#lois mcmaster bujold

[burn-throughout-eternity]

"The real unforgivable acts are committed by calm men in beautiful green silk rooms, who deal death wholesale, by the shipload, without lust, without anger, or desire, or any redeeming emotion to excuse them but cold fear of some pretended future. But the crimes they hope to prevent in that future are imaginary. The ones they commit in the present - they are real."

Aral Vorkosigan, The Vorkosigan Saga, Lois Mcmaster Bujold

#the vorkosigan saga #vorkosigan saga #lois mcmaster bujold #quotes

[agardenandlibrary]

"I'd have mistrusted my memory chip before I mistrusted you."

"God save me from another such victory."

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold

#AAAAAAAAAAA #first time reader #cara reads the Vorkosigan Saga #memory #vorkosigan saga #lois mcmaster bujold

[tinsnip]

Some prices are just too high, no matter how much you may want the prize. The one thing you can't trade for your heart's desire is your heart.

—Lois McMaster Bujold

#FUCKING #AAAAAAAARGH #always one of my fave quotes #and now it’s hereditary enemies coded #DAMNIT #lois mcmaster bujold

[beartrice-inn-unnir]

10. What is your favorite genre book to recommend to someone who doesn’t usually like that genre?

Usually when people ask me for a rec for a genre they don’t usually like, they are asking for sci-fi, and I start by trying to figure out different access points based on what they already like. I’m not much of a hard sci-fi person, tending more to the space opera and political thrillers, so here’s a few “if you like x, maybe try y”:

If you like romance, give Everina Maxwell’s Winter’s Orbit a try. It’s definitely sci-fi in setting and plot, but it also hits nicely in the formulaic patterns of a arranged-marriage, strangers-to-lovers story that will help you through it even if the sci-fi elements are throwing you off. The author has another similar book that increases the sci-fi elements and is enemies-to-lovers as well, so if you like Winter’s Orbit, Ocean’s Echo is a good next step.

If you like non-fiction, The Martian by Andy Weir is a great pick. I have multiple friends who got into reading again as adults via The Martian. It’s well-written, well-grounded, funny, and very sci-fi. If you’ve already read it, then maybe give To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers a try. It can be described with all the same adjectives, plus it’s a short novella, so if you’re hesitant, it’s less intimidating.

If you like mysteries or political thrillers, boy is there a lot of great sci-fi out there for you. The crux of a lot of sci-fi is space or high-tech settings with a plot that asks questions about personhood, and that mixes really well with detectives and spies wandering around trying to solve problems and find truths. Try Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (it’s partway through a series of great books and novellas, but that one’s the most traditional mystery plot) or A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (ambassador solving her predecessor’s mysterious death while trying to do his job)(I’d also recommend this one if you read a lot of classics) EDIT: just realized I mistyped - book 1 by Arkady Martine is A Memory Called Empire.

If YA/ Bildungsromanen/ New Adult figuring the world out through trial and error is often your jam, try Provenance by Ann Leckie (for the kid who really wants to do things right) or The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (for another kid who wants to do things right, but is also a high-energy chaos gremlin).

If you like fantasy, you probably already have read some sci-fi; it’s all under the speculative fiction umbrella and genres are vague anyway. All the same, I know this is the Locked Tomb Website, but give Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir a shot (it’s got magic and mayhem and an epic locked-room whodunnit mystery). The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord is also good - it has a team of people traveling together and thinking about morals and discovering new abilities, plus some romance.

I’m sure there’s lots of genres I’m forgetting right now, but feel free to send me another ask for any specific one!

#readers asks #winters orbit #oceans echo #everina maxwell #the Martian #andy weir #to be taught if fortunate #becky chambers #fugitive telemetry #martha wells #the murderbot diaries #a desolation called peace #arkady martine #a memory called empire #provenance #ann leckie #the warriors apprentice #lois mcmaster bujold #gideon the ninth #tamsyn muir #the best of all possible worlds #karen lord

[cookie-nom-nom]

Lois McMaster Bujold: okay so the A plot is an intense political romance dealing with slander and healing from abuse

me: cool cool and the B plot?

Lois: bugs

me: sorry, what?

Lois: B U G S

#vorkosigan saga #a civil campaign #lois mcmaster bujold

[thebookquotes]

It's never too late while you're breathing.

Lois McMaster Bujold, The Warrior’s Apprentice

#Lois McMaster Bujold #books and libaries #book quotes #bookblr #quotes #lit #spilled ink #poetry #literature #original #zitat #thoughts #writing #words #text

[mytly4]

I'm currently rereading Barrayar, and flipped back to Shards to check on a bit of dialogue, and came across this little line:

"Why can't you just lose your temper with subordinates, like normal men, instead of with superiors, like a lunatic?"

This is said by Rulf Vorhalas to Aral, right after his conversation with Prince Serg in his cabin during the Escobar war. Now, there's a valid reason why Aral speaks to the Prince so disrepectfully - it's a part of the ruse to goad Serg to fight on the frontlines in the war and get annihilated. Nonethless, something tells me that this wasn't in the least bit out of character for Aral, especially as Vorhalas frames it as something that Aral has done before. Which of course, reminds me of this exchange, from The Vor Game:

Cecil flashed a grin. "Quite. Plus your rather irritating habit of treating your superior officers as your, ah . . ." Cecil paused, apparently groping again for just the right word.

"Equals?" Miles hazarded.

"Cattle," Cecil corrected judiciously. "To be driven to your will."

So looks like insubordination runs in the family. 😉 Granted, Miles would never think of "being disrespectful to superiors" as something he has in common with his father (especially as during his lifetime, his father had no superiors, except Gregor), but it's interesting to see that Miles follows in his Da's footsteps in a way that he never intended.

#vorkosigan saga #miles vorkosigan #aral vorkosigan #shards of honor #the vor game #vorkosigan #lois mcmaster bujold

[haveyoureadthisscifibook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

#scifi #books #Shards of Honor #Lois McMaster Bujold #Vorkosigan Saga #poll #result: no #l: English

[unbizzarre]

Barrayaran Uniforms

My laptop’s still broken so it’s been a messing-around-with-gouache-paint weekend! I always draw too small so doing the deatails on this one was rough! 😫

Modern imperial dress greens on the left, and an attempt at vorkosigan house livery on the right (I don’t love how the vorkosigan house one turned out so I’m probably gonna rework it some more before adding anything to the ol’ headcannon)

NOTES ON IMPERIAL DRESS GREENS

-book mentions stiff high uncomfortable collars, forest green color, riding boots and side piping. There should also be two ceremonial swords but I got lazy

- I wanted to put an emphasis on embroidery and hand details in barrayaran fashion in general so I picked side piping a little more intricate and ornate than just a simple stripe

- originally I was put piping across the front like in the reference, but it got too busy and I wanted the chest to be a little simpler that way medals and other stuff would stand out better against the fabric. Plus having fewer fiddly bits helps it feel more sleek and less out of place in space.

Reference photos:

UNIFORM OVER TIME

- Barrayar as a setting has had to basically speedrun 600 years of fashion history as they make the leap from midieval to space-age in a single generation. In order to show the shift in eras I made a little timeline(ish) of the general changes in the uniform silhouette.

- biggest change in the general silhouette is the gradual shortening of the coat/shirt element from calf lengths tabards to thigh length coats to to waist height jackets

- armor and chainmail fall by the wayside, and guns are picked up. Early occupation uniforms eclectic and a hodgepodge of old midieval weaponry + stolen cetegandan ordenance. They are not uniform at all as the barrayaran military is mostly small gorilla outfits with each fighting force cobbled together from the resources at hand. New Uniformity would come with the return of central government and the implementation of infrastructure for mass production. The uniform would probably stay relatively consistant during the conquest of komarr through the pretendership. Another major shift in in uniform style would probably occur during the regency or Gregor’s coronation in reflection of the successful regime change and the continued push towards a more modern barrayar

Here’s some rough outlines:

Reference Collages from photocopies of a fashion history book I picked up from the library a while back. Don’t remember the title. Will edit post when I do Left is Russia (not sure which century). Right is references for occupation fighters pulled from various pages, time periods, and nationalities (Russia, Mongolia, Crete and turkey maybe? Idk) I wrote all the page numbers down on the collage but I returned the book so now they’re useless.

Thanks for reading!

#vorkosigan costume #vorkosigan saga #fanart #fashion history #headcanon #costume design #lois mcmaster bujold

[thoughtkick]

It's never too late while you're breathing.

Lois McMaster Bujold, The Warrior’s Apprentice

#Lois McMaster Bujold #motivation #quotes #poetry #literature #relationship quotes #writing #original #words #love #relationship #thoughts #lit #prose #spilled ink #inspiring quotes #life quotes #quoteoftheday #love quotes #poem #aesthetic

[sharpestasp]

My wife spoiled me for our anniversary.

#lois mcmaster bujold #vorkosigan saga #shards of honor #barrayar #diplomatic immunity #brothers in arms

[linmeiwei]

Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

#vorkosigan saga #miles vorkosigan #lois mcmaster bujold #literature quote

[randomishnickname]

Just reread A Civil Campaign and my gooood i had forgotten how funny and thrilling and complex that book is. There's so much stuff happening! It's pure chaos everywhere! And yet it's all intervowen and makes perfect sense! Wonderful.

Quick overview of all the plot threads in A Civil Campaign, please help me out if i forgot some:

Miles' "secret" (*cough*) and catastrophic courting of Ekaterin

Ekaterin starting a new life in Vorbarr Sultana and fending off suitors left and right

Kareen Koudelka fighting to get her parents to accept her new galactic mores

Mark launching the Butterbug Business and all the delightful messes that ensue

René "Ghembretten" fighting for his claim to the Vorbretten Countship

Dono Vorrutyer fighting for the claim to his own Countship and all the shenanigans and intrigues that ensue

Escobaran police trying to get their hand on the wicked Doctor Enrique Borgos (Enrique ily <3)

Miles and Ekaterin fighting against awful rumors to preserve their reputation and protect Nikki

Gregor and Laisa's imperial marriage and its stressful preparations

And final special mention to Count Vormuir and his 118 daughters

That's like, 10 different plot threads at once, and wielded with such skill! Never a dull minute. I'm in such awe of LMMB 😵🤯

#lois mcmaster bujold #vorkosigan saga #miles vorkosigan #a civil campaign #book rec #my posts

[agardenandlibrary]

The old Vor: that woman is to have no influence over the young emperor

Cordelia: cowards, but okay

The old Vor: you get women's responsibilities! Like choosing his household staff, the people he will see every day, and overseeing his education for the next 8 years!

Cordelia, later, to Aral: do they understand what they just did?

Aral: lmao absolutely not. Have fun, Captain.

#cara reads the vorkosigan saga #barrayar #lois mcmaster bujold #vorkosigan saga #vorkosigan saga spoilers #also i havent read the rest of the series so everyone be chill in the tags please

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

Book Rec: Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

Okay, this one might be a little confusing in terms of metatextual setup, but just stick with me.

There's this old sci-fi series called the Vorkosigan Saga that sold a ton of books and won a ton of awards, but it's from the 80s, true vintage. @audreycritter has told me to read it for years, because I got her hooked on The Queen's Thief and she wanted to hurt me in return, I guess.

The first book chronologically is Shards of Honor and it's phenomenal. I think(?) it was originally published as a prequel and you can read it as such, but I do recommend starting there because it gives you the context of the relationship between the Scary Soldier Politician and the Brave Captain Woman on opposite sides of a galactic war who fall in love despite it all, etc. etc. It's so engaging and good and did I mention the couple are both middle aged? Refreshing.

But really what I'm recommending here is the second book, Barrayar, which takes place after they're married and has The Most Dad Of All Dads, the Bruciest of Sci-Fi Men if Bruce were known across the civilized universe by the title of Butcher for the deaths he had a hand in, I kid you not.

I will caution that, as I said, this series was written Back In The Day so it has some rough spots when viewed through modern eyes but is shockingly progressive for its time, which is important when viewing The Dad Man because every time you think this man is going to fumble, he does not. He is stone-cold Team Wife and Kid. He is The Most Terrifying except when his wife (the main POV for Barrayar) decides to stick her oar in, because SHE is even scarier than he is, at the end of the day. And he loves her for it. They remind me of how people talk about that Barda lady and her guy.

I'm not doing a succinct or compelling job at this recommendation, I don't think, and for that I apologize, but my chest hurts thinking about this little family. Later books are from the POV of the next gen, which means instead of viewing the dad through the spousal lens (excellent, incredible, amazing), you're viewing him and his actions through the eyes of his kid (superlative, stunning, mind-blowing, world-ending.)

#book recs #vorkosigan saga #barrayar #lois mcmaster bujold

[ahedderick]

Vorkosigan

   The thing I love about the Vorkosigan Saga* is that MOST protagonists who go hogwild for Found Family are trying to replace a biological family that is absent or unsatisfactory. Miles comes from a family where his parents love each other dearly and adore their hyperactive disabled son - and he STILL goes out into the galaxy and says

To the strung out jump pilot that he literally met minutes ago - I’ll just adopt YOU here put your hands between mine for the ceremony

To the homeless military deserter who would be under sentence of death if anybody knew where he was OH HEY, you’re mine, too, come with me to my [new] ship with the pilot I’ve known a whole day, now

To the soldier who got her face burned in the first big battle MA’AM I will get you the best possible reconstructive surgery plus also you are family, now

To the 8-foot tall genetically engineered nightmare with fangs crouched in a dungeon (sorta) MISS you are so tall and beautiful I will break you out of here and you can join my mercenaries plus also I want to take care of you at the end of your life, because I love you so much

To the unauthorized CLONE who was raised to assassinate his politically important father WELL, dude, legally you’re my brother so you should really go home and meet Mom and Dad

I just. Love those books so much.

* Lois McMaster Bujold, author

#books #book lover #vorkosigan saga #miles vorkosigan #lois mcmaster bujold