Cryoburn (Vorkosigan Saga)

This is the umpteenth Vorkosigan Saga novel, long salivated after by all right and proper fans (whose ranks do include me, as fair warning), and like all books in the series it functions as a stand-alone and even would serve as a decent introduction to the series. It's not the best introduction, but anyone who comes to the series through this novel will have no trouble keeping up with the plot here and will also not be spoiled on any major events from earlier on, except for Mirror Dance (Miles Vorkosigan Adventures) -- but to be fair, just knowing that the series continues is a spoiler for Mirror Dance. What makes the Vorkosigan Saga unique in my experience (and if there are any other series that share this quality, please, let me know!) is that it is a very long-running series where each book does stand-alone yet which carries the same set of characters throughout (with the occasional addition or subtraction) and in which the characters undergo fundamental change throughout, significant, life-altering experiences that can't be brushed off or reset in the next volume. The best volumes in the series are, in fact, those that deal with those life-altering experiences. Cryoburn does not fall into that category. Instead, it falls into the slightly-less-satisfying but still exceptional category of Vorkosigan Saga novels that use the science fiction setting to explore the effect of technological innovation on human society. Unlike many science fiction writers, Bujold has little interest in the physics of her universe; she hand-waved some wormhole-aided space travel technology and then never gave it another thought. The technology Bujold is interested in exploring is the technology of life and death. Many of her novels explore what strange subcultures we might create given a workable uterine replicator ( Falling Free (Miles Vorkosigan Adventures) , Ethan of Athos , and Cetaganda (Vorkosigan Adventure) leap to mind, and the technology is important in nearly all of the others); this novel explores in depth what strange distortions the cryochamber (a technology that allows freezing and reliable reviving of humans near -- or recently -- dead) might work through society. I don't think Bujold gets enough credit for how science fiction -y her novels are. Not hard SF -- we get no lovingly technical infodumps of any of these technologies -- but true soft SF of the sort Ursula LeGuin writes, extrapolating futures frightening for how very human they are. I believe, in every Bujold novel, in the way her societies have been distorted. But unlike much thoughtful soft SF, Bujold always bears in mind that she is writing an entertaining story first. I suspect this is why it's easy for people to brush her off. There is nothing didactic about her writing, and the social extrapolation is always either essential to the plot (in which case you can look at it as purely plot-related) or done in small little asides that, if you are racing to get to the end, are very easy to overlook. She also takes time to make the reader laugh, often -- something I wish far more science fiction authors would do. So Cryoburn works in both those ways. Like many a Miles novel before it, it's a fast-paced adventure wherein Miles happens to people, and their lives (and worlds) are skewed in his wake. Like recent Miles novels, Cryoburn very much benefits from having two POV characters besides Miles; these POVs let us see more of the human cost of his manic forward momentum. One of the alternate POVs, a young boy named Jin, is very well-done and makes this the first Vorkosigan novel since The Warrior's Apprentice that is fundamentally YA-friendly. (The other POV is Armsman Roic, who though wonderful in the novella " Winterfair Gifts [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction) " is used mainly for plot-advancement here.) And like all Vorkosigan Saga novels, everything comes together in a hectic (but never confusing) climax with Miles the victor. But after that satisfying (though not world-shattering) climax comes the denouement, which was telegraphed from page one (and which Bujold has repeatedly told readers was next for the series) and which I had been dreading from the moment I heard this book was going to be published. And it feels. . . strange. It left me off-balance, and while I'm sure it was supposed to leave me off-balance I can't help but wonder if Bujold just chickened out. The Aftermaths section (a perfectly pitched call-back to the first Vorkosigan novel, Shards of Honor ) was delicate, and so very right (it's a set of five drabbles), but. . . it will likely leave any new readers confused and cold, and to longtime fans it feels like the only "To be continued" of the series, because it screams for elaboration. On the other hand, it does work, intellectually, as a cap for a series that has produced three Hugo-winning novels, one Nebula-winning novel, and a number of Hugo- and Nebula-winning short stories and novellas. So it is entirely possible that I am left unsatisfied simply because it's over. Again.

It's hard not to read this book as a commentary on our current economic problems with ruthless financial organizations and even more ruthless top executives out to rip everybody off, along with social action and protest groups. On Kibou-daini, a world with a large Japanese population, the oligarchy of cryogenic companies have managed to vote the proxies of the people they have on ice. One of these companies decides to expand into the Barrayaran Empire, so Miles is dispatched to investigate and figure out their angle. A lot of the humor came from the horror of the very staid Barrayaran consul personnel for Miles' more than fast and loose operating style. Some very slick moves follow. I loved the child, Jin Sato, and wished more had been done with his love of animals. Roic is wonderful as Miles' armsman. The book is a bit fizzy, with coincidences and sudden reverses, but is a very easy read that took me less than one day for over 350 pages. There's the usual glittery clever dialog. McMaster has done it all before, perhaps better, but it's still fun. The ending is a big turnaround from the book's lightness, and left me in tears. I hope this won't be the last book but if it is, it went out as it started, with both wit and great feeling. This is definitely not the place to start; go back to "Shards of Honor" and get to know Cordelia, who eventually becomes Miles' mother, in one of the more interesting romances I've ever read.

This is the latest installment of the Vorkosigan saga, stretching back across three generations, easing up on a fourth. For those who've never met Miles Vorkosigan, he's one of the more memorable characters from an author who is no mean slouch at crafting them. Several years have passed since his last appearance in a book. Miles has achieved a measure of success in his life in a fashion he could never have imagined. With a wife, a family, and a career as one of the most trusted and important officials of his foster brother Gregor, the Emperor of Barrayar, Miles has come a long way from the damaged, stunted youth determined to prove to all his worth against all odds. Not that he is entirely grown up yet...... Now as an Imperial Auditor, Miles is forever and anon dispatched by Gregor to deal with the vexing, intricate, confounding matters that come up in the course of running a three planet empire. His latest assignment has taken him to Kibou-daini, a world which has made cryofreezing technology into a cultural obsession. Accidents, incurable disease, old age - the population of the world lives as best it can and when it can't, they get frozen until some kind of cure becomes available. As a survivor of cryofreezing himself, Miles is just the man for the job of checking out the technology and the corporations that control it as they seek to expand into the Barrayarran sphere of influence. The story begins with Miles scrambling through the darkness of an underground maze after escaping a botched attempt by terrorists to kidnap visiting galactics who've all been invited to a conference about the cryofreezing services offered on Kibou-daini. Dazed, suffering aftereffects of what was meant to be a sedative, Miles finds himself seeking sanctuary in the underbelly of Kibou-daini - and that's when he begins to unravel the darker truths behind the smooth facades and the sales pitches. From there on the story takes off as Miles shows that neither marriage or high office has lessened his ability to generate chaos around him as he proceeds relentlessly towards his goal - even if he can't be sure quite what it is from moment to moment. If "A Civil Campaign" was about sex, marriage, and manners and "Diplomatic Immunity" was about children, parenting, and the chain of life from generation to generation, "Cryoburn" is about death. What does it mean when the dead... aren't dead but frozen? Who speaks for them? What happens when people live their lives expecting to die... and then be revived again someday? What happens to a society when its members are strung out across time in disconnected fashion? What happens as other technologies come along to extend life? Bujold weaves it all together in a tale that invents one of the more subtle forms of galactic conquest as a subplot, while devising a nastier main story about greed, scandal, and treachery. There are no exploding spaceships, no superweapons, no invading armies, but the tale is entertaining none the less. And then in Aftermaths, Bujold presents five drabbles - five stories of exactly one hundred words - of masterful craftsmanship and devastating impact. This is a must-read for any fan of the Vorkosigan saga. Extra Bonus: A CD-ROM bundled with the book contains much bonus material, including other books from the Vorkosigan saga in electronic form, artwork, interviews, and more.

マイルズくん（17）との出会いから20年以上。翻訳が待ち切れずアマゾンもなかった頃から海外の本屋で買ってたシリーズ。 2年も前に出版されてたとは…何年ブランクがあろうとファンにはとっとと教えてよね！！！ 士官学校受験に失敗したあげく宇宙傭兵隊長になっちゃった青少年も今やアラフォー、押しも押されぬ帝国監査官。 今なお回転早いし不屈だけど、歳の功で妄想や空回りが減った分、体力的な問題あり。 催眠剤アレルギーをただの酔っ払いオッサン扱いされる彼に笑いつつ同情する掴みから引きこまれます。 Kibou Dainiが「希望第二」とは恐れ入りました（セタガンダは、じゃあ、中国の末裔かしらね？） この惑星名はずっと前から星図イラストで知ってたけど、「キブー・ダイニー」だと思ってた（笑） 確かに活劇は少なめですが、カユくならない程度の異国情緒に小ネタが多くて微笑〜苦笑でカバー。 むしろ、リーマン・ショックが念頭にあったのでは、という「社会から落ちこぼれた人々とその救済」の図が印象的。 債権証券化にマイルズが驚くのは、「そんなものまでカネ儲けの種にするのか！」という「担保」の性質上ではないかと。 デンダリィ山村の乳児殺害事件を解決した２０歳のマイルズの本質は変わらず、不当に虐げられた人々の味方です。 締めくくりは大物の訃報。これでシリーズ完か。と思わせてイワンが活躍するようで。 噂の短編「Winter's Gift」と合わせ、キンドルで買いたいぞ〜

This series(and the authors work) just keeps getting better with every novel (and she started out far above average.) The universe that she has created for the Vorkosigan stories is fascinating and rich with detail. Miles is thoroughly sympathetic protagonist who's life progression you can't help but to become invested in. His surrounding cast are equally interesting and quite often the Author has given them novels of their own in the series arc to tell their own stories Can't recommend this multi award nominated and winning series enough.

Après plusieurs années d'absence, Bujold est revenue aux Vorkosigan... Plus axé sur des éléments de science-fiction que les précédents, cet opus, suit la mission de Miles en tant qu'Auditeur impérial sur une planète dont toute l'économie tourne autour de gigantesques groupes spécialisés dans la préservation de la vie humaine au delà de son temps naturel. Une bonne aventure de Miles qui pose quelques questions sur la condition mortelle des humains et l'économie de marché. Ce n'est pas le meilleur de l'auteur (la nouvelle Mountains of Mourning tient ce rôle pour moi) mais l'intrigue est bien menée et on a plaisir à retrouver Miles et Roic (Ivan manque à l'appel par contre). La fin est également très émouvante dans sa sécheresse même et j'ai apprécié les relations fraternelles, empreintes de rivalité affectueuse et ironique, entre Miles et Mark. Une bonne lecture au final !

I started reading this Vorkosigan saga book with trepidation. My friend who got me into the books disliked it and even went as far as saying I shouldn’t bother at all. But, luckily, I really enjoyed it. The book introduces a new planet and society to the Vor universe and I quite liked this idea. I probably wouldn’t have coped with another visit to Cetaganda. With the locals of the new planet being unaware of Miles’s status and wealth, it gave LMB the chance to include lots of comedy and it’s worth the read for that aspect alone. His batman-cum-bodyguard, Roic, makes a great straight man for all the jokes. I even wondered if LMB named Roic to deliberately rhyme with stoic (although, I guess I’m probably pronouncing Roic incorrectly). There are a couple of new characters, my favourite being Consul Vorlynkin, who was usually the only one other than Roic understanding Miles’s clout and inside jokes. There’s also two children who, again, added some great comic relief, especially when their menagerie of animals came into it. The only established characters used, other than Roic, were Miles’s brother Mark and his partner, Kareen. I’m still not a huge fan of Mark and LMB doesn’t do too much to make him more sympathetic here either (although I appreciate she tries to explain his issues). The plot surrounds the political, ethical and monetary dilemmas involved when a person seeks to extend their mortality. The planet’s peoples become so obsessed with the process of cryo freeze and revival that the cyro corporations become big business. The system, of course, is rife for corruption, which is why Miles starts investigating. I thought the first few chapters of the book were brilliant. Miles was lost in what is basically a cavern of frozen bodies. Not only did I find this incredibly creepy, his subsequent need to survive alone on the streets of the unfamiliar made great reading. The ‘we all must die’ theme pretty much runs throughout the whole book. It’s an ironic argument a lot of the time as Miles has, of course, already gone through a cryofreeze and revival. I think it has probably been done better in scifi but LMB still gets the reader thinking. I imagine LMB was also taking aim at the big pharmaceutical and insurance companies and their monopoly in the US in particular. I do get why other readers didn’t enjoy this book as much as the others. There’s not as much action as some would probably prefer and when there was some tension added, it was wrapped up pretty quickly. I’m one of the few who like ‘Lord Auditor’ Miles more than ‘Admiral Naismith’ though. I did, however, shave off half a star as the cryo corporations and their internal politics and machinations were a little confusing at times. Despite its content, I loved the ending of the book. I thought it was really well done and loved that LMB wrote it in drabble form. Of course I did shed a tear but, ultimately, Gregor’s reaction especially made me feel uplifted in a way, instead of depressed. 4 1/2 out of 5

Ever since I picked up a book of Lois McMaster's Barrayar series in a second hand bookshop in Canada I was hooked. I gradually collected every one of the series and impatiantly wait for the next to be published. THe latest 'Cryoburn' is another great book but I would suggest to any new reader to start with Cordelia's Honour and go from there. Cordelia's son Miles at seventeed then became the central character of the following books and has had some great Si-fi adventures in this universe. Even visiting a futuristic Earth where an enemy agent plans to replace him with a clone. He survives and takes his replica home. He has always wanted a brother. In his next adventure Miles is killed,frozen and resusicated which leaves him unsuitable for space duty and he is appointed as an Imperial Auditor. A roving position sorting out the Emperior's problems. This leads to a further series of adventures. In Cryoburn he is sent to a planet where people can be frozen and await resusitation at some future time. One of the companys involved want to expand their franchise to one of the Barrayaran Emperor's planets. He sends Miles to look into the matter. Trouble follows.