(no subject)

[skygiants]

I 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!

Comments

[sdelmonte]

"Shopping."

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

The generally-accepted CMOA for Cordelia is "Shopping. Want to see what I got?"

(Leading to the great button from Nancy's Buttons: "My wife went to Vorbarr Sultana and all I got was this bloody shopping bag.")

[skygiants]

It is true that that is pretty hard to beat.

[skygiants]

It is true, that one is even listed as the official CMOA on the tv-tropes website! I don't know, though, there is just something about Cordelia ordering an entire roomful of Barrayaran generals to cease and desist that captures my heart completely.

(That is an amazing button.)

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Well, the one causes the other, after all.

There's something about Cordelia's earlier actual shopping trip that's awesome too.

Oh, and Cordelia as matchmaker for Kou and Drou.

[skygiants]

True, true. Perhaps we can call that whole chapter a Crowning Moment in totum?

Oh, the "oh dear, it broke?" moment? Yes, that is pretty fabulous as well!

Cordelia as matchmaker for Kou and Drou is her crowning moment of hilarity.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Oh, the "oh dear, it broke?" moment?

Right. More accurately, "Charge it to Lord Regent Vorkosigan...yeoman."

There actually is a separate category for "Crowning Moment of Funny."

[skygiants]

Cordelia does have a flair for pulling off the "gosh, didn't I mention the Lady Vorkosigan thing?" moments - there is also the one at the Emperor's birthday with the Vorhalas (?) brothers. Though that is somewhat mitigated by what eventually becomes of them.

. . . I sort of wish you hadn't told me that, because now I'm resisting the temptation to spend another hour reading through that page.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

*licks finger, marks score*

[batyatoon]

A few moments that I consider ... not so much Crowning Moments of Awesome but Crowning Moments of Cordelia:

"There are two victims in this room."

"Look at me ... and say the word out loud."

"Fine. You're out. You're in."



I love my pup.

[skygiants]

Are not Crowning Moments of Awesome and Crowning Moments of Cordelia nearly synonymous? :D

- also, dude, I love how she latches onto Vaagen. "YOU! Yes, you, research-obsessed poorly-funded overly ambitious scientist! I am surrounded by crazy Barrayarans but I UNDERSTAND YOU."

[jothra]

Dammit Becca. I just spent about two hours on TVtropes.

[skygiants]

That happens to me EVERY TIME Jo! D: D: D: WHY DO WE NEVER LEARN.

[ceitfianna]

I'm not awake enough and everyone has listed the best ones but one of my favorites is from Memory when she says I bet Aral you would pick the Little Admiral.

I love her so much well that whole family and if I thought I could pull it off, I would love to try and play Ivan.

[ceitfianna]

I remember one of my early months in Bar when I saw your Cordelia, I fangirled quite a bit before I even got up the nerve to tag her.

[skygiants]

Memory is actually one of the ones I have not yet read! (I have read Cordelia's Honor, The Warrior's Apprentice, A Civil Campaign, and Diplomatic Immunity, and . . . I think none of the ones in the middle. *sheepish* HENCE the epic reread! Because I know some of the best stuff is in there.)

Ivan is my FAVORITE, I adore him with a passion that is great and true.

[ceitfianna]

Hie thee to a library, woman, you're missing the best books. Well I do love A Civil Campaign so much but still Memory and all the Mark books and all are just so good.

Also I love The Vor Game, I read them in order because a friend in college had them all and said read so I read.

Now I think I own almost all of them though they're kind of scattered. There was a time I kept buying new copies of A Civil Campaign because I kept forgetting that I actually owned it. So I have it in paperback and hardback.

Of all the characters, Ivan is the only one that I think I could maybe play, Gregor is another one of my favorites but I think Ivan could work in Milliways.

[skygiants]

That is totally the plan! But in the interests of completism, I figured I should start at the beginning again and read them all the way through in order. I have no idea how I ended up skipping so many the first time, because normally I am a huge stickler for Read In Publication Order . . . but I don't really regret it, because A Civil Campaign is so much fun! And without Civil Campaign I probably would never have gotten around to reading Heyer, so I cannot complain really.

Owning multiple copies is awesome! It makes it that much easier to force other people to read it. :D

I do not feel like I know Gregor that well - or rather, what I know of him I have mostly forgotten, so I am looking forward to getting to know him again this read. But Ivan, Ivan I do not forget. *giggles*

[ceitfianna]

The Vor Game was where I grew to really like Gregor and then Memory confirmed it even more.

Recently on tor.com one of the bloggers recently reread them in publication order which is not the same as chronological order apparently. You might find it really interesting to go look over that but now I want to go back and read other ones.

Maybe if I can wake myself up enough since my sleep schedule is so off at the moment, I'll try and find an Ivan PB and put him in MM.

[skygiants]

I am definitely looking forward to getting the bits I missed, and catching up with the characters I missed, too.

Yeah, I saw that - Jo Walton was doing it, yes? (Who is an author I love in her own right.) I am totally planning on going back and reading all the blogposts once I've finished my own reread, you know how addicted I am to reading people's opinions on books.

That would be fun! And is, after all, what MM is for. :D

[ceitfianna]

I honestly don't remember, all I know was they were wonderful reads and then the wonderful final thing was an interview with Bujold herself.

[rabidfangurl.livejournal.com]

"You're a Betan. You can't do th-"

Also, I have a copy of A Civil Campaign that I got Bujold to sign at Gaylaxicon 2004(?). It was awesome.

[skygiants]

HEE HEE yes. Crowning moment of awesome for Cordelia; crowning moment of FAIL for Vordarian.

Oh dude awesome! Of the ones I have read, A Civil Campaign is absolutely the one I would pick to have signed.