Reviews with content warning for Torture - Shards of Honour

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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xvicesx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Quite surprised by how much I liked this one, seeing how mixed the reviews were. Aral and Cordelia were very enjoyable lead characters, each wise beyond their years, caught up in entirely unwanted subterfuge and conspiracy. Seeing them come together was a joy.

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afuzzybird's review against another edition

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3.0

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kbhenrickson's review against another edition

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adventurous tense 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

4.0

After finishing all of the books in her World of the Five Gods series, I've decided to give this science fiction series by Lois McMaster Bujold a try. Her writing is so wonderful and adds an extra dimension of enjoyment to each book I have read by her. This particular story was quite intense at times, which is a bit tricky for me with an audiobook because you can't casually glance ahead to check on the outcome if you need reassurance. I should have trusted that Bujold wouldn't cross the line (for me - I'm sure some other readers feel differently). If you are someone who avoids certain content,

there is a very intense almost rape scene, and, for me, at least, an even more distressing part where the main character is treated very poorly by mental health professionals and almost involuntarily committed to an institution for continuation of same

. I LOVED Cordelia - give me a smart, adult woman protagonist who can take care of herself any day. I also enjoyed the small details added to the story that gave it realism and sometimes humor - like how all of the Betans, when discussing their president, claim, "I didn't vote for him." I was a little confused by the Aftermaths section, though, so if anyone can shed light on that, I'd love to hear it. Grover Gardner does an excellent job with the narration, and it was a delight to hear his voice again after recently finishing the Penric and Desdemona series (which he also narrates). I am already getting started on the next book.

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valjeanval's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I've read this one before, and it's interesting the different perspectives you get when you read books at different stages of your life. Bujold is one of the best adventure writers, if you ask me, and Cordelia is one of her best characters. I really enjoy stories of competent couples, and Aral and Cordelia definitely qualify. I generally don't like too much romance in my sci-fi, but you know what? Neither do Aral and Cordelia. They've got a lot on their plates.

That said, there are definitely parts of this book that do not age well, in particular the treatment of SA. I feel like the subject is treated much too casually and while I see how she is trying to make Bothari into a complicated survivor of abuse himself, I think it puts the emphasis in the wrong place and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. For 1986, it's extremely progressive, but it doesn't pass modern standards in this one area and as such, carries a sizable SA content warning.

Still, if you portion that out, it's a classic of the genre, features one of the best female heroes of the time period, and a is great start to an epic saga.

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halt_bullfrog's review against another edition

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3.5

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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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beccaand's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense 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

3.75

adding Cordelia Naismith to my internal list of cool ladies I want to emulate

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