Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life of a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere, leaving Ivan to enjoy his life on Komarr, far from the Byzantine court politics of his home system. But when an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman who may be on the hit list of a criminal syndicate, Ivan's chivalrous nature takes over. It seems danger and adventures have once more found Captain Vorpatril.
Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on free-for-all planet Jackson's Whole. Now it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret of which even she may not be aware. It's a secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barayarran family and provide the final advantage for the thugs who seek to overthrow Tej's homeworld.
But none of Tej's formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. For behind Ivan's façade of wry and self effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch—up to and including making the ultimate sacrifice to keep her from harm: the treasured and hardwon freedom from his own fate as a scion of Barrayar.
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Product ReviewI found the long-awaited "Ivan Book" absolutely marvelous, and very very satisfying! Thoroughly enjoyable! Ivan's self-insight, inner process, and growth as, finally, a POV character, are fascinating to watch unfold. And through Tej as the other POV character, LMB does a beautiful job of putting not only Ivan, but much about Barrayar and its history, Lady Alys, and even Byerly into big-picture context as well.
Tej sees her Ivan Xav (even her name for him gives him room to be more than he was, and puts him in bigger context) as everything he is now and can be, not overshadowed in contrast to Miles or by his mother's chronic critiques. Ivan makes a delightful hero - smart, competent, efficient - and unlike his desperate-to-be-seen-as-larger-than-life-heroic cousin, reluctant, which makes it even sweeter to watch him in action.
This book is charming, action-packed, romantic, psychologically and culturally brilliant, and liberally sprinkled with laugh-out-loud hilarity in the midst of the drama. I loved it and am already into the second read for deeper appreciation of the subtleties now that i Know What Happens. Enjoy!Posted on
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Product ReviewAn enjoyable story in the same vein as 'A Civil Campaign', with a little action near the start and the end of the book. Not as action packed as some of the earlier books in the series, and the sense of suspense or emotion is not that big. However, it provides a rare opportunity to see through Ivan's point of view and see him shine and grow. It was also nice to see Miles and Co again, even if it was just briefly. Also, since the events of this book occur before the events in 'Cryoburn', we don't get to see what happens after the cliffhanger at the end of that book. Overall, a good but not great book, but i would not miss it :)
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Product ReviewI wasn't going to buy the ARC copy, just read the introductory chapters, and buy it when it was released and a lesser cost.
Well, that didn't work out.
It's another enjoyable romp through an interesting world with plenty of humor.
I loved e part cockroach central played.Posted on
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Product ReviewVery different than some of the series, but a lot of fun. I was expecting Ivan's book to be fun, since I had noticed that the times when Ivan was around were among the funniest times in the Miles books. I just finished and will be re-reading soon.
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Product ReviewThis was a laugh out loud book. Yes there are many complaints about time between books, but it's worth it every time. Lois is a fantastic writer, if your new to this series I recommend reading them in chronological order.
"DreamweaverPosted on
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Product ReviewBought it yesterday, finished reading it in one sitting at 4 o'clock in the morning.
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