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jeriendhalSummary: Captain Lord Ivan Xav Vorpatril, bright but lazy Imperial officer, and occasional donkey to his Imperial Auditor Coz, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, is currently visiting the Barrayaran Imperial world of Kormaar while on assignment with his superior, doing his duty and not an ounce more. That is until his friend (and he uses that term loosely) Byerly Vorrutyer knocks on his door with the tale of a soon to be distressed damsel and would Ivan mind terribly seducing her to get her out of the way of the all the crap that will soon befall her?
Which is how he meets Tej, former daughter of a mid-level Jackson's Whole clan, now orphaned and on the run after the jump point station her family owned suffered a mightily hostile takeover. She's pretty, she's smart, she has a big rack healthy body, and she's got a nanny/babysitter who's bright blue.
And, being Ivan, he finds himself married to her in the shortest Barrayaran wedding in history, groats and all, and then starts falling in love with her.
Review: Let's be honest, the last two Vorkosigan books have been... sub par. A Civil Campaign was a triumph, but in my original review of the story I noted it was going to be damned difficult to make adventures for Happily Married and Obscenely Politically Powerful Miles. And it was. Diplomatic Immunity fell completely apart at the climax, and Cryoburn looked worse and worse the more I re-read it, with a meandering plot and Miles' interest in the outcome academic at best.
So Lois, sensibly, finally, gave us The Ivan Book.
As has been noted by other readers, if ACC was a tribute to Heyer romances, CVA is a 30's screwball comedy, with Ivan falling unexpectedly in love with Tej and dealing with her Not-Quite-Dead family while Tej deals with his family and friends, which happens to include the former head of Barrayar's secret police as a step-father, the frigging Emperor of Barrayar (who she keeps referring to as "The Gregor") and, oh yeah, Miles.
It's about Ivan, not quite growing up (he's been plenty mature in other books, albeit sporadically) but settling down and expanding his horizons at the same time. It's also about transition, though handled much more deftly than Cryoburn. Ivan finally reconciles to having Simon as his step-father (who honestly want to be a father, or at least mentor to Ivan, now that he's finally allowed to have a life), his mother is ready to give up burning offerings on his late father's death plaque, and Miles is settling down to be a cheerful paterfamilias.[1]
It's also notable that Ivan and Tej have got to be the most passively heroic characters I've ever read from Lois. Ivan gets roped into the mess by Byerly, Tej (once her family returns) spends most of the book driving them around and avoiding Ivan while she gets caught up in their schemes. The most active Ivan gets is when he impulsively marries Tej and punches out a goon at the end.
But that works, because the tone is determinedly in Light Romantic Comedy mode. It's the sort of book where Simon, confronted with a problem that doesn't involve the lives of millions of people, cheerfully makes a bet with Tej's dad to see if he can manage to get away with the bit of tomb robbing he's planning. And one where Simon also finally gets a new, shiny Imperial Security Headquarters (five years after he retired), and Ivan and Tej get an epilog involving cheery exile to a Beach Planet drinking Fruit-on-a-Stick drinks while reading their mail.
Actually if I have one beef with the book, it's that the final Where Are They Now chapter goes on for entirely too long. It's obvious that Lois wants to make sure everyone has their happy ending, just in case this is the last Vorkosigan book. And I kind of hope it is, because this would be the perfect stopping point. [2]
Highly Recommended.
[1] I was notably confused in the single chapter where we see Miles and Ekaterine. It was done from Tej's POV and the famous black and white tiled floor in the entry hall from previous books was gone, replaced be something very Ekaterine-ish and different. But it's just another sign that the times are changing in the Vorkosiverse, and the torches are being passed.
[2] Okay, I will admit I'd like to see another Vorkosiverse book or two from a completely different POV, getting away from all the People With Power and maybe seeing the life of a street urchin or a low level ImpSec operative during the Time of Isolation or the Cetagandan Occupation, but that's just me.
Which is how he meets Tej, former daughter of a mid-level Jackson's Whole clan, now orphaned and on the run after the jump point station her family owned suffered a mightily hostile takeover. She's pretty, she's smart, she has a
And, being Ivan, he finds himself married to her in the shortest Barrayaran wedding in history, groats and all, and then starts falling in love with her.
Review: Let's be honest, the last two Vorkosigan books have been... sub par. A Civil Campaign was a triumph, but in my original review of the story I noted it was going to be damned difficult to make adventures for Happily Married and Obscenely Politically Powerful Miles. And it was. Diplomatic Immunity fell completely apart at the climax, and Cryoburn looked worse and worse the more I re-read it, with a meandering plot and Miles' interest in the outcome academic at best.
So Lois, sensibly, finally, gave us The Ivan Book.
As has been noted by other readers, if ACC was a tribute to Heyer romances, CVA is a 30's screwball comedy, with Ivan falling unexpectedly in love with Tej and dealing with her Not-Quite-Dead family while Tej deals with his family and friends, which happens to include the former head of Barrayar's secret police as a step-father, the frigging Emperor of Barrayar (who she keeps referring to as "The Gregor") and, oh yeah, Miles.
It's about Ivan, not quite growing up (he's been plenty mature in other books, albeit sporadically) but settling down and expanding his horizons at the same time. It's also about transition, though handled much more deftly than Cryoburn. Ivan finally reconciles to having Simon as his step-father (who honestly want to be a father, or at least mentor to Ivan, now that he's finally allowed to have a life), his mother is ready to give up burning offerings on his late father's death plaque, and Miles is settling down to be a cheerful paterfamilias.[1]
It's also notable that Ivan and Tej have got to be the most passively heroic characters I've ever read from Lois. Ivan gets roped into the mess by Byerly, Tej (once her family returns) spends most of the book driving them around and avoiding Ivan while she gets caught up in their schemes. The most active Ivan gets is when he impulsively marries Tej and punches out a goon at the end.
But that works, because the tone is determinedly in Light Romantic Comedy mode. It's the sort of book where Simon, confronted with a problem that doesn't involve the lives of millions of people, cheerfully makes a bet with Tej's dad to see if he can manage to get away with the bit of tomb robbing he's planning. And one where Simon also finally gets a new, shiny Imperial Security Headquarters (five years after he retired), and Ivan and Tej get an epilog involving cheery exile to a Beach Planet drinking Fruit-on-a-Stick drinks while reading their mail.
Actually if I have one beef with the book, it's that the final Where Are They Now chapter goes on for entirely too long. It's obvious that Lois wants to make sure everyone has their happy ending, just in case this is the last Vorkosigan book. And I kind of hope it is, because this would be the perfect stopping point. [2]
Highly Recommended.
[1] I was notably confused in the single chapter where we see Miles and Ekaterine. It was done from Tej's POV and the famous black and white tiled floor in the entry hall from previous books was gone, replaced be something very Ekaterine-ish and different. But it's just another sign that the times are changing in the Vorkosiverse, and the torches are being passed.
[2] Okay, I will admit I'd like to see another Vorkosiverse book or two from a completely different POV, getting away from all the People With Power and maybe seeing the life of a street urchin or a low level ImpSec operative during the Time of Isolation or the Cetagandan Occupation, but that's just me.
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no subject
Date: 2012-11-18 12:55 am (UTC)And it's clear I have to check out this book.
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Date: 2012-11-18 01:14 am (UTC)But yes. That's the genre, alright. Thirties screwball comedy. One of my alltime favorite movie genres.
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Date: 2012-11-18 09:31 pm (UTC)