Book Review: Starting Cordelia's Honor
May. 1st, 2013 04:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
estelracaSo, Cat and I finished Serpent's Reach by CJ Cherryh (full review to come later, still processing, but overall it was fantastic), and we're starting the Vorkosigan saga by Bujold. Since I know at least one person will be excited, I figured I'd try giving opinions as we go.
We've gotten through the first three chapters so far. I'd have to say that I love the ecosystem and the critters that Bujold comes up with for the alien planet. It's actually sufficiently alien in parts to feel real, while at the same time very much based in biology. (There are scavengers, and they're a huge part of the story, rather than the apex predators being the most important thing in the ecosystem!) It's also nice to have microbes and parasites and their importance acknowledged--yes, please, cook that meat until it's well-done, you don't even know how scary some of the things that encyst in meat can be!
I'm looking forward to learning more about the Barryar political struggle that resulted in Vorkosigan and Cordelia ending up on their march through the woods. So far it's very hazily sketched in, because we're just getting to know the characters and the world. There are really only two characters at this point, though a third is there physically but not mentally. It's nice to have a female captain in Cordelia, acting pretty much like captains are expected to act in space opera--protective of ship and crew, intelligent, bad-ass, determined, capable of both physical fighting and verbal sparring. Given that this series is literally as old as me, it's a little disappointing that sci-fi on TV and film is still so far behind sci-fi in books (and this isn't even touching on the even older writers, like LeGuin). Vorkosigan is a character designed to hit all of my weak points--an honorable warrior in a terrible situation, scarred by what he's gone through, trying to navigate a world that would strip him of his honor and heart if possible.
The budding romance between Cordelia and Vorkosigan is interesting to see. It seems a little rushed at this point, but that might just be my impressions. Maybe people with more standard sexualities can find their captors sexy. It seems a bit quick for Cordelia to be commenting on his looks and getting a little hot and bothered by it, though. It's so hard to write these opposite-sides-of-the-battle romances without it reading like Stockholme's or something similar, though (one of my original series has a romance between opposite sides of a battle, so I may just be hypersensitive to this as well). I do really like seeing Cordelia and Vorkosigan work together (like turning jellyfish into hydrogen explosions), and slowly coming to ask questions and gain a better understanding of each other's world and world-view.
On a tangential note that doesn't fit in anywhere else, neural disruptors are an absolutely terrifying weapon. A weapon that can destroy the mind but leave the body intact is just... hideous and horrifying. I like that the book points out that it's considered barbaric by most civilizations, because it should be. Just... gah.
So far enjoying the story, though I'm waiting for it to really get cracking and to get some more aliens and politics in there. Show me why you are award-winning, book!
We've gotten through the first three chapters so far. I'd have to say that I love the ecosystem and the critters that Bujold comes up with for the alien planet. It's actually sufficiently alien in parts to feel real, while at the same time very much based in biology. (There are scavengers, and they're a huge part of the story, rather than the apex predators being the most important thing in the ecosystem!) It's also nice to have microbes and parasites and their importance acknowledged--yes, please, cook that meat until it's well-done, you don't even know how scary some of the things that encyst in meat can be!
I'm looking forward to learning more about the Barryar political struggle that resulted in Vorkosigan and Cordelia ending up on their march through the woods. So far it's very hazily sketched in, because we're just getting to know the characters and the world. There are really only two characters at this point, though a third is there physically but not mentally. It's nice to have a female captain in Cordelia, acting pretty much like captains are expected to act in space opera--protective of ship and crew, intelligent, bad-ass, determined, capable of both physical fighting and verbal sparring. Given that this series is literally as old as me, it's a little disappointing that sci-fi on TV and film is still so far behind sci-fi in books (and this isn't even touching on the even older writers, like LeGuin). Vorkosigan is a character designed to hit all of my weak points--an honorable warrior in a terrible situation, scarred by what he's gone through, trying to navigate a world that would strip him of his honor and heart if possible.
The budding romance between Cordelia and Vorkosigan is interesting to see. It seems a little rushed at this point, but that might just be my impressions. Maybe people with more standard sexualities can find their captors sexy. It seems a bit quick for Cordelia to be commenting on his looks and getting a little hot and bothered by it, though. It's so hard to write these opposite-sides-of-the-battle romances without it reading like Stockholme's or something similar, though (one of my original series has a romance between opposite sides of a battle, so I may just be hypersensitive to this as well). I do really like seeing Cordelia and Vorkosigan work together (like turning jellyfish into hydrogen explosions), and slowly coming to ask questions and gain a better understanding of each other's world and world-view.
On a tangential note that doesn't fit in anywhere else, neural disruptors are an absolutely terrifying weapon. A weapon that can destroy the mind but leave the body intact is just... hideous and horrifying. I like that the book points out that it's considered barbaric by most civilizations, because it should be. Just... gah.
So far enjoying the story, though I'm waiting for it to really get cracking and to get some more aliens and politics in there. Show me why you are award-winning, book!
no subject
Date: 2013-05-01 09:33 pm (UTC)*flailsquee*
Aral is an utterly badass character, but arguably Cordelia is more so. She is absolutely amazing.
The first three chapters are great. It's some character development: you get to see all this stuff. I LOVED this because I'd already read the Young Miles omnibus first, so I met Aral through Miles' eyes -- and seeing him through Cordelia's eyes and with her Betan viewpoint is just great.
Poor Dubauer. :( That experience with Dubauer sticks with both of them throughout the entire series. Which you may realise maybe twice, at most, but it is there the whole time. Something that's really great about this series is the genuine way Bujold's characters react to horrific or difficult scenarios, and grow/change/adjust their worldview as a result. You can see subtle changes in Aral and Cordelia as a result of their knowing each other, but yet their true internal character essence remains unchanged. These little developments just utterly fascinate me.
It seems a little rushed at this point, but that might just be my impressions. Maybe people with more standard sexualities can find their captors sexy. It seems a bit quick for Cordelia to be commenting on his looks and getting a little hot and bothered by it, though.
I never noticed this! But you're right: it does seem to come on rather fast. I seem to remember that Cordelia herself does seem to rue how quickly she fell for the guy, but he does seem to hit her buttons quite nicely. Wait another couple of chapters, they become so cute. :D
Vorkosigan is a character designed to hit all of my weak points--an honorable warrior in a terrible situation, scarred by what he's gone through, trying to navigate a world that would strip him of his honor and heart if possible.
Just wait until you get to know Miles properly. I'd marry that hyperactive little git in a second. Anything more would be spoilers, obviously, but... I dunno.
I have such a wealth of favourite characters in this series, but among the ones you'll meet early are Gregor, Drou, Cordelia and Aral, and ...hmm, after this series you'll meet folks like Pym and Bel Thorne. Bel Thorne is the one character in this series who most makes me want to write fanfic. :D And there are some characters that I ADORE later on but those can wait as some require spoilers. :P But those characters you meet in Shards of Honor, Barrayar, and/or any of the stories in the Young Miles omnibus.
So far it's very hazily sketched in, because we're just getting to know the characters and the world.
The second book, Barrayar, is exceedingly appropriately named because you get to see all of it through Cordelia's eyes as a foreign off-worlder with way more progressive tendencies. So you'll get it. :)
no subject
Date: 2013-05-02 05:07 pm (UTC)I love dynamic characters who grow and change as a result of what they go through. It's one of the reasons I've wanted to read this series for a while, because I'd heard Bujold was great at it. So far I am enjoying it.
I'm expecting some good hurt-comfort to come out of this festering leg wound and Cordelia's impending prisoner-of-war-dom. We shall see, though.
From what I've heard of Miles (small, smart, clever-tongued), he's going to be Cat's character trope to a T. I may be wrong, though. Given my love of reading things in proper chronologic order (even if publishing order makes it a bit sketchy), though, we'll have to wait a bit to get to Miles.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-02 05:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-02 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-01 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-02 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-02 03:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-02 05:01 pm (UTC)The loving-your-captor bit is a just on the edge of my squick button right now. So far it's been mainly that they're working together to survive, and since they're working together they're also getting to know each other and coming to understand the other's worldview a bit. There's a power imbalance, but it's more that if they survive it's going to be due to Vorkosigan's people, meaning Cordelia will by necessity by a prisoner of war, her only other option being to stay on the planet without any civilization and with an injured crewman. But then there are lines with Cordelia thinking Aral is dead sexy that just make me go "um, a little early for that".