Amazon.com Review

Lois McMaster Bujold comes through again with another sharp Miles Vorkosigan novel. Komarr can be read as a standalone, though it is part of a whole series. (_Komarr_ brings the total to 16 books!) Miles is a hugely popular character with fans--and they won't be disappointed with his latest adventure.

The planet Komarr is undergoing centuries-long terraforming when one of the orbiting mirrors crucial to the effort is smashed by an off-course ship. Miles Vorkosigan is sent to Komarr to investigate the incident; once there, he becomes embroiled in political and scientific battles. To make matters worse, the name Vorkosigan is anathema on Komarr. But our intrepid hero can't be put down easily. While trying to save Komarr, he manages... maybe... to find true love at last! Bujold's original and intelligent blend of politics, science, and cliffhanging-good space opera makes this book a satisfying adventure and a charming romance. --Therese Littleton

From Publishers Weekly

Rendered unfit for military service by incurable seizures resulting from his having died, been cryofrozen and then revived, Miles Vorkosigan has managed to land on his feet once again, this time as an Imperial Auditor handling top-secret investigations of the most difficult and vital sort. When a gigantic solar-powered satellite necessary to the terraforming of the planet Komarr is damaged in a collision with an ore freighter, Miles and another Auditor are sent to determine whether the collision was an accident or sabotage. Conquered within living memory by the Barrayaran Empire, which Miles represents, Komarr has a history of rebellion. Worse, Miles's father, Lord Vorkosigan, who put down the last revolt, is hated by many Komarran patriots. Miles eventually uncovers what is apparently a straightforward scheme involving bribery in high places, but a darker and more dangerous plot is brewing below the surface, one that could destroy the Empire. In addition, he falls in love with the unhappily married wife of the government official who is his host. As usual, Bujold (Memory) tells a fast-moving story that combines just the right amount of action and wit as Miles continues to mature in a manner unusually complex for a series protagonist. Breaking new ground, Bujold tells much of her story from the viewpoint of Ekaterin Vorsoisson, the woman Miles falls in love with, and the portrait that emerges of a good woman stuck in a loveless marriage is both believable and intensely painful. Bujold continues to grow as a writer, and her work remains among the most enjoyable and rewarding in contemporary SF. (June) of the year and was a finalist for both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards.
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