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May. 6th, 2009 10:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsI have no idea what I was thinking several years ago when I first embarked on a read of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books, but somehow I read the first two or three and then ended up jumping over the middle and landing on A Civil Campaign. Usually I am a total sticker for reading stuff in order, so I am not at all sure how this happened! Anyway, I have now decided to do a complete read-through, from the beginning, because clearly my books-to-read list is not long enough and needed to have an addictive twelve-or-thirteen book series added to it.
(Take it as a given that I am glaring at you, people responsible for rekindling this desire. You know who you are.)
Conclusion, after starting out with a reread of Cordelia's Honor: yes, Bujold is still addictive. It helps that Cordelia is really just a hugely fun character to spend time with. I would say, because she is so sane, except I had forgotten all the times that Cordelia goes OFF THE HANDLE. She is extremely sane and reasonable around 80% of the time! And then you push her just an inch too far and she goes around single-handedly attacking full companies of mutinous Barrayarans and shoving psychiatrist's heads in the drink. However, even when she is completely crazy herself, she still has an incredible sane-ifying effect on others, which I suspect is her real magic power.
Anyway, it is a lot of fun seeing Cordelia grow as a character over the course of Shards of Honor and Barrayar, and I love Barrayar, especially, for how much it explores the strain that switching to a completely different culture puts on even the strongest relationship. Oh, delicious culture clash. And I love how Cordelia and Aral talk about things, and they are an extremely strong couple, but that does not magically make everything okay. (Also, I had forgotten how funny Aral's proposal was!)
In conclusion, I wish to ask for suggestions as to Cordelia's Crowning Moment of Awesome. I am pretty sure "I'm tired of your war. End it." is the winner for me, but there is a lot of awesome in there to offer competition!
(Take it as a given that I am glaring at you, people responsible for rekindling this desire. You know who you are.)
Conclusion, after starting out with a reread of Cordelia's Honor: yes, Bujold is still addictive. It helps that Cordelia is really just a hugely fun character to spend time with. I would say, because she is so sane, except I had forgotten all the times that Cordelia goes OFF THE HANDLE. She is extremely sane and reasonable around 80% of the time! And then you push her just an inch too far and she goes around single-handedly attacking full companies of mutinous Barrayarans and shoving psychiatrist's heads in the drink. However, even when she is completely crazy herself, she still has an incredible sane-ifying effect on others, which I suspect is her real magic power.
Anyway, it is a lot of fun seeing Cordelia grow as a character over the course of Shards of Honor and Barrayar, and I love Barrayar, especially, for how much it explores the strain that switching to a completely different culture puts on even the strongest relationship. Oh, delicious culture clash. And I love how Cordelia and Aral talk about things, and they are an extremely strong couple, but that does not magically make everything okay. (Also, I had forgotten how funny Aral's proposal was!)
In conclusion, I wish to ask for suggestions as to Cordelia's Crowning Moment of Awesome. I am pretty sure "I'm tired of your war. End it." is the winner for me, but there is a lot of awesome in there to offer competition!
