Very short at only 15 chapters, yet very boring with a lame story and a huge retcon. revolving around Aral and Cordelia's love story that literally saved a world.... he is now super duper gay with a guy we never heard about... this never came up in the last 3 books that told their story and it kind of cheapens everything. There were plenty of other characters that could have had this story told about them but this did not come off as believable. shoot make miles gay for all i care, as long as its a new story. it was a bad move to mess with the plot. even though Captain Vorpatril's Alliance did not have miles in it it still seemed like a miles book, this one however has none of the charisma or since of adventure usually present. final verdict: not good. also the cover jacket description is extremely misleading which is very annoying.
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2. Brian on 12/9/2015, said:
This is Cordelia's book. Not bad. For Miles fans; he only makes a brief stroll on appearance (and mild not Manic). Personally I was hoping for more of him but it looks like Miles days are numbered.
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3. Steven on 12/5/2015, said:
I hate to say this about a series and author I have enjoyed for decades but this book is dull and boring. Absolutely nothing of note happens. It rewrites the history of characters from previous novels for no other reason than modern political correctness. Unless you are crazy do not buy the eARC as I did wait for the paperback or better yet do not buy it all.
Truly, a dismal, boring meander through a Betan's midlife crisis.
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4. Gregory on 12/4/2015, said:
A semi-interesting romance...if you have read the earlier works in this series. Lacks the demanding, intricate & clever plot lines and crisis to be resolved that are in her better works. At the end I was left with a feeling of "so what?" rather than the feeling of an "extraordinary journey" engendered by most of her novels.
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5. Joyce on 12/3/2015, said:
Very funny, Cordelia is always doing the unexpected. Fans will enjoy this, newbies should read the rest of the series first.
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6. Austin on 11/28/2015, said:
This is a slow, meandering not-much-of-a-story. If you're a LMB fan, you're going to read this, but you should wait until paperback (or at least, don't pay for the eARC!).
The overall story is, frankly, astonishing, only in the first few chapters. There is one piece of science that is "yeah, but I didn't see THAT coming" that forms the premise for the usual technical background. The actual story is Cordelia post-Aral, and it feels sadly linear. There are some subplots, but they feel bolted on. I didn't laugh much, and I didn't cry. I just kept reading until it was done, and said, "Hunh."
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7. Marcel on 11/19/2015, said:
Utter waste. Nothing happens, and then nothing happens some more.
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8. carmen on 11/14/2015, said:
I loved this book and a chance to see behind the curtain; what happens after all the action and the great deeds are accomplished. Getting a glimpse of the private lives behind great public figures was interesting, but the best part for me was the natural development of new beginnings. I love Cordelia and any time spent with her is a bonus for me. I didn't give it 5 stars because I did not think it would stand alone; you need to have read the entire series to get the full emotional impact of this novel.
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9. Stuart on 11/11/2015, said:
Extremely disappointed to find out that Aral and Cordelia's great love story really wasn't that great after all...
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10. CHRISTIN on 11/11/2015, said:
Loved this book. Less drama than others but much more focused on Cordelia. Highly recommend for Vorkosigan series fans, many of the nuances would be missed by new readers.
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