Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold

10 reviews

cedowell1's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

4.5

A reread. It’s been several years since I last read it and I enjoyed it just as much this time. This book made me start reading sci-fi again when I read it the first time. The rest of the series is just as entertaining. 
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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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davidsonrachel6's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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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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storyorc's review against another edition

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

4.0

Romance for adults. How have I never read a romance about two people finding love late in life before? And it's sci-fi! The stakes are high, the tech is creative (hello, artificial wombs with babies floating around that need looking after), and the cultures feel real enough to facilitate the conflict of ideals between leads. The politics also come across clever without taking up so much space as to be boring. 

What glows about this book is how it is so enjoyable despite featuring two mature, intelligent, measured characters. After a bit of a tumultuous forced-proximity start, it turns out they are both as  reasonable and generous as two people on opposite sides of an armed conflict can be. It's not a will-they-won't-they, it's a will-the-world-let-them-won't-it. There are moments of high drama, but also moments of day-to-day life. It makes the usual formula of pining and misunderstandings feel juvenile. Despite being set in the stars, this couple feels like they could be your aunt and uncle. Aspirational in a very comforting way.
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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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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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km_reads_and_edits's review against another edition

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

5.0

Wow. This novel really impressed me, even though it falls outside of my preferred genres. I am definitely going to start working through the back catalogue of Lois McMaster's work now, particularly within the Vorkosigan series. 

 "... I've always tried to walk the path of honour. But what do you do when all choices are evil? Shameful action, shameful inaction, every path leading to a thicket of death." 

I have seen some reviews describe this novel as a 'romance'. I both agree and disagree. I feel as though this is a science fiction novel that has romance in it, rather than a romance novel based in a science fiction world - if that distinction makes sense. A significant amount of the plot actually revolves around political intrigue and manoeuvring. Cordelia, the POV character, gets caught up in this - and through the events that unfold, winds up forming a bond with a man who is supposed to be her enemy, Aral Vorkosigan. 

"Well, I don't hate him. Can't say as I worship him, either." She paused a long time, and looked up to meet her mother's eyes square on. "But when he's cut, I bleed."

Cordelia and Vorkosigan's relationship is one that forms from mutual admiration and respect. How this tentative friendship progresses, and how they come to develop stronger feelings for one another, is beautifully done. Their connection, and how they navigated being somewhat 'star-crossed', was one of my favourite parts of the story. However, don't read this novel if you're after steamy scenes with heaps of sexual tension. Like I said, I would describe this novel as sci-fi political intrigue first and a romance second. 

"The cup of victory; bitter on the tongue, heavy in the stomach, sad as defeat..."

Other things I loved about this story were the worldbuilding, Cordelia as a character, and - of course - the fact that it revolved so heavily around strategy and political intrigue. I'm a sucker for that stuff, so getting to enjoy it alongside a bit of romance made for a thoroughly enjoyable read!

I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes science fiction, obviously, but I would also recommend giving it a try if you're the kind of person who sometimes enjoys a sweet romance and other times enjoys a story about spies and wars and backstabbing. Because I would say Shards of Honour provides a nice blend of both of those moods.


Please check the trigger warnings before reading this book. This is a science fiction story where a war takes place. As such, there are naturally quite a few references to things like death, violence, murder, imprisonment, etc. as well as some mental health stuff like trauma, PTSD, and unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcoholism. 

An additional trigger warning I would like to mention is that the "guns" used are actually "nerve disruptors" and can cause traumatic brain injury. This happens to one of the secondary characters at the beginning of the book and there is a lot of detail given in regard to his condition afterwards. 
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edwardshaddow's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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