The results for our November Old School Wednesdays Readalong are in! After 111 votes, the book we will be reading is SHARDS OF HONOR the first book in the Vorkosigan clan saga (collected with BARRAYAR in Cordelia’s Honor):
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 reminscent 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 Barrayari’s bloody legacy.
November Readalong:
The readalong will happen on November 29 when we will post our joint review of the book and open the floor for discussion and linkage to your posts/reviews.
More awesome news – this book is widely available! We’ve included links below for your purchasing pleasure:
Amazon US* /
kindle US*
Amazon UK* / kindle UK*
Barnes and Noble / nook
Abe Books
itunes
Paperback Swap
Alibris
Book Depository
*Please note that we receive affiliate income from any books purchased in these starred stores
Hopefully you will be able to secure a copy by purchasing one online, or – fingers crossed! – through borrowing at your local library. Please let us know if you want to take part on the readalong but are having difficulties finding a copy and we will try our best to offer alternatives!
3 Comments
Niche
October 29, 2014 at 3:47 pmUh, you said the winner was Shards of Honor, but you posted the teaser for the sequel, Barrayar, Shards is summarized by the blurb you posted…
hapax
October 30, 2014 at 2:49 pmFWIW, although one *can* read both as standalones, I highly recommend reading both together (in the CORDELIA’S HONOR fashion). They were originally conceived and written as a single book, and work better that way.
Separately. SHARDS OF HONOR displays some first-novel awkwardnes, and BARRAYAR really wants the earlier backstory for full impact.
(Of course, now that I think about it, my very favorite bit is the short story “Aftermaths” originally included as an epilog to SHARDS)
Niche
October 31, 2014 at 5:35 amActually them reading as one piece is a tribute to her skill, even early in her career, as there were five books in between. 😮