A Month of Literary Gratitude, Day 9 - The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my very favorite series.



These are the stories of the Vorkosigan family, who live in a militaristic society plagued by misogyny, prejudice, and the inequalities that come from living in a feudal system. The main character is Miles, the son of a great military and political icon and his very liberal wife. Miles suffers from a prenatal injury that makes his bones extremely frail. You can imagine how well this disability goes over in his social group. Not.

The thing I love about these books is that while they're incredibly entertaining, the author has written characters that are so engaging, you really, really care what happens to them. Miles spends much of this series as a hot mess, but you root for him nonetheless, hoping that his latest shenanigan does not include horrifying consequences for him or those he cares about.

And there are consequences. Severe ones. Lois does not give Miles and his family a pass when it comes to horrible shit, and often that horrible shit is a direct result of the protagonists own terrible choices. My heart aches for them during these times, since I want them to be happy, healthy and successful. And the series progresses. Miles and his family are not the same people now that they were at the beginning of the saga. They've matured, learned, and now carry the sorrow of their burdens.

Keep writing, Lois - we can't wait to see what happens next.

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