Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

mass market paperback, 608 pages

Published Aug. 26, 2014 by Baen.

ISBN:: 978-1-4767-3698-3

No rating (1 review)

"Book Fourteen in the best-selling Vorkosigan series. Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life of a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere, leaving Ivan to enjoy his life on Komarr, far from the Byzantine court politics of his home system. But when an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman who may be on the hit list of a criminal syndicate, Ivan's chivalrous nature takes over. It seems danger and adventure have once more found Captain Vorpatril. Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on free-for-all planet Jackson's Whole. Now it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret of which even she may not be aware. …

"Book Fourteen in the best-selling Vorkosigan series. Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life of a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere, leaving Ivan to enjoy his life on Komarr, far from the Byzantine court politics of his home system. But when an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman who may be on the hit list of a criminal syndicate, Ivan's chivalrous nature takes over. It seems danger and adventure have once more found Captain Vorpatril. Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on free-for-all planet Jackson's Whole. Now it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret of which even she may not be aware. It's a secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barayarran family and provide the final advantage for the thugs who seek to overthrow Tej's homeworld. But none of Tej's formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. For behind Ivan's faÇade of wry and self-effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch-up to and including making the ultimate sacrifice to keep her from harm: the treasured and hard-won freedom from his own fate as a scion of Barrayar. About Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga: "Fans have been clamoring for Hugo winner Bujold to pen a new Vorkosigan Saga novel. her deft and absorbing writing easily corrals the complex plot."--Publishers Weekly on Cryoburn "Bujold mixes quirky humor with action [and] superb character development...[E]normously satisfying."--Publishers Weekly. "One of sf's outstanding talents. an outstanding series."--Booklist ". an intelligent, well-crafted and thoroughly satisfying blend of adventure, sociopolitical commentary, scientific experiments, and occasional perils. with that extra spicing of romance."--Locus About Vorkosigan series entry Diplomatic Immunity: "Bujold is adept at world-building and provides a witty, character-centered plot, full of exquisite grace notes. fans will be thoroughly gripped and likely to finish the book in a single sitting."--Publishers Weekly"--

"Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life of a staff officer to a Barrayaran Admiral. Ivan, cousin to Imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere leaving Ivan to enjoy like on Komarr. But when and old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman Tej Arqua his chivalrous nature takes over and danger finds him once again. Tej and her half-sister Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan but it seems Tej may possess a hidden secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barrayarn family. But none of Tej's formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. Behind his facade of wry and self effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch"--

7 editions

kyonshi reviewed Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold

Review of Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (Vorkosigan Saga 15) by Lois McMaster Bujold

No rating

It's hardly the best of the Vorkosigan saga books, but it does have it's charm. Unfortunately it also is quite uneven, and the brisk pacing drops considerably during the second half of the book. Which is odd, as this should be just the time when it should pick up. The book is a screwball comedy in the science fiction setting of the Vorkosigan saga. Ivan Vorpatril, cousin to the series' main star Miles Vorkosigan and often recurring side character, is on a work trip to the planet of Komarr. There an agent from Imperial Security he knows recruits him as a bodyguard for a girl who might be in danger. After a complicated few days, with local authorities, interstellar criminals, and his boss on his back, he and his charges are backed into a corner and he comes up with a rather gallant but foolish proposal: marriage. Weirdly enough it …

It's hardly the best of the Vorkosigan saga books, but it does have it's charm. Unfortunately it also is quite uneven, and the brisk pacing drops considerably during the second half of the book. Which is odd, as this should be just the time when it should pick up. The book is a screwball comedy in the science fiction setting of the Vorkosigan saga. Ivan Vorpatril, cousin to the series' main star Miles Vorkosigan and often recurring side character, is on a work trip to the planet of Komarr. There an agent from Imperial Security he knows recruits him as a bodyguard for a girl who might be in danger. After a complicated few days, with local authorities, interstellar criminals, and his boss on his back, he and his charges are backed into a corner and he comes up with a rather gallant but foolish proposal: marriage. Weirdly enough it works. But now he has a wife who is a target of a Jacksonian crime syndicate, and worse: his family and friends are utterly delighted he got married.

This books has a lot going for it, unfortunately it also is very, very uneven. There are some brillant scenes in there, like the whole chapter about his birthday which considering it's sheer fanservice (it's basically just a retelling of events that happened in the novel Barrayar) is chillingly effective. But it's not the only instance of fanservice, and after a while one has to wonder if there are any people in that universe that are not somehow intimately connected to the Vorkosigan clan. Because yes, a slight hint every once in a while is ok, but constant reminders about previous books are getting on my nerves. One of the worst things about it is that it peaks about halfway through, and then slows down. And it shouldn't be like that, because the events become almost farcical, but nothing really seems to be happening, stuff just drags on. It's not a big problem, the book is brief and entertaining enough, but it's noticeable.