Komarr
by Lois McMaster Bujold
Vorkosigan: Publication Order (12), Vorkosigan: Chronological Order (11)
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Komarr could be a garden with a thousand more years' work, or an uninhabitable wasteland if the terraforming fails. Now, the solar mirror vital to the terraforming of the conquered planet has been shattered by a ship hurtling off course. The Emperor of Barrayar sends his newest imperial auditor, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, to find out why. The choice is not a popular one on Komarr, where a betrayal a generation before drenched the name of Vorkosigan in blood. Thus, the Komarrans surrounding Miles show more could be loyal subjects, potential hostages, innocent victims, or rebels ready for revenge. Lies within lies, treachery within treachery, Miles is caught in a race against time to stop a plot that could exile him from Barrayar forever. His burning hope lies in an unexpected ally, one with wounds as deep and honor as beleaguered as his own. show lessTags
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Komarr is listed as the 11th book in the Vorkosigan Saga, a series that could be described as space opera. The series features one of my favorite fictional characters, Miles Vokosigan. I've seen one reviewer describe him as a "feminist Captain Kirk." Close enough, even if a short, crouch-backed Captain Kirk, although in a lot of ways Miles reminds me more of Kirk's original inspiration, C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower, only a lot more manic. Bujold in a note on Amazon notes Komarr makes a "good alternate entry point for the series, picking up Miles's second career at its start." I do think this depends a bit less than other novels on knowing the previous books, especially given much of the point of view is given to a new character, show more Ekaterin Vorsoisson, giving us an outside view of Miles--and a good foil and match. I still wouldn't start here. Part of the pleasures of this book was catching references to prior stories. I'd start instead with Cordelia's Honor or Young Miles. This installment was a very enjoyable blend of science fiction, mystery and romance as Miles gets entangled in an investigation of what looks like sabotage. Ekaterin is an appealing character, and at one point I had my mouth stretched so wide by a grin at Miles' reaction to her, it hurt. But a nice hurt! show less
Rereading anything by Lois McMaster Bujold is always a joy. After spending some time with a raft of debut novels barely above amateur status, I find it refreshing to be back in the hands of a true master of the craft. In Komarr, the prequel to A Civil Campaign, Bujold deftly combines comedy, romance, melodrama, and interstellar adventure.
So why hasn’t Hollywood called? I suspect it is because she is so good at modulating character and tone that getting it all into a screenplay would be devilishly difficult. Maybe it’s a Vor thing, but Miles and Co. seldom say everything they mean. Bujold makes us privy to their thoughts, which often are at a tangent from their words and actions.
Here’s an example. Ekaterin and her aunt, the show more Professora, are being held captive on a space station and are trying to get the attention of station officials by sabotaging a sonic toilet.
“My grandchildren could make short work of this, I’ll bet,” agreed the Professora. “It is too bad we don’t have a few nine-year-olds with us.”
“Yes,” sighed Ekaterin. And no. That Nikki was safely back at Komarr right now was a source of liberating joy in some secret level of her mind. But there ought to be some way to sabotage a sonic toilet that would light up a tech board and bring an investigation. How to turn a sonic toilet into a weapon was just not in Ekatrin’s job training. Vorkosigan probably knew how, she reflected bitterly. Just like a man to be underfoot in her life for days and then a quarter of a solar system away when she really needed him.
No actress could put all this into the single word, “Yes.” And if you write additional dialogue to express it all, you violate Ekaterin’s essential character. She would never tell her aunt about her growing attraction to Miles and is not quite ready to admit it to herself. Scenes like this are the reason critics compare Bujold to Jane Austen.
On to A Civil Campaign. show less
So why hasn’t Hollywood called? I suspect it is because she is so good at modulating character and tone that getting it all into a screenplay would be devilishly difficult. Maybe it’s a Vor thing, but Miles and Co. seldom say everything they mean. Bujold makes us privy to their thoughts, which often are at a tangent from their words and actions.
Here’s an example. Ekaterin and her aunt, the show more Professora, are being held captive on a space station and are trying to get the attention of station officials by sabotaging a sonic toilet.
“My grandchildren could make short work of this, I’ll bet,” agreed the Professora. “It is too bad we don’t have a few nine-year-olds with us.”
“Yes,” sighed Ekaterin. And no. That Nikki was safely back at Komarr right now was a source of liberating joy in some secret level of her mind. But there ought to be some way to sabotage a sonic toilet that would light up a tech board and bring an investigation. How to turn a sonic toilet into a weapon was just not in Ekatrin’s job training. Vorkosigan probably knew how, she reflected bitterly. Just like a man to be underfoot in her life for days and then a quarter of a solar system away when she really needed him.
No actress could put all this into the single word, “Yes.” And if you write additional dialogue to express it all, you violate Ekaterin’s essential character. She would never tell her aunt about her growing attraction to Miles and is not quite ready to admit it to herself. Scenes like this are the reason critics compare Bujold to Jane Austen.
On to A Civil Campaign. show less
Or, "Miles and the Married Woman". Which is to say the romance is very much the heart of this novel. The chapters alternate between Miles and Ekaterin, the wife in question. There's still the SF adventure aspect and Miles has to use his wits, but there's really only one outcome that matters. The portrait of psychological marital abuse is skillfully handled, neither trivialized, nor allowed to dominate the entire novel.
Recommended.
Recommended.
Newly minted Imperial Auditor Miles is sent to the conquered planet Komarr, the Barrayaran gateway to the galaxy, to investigate a catastrophe. One of the planetary terraforming mirrors has been destroyed by an out of control freighter. Accident, sabotage, or terrorism, Miles has to get to the bottom of the issue on a planet where his father earned the moniker 'the Butcher', while figuring out the limits of his power as an Imperial Auditor.
The A plot, mirrors, embezzlement, engineering investigations and high-stakes negotiations, is well done, although it lacks the dazzling footwork of previous outings in the series. Where this book shines in the character of Ekaterina, a Vor woman trapped in one of the most compelling and fleshed out show more emotionally abusive relationships I've seen. She's the real protagonist of the book, and Bujold does an incredible job making her, and her suffering real and compelling. Bujold doesn't pull her punches, or give Ekaterina and Miles the easy romantic escape from all their troubles, but it's yet another fascinating window on how Vor society works, and its high human costs. show less
The A plot, mirrors, embezzlement, engineering investigations and high-stakes negotiations, is well done, although it lacks the dazzling footwork of previous outings in the series. Where this book shines in the character of Ekaterina, a Vor woman trapped in one of the most compelling and fleshed out show more emotionally abusive relationships I've seen. She's the real protagonist of the book, and Bujold does an incredible job making her, and her suffering real and compelling. Bujold doesn't pull her punches, or give Ekaterina and Miles the easy romantic escape from all their troubles, but it's yet another fascinating window on how Vor society works, and its high human costs. show less
I know, I know, each Vorkosigan Saga book I read, I seem to say, this is my favorite. Well, once again, I have a few favorite and it's [b:Komarr|61884|Komarr (Vorkosigan Saga, #11)|Lois McMaster Bujold|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170597725s/61884.jpg|1129294].
First and best, it is Miles as Imperial Auditor Vorkosigan, unraveling (with help) a mystery. He is on the planet where his father acted in such a way as to be called The Butcher of Komarr. He is growing into his new role. And he is falling in love.
I found Ekaterin's character to be sympathetic and compelling. She is, in many ways, emotionally frozen, and yet her compassion and caregiving instincts are strong. She nurtures plants and virtual gardens as she is unable to show more nurture her relationship with her husband.
Tien's death is convenient, but since Ekaterin was leaving him and had informed Tien of that fact before his death, I felt like the death simply made things easier in the aftermath. It didn't change the direction she had already started to take for herself.
I did find it somewhat contradictory that Ekaterin was so numb, so dead, so emotionally flat and yet so quick to respond to Miles. But then we get a clue as to how he was able to penetrate her numbness when, at the very end of the book, Ekaterin describes Miles as "concentrated". I loved that description and it so completely captures his force of personality. And yet, throughout the book, he is simply himself and, I might add, even more at home with himself than in any book prior to this.
Seeds of romance to be nurtured in the upcoming books, I hope, and a whopping good mystery in this one. show less
First and best, it is Miles as Imperial Auditor Vorkosigan, unraveling (with help) a mystery. He is on the planet where his father acted in such a way as to be called The Butcher of Komarr. He is growing into his new role. And he is falling in love.
I found Ekaterin's character to be sympathetic and compelling. She is, in many ways, emotionally frozen, and yet her compassion and caregiving instincts are strong. She nurtures plants and virtual gardens as she is unable to show more nurture her relationship with her husband.
Tien's death is convenient, but since Ekaterin was leaving him and had informed Tien of that fact before his death, I felt like the death simply made things easier in the aftermath. It didn't change the direction she had already started to take for herself.
I did find it somewhat contradictory that Ekaterin was so numb, so dead, so emotionally flat and yet so quick to respond to Miles. But then we get a clue as to how he was able to penetrate her numbness when, at the very end of the book, Ekaterin describes Miles as "concentrated". I loved that description and it so completely captures his force of personality. And yet, throughout the book, he is simply himself and, I might add, even more at home with himself than in any book prior to this.
Seeds of romance to be nurtured in the upcoming books, I hope, and a whopping good mystery in this one. show less
The wormhole plot was very interesting and satisfying, as was the full worldbuilding of Komarr itself, but what really shone brightest in the novel was Miles's falling in love with a married woman. I knew from a previous readings how important she'd become, but my goodness this was painful to watch. Delightful, absolutely, but also very painful. It was strangely believable and full of depth and realism, greatly surpassing all of his other love interests, and it really brought out the shine in his eyes. Ill-fated love story, anyone? At least the plot actions were entirely believable and felt very natural. Their mutual discovery was slow and the tension was great, and by the end of the novel, still up in the air. As it should be.
To say show more this was a great Miles story is to say it is absolutely required reading. Like most of them. Go get them. Now. Love them. :) show less
To say show more this was a great Miles story is to say it is absolutely required reading. Like most of them. Go get them. Now. Love them. :) show less
Summary: For Miles's first assignment as an official Imperial Auditor, he is sent to investigate the crash of a space freighter into the Komarran Soletta Array -- a giant mirrored satellite that provides much of the light and heat needed to make Komarr habitable. Not to investigate the mechanics of the crash itself -- that much falls to Lord Auditor Vorthys, an engineering specialist -- but to probe the political currents that eddy around the incident. Miles is normally right at home in the waters of politics and intrigue, but Komarr has only been under Barrayaran rule for a generation and many of its residents still think of Miles's father as "The Butcher of Komarr."
While they are planetside, Miles and Lord Vorthys are staying with his show more niece, Ekaterin Vorsoisson, whose husband, Etienne, works in Komarr's terraforming department. Etienne is volatile and often aggressively hostile, and Ekaterin is deeply unhappy in her marriage. She is also afraid for the health of their son, who may be carrying the same genetic disease that his father has gone to such great lengths to hide. Miles immediately falls for his beautiful if reserved hostess, despite knowing that she's thoroughly unavailable. But the more he investigates, the more he finds that Etienne is mixed up in some shady business, and the more he begins to suspect that what happened to the Soletta Array wasn't an accident at all.
Review: Lois McMaster Bujold does a lot of things well. She writes convincing mysteries, witty yet believable dialogue, stories that nicely incorporate sci-fi elements without ever forgetting the basic human drama at their core. But if I had to pick one thing that I think Bujold is best at, it's the development of complex, sympathetic, realistic, and memorable characters, even in very short spaces. Therefore, the main highlight of Komarr is being introduced to another one of these wonderful characters: Ekaterin Vorsoisson.
Ekaterin is obviously bound to play an important role in the series -- no non-Vorkosigan would get so many chapters from their perspective otherwise. But even in her first appearance, she won my allegiance. Bujold's depiction of the Vorsoissons' troubled and emotionally abusive marriage is nothing short of harrowing. This device, of a woman stuck in a horrible marriage, could have gone badly wrong; I have a fairly low tolerance for victimhood in my heroines, and characters who complain about how terrible their lives or relationships are without doing anything about it lose my sympathy very quickly. But although Ekaterin's marriage is terrible, she has reasons for staying with Etienne other than inertia, and those reasons are not only believable, but also contribute to Ekaterin's overall characterization and likability. Plus, she finds her backbone partway through the story, and after that, she becomes progressively more awesome, to the point that her contribution to the climax of the story actually elicited cheers.
As much as I enjoyed meeting Ekaterin, I also enjoyed watching Miles continue to mature. While I wouldn't go so far to say that Miles's life up to this point has been easy, many of the problems he's faced thus far have yielded to his particular blend of intelligence, strategic thinking, and charm. As a result, it's fascinating to watch him struggle with a problem -- in this case, his growing attraction to Ekaterin -- where his normal approach is useless. Galactic politics and spaceship battles, Miles can handle with no problem, but he's not particularly adept at interpersonal relationships, especially among the Vor. Watching Miles tackle something he's not good at makes for an interesting change of pace.
The mystery aspect to the story was well done enough to hold my attention, even when my primary focus was on Miles and Ekaterin. The chapter split between Miles's and Ekaterin's points-of-view lets us see the solution to the mystery unfold from multiple angles, and I enjoyed watching the various storylines converge on the solution. There were a large number of newly-introduced tertiary characters, mostly Komarran scientists and officials, and I occasionally had trouble keeping a few of them straight, but for the most part I was able to follow along without a problem.
Grover Gardner's narration of the audiobook was once again wonderful. Despite my complaints when I first listened to Shards of Honor, I found that by this point, I didn't mind his narration of the chapters from a female POV -- he manages to modulate his voice and his reading enough so that it was noticeably different from Miles's sections, but without ever sounding breathy, girly, or fake. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Overall, if Memory was a transitional novel, Komarr is very clearly the start of a new chapter in Miles's life, and if this book is any indication of what's to come, it's a chapter in which I'll be very interested indeed. show less
While they are planetside, Miles and Lord Vorthys are staying with his show more niece, Ekaterin Vorsoisson, whose husband, Etienne, works in Komarr's terraforming department. Etienne is volatile and often aggressively hostile, and Ekaterin is deeply unhappy in her marriage. She is also afraid for the health of their son, who may be carrying the same genetic disease that his father has gone to such great lengths to hide. Miles immediately falls for his beautiful if reserved hostess, despite knowing that she's thoroughly unavailable. But the more he investigates, the more he finds that Etienne is mixed up in some shady business, and the more he begins to suspect that what happened to the Soletta Array wasn't an accident at all.
Review: Lois McMaster Bujold does a lot of things well. She writes convincing mysteries, witty yet believable dialogue, stories that nicely incorporate sci-fi elements without ever forgetting the basic human drama at their core. But if I had to pick one thing that I think Bujold is best at, it's the development of complex, sympathetic, realistic, and memorable characters, even in very short spaces. Therefore, the main highlight of Komarr is being introduced to another one of these wonderful characters: Ekaterin Vorsoisson.
Ekaterin is obviously bound to play an important role in the series -- no non-Vorkosigan would get so many chapters from their perspective otherwise. But even in her first appearance, she won my allegiance. Bujold's depiction of the Vorsoissons' troubled and emotionally abusive marriage is nothing short of harrowing. This device, of a woman stuck in a horrible marriage, could have gone badly wrong; I have a fairly low tolerance for victimhood in my heroines, and characters who complain about how terrible their lives or relationships are without doing anything about it lose my sympathy very quickly. But although Ekaterin's marriage is terrible, she has reasons for staying with Etienne other than inertia, and those reasons are not only believable, but also contribute to Ekaterin's overall characterization and likability. Plus, she finds her backbone partway through the story, and after that, she becomes progressively more awesome, to the point that her contribution to the climax of the story actually elicited cheers.
As much as I enjoyed meeting Ekaterin, I also enjoyed watching Miles continue to mature. While I wouldn't go so far to say that Miles's life up to this point has been easy, many of the problems he's faced thus far have yielded to his particular blend of intelligence, strategic thinking, and charm. As a result, it's fascinating to watch him struggle with a problem -- in this case, his growing attraction to Ekaterin -- where his normal approach is useless. Galactic politics and spaceship battles, Miles can handle with no problem, but he's not particularly adept at interpersonal relationships, especially among the Vor. Watching Miles tackle something he's not good at makes for an interesting change of pace.
The mystery aspect to the story was well done enough to hold my attention, even when my primary focus was on Miles and Ekaterin. The chapter split between Miles's and Ekaterin's points-of-view lets us see the solution to the mystery unfold from multiple angles, and I enjoyed watching the various storylines converge on the solution. There were a large number of newly-introduced tertiary characters, mostly Komarran scientists and officials, and I occasionally had trouble keeping a few of them straight, but for the most part I was able to follow along without a problem.
Grover Gardner's narration of the audiobook was once again wonderful. Despite my complaints when I first listened to Shards of Honor, I found that by this point, I didn't mind his narration of the chapters from a female POV -- he manages to modulate his voice and his reading enough so that it was noticeably different from Miles's sections, but without ever sounding breathy, girly, or fake. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Overall, if Memory was a transitional novel, Komarr is very clearly the start of a new chapter in Miles's life, and if this book is any indication of what's to come, it's a chapter in which I'll be very interested indeed. show less
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Science fiction and fantasy author Lois McMaster Bujold was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1949. After graduating from Ohio State University, she worked as a pharmacy technician at Ohio State University Hospitals. Her first short story was published in Twilight Zone Magazine in 1984 and her first three novels were published in 1986. She received the show more Nebula Award for Falling Free and The Mountains of Mourning and the Hugo Award for The Vor Game, Barrayar, Mirror Dance, The Mountains of Mourning, and Paladin of Souls. She also received the Locus award for Mirror Dance and Paladin of Souls, the Minnesota Book Award for Komarr, the Mythopoeic Award for The Curse of Chalion, and a Romantic Times 2003 Reviewers' Choice Award for Paladin of Souls. She is best known for her series featuring Miles Vorkosigan. She currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Komarr
- Original title
- Komarr
- Original publication date
- 1998-06
- People/Characters
- Lord Miles Vorkosigan (an Imperial Auditor); Ekaterin Nile Vorvayne Vorsoisson ('Kat,' wife of Etienne Vorsoisson, daughter of Sasha Vorvayne); Etienne Vorsoisson ('Tien,' Administrator & jerk); Nikolai Vorsoisson ('Nikki,' Ekatarin & Etienne's son); Captain Tuomonen (Barrayaran, head of ImpSec's Serifosan office & is their Serifosa analysis section); Dr. Georg Vorthys (an Imperial Auditor, Ekaterin's uncle) (show all 27); Professora Helen Vorthys (Madame Dr. Vorthys, Ekaterin's aunt); Ser Venier (Komarran, Tien's administrative assistant); Dr. Soudha (Komarran, Administrator, Waste Heat Management department head); Andro Farr (Trogir's live-in, she left her cats in his keeping); Dr. Barto Radovas (Komarran, Marie Trogir's engineering boss, who resigned & disappeared when she did); Marie Trogir (Dr. Soudha's missing former technician); Lena Foscol (Komarran, in Accounting in Tien's department); Dr. Riva (Komarran, she's a University of Solstice mathematical physicist specializing in five-space theory); Madame Radovas (Bartos' wife, who did not go with him, nor did their children); Philip (Komarran, Microbial Reclassification department head); Liz (Komarran, Carbon Draw-down department head); General Rathjens (Chief of Imperial Security - Komarr, reports directly to Duv Galeni at ImpSec HQ); Group-Patroller Rigby (she's a dome cop); Arrozi ('Roz,' Soudha's engineer temporarily handling Radovas' duties); Cappell (Souda's department's resident mathematician); Colonel Gibbs (Impsec financial analyst); Major D'Emorie (ImpSec engineering); Madame Vortorren (mother of one of Nikki's friends, looking after Nikki); Dr. Yuell (a male mathematics professor colleague of Dr. Riva); Captain Vorgier (ranking ImpSec man aboard the jump station that goes to Barrayar); Group-Commander Hasavi (head of station security for the jump station that goes to Barrayar)
- Important places
- Serifosa Dome, Komarr (fictional city on a fictional planet); the Vorsoisson apartment, Serifosa Dome; a sealed tower on the edge of the Serifosa Dome sprawl where local government offices are (including Tien's); outside the northwest side of the Engineering Building at the Waste Heat Experiment station, Komarr; Bollan Design's design plant, a dome one sector west of Serifosa, Komarr; Komarran civilian transfer station that serves the wormhole jump to Barrayar
- First words
- The last gleaming sliver of Komarr's true-sun melted out of sight beyond the low hills on the western horizon.
- Quotations
- Miles: Fortunately for my credit, from the outside most people can't tell the rapid exploitation of a belatedly recognized opportunity from deep-laid planning. (chapter 21)
Aim high. You may still miss the target but at least you won't shoot your foot off.
Her late husband had called her Kat. A pet name. A little name. As if he hadn't time to pronounce the whole thing, or wish to be bothered...But Ekaterin was light on the teeth and the tip of the tongue, yet elegant and dignif... (show all)ied and entirely worth an extra second of, of anyone's time. (chapter 12)
Tien's antilegacy clouded the glimmerings of the new future she ached to claim for herself. She imagined a bird, released from ten years in a cage, told she could fly free - as soon as these lead weights were attached to her ... (show all)feet.
This bird's going to get there if she has to walk every step. (chapter 13)
(Miles, encouraging Nikki to return to school)
"It's not as daunting the second time. I wished later I could have started with the second time. But the only way to get to the second time is to do the first time. Seems p... (show all)aradoxical, that the fastest way to get to easy is through the hard. In this case, I can't spare you an ImpSec agent to check out your school for antimutant activity." (chapter 16)
[After Vorthys had referred to Colonel Gibbs of Imperial Security as 'your' to Miles]
Miles had considered denying personal ownership of ImpSec and anyone in it, but recognized ruefully that he was now identified as the ... (show all)authority on ImpSec among the Auditors just as Vorthys was identified as the engineering expert. It's an ImpSec problem, he pictured some future conclave of his colleagues concluding. Give it to Vorkosigan. 'Right'. (chapter 16) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Shall we go ask about that hydroponics tour?"
- Original language
- English
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