A Romantic Space Opera: Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

This is the first book in the Vorkosigan saga, a complex, multi-generational space opera. I read the sixth book in the series first, because it had was recommended to me by a friend. (See my review of that book, The Vor Game, here). These books are written to be read as standalone books, but a lot of the richness of the storyline would be missed. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go back and read them in internal chronology order.

This first installment goes back to when the parents of the protagonist (Miles Vorkosigan) of The Vor Game met and fell in love. Cordelia Naismith, from Beta Colony, is a military scientist on a planet survey when she and her crew are attacked by a renegade group from a world called Barrayar—not enemies but not allies, either. Aral Vorkosigan, commander of the Barrayan ship, had lost control of his team while away to the renegades. He takes her and one of her injured coworkers prisoner. But the journey to find civilization is fraught with danger, and soon they must start working together. This might best be described as a romance space opera—while the romance between the two is crucial to the plot, the larger plot and setting are about interplanetary intrigue and political machinations.

The world-building is excellent, and Bujold’s ability to create varied realistic cultures, political structures, and customs make this seem like a real universe. For example, Barrayar is a warrior-like race of humans with an Emperor, courts, an aristocracy, a military, and so on. Many of their customs harken back to darker days of isolation and emperor rule. Beta Colony, on the other hand, is a more egalitarian world, with looser gender roles and a focus on science, especially in biology and medicine. The government seems quite transparent and a socialist ideal (no homelessness or poor, only a middle and upper class). How the government is actually structured is not portrayed—at least not in this book.

Bujold’s ability to portray various characters who are fully realized and unique. There are few, if any, cardboard cutouts here. As a reader, the characters resonated with me. I cared about them—a crucial element in novel-writing. As we read, more is revealed about each character. Some that I did not care for I came to have compassion for, upon getting a glimpse of their backstory. Even the secondary characters get this kind of attention.

The two Vorkosigan Saga books that I have read contain multiple plots and twists—personal, cultural, political, and galactic. A reader needs to pay attention or risk getting lost. Yet, it is this richness that makes the stories so believable and enjoyable.

The plot moves along beautifully. Bujold has an excellent sense of pacing, moving quickly and then slowing us down for a break. This all drives the reader through twists, reveals, dénouements, climaxes, and more, in a way that feels natural and comfortable.

Bujold does not shy away from the technological aspects of her world, this is anything but a science-driven novel. It is a story of humans, with all that comes along with that, set in a rich world of advanced technology.

If you enjoy science fiction that takes literature seriously, and ant to me moved, excited, and disturbed, I highly recommend this.