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kbhenrickson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Every story in this three novella collection was first rate, and they were each quite different in tone, pacing, and content. I liked the interludes that tied them all together as well.
captlychee's review against another edition
4.0
There's little to say about this that hasn't been better said by the contributors to [b:Lois McMaster Bujold|23359569|Lois McMaster Bujold (Modern Masters of Science Fiction)|Edward James|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414015920l/23359569._SX50_.jpg|42915520] and the author herself at the end of this book.
The important thing is that it contains additional information (some might say spoilers) about the characters which lets the reader make sense of what characters do in other novels. In particular, the second story, 'Labyrinth' explains why Bel Thorne is with the Quaddies in [b:Diplomatic Immunity|61901|Diplomatic Immunity (Vorkosigan Saga, #13)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297832355l/61901._SY75_.jpg|2511259] and who Taura is in [b:Mirror Dance|61909|Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga, #8)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297831387l/61909._SY75_.jpg|287351].
'The Borders of Infinity' is a lovely, sad story of another of MIles' lost loves, but it does contain a bit of gratuiotous death. Bujold does have a habit of killing off characters for the hell of it, as well as conjuring marriages that wouldn't last long in real life, but you can just get swept away in the writing and complain about those things in a Goodreads review.
'The Mountains of Mourning' isn't that great a story, and Cordelia Naesmith has a small and pretty docile role in it, which is unusual, but it does have some info about the settlement of Barrayar, so that's something.
I'll briefly mention the framing device, which is silly and unnecessary. Why the hell would Miles have to report on his expenditure while working for Barrayar, and then why don't the stories mention anything about the expenditure if that's what he's being asked about? Just give us the stories! For a much better framing device, see [b:Clearinghouse|72423872|Clearinghouse|Randall Schanze|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677893304l/72423872._SX50_.jpg|76132267]
The important thing is that it contains additional information (some might say spoilers) about the characters which lets the reader make sense of what characters do in other novels. In particular, the second story, 'Labyrinth' explains why Bel Thorne is with the Quaddies in [b:Diplomatic Immunity|61901|Diplomatic Immunity (Vorkosigan Saga, #13)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297832355l/61901._SY75_.jpg|2511259] and who Taura is in [b:Mirror Dance|61909|Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga, #8)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297831387l/61909._SY75_.jpg|287351].
'The Borders of Infinity' is a lovely, sad story of another of MIles' lost loves, but it does contain a bit of gratuiotous death. Bujold does have a habit of killing off characters for the hell of it, as well as conjuring marriages that wouldn't last long in real life, but you can just get swept away in the writing and complain about those things in a Goodreads review.
'The Mountains of Mourning' isn't that great a story, and Cordelia Naesmith has a small and pretty docile role in it, which is unusual, but it does have some info about the settlement of Barrayar, so that's something.
I'll briefly mention the framing device, which is silly and unnecessary. Why the hell would Miles have to report on his expenditure while working for Barrayar, and then why don't the stories mention anything about the expenditure if that's what he's being asked about? Just give us the stories! For a much better framing device, see [b:Clearinghouse|72423872|Clearinghouse|Randall Schanze|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677893304l/72423872._SX50_.jpg|76132267]
b_m_thompson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
eol's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
brandonag's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
djwudi's review against another edition
3.0
Collects three in-universe novellas with a bit of a framing story. Of the three, the third was the best, then the first, and the last was the weakest. Admittedly, that analysis is definitely affected by modern biases; the middle story's approach to going beyond the gender binary, while likely progressive at the time, is very dated by today’s standards, and there’s a consensual intimate relationship that involves a somewhat eyebrow-raising age issue. That said, all three are still enjoyable additions to the Vorkosigan saga.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
applegnreads's review against another edition
3.0
oh Miles. interesting way to tie a bunch of other stories together.
kzimm2024's review against another edition
4.0
Tough to rate this one but the overall arching end to this one was well above a 4.
This story started at a current POV (which massively confused me) and then went back in time to reflect on 3 different stories in Miles's life and then brought it back to current. Simon is checking into the Mercenary listed expenses in order to stop a corruption/nepotism charge towards Aral, Miles' father.
I didn't know I would be re-reading "Mountains of Mourning" and "Labyrinth" again so at least 60% of this book was skipped (having read them already), so less stars for that.
What I did like was this actual story "Borders of Infinity"- 5 stars. Once again Miles saves the day and I see where it segues into the next book where he is making fixing those shuttles a priority and how he was haunted by the loss. This was freeing the prisoners at Dagoola (sp?).
And yes, the loss of Beatrice was sad but we couldn't keep her, could we? Elli was waiting in the wings :)
This story started at a current POV (which massively confused me) and then went back in time to reflect on 3 different stories in Miles's life and then brought it back to current. Simon is checking into the Mercenary listed expenses in order to stop a corruption/nepotism charge towards Aral, Miles' father.
I didn't know I would be re-reading "Mountains of Mourning" and "Labyrinth" again so at least 60% of this book was skipped (having read them already), so less stars for that.
What I did like was this actual story "Borders of Infinity"- 5 stars. Once again Miles saves the day and I see where it segues into the next book where he is making fixing those shuttles a priority and how he was haunted by the loss. This was freeing the prisoners at Dagoola (sp?).
And yes, the loss of Beatrice was sad but we couldn't keep her, could we? Elli was waiting in the wings :)
mantissabolt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bluestockinglaura's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0