Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (Vorkosigan Saga) (original 2012; edition 2012)

I keep thinking that one of these days, Bujold will put a book into this series that I don't enjoy... but it hasn't happened yet. This book is fun, funny, light and for all that the plot is unbelievable on its own, it seems strangely believable when you put it in terms of Ivan. A cute addition to the series, all told. ( )

I like science fiction. I like romance (particularly the trad Regency romances upon which this is so clearly modeled). I like Bujold's Vorkosigan series. So this should have been a slam-dunk, but, oh, what a disappointment this turned out to be!

This book is awkward, charmless, silly, and, well, just aggressively mediocre. So mediocre and so lazy that I almost wonder if Bujold isn't hoping to abandon this series and is using this sub-par book as a way to get fans to detach from it. From the first awkward paragraphs to the last, this is a thin and tiresome book. Nobody here is worth caring about, no one has a single interesting thing to say, and the world depicted is about as nuanced and sophisticated as a primary school cardboard and tempera-paint stage set seen up close (far less attractive, too!). Info dumps are many, real development is scarce, and the plot, such as it is, is hackneyed beyond belief. Even Ivan Vorpatril (never the sharpest or shiniest piece of cutlery in the tray) deserves better than this. ( )

Series. Can stand alone. Fast-paced. Some romance but gooey or erotic. Would work for guys and safe for teens. ( )

I'm not fond of rom-com - and that's all this is - but this was very enjoyable. The characters and humour made up for the lack of plot, however I can't help but hope Bujold's next book is back to twisty-turney Miles stuff. ( )

Oh, Ivan, how I love you. After all the Vorishness that you've internalized, all the crap you've taken from Miles, and all of the dismissal- but still, there you are- all Ivany and adorable.

I've long had a soft spot for Ivan(-you-idiot) Vorpatril, who in this book at last comes into his own. And I knew that Simon was putting us on, at least in part. More Miles, while undoubtedly distracting, would have changed this book to be something else.

I loved seeing Ivan at the forefront of this comedy, and I loved finding out By's backstory. If you are a Bujold fan, this is a nonnegotiable book. If you are, unaccountably, among the unconverted- do us all a favor and start at the beginning.
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