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Title: Cordelia’s Honor
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Year of Publication: 1986, 1991, 1996
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 596
First Line: “A sea of mist drifted through the cloud forest: soft, grey, luminescent.”
Quote: Exile, for no other motive than ease, would be the last defeat, with no seed of future victory in it. – Cordelia’s Honor, Lois McMaster Bujold
Summary: In her first trial by fire, Cordelia Naismith captained a throwaway ship of the Betan Expeditionary Force on a mission to destroy an enemy armada. Discovering deception within deception, treachery within treachery, she was forced into a separate peace with her chief opponent, Lord Aral Vorkosigan-he who was called “The Butcher of Komarr”-and would consequently become an outcast on her own planet and the Lady Vorkosigan on his.
Sick of combat and betrayal, she was ready to settle down to a quiet life, interrupted only by the occasional ceremonial appearances required of the lady Vorkosigan. But when the Emperor died, Aral became guardian of the infant heir to the imperial throne of Barrayar-and the target of high-tech assassins in a dynastic civil war that was reminiscent of Earth’s Middle Ages, but fought with up-to-the minute biowar technology. Neither Aral nor Cordelia guessed the part that their cell-damaged unborn would play in Barrayar’s bloody legacy.
Cordelia’s Honor is comprised of two parts: Shards of Honor and Barrayar. Together they form a continuous story following the life of Cordelia Vorkosigan nee Naismith from the day she met her then-enemy Lord Aral Vorkosigan through the boyhood of her son Miles.
Source: Back of book
Review: This is not the first time I’ve read this book, but I remember liking it, so I decided to read it again. However, it was only after reading it again, when I was older, that I truly appreciated the author’s writing style. Not only was the writing witty, but deeply moving and lyrical in some parts. The storyline is pretty common and some may find a few details too convenient, but the way the author moves the characters through the story makes the book beautiful.
The story is told from Cordelia’s point of view, which gives the reader the advantage of being able to understand her motives through inner monologues. Some of author’s most moving sentences are about what Cordelia thinks of Aral Vorkosigan. I actually think that the back of the book does not do the book justice and just barely touches on the most important parts of the book. I find many science fiction books are interesting, but only a few reach the emotional depth that this book does. The two books that this omnibus covers were written several years apart and you can see the difference between them, but at the same time I think it works with the way Cordelia matures and her life changes. The secondary characters are more than just “plot movers”. They turn out to be people that you truly care for and are more than just 2-D cardboard men. The military parts of the book are believable and the author touches on several moral dilemmas, like choosing between what you know is honorable and what is good for your country.
This book, in a way, is a prequel to the “Miles Vorkosigan” series. You come to understand why Miles came to be the way he is and the background of his parents. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction. The science fiction part may be too much for those who like to read contemporary fiction, but at the same time I could see someone who doesn’t like science fiction enjoying this book.
Bad: Some may find certain events and insights of Cordelia too convenient, but I don’t think there’s really anything bad about this book
Good: The whole book was great: the plot, characters, writing style, and dialogue.
Grade: 5/5
Other Books by This Author: The Vorkosigan Saga, The Sharing Knife Series
Similar Books: Honor Harrington Series by David Weber