and friable bones, officer and nobleman of the Barrayaran Empire.
When the Empress of Cetaganda, in Miles' colorful parlance, "dropped", the enterprising young lieutenant is despatched, with cousin Ivan in tow, to Eta Ceta IV to attend the State funeral. The stated object of the exercise was to allow the junior military officers to acquire some diplomatic polish. Unstated was the urgent need to keep Miles safely occupied and out of trouble. From a certain point of view, you could say that the first objective was accomplished. Keeping Miles and Trouble away from each other was, however, not feasible.
The action takes a flying start from the moment their personnel pod lands on Eta Ceta. An armed intruder crashes into the shuttle. In the ensuing free-fall hurly-burly, Miles manages to wrest from his apparently elderly opponent a mysterious rod. This turns out to be a "key to a key" which Miles somehow omits to mention to his Barrayaran Imperial Security, or ImpSec, boss on Ceta. Things snowball from there. Miles attempts to discover the lock the key is meant to fit. Sinister and original attempts to assassinate and/or incapacitate Miles and Ivan occur, separately and in tandem. The departed Empress' closest attendant commits suicide. Or does he? Miles thinks not. Miles falls in love with an unattainable Cetagandan haut-lady who flits around in an opaque soap-bubble. Everybody and their wife, literally, seem to be after the key rod, but nobody is telling why.
Ms. Bujold weaves a deliciously tangled web and sets Miles to work frantically figuring out which strand belongs where, with the fate of more than one empire in the balance. Does Miles manage to save the empire (or empires) and win his love as well?
Cetaganda is, if you haven't already guessed, a novel of the science fiction genre. It is set in Lois McMaster Bujold's brilliantly conceived Vorkosiverse, and chronicles the continuing adventures of Miles Vorkosigan. But the nice thing about the Vorkosigan Saga is that you can read any of the books as stand-alones and enjoy them thoroughly. Reading the whole series, however, adds depth and background to the already well-rounded characters.
Bujold writes with simplicity, clarity, humor and wit. She also demonstrates a masterly sense of rhythm which will keep you turning the pages far into the night. Read this book. Even if you don't normally read science fiction, it's worth the time and money.
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