Lois McMaster Bujold

[FlorenceArt]

According to my LibraryThing, I stopped at Cetaganda, and the next one, both in chronological order and publication order, is Memory. Hmm.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

According to my LibraryThing, I stopped at Cetaganda, and the next one, both in chronological order and publication order, is Memory. Hmm.

Cetaganda is the weakest of the series, IMO. They get better again after it.

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Cetaganda is the weakest of the series, IMO. They get better again after it.

Thanks! I connected to my Baen account and it appears that before I lost interest, I had bought Shards of Honor, which I think is the first part of the prequel with Miles' parents' story? Maybe I'll try reading that before buying Memory. Or maybe I already did, I can't remember.

[DrNefario]

Shards of Honor was the first written/published, and is available in the free library, I believe. It's also the first half of the Cordelia's Honor omnibus (with Barrayar). They both feature Miles's parents. Shards is kind of a romance, at heart.

Cetaganda, on the other hand, was a backfill book, written later to fill a gap, and as a result it has the feel that nothing can be too consequential, since what happened next was already set in stone. It's weird, though: many of the books were written out of order, but this is the only one that feels like that.

Memory is something of a high point in the series, and also one of the few books that can't be read standalone. Definitely one of Jo Walton's favourites, according to What Makes this Book So Great?

[badgoodDeb]

Here's the chronology I've picked up from several sources. This is is CHARACTER chronology, not publishing order. #0 and #1 are so far
"pre" as to not matter (imho) about reading order.


Dreamweaver’s Dilemma #0. SS not up to par with the rest, I hear.
#1 is a post written story -- see 2nd to last volume below.

* Cordelia's Honor (June 1, 2000)
o Shards of Honor #2
o Barrayar #3

* Young Miles (June 1, 1997)
o The Warrior's Apprentice #4
o "The Mountains of Mourning" #4.1
o The Vor Game #5

* Miles, Mystery and Mayhem (August 1, 2003)
o Cetaganda #6
o Ethan of Athos #7
o "Labyrinth" #7.1

* Miles Errant (September 1, 2002)
o "Borders of Infinity" #5.5 or #7.2
o Brothers in Arms #8
o Mirror Dance #9

*Borders of Infinity (collection of shorts)
Surrounding story where Miles is having arm bones replaced, and
telling Illyan all these stories while there. VERY VERY minimal. Coulda done without it, but nice to know when arm bones got replaced)
o "The Mountains of Mourning" #4.1
o "Labyrinth" #7.1
o "Borders of Infinity" #5.5 or #7.2


* Memory (October 1, 1997) #10

* Miles in Love (February 5, 2008)
o Komarr #11
o A Civil Campaign #12
o "Winterfair Gifts" #12.1

* Miles, Mutants and Microbes (August 1, 2007)
o Falling Free (200 years before Miles's birth) #1
o "Labyrinth" (also printed in "Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem") #7.1
o Diplomatic Immunity #13

Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance #14
Cryoburn #15

Weatherman SS (later made part of Vor Game)

[badgoodDeb]

I've just started volume "Miles, Mutants and Microbes", reading in the above order. I read 5.5 thru 12.1 (per above list) in the last two weeks. Ahhhhh. PS 5.5 thru 12.1 are very different than the "war" books, which had wearied me into stopping, a few years ago.

[wawasteele]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

I've just started volume "Miles, Mutants and Microbes", reading in the above order. I read 5.5 thru 12.1 (per above list) in the last two weeks. Ahhhhh. PS 5.5 thru 12.1 are very different than the "war" books, which had wearied me into stopping, a few years ago.

The "war" books are what burnt me out a few years ago. I am enjoying "The Vor Game" now that I have started the series back up again. However, it's good to know the books might not deal so much with war in the forthcoming books.