Komarr
 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Lois McMaster Bujold |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Vorkosigan Saga |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Baen Books |
Publication date | 1998 |
| ISBN | 978-0671017835 |
| Preceded by | Memory |
| Followed by | A Civil Campaign |
Komarr is a 1998 science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold.[1] It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the twelfth full-length novel in publication order. It was included in the 2008 omnibus Miles in Love.
Plot
In his new role as Imperial Auditor, Miles Vorkosigan finds himself on Komarr, a planet where his father has an unfortunate reputation, being blamed for a massacre of government officials who had surrendered to him during the planet's conquest. He is there, along with an older, more experienced Auditor, to investigate whether the destruction of a solar power satellite vital to the ongoing terraforming of the planet was an accident or sabotage.
Miles uncovers an extremely dangerous Komarran conspiracy, one which threatens the entire Barrayaran Empire, and is attracted to Ekaterin Vorsoisson, the unhappy wife of a Barrayaran engineer, though he keeps his feelings hidden. The engineer dies unintentionally after the conspirators capture him and Miles.
When Ekaterin and the other Auditor's wife are taken prisoner by the fleeing conspirators, Miles sets out to rescue them. He is surprised and utterly delighted to discover that Ekaterin has a previously hidden talent for inflicting mayhem on her enemies and has already dealt the plot a fatal blow. In a departure from the style of the previous Vorkosigan books, much of Komarr is narrated from her point of view.
Point of View
The point of view is split between Miles and Ekaterin, offering an outside view on Miles.<ref name=""Kelso">Silvia Kelso (1998)Loud Achievements: Lois McMaster Bujold's Science Fiction</ref>
Reception
Komarr has had a positive reception from reviewers. Writing for Tor.com, Jo Walton stated that "The plot of Komarr is one of the best and tightest in the series...it’s a perfect mystery, with all the clues in plain sight for a re-read but cleverly misdirected. It also has plausible villains who think of themselves as heroes",[2] and Nicki Gerlach stated in her review for The SF Site that "if this book is any indication of what's to come, it's a chapter in which I'll be very interested indeed."[3]
References
- ↑ Bujold, Lois McMaster (1998) Komarr, Baen Books
- ↑ Walton, Jo (Apr 14, 2009) But I’m Vor: Lois McMaster Bujold’s Komarr, Tor.com, accessed January 24, 2013
- ↑ Gerlach, Nicki (2011) Komarr: Lois McMaster Bujold, The SF Site, accessed January 24, 2013