"Barrayaran cycle": book order, summary, reader reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

"The Barrayaran Cycle" is a series of popular science fiction works by American writer Lois Bujold. Mostly they tell about the adventures of the aristocrat Miles Vorkosigan from the warlike planet Barrayar. Therefore, the books presented are also known as the Vorkosigan Saga. The works have gained wide popularity. The author has been awarded the prestigious Nebula and Hugo awards.

About the author

The name of the author of "The Barrayaran Cycle" is Lois McMaster Bujold. She was born in 1949 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. After leaving school, she studied at Ohio State University until 1972.

Her literary debut took place in 1985, when the short story "Barter" was published. The first novels appeared the very next year. Bujold "Shards of Honor" and "Warrior's Apprentice", which brought her popularity.

Her track record includes three SF Writers of America Nebula Awards for Mountains of Sorrow, Freefall and Paladin of the Soul. She has won the annual Hugo Science Fiction Award five times. Bujold received this award for The Vor Game, Mountains of Sorrow, Barrayar, Soul Paladin, and Dance of Reflections.

Recently develops a new fantasy cycle dedicated to the kingdom of Shalion. Bujold has two children. In 1979, she gave birth to a daughter, Anna, and two years later, a son, Paul.

Out of series

At the very beginning, two books by Lois McMaster Bujold were published, which are not directly included in the "Barrayaran cycle", but are directly related to it. For example, they are only partially adjacent to the Dreamweaver saga. Chronologically, it is considered the very first book, since it takes place about one and a half to two centuries before those described in the novel "In Free Fall".

That's why many consider Dreamweaver to be a prequel to the Barrayaran cycle. This is a story that was written before the work on the first novel of the Vorkosigan Saga.

The main character of the work is a writer of Fili-dreams named Anaya Rui. She receives an order to create a dream according to the scenario of a specific customer. Work for herI like it, it is inspired and completely given to her. After all, you have to create a dream with elements of a nightmare, and you have never had to do this before. Then events develop like in a classic detective novel. After receiving the cartridge, the customer tries to kill Anaya. To understand the reasons for this, the girl decides to start her own investigation.

A self-contained prequel to Lois Bujold's "Barrayaran Cycle" - Free Falling, released in 1987. It is here that the reader is introduced to the mysterious quaddie creatures, which were genetically engineered to feel perfectly in a state of weightlessness.

The action in the book develops approximately 200 years before the events of the main cycle. A quaddie is a genetic modification of a human. Its representatives instead of a pair of legs have a second pair of hands. Moreover, their lower limbs are more powerful than their upper ones. In addition to the differences that are noticeable to the eye, there are other genetic changes that can compensate for the likely fatal consequences of a long stay in space.

An experiment to breed quaddies is being carried out by the Galak-Tek corporation. Everything goes well until it becomes known that equipment has appeared on the Beta colony that can recreate artificial gravity. After this news, the quaddies lose their advantages over ordinary people, and they decide to end the experiment.

The corporation employs a welding engineer Leo Graf, who becomes the initiator of a conspiracy against the corporation. Its purpose is to grant freedom to the quaddies by allowing them to escape. He acts with a quaddie girlSilver, who becomes one of the main representatives of the rebels.

Vorkosigan Saga books

There are 17 books in "The Barrayaran Cycle" by Lois Bujold. Mostly these are novels, although there are also collections of short stories. Here is Bujold's "Barrayar Cycle" sequence:

1. "Shards of Honor".
2. "Barrayar".
3. "The Warrior's Apprentice".
4. "Vor game".
5. "Cetaganda".
6. "Ethan from Athos".
7. "Brothers in Arms".
8. "Boundaries of Infinity".
9. "Dance of Reflections".
10. "Memory".
11. "Komarra".
12. "Civil Company".
13. "Gifts for the Winter Holiday".
14. "Diplomatic immunity".
15. "Captain Vorpatril's Alliance".
16. "Cryoburn".
17. "Gentleman Joel and the Red Queen".

Of course, it is preferable to read chronologically "The Barrayaran Cycle" by Lois McMaster Bujold. In this case, the motives and actions of the characters, the sequence of events will be clear to you as much as possible.

First novels

Officially, the first book of the Barrayaran Cycle is the 1986 novel Shards of Honor. In it, the reader meets the parents of the protagonist of the entire series, Miles Vorkosigan. He is the son of a high-ranking official serving in the court of the emperor of a powerful and warlike planet. Barrayar.

In the book, the captain of the research spacecraft, Cordelia Naismith, studies a newly discovered planet. At this moment, her camp is attacked. Most of the crew take refuge on the ship, but Cordelia herself remains on an unknown planet with a badly wounded midshipman and one of the opponents - the captain of the Barrayaran cruiser named Aral Vorkosigan.

The comrades-in-arms deliberately left the last one on a distant planet. He became the victim of a conspiracy. Opponents now have to forget yesterday's feud in order to overcome the difficult path to Vorkosigan's warehouse together and escape. Already the first novel in The Barrayaran Cycle by Lois McMaster Bujold captivates readers so much that it is not surprising that many could not put it down until they had read all 17 books.

The second one is called "Barrayar". In it, the action takes place on the planet of the same name. Interestingly, when talking about the "Barrayaran cycle", Bujold notes that when describing the political structure of this state, she took the USSR, pre-war Japan and the German Empire as a basis.

Emperor Ezara dies at the very beginning of the book. 4-year-old grandson Gregor Vorbarra becomes his heir. The husband of the protagonist Cordelia Naismith, Aral Vorkosigan, acts as regent under the minor ruler. However, his candidacy does not suit many in the Barrayar government. An assassination attempt is organized on him, as a result of which his unborn child receives severe poisoning. To save the fetus, the fetus is placed in a uterine replicator.

Soon a rebellion breaks out on the planet, led bywhich turns out to be Count Vordarian, who proclaimed himself emperor. Cordelia hides young Gregor while trying to save her unborn son as the replicator falls into the hands of rebels.

As a result, the coup is averted. The Count is killed. A couple of main characters have a son, Miles, who, despite treatment, still has physical disabilities.

If you read Lois Bujold's "Barrayaran" cycle in order, then the third novel is "The Warrior's Apprentice". In it, Miles grows up, trying to build a military career. But due to a gas attack in the womb, he fails his physical fitness exam.

Frustrated, he goes to the Beta colony - his mother's homeland. There he is drawn into the arms trade. Soon Miles is already in the midst of a local war. Only thanks to his organizational talents, he manages to take control of the situation and even lead the fleet of mercenaries. The entire galaxy will recognize him under a new name - Admiral Naismith.

Vor Game

The Vor Game is the next in the Barrayaran Cycle about the Vorkosigans. Miles is now a lieutenant in the Imperial security service, as an admiral leading the Dendarii flotilla. He is sent to Hejen to gather intelligence and try to convince the mercenaries to leave the scene of a potential conflict.

Things don't go according to plan. Miles comes into conflict with Commander Cavillo and is arrested. In the chamber he meets the current emperorGregor. He admits that he could not be the ruler, ran away, hid under an assumed name, and now he got into trouble and was arrested.

The next book in the Barrayaran Cycle (Vorkosigan Saga) is Cetaganda. In it, Miles graduated from the Imperial Academy. By distribution, he ends up in the Cetagandan Empire as part of a diplomatic mission.

Arriving at the funeral of the Empress, he again finds himself embroiled in adventure. As a result, he manages to uncover a conspiracy in a neighboring state, the purpose of which was his home planet.

Reading the "Barrayaran" cycle in order, then you need to get acquainted with the novel "Ethan from Athos". This is one of the few books where Miles is not featured. The main character in it is the doctor Ethan Erkhart from the reproductive center. He works on a planet inhabited by misogynist men. Erkhart goes in search of the biological material he needs in the human reproduction cycle.

Brothers in Arms

The next in the "Barrayar cycle" is the novel "Band of Brothers". In it, Miles Vorkosigan returns as a lieutenant in the Imperial Security Bureau. And the main intrigue of the new narrative is an attempt by terrorists to replace him with a clone in order to arrange a coup d'état on the planet Barrayar.

The book "The Limits of Infinity" from "The Barrayaran Cycle" ("The Vorkosigan Saga") in the Russian edition is only threeshort stories. In the first story - "Mountains of Sorrow" - Miles, as the voice of his father, is sent to investigate the death of a baby with a certain birth defect. These events take place about a week before the events of the fourth book of the Barrayaran cycle - The Vor Game.

In the short story "Labyrinth" the main character is faced with the task of taking out a defector scientist from the Jackson archipelago, who is of great value to his planet. Taura appears in this work for the first time.

Finally, in the final story - "Borders of Infinity" - Miles ends up in a camp with prisoners of war, one of whom he has to save.

In the next book in order from the "Barrayaran cycle" - "Dance of Reflections" - the main character is not Miles himself, but his clone Mark, on whom the main plot is focused. Using his indistinguishability from Chief Vorkosigan, he impersonates him in order to take one of the ships of the Dendarii fleet. On it, Mark goes to the Jackson archipelago. His goal is to save the clones that are grown there for brain transplants.

An expedition that started so well ends in disaster as Mark is stranded on the planet with the Dendarii. Miles, who comes to their rescue, is mortally wounded. His body is frozen in the cryochamber, but is lost in the rush while fleeing.

Mark goes to Barrayar to meet Miles' parents. He manages to find out what happened to his brother's body, and then organizes a full-scale rescue operation.

Memory

In the novel "Memory" Miles comes to life after being in a cryogenic chamber, but is found to be unfit for military service. However, at the same time, he does not want to remain idle; a childhood friend, Emperor Gregor, finds something for him to do. He instructs the protagonist to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the memory of the head of the Barrayaran security service, Simon Illyan. It turns out that the memory chip that was implanted in his brain many years ago has collapsed.

Miles requires special powers to investigate, which he receives after being appointed Imperial Auditor. This is a special official to whom everyone is obliged to obey, like the emperor himself. This is the only way he manages to unravel the intricate conspiracy on the planet Barrayar.

The next book in the "Barrayar" cycle is the novel "Komarra". In it, Miles continues to work as an imperial auditor. In this position, he is now tasked with investigating the causes of the solar reflector crash that occurred on the planet Komarr. This case leads him to yet another conspiracy against the prosperity of the Barrayaran Empire.

In the novel "Civil Campaign" on the planet Barrayar, everyone is preparing for the upcoming wedding of Emperor Gregor. It is in this setting that palace intrigues reach their zenith. At the center of the action, as always, is Miles Vorkosigan.

Gifts for the Winter Holiday

This is a short story, which is considered a separate book in the saga of the planet Barrayar. The main character is goingmarry himself, but not everyone likes his plans. Insidious ill-wishers decide to deal with his bride, and send the hero himself to a psychiatric hospital. He has to figure out who his opponents are. This will be very difficult to do.

The next book in the Barrayaran cycle is Diplomatic Immunity. In it, Miles sets off with his wife on a honeymoon trip to the starry worlds that was postponed several years ago. On Barrayar, they expect to return to the birth of the children that Catriona placed in the uterine replicator.

Miles, in his capacity as Imperial Auditor, receives a message from Emperor Gregor, who sends him to Quaddi Space to resolve the diplomatic issues that have arisen. There was an incident with the House Tuscany fleet involving paratroopers from a Barrayaran warship. At the station, Graf finds out that the problem is even more complicated than he initially imagined. An Imperial security officer who oversaw the merchant fleet has disappeared from the Imperial ship Idris.

During his investigation, Miles encounters a litany of assassination attempts and mysterious mysteries. Even the Jacksonian Archipelago and the Cetaganda Empire are involved in the case.

From virtually on the brink of death, Vorkosigan prevents a sabotage at Graf Station by preventing a war between the Cetagandan and Barrayaran empires. Only after that, happy parents return home to catch the birth of their children.

In the novel Captain Vorpatril's Alliancethe main character becomes Captain Ivan, who is the cousin of Miles, who is still working as an imperial auditor. On the planet Komarr, Ivan is rescued by the daughter of the Jacksonian baron Tezh Arkwu, who was hunted by her father's opponents

Ivan wants to help the girl, unexpectedly for himself and many others decides to marry her. He does everything according to the Barrayaran custom, bringing her to her home planet. Following the girl, a large number of relatives are expected to appear, which makes the further development of events completely unpredictable.

Cryoburn

In the novel "Cryoburn" the action takes place several years after the events described in the book "Diplomatic Immunity". This time, Miles is sent to the planet New Hope on behalf of Emperor Gregor. He will have to investigate the activities of the White Chrysanthemum Corporation, which specializes in freezing people.

On this planet, the main character is being kidnapped. However, he manages to escape from his pursuers by using underground tunnels. In this labyrinth, he meets a teenager named Jean. This acquaintance becomes fateful for the imperial auditor, leading him to success in the investigation.

The book "Gentleman Joel and the Red Queen" is considered the final novel of the cycle and the saga. In it, Cordelia remains Dowager Countess Vorkosigan, but does not intend to devote the rest of her life only to grief and sorrow for her loved one. She wants to radically changeyour life to take it in a new direction.

At this time, Admiral Joel's career is on the rise. The officer, whose appearance Ivan envied, and even Miles's mind, by the age of 50 becomes a responsible and successful commander at the head of the planetary fleet. Fate offers the hero several attractive gifts at once. Which of them he will choose, how the fate of Cornelia will develop, the readers will find out in the final novel, The Vorkosigan Saga.

Reviews

Many readers have been delighted with the novels of Lois McMaster Bujold, noting that it is no coincidence that they have received so many prestigious awards and prizes in the field of literature and science fiction.

Some have linked Bujold to the Strugatsky brothers, arguing that this is what their immortal novel Hard to Be a God might have looked like if written by a woman.

Each subsequent part is even more impressive than the previous one. This is the case when from one book to the next the story becomes more and more exciting.

In the novels, readers will find an exciting plot that literally does not allow you to relax for a minute, unexpected turns in the fate of the main characters amaze the imagination, the characters are well written. It is important that they are not clearly divided into exclusively good or bad. This narration becomes even more similar to reality and the reality around us.