Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold

7 reviews

heydebigale's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny

4.25

CW: sexual assault, gore, violence, torture

A bit more violent than I was expecting but I found this story extremely compelling. 

Notes: Aral is a bisexual Barrayan (extreme military patriarchal society) soldier. Cordelia is the captain of an exploratory scientific ship and is part of a more cerebral society. 
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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the third time I’ve read this book. I absolutely love it. It’s gripping and lively, with a lot of action tempered by discussions of honor (of course), soldiering, deception, mental illness, and the senseless deaths of wartime. The bad guys are really pretty bad and the good guys are fabulous. 

After two books with the main characters of Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkosigan, this and Barrayar, the story moves eighteen years in the future where their son Miles is the main character and his parents have become bit players. I love both Cordelia and Aral, and I wish there had been more books written about them. Miles is a lot of fun, but he’s an agent of chaos - he moves from one disaster to another - and it’s exciting but tiring. There’s lots of chaos here, too, but … um …. maybe more controlled? I’m not sure how to describe it. 

In any case, this is probably my favorite sci-fi series of all. 
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mshusky's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This well written science fiction novel seamlessly blends elements of adventure, and romance with political intrigue and inter planetary conflict.

Bujold's masterful storytelling and excellent worldbuilding explores the theme of loyalty, sacrifice, and the consequences of war. 

Bujold's prose is richly textured, elegant yet accessible.  

First in a series, but can be read as a standalone. 
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unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fast paced and complex, a great mix of harder science fiction themes (interplanetary politics, war, space travel, medical advancements) and more relationship focused themes. I enjoyed the depth of character portrayal and commentary on politics, military service, humanity, leadership, trust and just… people. Excited to read more of this series!!
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mdpenguin's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

My brother has recommended this series to me many times and I can see why. Bujold's writing is excellent and her characters are unique, well drawn, and easy to get emotionally invested in. It's very military-ish and there are some really unpleasant parts that sometimes feel like they are taken too lightly, but I think that when you look at the whole book you see that it's just the characters plowing through the horrors of war moreso than the author taking the subject material lightly. That seems to be confirmed by the epilogue. Between picking this up and now, I've kind of shifted moods and so will hold off continuing with the series, but I suspect that it's the kind of series where you can pick up a book every now and then when you feel like it without losing much. 
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obviousthings's review against another edition

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I wasn't finding the romance all that romantic to begin with, and then at the end of Chapter 14 Vorkosigan mentioned something heinous that he essentially just... let happen?? If it was meant to be a huge red flag I'd keep reading, but it seems like the book is really pushing the narrative that he's a good guy in spite of what people say, and I just can't stomach that at this point.
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pvbobrien's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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