I Read Nine Vorkosigan Saga Books in 11 Days, And You Should Too

No editing, no plan, just a ramble. Hopefully it makes more people put this on their radar.
My goodreads : / truthless_of_shinovar
Intro music: Music is by Budapest BluesBoy
ccmixter.org/files/hepepe/25027
the music is is Creative Commons licensed for commercial use

[@Apytiksliai]

Themes are not an accident in Bujolds writing, they are just incorporated very well in the plot. There is an underlying love for humanity and quest for identity.

[@jakebishop7822]

An accident was the wrong way to describe it, this is what happens when I don't plan, because you are right, they are deliberate, just so seamlessly integrated, so it doesn't ever feel to me like a scene is ever there only for the purpose of theme, they are always doing multiple things at once

[@michaelbodell7740]

Bujolds seems under-represented in booktube. She is such a good author of both sci-fi and fantasy but it seems like not as many younger folks have read her, so +1 to everyone checking out the excellent Vorkosigan Saga. There is a reason this series won so many awards in the 1980s and 1990s.

[@jakebishop7822]

I'm doing my part!

[@andreamiller3578]

She is one of the authors that I always meant to check out as a teen and somehow never did. I'm taking Jim Butcher's repeated mentions of her and now your review as a sign to pick up her books.

[@jakebishop7822]

Fantastic!

[@archeorogue8773]

I just got my hands on the first 5 books last week (for free!) and I'm really looking forward to trying them out when I have more free time, I'm glad to know I'll probably not be disappointed

[@jakebishop7822]

Love to see it

[@esmayrosalyne]

But is there truly a better feeling than having a proper binge read?! Love that this series is turning out to be such a big hit for you, I am completely and totally sold. Thanks for bumping this so high up my TBR!!

[@jakebishop7822]

Massive binge reads, and finishing a really long series you have been reading for ages do just hit different

[@bparsons1987]

Currently rereading the series and In The Vor Game. Glad you agree! I'm amazed that so few know about this series, and I wouldn't have picked it up except for a readalong with Mike's Book Review's Discord.

[@bparsons1987]

I love Cordelia far more than Miles, and their family dynamic especially after Mirror Dance is fantastic. My favorite book though is A Civil Campaign. It was a top 3 book for me in 2022 alongside Demon in White and Kingdoms of Death.

[@jakebishop7822]

@@bparsons1987 Always love to see a book I haven't read as a favorite, I think that one is next maybe? I forget. Memory is my favorite right now and it will be tough to top. (although Mirror Dance is very very close, could swap on reread)

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Oh man attention to detail, consequences…strengths that def bode well for me

[@jakebishop7822]

Si

[@ZOMGfantasy]

I'm almost done Shards of Honour after you put it on Ben's list. I really liked it! It's very tightly paced, and there isn't a word wasted so you have to pay attention. It's a little bit dated with the insta-love-your-kidnapper thing going on, but Cordelia and Aral are cool enough that I don't mind it too much. I'm interested to see how Book 2 goes :)

[@jakebishop7822]

Love to see it! Ya there definitely is a bit of that, but I always see it as a compliment when an author can do something I normally don't like, and makes it work

[@ZOMGfantasy]

@jakebishop7822 True, and I will say the aftermath chapter of Shards of Honour is pure brilliance

[@anothersarahreading9961]

Had a feeling you'd love these. Let's hope more people discover how good LMB is . My favourite of the series is Mirror Dance. That one just blew me away. Miles is such an unforgettable character but Mark is my favourite character in the whole series. But it's far too spoilery to discuss why. But what she does with character in that novel IS why she's one of my favourite authors.

[@jakebishop7822]

Mirror Dance was amazing spoilers for Mirror Dance Mark is so well, done, I think him feeling so believable as a scumbag who also is genetically the same as Miles really made me confront who I could be had I not been raised in such a healthy situation(thanks mom and dad, love you), and I think acknowledging that I could be so different had things gone differently is kinda important for seeing things from others perspective, and encouraging empathy. It might end up beating out Memory in the long run, because I think it has affected me in a more enduring way

[@anothersarahreading9961]

@@jakebishop7822 More SPOILERS for Mirror Dance: She takes that whole "Star Trek" trope of evil twins/clones and gives it a good twist to something different. I went from really disliking Mark at the beginning of the novel to that intense end where I was NOoooooo, please survive! This is a book that I didn't want to end.

[@ericF-17]

I'm one of those people who doesn't watch a lot of reviews, but I decided to watch this one because of the whole "whoa Jake actually posted a video!" thing. Your review was very good and these books sound very interesting; they are definitely on my radar now. I may start Bijould with Curse of the Chalion or something but I'll definitely read her stuff sometime.

[@jakebishop7822]

Thanks! Curse of Chalion is also fantastic, it was the first Bujold book I read, and I have no regrets!

[@uweburger]

Forward Momentum!

[@jakebishop7822]

There's no virtue in it

[@dianneeagle4686]

Such a fun series. I started them in a weird order suggested by someone on book tube but quickly changed to chronological. We have the luxury of this order since they are older books and there are certain books that really make more sense this way. Finished all of them last year and I don't think a single one was a dud.

[@jakebishop7822]

Bujold is honestly so consistent from what I have seen, like it's hard to even think of one where she had a substantial mistep in one area of storytelling, let alone most of it

[@Page_max]

Please make a video about your favourite tropes, favourite types of character dynamics, favourite types of plots and other similar categories. Because I absolutely believe that you and I have the same taste.

[@jakebishop7822]

Honestly have no idea how I would narrow it down. I feel like I like most tropes when they are like done well.

[@YashPatel-ez4um]

Like Hobb and Butcher!? Sold! Out of curiously would you say it breaks your top 10 series of all time? Or even top 5?

[@jakebishop7822]

Top 10 easily, top 5 maybe

[@YashPatel-ez4um]

@@jakebishop7822wow! Can't wait to start! I've been rereading sun eater because I couldn't find a good sci-fi to cure me from my book hangover from sun eater. This seems like the perfect book for me right now!

[@thatsci-firogue]

Well, I've downloaded the samples for Shards of Honour and Curse of Chalion. Vorkosagian sounds like a potential RotE and Culture replacement for me.

[@jakebishop7822]

love to see it

[@chickenmonger123]

You sold me. There are parts of Malazan that had me cackling. Not because any joke, but because the situation was hilarious. This despite it being super not fun for anyone. If it is that way, and reads at a Dresden Files pace, I am into that. Especially if it’s Sci-Fi. I have an interest in Sci-Fi, but the techno-babble gets on my nerves. Which is why it’s difficult to reread the Hyperion Cantos for me. Or even say Neuromancer. Despite liking the aesthetic.

[@jakebishop7822]

You should be good, as there is very little techno bable, all the sci fi stuff is pretty easy to follow Hope you enjoy them!

[@joshyaks]

Funny, I just started the series. After deciding that The Curse of Chalion is the best/most well-written fantasy in existence, I wanted to check out Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi starting with Cordelia's Honor (which is a bind-up of Shards of Honor and Barrayar). So far I'm disappointed that the writing quality of these older Bujold books is WAY worse than the practically perfect prose of her newer fantasy, but like I said, I'm just starting out.

[@jakebishop7822]

Interesting, they definitely have a very different style, where Chalion is a little denser, maybe more stylised, but I felt both were about as good of a job at doing the style they were trying to That said I do prefer Chalion to the first 2 Vorkosigan novels, but it is reasonably close for me

[@joshyaks]

@@jakebishop7822 That's fair - I should clarify that I'm talking mostly about the technical aspects of the writing (things like how dialogue tags and adverbs are used).

[@uweburger]

Her first books are a little bumpy sometimes, but keep going

[@joshyaks]

@@uweburger Will do - thanks for the encouragement!

[@rujoolpatil1227]

gonna be my next obsession, i can feel it :wicked:

[@jakebishop7822]

We can only hope

[@stjepanvaresevaccobets]

Great series 👍

[@jakebishop7822]

So good!

[@mattygroves]

4:48 "such a sense of humanity...." This! She really is good at everything - character, plot, prose... I think one reason Bujold is so easy to recommend to most readers is that she absorbed and assimilated all of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, etc. So if somebody likes novels at all, they're likely to enjoy Bujold.

[@jakebishop7822]

yup, pretty much. It's like, hey do you like books that are both fun and good? cool, I have an author for you

[@Johanna_reads]

I’m going to check this out thanks to you! But I first need to get to Liveship Traders, Dandelion Dynasty, and more GGK! 😅

[@thatsci-firogue]

Johanna, I'd be *shocked* (and low-key appalled 😂) if you didn't at least like Liveship Traders or Dandelion Dynasty. I just finished the Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy, and Hobb's only getting higher and higher of a priority and becoming one of my favourite series of all-time.

[@jakebishop7822]

Well that is a very good reason to stall. Maybe this can take up a different slot, this is for if you want to read something a little less dense, and faster, without sacrificing quality

[@rujoolpatil1227]

good

[@jakebishop7822]

yes

[@Matt42MSG]

Bujold has written entire other series, and they're just as good. One of us! One of us! Gooble goggle gooble goggle one of us!

[@jakebishop7822]

I will be reading them all eventually!

[@michaelgray4964]

Dude. It's Lois Bujold, not Louis. It's making me crazy.

[@thatsci-firogue]

Shards of Honor is pretty good so far.

[@jakebishop7822]

we take that

[@thatsci-firogue]

I was wondering about reading order because for Kindle here the order its sold in goes: Shards of Honor, Warrior's Apprentice, Ethan of Athos, Falling Free, Brothers in Arms, Vor Game, then Barrayar etc. What would you recommend?

[@jakebishop7822]

I would recommend chronological order basically, not that. bookriot.com/vorkosigan-saga-reading-order/ This is good, except I would read Borders of Infinity before Brothers in Arms

[@kah-thurak]

I read Shards of Honor some years ago and found it good but it did not really make me want to read more of the series - which is funny enough the same experience I had with Storm Front. For Dresden however I, years later, read Skin Game because I wanted to read all books that were nominated for the Hugo that year and now Dresden Files is one of my favorite series. Would you think the experience with Vorkosigan might be similar?

[@jakebishop7822]

It's quite possible, although I think the gap in quality between Storm Front and Skin Game is much larger than the gap between Shards of Honour and top tier Vorkosigan. Ultimately, they are super quick reads, so I think it's definitely worth trying. If you are still luke warm on Barrayar and Warrior's Apprentice I think it is very unlikely you will change your mind

[@Varumitto]

Read a bunch of these books on the strength of this recommendation, and enjoyed them immensely until "Cetaganda" (reading in publication order, because I simply don't believe people who say that I should read things not in the order they were written). "Cetaganda" sucks though, unbearably boring, did not finish it and decided to stop there.

[@jakebishop7822]

Ceteganda is partially annoying because it is a side quest. Also it is written weirdly late, so I was like, whatever, at least you got to the really good stuff, but of course Ceteganda is directly before Memory, which is like my favorite book in the series so far....Darn.

[@Belemrys]

Read Sun Eater…book of the new sun, dune, Vorkosigan thrown in a blender! Lorian is soooo inspired by Miles!

[@jakebishop7822]

Brother go look at the first review chronologically on goodreads of Kingdoms of Death

[@Belemrys]

@@jakebishop7822 Couldn't find it in the youtube channel! Sorry! Will scroll more! Thought if you had read it you would connect to Lorian!

[@jakebishop7822]

@@Belemrys Lorian is great! Was definitely an inspiration for Miles

[@readbykyle3082]

Author good

[@jakebishop7822]

si

[@alrossin5841]

I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear that I like Vorkosigan

[@jakebishop7822]

Hmm, IDK if I believe you

[@davidl8298]

Hi Jake, I really enjoy your videos & we have very similar tastes in authors. This series is problematic from the point of view of availability, early volumes are not in print, only some later volumes & the publisher Baen refuse to reprint! I am not a lover of e books but that seems the only way one can get the whole series. Extremely frustrating. Regards from David in the UK.

[@anothersarahreading9961]

If you do audiobooks, nearly all are free on Audible UK 😊

[@jakebishop7822]

I want you to know starting that with "This series is problematic" gave me a mini heart attack. That is tough though, I generally like physical books but just read these digitally because the ebooks are super cheap, damnit Baen! Suprised they don't reprint Bujold considering her consistent success

[@Page_max]

Honestly I thought this author was a guy at first. Such an amazing author. Curse of the chalion was so good.

[@jakebishop7822]

Chalion rules! If it was someone's favorite Bujold book that would not surprise me

[@Page_max]

@@jakebishop7822 I never thought I would experience more emotions than Hobb’s books, but curse of the chalion does that. Such a beautiful book. Absolutely stellar writing.

[@mitch8948]

Wait.. if I strictly DONT like Dresden should I avoid Vorkosigan? 😬😱

[@jakebishop7822]

Well like yes I guess, probably. Well I guess if you had very specific reasons for not liking Dresden or something

[@a.a5589]

Definitely not! I personally do not vibe with the dresden books at all but i'm obsessed with the vorkosigan saga. Depends on why you didn't like Dresden. I couldn't get through the first couple books of the series where the MC is overly chauvanistic.

[@phen0menos]

Depends what you didn't like about Dresden Files. I'm not much of a DF fan because I don't like the amount of male gaze and don't vibe with the main character. But Vorkosigan is one of my favourite series

[@supersonik5644]

I don't read books, sorry

[@jakebishop7822]

That's ok

[@uweburger]

Try the audiobooks ;)