The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga)

The second book published in the Vorkosigan saga, the fourth in chronological order, is the entrance of Miles Vorkosigan – the young, deformed yet brilliant child of Aral Vorkosigan and Cordelia Naismith (the heroes of Shards of Honor). At first, it may seem like you’re reading a book about any old SF wunderkind, but Bujold skillfully raises Miles to extraordinary heights without making it seem farcical. By the end of this one book, you know that you’re reading about a hero that will be a favorite to many including yourself. This book is a must read. I would recommend beginning with Shards of Honor for a full character arc, but it’s not necessary. Enjoy this first encounter with Miles.

Miles Vorkosigan’s story begins with trying to get into the Barrayaran Officer’s Academy, but he is unable to qualify due to his malformed body caused by an attack when his mother was pregnant with him. To console himself from the disappointment, he travels to his mother’s home planet of Beta Colony with his bodyguard Sergeant Bothari and Bothari’s daughter, Elena. Along the way to deal with his overactive mind and curiosity – and maybe to help impress Elena, Miles starts an adventure of commerce, piracy, rebellion that grows at every turn. Where it ends, nobody knows, but Miles and his crew are caught in the whirlwind until it does.

The super brainiac kid is an overused trope in writing in general. Some handle it well, such as Card with Ender’s Game, but most do not. Bujold’s strength lies in her ability to write characters that you care about and make them true to themselves. You want to root for the brilliant Miles, you hurt for the embattled Bothari, you want Elena to be happy. All the while she crafts a story of many pieces and brings them together to great conclusions. Her books don’t usually end with one resolution but many. This book is no exception. Bujold has four Hugo Award winning books, but this book was written before her first win. I think it may be her best – award or no.

If you want to read a great storyteller bring together layers of story arc so well that you don’t realize what’s happening, then read Shards of Honor then The Warrior’s Apprentice. The two books are mirrors to each other and have a powerful symmetry in story and emotion. You will not regret the time spent.

8 stars out of 10

So. This has been me, for the past few days, as I listen to the Miles Vorkosign books, having read them once already:
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That me. That me, about every fifteen minutes. Miles is just such a deeply satisfying protagonist. It's as if Bujold set up the Vorkosigan Saga as a tabletop RPG campaign, crafting an expansive political, social, and economic landscape, populated it with above-average players, and then someone managed to roll a character with double-maxed out charisma and intelligence. In fact, there IS a VS tabletop RPG, and it's advised you DON'T include Miles, even as an NPC, because he WILL make the game all about him.

Even in this initial adventure, when Miles has no actual military training, he does phenomenal things. He starts out with a scheme to cheer his childhood friend and crush, and winds up <spoiler>winning a war and nearly getting executed for treason. </spoiler>

This is what I want in sci-fi. Certainly, there's lots of space and starships and so on, but the main focus of this story is the STORY. If Bujold was forced to rewrite this as a Napoleonic-era navel adventure, it would be just as addicting. If you're trying to hook someone on sci-fi, hand this over and be prepared to surrender every single book that comes after when they come to see you the next day, frothing for more!

This author is very talented, and deserves every success she's received for her writing. I recommend any book by this author, hands down.

For the aforementioned reasons it is very difficult for me to include any criticism in her direction, but I must. Most readers may not have this issue, but for me, there is such an over abundance of characters that it is often difficult to keep up. This issue in no way insinuates that she lacks any skill. Quite the contrary is true. I can only hope to mature into the type of descriptive and witty writer that she is.

The fact still remains that her colorful imagination leaves me exasperated in my attempts to keep up with so many names, titles, and relationships. Often times, the only thing that draws my attention back in is when the central characters are mentioned again.

Lastly, Grover Garnder is such a great choice to bring these stories to life! The wrong narrator can really make the listening experience a misery.

Again, the high character count may not be a bother to the average reader, but it has negatively affected my listening and reading experience.

If one likes fast-paced science fiction novels about outer space, there is an interesting plot here. Unfortunately, numerous instances of drinking alcohol, mentions of drug use, and graphic descriptions of violence appear.
Also, the language is quite bad, with profuse cursing (the “d” and “h” words), profanity (using God’s name in vain), and even vulgarity (including the “s” word). And while no actual sex occurs, a large amount of sexuality is found, with references to abortion, necking, sex aids, a girl’s hymen, watching pornography, rape, “feeling up,” chopping off a guy’s balls, the illicit sex trade, and such like. Early on Miles and Elena, on whom he has a crush, are alone, and he feels a tightness in his trousers, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Also Miles has a reminiscence of “a short affair with a girl from the kinky/curious category” in which “after finding his sexual parts disappointingly normal, the girl had drifted off.” Certain Betans are referred to as hermaphrodites, and other books in the series focus on Ethan of Athos, a homosexual man. And I learned a new word. Cousin Ivan is said to be “swiving the servant girls.” I admit that I had to look it up. Swiving means “the act or process of copulation,” from an archaic verb swive, meaning “to have sexual intercourse with (a person).” If this kind of thing floats your boat, you can have it, but I can’t recommend it, especially for “young adult” and most especially those who wish to maintain purity of mind.

Love the Vorkosigan Saga! I haven't enjoyed a book series this much since Heinlein's "Future Histories" stories. While do I enjoy some of Bujold's other work (like the Sharing Knife series), it pales in comparison to the escapades of the Vorkosigan family (specifically one Miles Naismith Vorkosigan). The stories in this series read like an action/adventure blockbuster movie (a la "Top Gun", and this story is no exception.

I highly recommend this book, as well as all the rest of the books in this series. Almost as entertaining as Miles' antics is watching the desperate attempts of his friends and family to save him from himself, while simultaneously trying to stay outside his blast radius.

Being the sort of reader who tends to read a lot of nonfiction, it is always nice every once in a while to read some good quality fiction and to enjoy the depth that can be found in fiction. As a fan of fantasy literature, I found this particular book to be a good one, in that it provided a very exciting plot with very powerful characters and careful attention paid to worldbuilding. The hero, Miles Vorkosigan/Naismith is a particularly powerful character because of his immense determination and improvisational genius as well as his struggling against his own physical limitations, being frail and deformed (something I can relate to myself) because of events beyond his control when he was in his mother’s womb. Long viewing himself as a failure because of his struggles, and because of his lack of purpose in life, his boredom and search for truth and adventure and excitement lead him into a dangerous situation that proves his mettle and his worth and that has immensely complicated consequences for his own life and that of those around him.

One of the real strengths of this novel is the way that it paints its characters in a particularly complex light. In the course of this novel [spoiler alert] we are forced to wrestle with the fact that a character largely praised for his loyalty is found to have been a rapist and a torturer in his previous life, having built an elaborate lie that comes crashing down with fatal results to him. By and large, the characters in this story are not the masters of their own fate, but are largely praised based on their resourcefulness in dealing with their fate and in making the best of it. This is a novel with serious consequences and deep moral complexity, whether it comes to a grim look at the costs of deviant sexuality or the body counts that result from logistical and tactical failures as well as political games. This is definitely a complicated moral universe that has within it room for both retribution and justice as well as mercy and nuanced views of its characters and their actions.

This is not to say that the novel is perfect. As is the case, I find that this novel is one of far too many works that I have read that deal with the subject of rape. By and large, this is not a romantic tale nor a romantic sort of universe, at least as it is described so far, and the romantic longings of the protagonist are definitely not fulfilled (something I can relate to all too well). It is a breezy, fast-paced read that is heavy on action and that does not skimp on providing difficulties and obstacles for its longsuffering hero to overcome, and one that ought to appeal to those who like speculative fiction in general and that enjoy a good popcorn sort of work that provides political intrigue as well as a thoughtful examination of the way that people who are obviously disabled are viewed in our own society. The author has a clear favoritism for outsiders and underdogs, and likely readers who appreciate this work will share that bent.

Miles Vorkosigan is the son of one of the most powerful men on Barrayar, but is also a cripple, cursed with fragile bones and occasional hubris. When his pride overrides his good sense and leaves him too injured to take part in entrance examinations to the Barrayaran academy, Miles is washed up and left without a future. Intrigued by a mystery involving his bodyguard, Bothari, Miles decides to take an offworld trip...but nothing goes to plan and before long Miles's fast-talking has earned him the command of a fleet of starships, thousands of mercenaries and involvement in a civil war which is none of his business. Miles has some explaining to do.

Whilst chronologically The Warrior's Apprentice is the third volume in The Vorkosigan Saga, for most people it's where the series really begins. This is the book where the main character of the series, Miles, debuts as an adult character and it also represents a notable tonal shift from the previous two volumes, Shards of Honour and Barrayar. Whilst those two books were fairly serious (aside from brief comedy-of-manners episodes), The Warrior's Apprentice is more rambunctious. It's a bit of a romp, actually, with Miles' fast-talking mouth and off-the-cuff inventiveness (i.e. lying his head off) getting him in and out of trouble so quickly readers may experience whiplash trying to keep up with it.

It's a novel which can be firmly filed under 'fun', although there is a tragic core to the novel involving the character of Bothrai. Bujold writes this mystery so it works from two angles: if you've read Shards of Honour and Barrayar, you know what's going on long before Miles does and Bujold milks the tension effectively as Miles investigates the matter. If you haven't read those books and are as much in the dark as Miles, it works just as well. The tragic interlude (and the finale, which involves a brief dash of political intrigue) are a bit out-of-keeping with the book's overall tone, but Bujold shows impressive mastery of pacing in allowing the narrative to organically shift to integrate them before moving back to a less serious feel.

The result is a novel that is often quite funny, but also reflects the central character very well. Miles is a ball of energy that tends to drag people along behind him into various crazy schemes they'd never normally want to be a part of, but his momentum somehow keeps everything afloat. The novel works this way as well, with the plot taking increasingly ludicrous turns but it not mattering because Bujold infuses the novel with so much energy and verve you just want to read along and find out what happens next. Bujold's skills with characterisation also help define the book's setting much more clearly, with even briefly-appearing secondary characters getting fleshed out into three-dimensional people within just a few paragraphs.

Negatives? The narrative sometimes feels a little too silly for a book that actually isn't an out-and-out comedy. The concluding section on Barrayar is also perhaps a little too neat and tidy, and there seems to be a narrative disconnect between Cordelia's treatment by her own people on Beta Colony in the first two books (where she was treated as a criminal) and her well-regarded position here. But there are fairly minor issues.

The Warrior's Apprentice (****) isn't high art or hard SF, but it is entertaining, fast-paced and well-characterised, with just enough pathos and tragedy to add some depth to it. It is available now in the UK and USA as part of the Young Miles omnibus, along with the novella The Mountains of Mourning and the novel The Vor Game.

Ah, and now we start. Every famous character has to start somewhere and after Miles managed to pull off the rare feat of a cameo in his own series (in "Barrayar") we finally get to see him in action with this volume, which takes place smack dab at the end of his teenage years. Here, loses a friend, loses a love, fails to qualify for officer's school and accidentally creates his own private army. Not necessarily in that order. And not all of them are bad.

Having spent two books laying the groundwork for this series proper, Bujold starts to explore what it all means and while this plot seems to be simpler than some of the stories that would follow, it gives off a feeling of Bujold and Miles almost testing each other and seeing if this attempt at something long-term is going to work out. In a sense, it's about limits, what the setting can accomplish, what the author can accomplish and most importantly, what the heck can Miles accomplish, especially after he fails out of the aforementioned officer's school due to having bones that can be shattered in a stiff wind. Not exactly a confidence inducing maneuver for the troops, eh? Thus, his father sends him off to visit his grandmother at the Beta colony (one of the oddest things about reading this in order is seeing Miles' parents reduced to essentially background players after spending two whole novels with them driving the plot . . . yet, if you haven't read those novels half the things they do will have a limited emotional impact . . . like a snowball on a hill it's the accumulation that adds the weight), along with faithful timebomb Sergeant Bothari and Bothari's teenage daughter (and Miles' best friend, and possible crush) Elena. Before long Miles has decided on a lark to help a merchant bring his goods into a warzone in the name of profit. It takes about ten minutes for this plan to go off the rail.

While Bujold manages to make even the grimmest circumstances a joy to read, this one isn't exactly a nail-biter, which may turn off some people, especially those drawn in by the escalating tensions that informed the final third of "Barrayar". While Miles spends a good portion of the book in peril, he also establishes very quickly that he's good at coming up with plans on the fly, no matter how insane they seem on the surface and once it becomes clear that MIles is probably going to think his way out of whatever is thrown at him, it becomes not unlike watching a magician where you're more concerned with the "how" of things. Bujold makes him just lucky enough that you don't question how someone who is barely out of puberty has the preternatural confidence and skill to manipulate his way into owning an army. But when you stop to think about it, he does fairly well for a seventeen year old with limited experience.

Thus the fun comes watching the situation constantly threatening to spiral out of control just before Miles reels it back in by the proverbial skin of his teeth but there's more of an amusement factor to it, as opposed to the life-or-death situations that we spent two books watching his parents experience. Forced to carry the book on his own, Miles has personality to spare and a swagger that just about manages it, but again it's the sheer weight of all the added characters that brings this book to the finish line and not the emotional gut-punches that you keep hoping for with material like this. Instead, it feels even in tone, with a lightness that feels almost breezy. Twice in the novel we lose major characters, one off-screen and one shockingly before our eyes. The former feels more like an afterthought, with the years neutering the character almost beyond recognition, while the other hinges on a coincidence that Bujold swiftly brushes aside to focus on the impact of the demise. It's probably her best slight of hand in the novel, for while the circumstance is a tad implausible (really, I thought space would be bigger) the reactions of everyone involved feels honest and it seems destined to cast a shadow that will inform some of the rest of the series.

Still, the setting is fun and even if the many mercenaries start to blur together after a while and her ability to convey romance could use some work (act like you're in love, people!) you're reading for the sheer verve and because the pace won't let you slack off. By the time Miles has to detour back home in a left field twist to short circuit the first of what will probably be a long line of attempts on his family you've already become invested in his character you've probably been already sold on these people. She has that gift of writing decent people that make you want to root for them due to their sheer decency but gives them enough edge and spine so that they never become boring. Even when the outcome is never in doubt (or this would be a short series) it's the relationships between the characters that stand out more than the plot, and the smaller moments that set it apart from just a swaggering space adventure. You want to spend time with them because they seem like friends and it's your reaction to these people that determines how far you're going to get. If you find Miles insufferable in his seeming inability to actually fail you'll have stopped before you'll want to read this review. But if you find yourself laughing along and hoping he realizes his goals then you're probably going to stick with it until she runs out of words.

The Warrior's Apprentice (1986) is the second SF novel in the Vorkosigan series, following Shards of Honor. By internal chronology, this is the fourth work in the sequence after Barrayar. Both this work and its sequels are included in the omnibus edition Young Miles.

In the prequel, Cordelia was pregnant with a son. She and Aral named him Piotr Miles for his grandfathers. Then an assassin shot a canister of Soltoxin poison into their bedroom.

Aral recognized the distinctive scent of the poison and told Cordelia to hold her breath. They escaped the bedroom and the Soltoxin antidote was fetched from the Imperial Residence for them. Then the physician learned that Cordelia is pregnant.

The Soltoxin was being flushed from their system, but the antidote was very harmful to the fetus. His bones started dissolving. Piotr wanted to abort the fetus, but Cordelia looked for another answer.

In this novel, Miles Naismith Vorkosigan is the son of Aral and Cordelia. He was poisoned in Cordelia's womb and then gestated in an uterine replicator. Now he has fragile bones, but is determined to become an officer in the Imperial Service.

Cordelia Naismith was a Betan and a Captain in the Betan Expeditionary Forces. Now she is the wife of Aral and the mother of Miles.

Aral Vorkosigan was a Commodore, then Captain and now Admiral in the Barrayaran Imperial Fleet. He was appointed as the Regent of the infant Gregor by the previous emperor. Now he is the Imperial Prime Minister.

Piotr Vorkosigan is a Count of Barrayar, a former general and a hero of the war against Cetaganda. He is also Aral's father.

Konstantine Bothari is a former Sergeant in the Barrayaran Imperial Army. Now he is an Armsman to Count Vorkosigan. He is actually more loyal to Cordelia and Miles.

Elena Bothari is the Sergeant's daughter. She was born from a Betan uterine replicator.

In this story, Miles has completed his written tests for the Imperial Service Academy and needs only to finish the physical testing with a decent rating. He is teamed with another cadet candidate for the test. Their first obstacle is a five meter wall with spikes at the top.

The test monitors will not let Miles wear his leg braces for the test. He starts out slowly, but overtakes his partner while climbing the wall. But he breaks both legs jumping off it.

After returning home, he hugs his mother and asks about his father, who is busy with Imperial business. He also asks if his grandfather has been told about his failure. When he learns that no one has informed Piotr, Miles goes upstairs to face the Count.

Elena is more sympathetic. She also has problems. Her father is talking about an arranged marriage. She also wonders about her mother.

Then Piotr dies in his sleep. All his surviving subordinates -- as well as all his peers -- try to attend the funeral. Afterward, Miles decides to visit his Betan grandmother.

On the way to Beta, miles and Elena visit the achieves on Escobar. They search for data on her mother's death, but find nothing. So they continue the voyage to Beta.

At the arrivals station, Armsman Bothari is detained for while to allow customs to confiscate all his deadly weapons. Miles overhears four Betans arguing about a jump pilot who refuses to leave his condemned ship. Miles receives permission to talk to the pilot.

Miles ends up buying the ship from a salvage merchant. Then he finds a cargo going into a warzone. He gets more crew and leaves Beta.

This tale puts Miles in the hands of the Oseran Free Mercenary Fleet. A mercenary captain tries to take Elena into his custody. Miles does not allow this and takes the captain's ship.

Miles creates the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet out of whole cloth and his inheritance. The next installment in this sequence is Ethan of Athos. Yet the next story by internal chronology is "Mountains of Mourning" in Borders of Infinity.

Highly recommended for Bujold fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of a smart and fast talking young nobleman. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

I'm told that Miles Vorkosigan is the real main character of this series, and after two books about his parents navigating military and political power struggles, he finally takes center stage here. I like our hero: he's physically weak but tactically brilliant, and it's a joy to watch him rashly jump in over his head only to manically scramble to think his way back out. The plot isn't really anything special, but with Miles at the helm, it's a fun space opera romp.

I've been aware of the "Miles Vorkosigan" series for some time -- it has an avid fan following -- but I somehow never got around to reading any of them until now. At that, I had a difficult time finding a copy of this first novel in the saga and had finally to get it through Inter-Library Loan. The setting is a far future time in which the world of Barrayar is still somewhat medieval in its laws and social institutions, though it has had advanced ("galactic") tech for a generation or two. Miles, age seventeen, is the son of Admiral Vorkosigan, once Regent for the young emperor and now his prime minister. His pregnant wife (a non-Barrayaran) survived a poison gas attack but the fetus was damaged; Miles is under five feet tall and has very brittle bones, which leads to his failing the physical entrance exam for the Naval Academy. He's extremely intelligent, however, and inventive, and tends to engage in dreams of derring-do, in hopes of winning the love of the daughter of his bodyguard, Sgt. Bothari. So when he goes off to visit his mother's mother on Beta -- a very socialist, very technologically advanced world -- he quickly becomes involved in matters that are really none of his business. Almost accidentally, he acquires ownership of an obsolete freighter, plus two rather damaged crewmen, and takes on a cargo of "agricultural implements" (weapons, actually) destined for one side in a planetary war a wormhole away. On the way there, his ship is stopped by a blockading ship and -- again, quite on the spur of the moment -- he invents the "Dendarii Mercenaries." And things just keep escalating from there.

It's a fun read and Miles is an engaging character -- very aware of his own lack of experience but also aware that an increasing number of people are depending on him to provide leadership. The author's prose is forthright and the dialogue, including Miles's internal arguments with himself, is quite good. Bujold also attempts to come to grips with more serious matters of ethics and responsibility, and the action itself is carefully worked out, generally speaking. But I have a more basic problem with the notion that experienced mercenary officers are going to fall in line under the command of an obvious teenager, his physical limitations notwithstanding. If you can kind of push that key problem to the back burner, though, it's pretty decent space opera. Though I'm still not sure what all the fuss is about.

A very entertaining, well written and enjoyable novel. Some people have a hard time taking fast-paced, funny books seriously. Perhaps that's the point; not all novels have to be serious, dark, and brooding. I've read a lot of science fiction and Miles is one of my favorite characters. He's always entertaining, but don't confuse a fun style for a lack of substance. Bujold's insight into human behavior is better than most authors'.
Readers should note that the tone of various books in the Vorkosigan Saga can be quite different--one might be more funny, another darker, another with a touch of romance or a bit of social comentary. I've read some negative reviews that lament one book wasn't more like the other. Seems a bit silly to me. If you like a good read and don't need all of your books to come from the same mold, then I suggest reading this book and virtually any other Bujold book you can get your hands on.

Are you a science fiction fanatic? You know these types: they engage in their "real world" Dungeons & Dragons or watch countless replays of Star Trek. I almost wish that I was such an enthusiast for my genre, thrillers and suspense. The SF/F community's allure appealed to me. I enjoy exploring books beyond my favorite core writers.

After an exciting talk by sci-fi author, Jodie Lynn Nye, at the 2011 Evanston Writer's Workshop, I decided to read my first SF novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. The Warrior's Apprentice is not the first book in the Vorkosigan Saga series, but Jodie recommended it as a classic introduction to the genre.

I was surprised by the ease with which I could follow the story, even midstream through the series. Bujold possesses a cleverness, which eludes some of her contemporaries. I did not feel lost in a world where I understood very little of the technology or customs. She intersperses pertinent details throughout the tale.

Miles Vorkosigan, the main character, goes on an extraordinary venture which distances him from his home galaxy and familiar surroundings. Have not most of us wanted to go on such a road trip, leaving it all behind? This premise immediately grips the adventurous reader, and we are anticipating all the inevitable discoveries.

Character arc is a necessary component to a compelling story. Bujold satisfies this innate expectation through novice Miles transformation to capable captain. Still, he faces the consequences of his decisions along the way. He is not an elusive hero without real weaknesses. He is a bit endearing, then annoyingly distant at times.

The plot is exquisitely designed, in my opinion. No loose ends are left tantalizing the reader at the end, though one must continue reading the series for the final resolution, of course.

My favorite aspect of the character development: the depth to which Miles thinks through his plight at the end of his adventure. He entertains possible resolutions because he has endangered more people than his shipmates. He is not a shallow character with superficial emotions. Because of this, he feels as real as the characters in my own life.

Overall, I was pleased that I enjoyed a real Sci-Fi story. No longer is that genre untouchable. The argument that "sci-fi is just too hard to understand" can be vanquished with a reading of The Warrior's Apprentice. Bujold has perfected her craft, and I anticipate reading more of her work in the decades ahead.

This is the third book in the Vorkosigan saga, following Shards of Honor and Barrayar (Vorkosigan Saga).

Like the rest of the series, this is a character-driven drama. If you're looking for purely science-driven sci-fi, keep moving. If you're interested in believable characters in a fantastic setting, this is a great place to find them, and this particular book is just as engaging as its predecessors.

Miles Vorkosigan is just coming of age, and finally ready to strike out on his own. The book begins with him following in his famous father's footsteps, taking the entrance exams for the Barrayaran military acadamy. The path Miles follows from that moment is entertainingly convoluted. Suffice it to say the story tells of his adventures on Barrayar, in space, and on other worlds as he digs himself into about as much trouble as one man can manage and still emerge in one piece. His are the sort of troubles any adventure-starved 18-year old would love, but troubles nevertheless.

The book draws you in and keeps you enraptured throughout. Although Miles is the main character, we get to see what's happening to or become of many of the characters introduced in the earlier volumes. I was extremely satisfied both in terms of continuity and in the book's new contributions to the saga. The writing is excellent.

In short, another great book, one which stands alone, but also as a worthy continuation of the Vorkosigan saga!

Washed out of the entrance examination for his planet's military school, Lord Miles Vorkosigan decides to visit his mother's planet, Beta. It should have been a quiet time... a bit of romance with Miles's long-time crush Elena, daughter of his bodyguard/armsman, perhaps some sight-seeing. But Miles is a magnet for trouble. He happens onto a hostage situation and ends up with an ancient and inefficient freighter, discovers a deserter from the Barrayar army, and decides the only way to pay for his new friends is by smuggling war materials through a blockade.

From there, things get...complicated and Miles discovers he's an admiral in a completely fictitious mercenary organization. At least, the organization is completly fictitious at first, but Miles, with the help of his small group, sets about turning them into a real force. Never mind what he'll tell his cousin, the Emperor about his violation of the laws against building a private army

Author Lois McMaster Bujold creates a convincing future society and wonderful characters in the taciturn and cruel Bothari, the intriguing Elena, and the physically stunted Miles. Even her minor characters are differentiated and well-drawn, clearly the heroes of their own (possibly unwritten) stories.

The strength of Bujold's story-telling is in the characters. Her space battles are sketches rather than richly drawn out, but Miles, and we, care about the losses as much as we do about the outcome and this is what makes her story-telling so strong.

THE WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE is part of Bujold's massive Vorksigian series and really the launch book in Miles's story (the earlier novels detailed his parents). If you aren't familiar with Bujold and her Vorkosigan universe, you've missed a key part of recent SF as Bujold has won a Nebulas, Hugos and other awards with this series

Yes, I know this wasn't the first book in the series, but it is the earliest chronologically in Miles life (not including the pre-Miles books about his parents). It is, however, my first exposure to this character and this universe after having read so many great things about it on rec.arts.sf.written. Was it everything it was cracked up to be?
It was, and then some. Miles is such a wonderful character, and Bujold really brings him to life. He is very flawed, but those flaws (and how he overcomes them) really make him interesting to read about. He is able to think on his feet and solve problems as they come up. Inevitably, these solutions lead to bigger problems, but he is able to solve those, too.
After being washed out of the Academy, Miles goes on a "vacation" of sorts to decide what he wants to do with his life. He is considered by some a "mutant" because of the way he was born. He has stunted growth and very brittle bones, because of an attack on his mother when he was still in the womb. These physical ailments are what cause him to be washed out.
Miles' big heart starts his troubles, as he goes from encounter to encounter, meeting people and helping them, even though this help leads to even bigger problems. At the end of all this, he finds himself in charge of a mercenary band and has to figure out 1) how to get himself out of this increasingly hairy situation, but also 2) how his actions have led to political problems for his family at home. The way Miles handles the situation makes for very entertaining reading.
Bujold really mixes comedy, drama, and a bit of tragedy into the book. She handles the transition very well. Her characters are all interesting people, with quirks and motivations that make you care about them. The tone is always light, but there is an undercurrent of tension that makes the book much more than a broad comedy. You'll laugh at some points, but there are some poignant moments as well. The "world" that Bujold has created is very intriguing, with lots of backstory colouring the tale without actually intruding.
This is a fine introduction to the Miles saga, and I know I will be reading the rest of the books to catch up on them.

In this we also meet Elena, daughter to Sergeant Bothari, who has been raised with Miles and somehow doesn’t find him utterly frustrating, but actually seems to be the perfect partner to his schemes. Level headed, cautious, but a little too excited for danger she is an excellent character to have around, and it’s easy to see why Miles is so smitten with her.

They set off to visit Miles’ grandmother (on Cordelia’s side), but almost immediately tangle about three hair-brained schemes in the first quarter of the book. Instead of showing Elena Beta Colony he’s suddenly adopted two people who should technically be in some sort of jail, has obtained a ship that’s seen better days, and has then fooled another ship-full of people into thinking he’s a political and military mastermind – which, to be fair, he pretty much is. Running short of sleep and high on luck, Miles bounces the reader from high to high and his lack of sleep makes it a high probability that you’ll stay up far too late reading also.

What I love about this book though, is Miles. There are constant references to his disabilities which we saw a little of in the previous book, thanks to the chemical attack on his parents while Cordelia was pregnant with him. Despite countless surgeries when he was younger he has grown to have a crooked spine, shorter left leg (by about 4cms), weak and brittle bones that snap easily, and a head that’s slightly out of proportion to the rest of his body. This leads to people not willing to take him seriously, being unable to gain acceptance into the Imperial Military Academy (which I’m sure he’s the first to do so, on his father’s side) and a slather of other things – all of which he manages to turn to his advantage in a realistic and optimistic way.

What I love about Elena is that she’s somehow figured out what she wants and needs in life. She has her own morals and the courage to stand up for what she knows she needs now, even if that may not always be the easier path.

This is such a romp from one high to another – though not always an good high. When the end plot came around I was thinking oh hell no that can’t happen! Especially with so few pages left… but Bujold pulls it off with finesse and class.

Miles Vorkosigan is one of the most unique and fascinating characters you will come across. Bujold is one of the most imaginative and talented writers you will come across. The whole Vorkosigan series is thoroughly enjoyable: exciting adventures, interesting mysteries, great characters, cultural clashes, psychological insights, amazing racial mingling in a future of bioengineering.

Miles's independence of mind and moral courage lead him to question authority. He embodies the aphorism: "think for yourself." As well as courage, integrity, benevolence, endurance, stick-to-it-ness, and love-sick puppiness. But it comes naturally; look who his parents are. His mother, much to his father's delight, is quite a culture shaker-upper as well. Actually, Miles has great respect for cultural values, tradition, and others when he thinks they deserve it.

Bujold challenges the reader on political, cultural, and personal values. People are naturally a product of their culture, but they are not bound by it. Her stories embody the Kipling lines:
There is neither breed, nor border, nor birth
When two strong men stand face to face,
Though they come from the ends of the earth.

Of course, neither gender, nor age, nor physical stature are relevant either. People are individuals, not part of a cultural or racial collective. In short, Bujold urges, "Think for yourself."

Book Review by C. Douglas Baker
The Warrior's Apprentice is a typical Miles Vorkosigan adventure. To those who are not familiar with Miles that last sentence may look like a derogatory comment. That could not be further from the truth. The Warrior's Apprentice is typical because it is a fast paced, seat of your pants, romp through the universe adventure with the eccentric Miles Vorkosigan. Bujold's entire cannon set in this universe merits high praise.
The Warrior's Apprentice finds Miles breaking his leg and being unable to complete his training in the Barrayan military academy. A deeply depressed Miles feels he has let his father and grandfather down and becomes inconsolable. His mother, Cordelia, sends him to Beta Colony hoping it will take his mind off his troubles at home. Once on Beta Colony the fun begins. Miles saves a deranged jumpship pilot from Betan security forces and in the process purchases a jumpship. He then offers to use his new found toy to deliver armaments to a warring planet in a dead-end worm hole nexus. The catch is he must break through an embargo being enforced by mercenaries on the other side of the worm hole. In the meantime Mile runs across a deserter from the Barrayan military who he decides to take along with him. Miles, accompanied by a mentally unstable jumpship pilot, a Barrayan deserter, Sergeant Bothari, Bothari's daughter Eleni, and the agent for whom Miles is working, Daum, breaks the blockade and become embroiled in a battle between mercenary fleets. Miles, using the ingenuity he is now well know for, finds himself the captain of the a rag-tag group of mercenaries who he eventually dubs the Dendarii Mercenaries.
Unfortunately for Miles, the act of creating a standing army of one's own is a capital offense on Barrayar and he must go face the Council of Counts. In an emotionally wrenching scene Miles' father attempts to protect him from these charges.
This short sketch of events masks both the humor and sadness that accompany Miles on his adventure. Bujold has the ability to elicit both laughter and sadness in her writing and she does both here. There are few writers of any genre who are as good at characterization as Bujold. Even peripheral characters take on a complicated psyche of their own. And the interaction between Miles and his father, Aral, are superbly written.

The Warrior's Apprentice is the third book in Vorkosigan series - if you're going by internal chronology - and the first book with Miles as the main character. Although Shards of Honor is excellent, and Barrayar is quite good, Warrior's Apprentice is where this series really takes flight.
Miles is one of the classic characters of modern SF - Bujold has created someone who is exceptional in many ways (brilliant strategist, painfully intelligent, lucky as hell) and who is still likeable, because she allows him to have flaws and weaknesses - quite a few of them, in fact. Unlike, for example, Honor Harrington in David Weber's series, Miles is fully three-dimensional, and such a fascinating guy that it would be interesting to read *anything* about him.
In Warrior's, Miles' character is still developing. He's on a trip to his mother's homeworld after failing the entrance exam for the Imperial Military Academy when he decides to intervene in a Betan police problem. This leads, inevitably, to his involvement in another system's civil war. Will Miles be able to hold together his fictious group of mercenaries, keep track of his prisoners, earn enough money to redeem his mortgaged land, win the girl, and get back to Beta Colony before his parents find out what he's doing? (He gets himself into situations like this all the time - that's Miles for you.)
In my opinion, the best Vorkosigan books are those that focus on character development rather than plot - ones like Shards of Honor, Warrior's Apprentice, and Memory. In these, the plot is still strong, but it is interwoven with the building of a new character or a new aspect of a familiar one, and that is where Bujold really shines.
If you're just starting out with Lois Bujold, Warrior's Apprentice is a good place to start, despite its chronological position. And if you haven't read this book yet, I envy you - you've got quite a treat in store.

On Barrayar, imperfect children aren't wanted. The planet's feudalist legal system and its culture of self-reliance would make life impossibly difficult for a physically or mentally handicapped Human, even if the parents of such a child were willing to endure the stigma of keeping and rearing it. Yet Lord Aral Vorkosigan, heir to a seat on the Council of Counts, and his off-world born wife chose to continue her pregnancy with a son they knew had been severely damaged in utero. Now that son, Miles, is nearly 18 years old and their only offspring. The old count, his grandfather, refused to give the newborn Miles his name; but that can't stop Miles from inheriting the title one day, and the young man desperately wants to live up to all the expectations that being the future Count Vorkosigan carries. So he takes the entrance exams to enter officer training for Barrayar's military, as tradition requires. The academic exams he aces. The physical one lasts about five minutes, because his brittle bones shatter when he attempts the course's first obstacle. So home Miles must go, in failure, to heal (again - how many times does this make?) and to contemplate his future. If he can't emulate his father and his grandfather, what can he do? Is it even worth the trouble to try?

On a visit to his mother's far more egalitarian home-world, accompanied by his armsman Bothari (who's been his constant companion and protector since birth) and by Bothari's beautiful and motherless daughter, Miles can't ignore a fellow Human in desperate trouble. He brings his title and his wealth, as much of that wealth as a young man decades away from his inheritance can command, to bear; and he soon finds himself on the run, with a disapproving Bothari in tow. Not long after that he's running a mercenary fleet, making up a new persona under his mother's maiden name as he goes along.

"Coming of age" novels are a dime a dozen, as the cliche puts it, but this one's an excellent read. Bujold's future universe rings true in both tone and detail, and the tests real life throws at Miles reveal his character - to the young man himself, as well as to those around him - in wonderfully realistic fashion. Highly recommended!

This is just plain good fun. Our Hero washes out of the military academy for medical reasons beyond his control - nearly a disgrace to his near-royal family.

If he can't get into the Space Army, then he'll just make his own. In a series of improbable events, Miles starts by saving a drunken fellow countryman, washed up on an alien shore. After just a few months, he's worked his way up to command of a mercenary space fleet of his own, recruiting his former opponents (for a paycheck), and using the thousands of soldiers in his private army to ending a destructive civil war. It's an enjoyable, feel-good swashbuckler in a modern style.

I can't imagine why books in this series haven't been made into movies. I guess it's because Bujold's perfect balance of humor, heroism, and headlong adventure would be too hard to maintain. Too bad, I guess you'll just have to read the book!

//wiredweird

Books after books, Lois McMaster Bujold is creating a unique world involving different planets coping with the same problems than we have today on planet Earth : wars, dictatures and struggles for the power. The inhabitants of Barrayar or Beta are extra-terrestrials but their preoccupations are very earthly so we can identify very easily with the heroes of Mrs Bujold. Even with Miles Vorkosigan and his strange complexion.
THE WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE , as in the other books of Mrs Bujold, is more a psychological study than a pure sci-fi book. That's not a critique, in fact I really appreciate this manner to translate in a far future our today problems. The author is obviously talented.
Once in a while, it's really a pleasure to read such books as THE WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE. They are not of the serious kind but you never have the feeling to lose your time by reading them. That's a compliment.
Recommended.

Well, if you are reading this review to decide whether to get WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE, you are the luckiest person I know. If you are familiar with Ms. Bujold's writing and you are reading to see whether you agree with what I say, here we may differ.

Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the great writers: her language pours down the page, enticing and encircling you, not letting you get away. In fact, it's alsmost impossible to put her books down for me, even after reading and re-reading them dozens of times.

Miles Naismith Vorkosigan is her finest creation. He is a fully-realized character in this book, and he continues to grow, and show us hidden little gems of himself in her further volumes.

Only a brave author would create a character that has such obvious flaws. Since it is clear just how brave some of her characters are, she may simply be writing about what she knows.

Miles is human, most of all; he isn't some ficticious perfect little hero. He knows both success and failure, pain and bliss, disaster and luck. In fact, he is more real in his first book than some characters who've been penned dozens of times. My personal belief is that this sureness and realness comes from his author.

Since this is the first (or second, or third, depending on how you count) book in the series, Ms. Bujold and Miles both have a lot to do not only to establish Miles as a person, but also to show off his abilities still half-trained: can he handle a blocade? Can he handle murderous half-bandit mercenaries? Can he handle a planetary war?

Piffle, you might say. Well, I'd like to see you do it at 4'10"-ish, with a crooked spine, at 17, with nothing more than your wits and a couple of loyal hearts. And, most importantly, do it all and make sure your parents (a de-facto ruler of an empire and his smarter, stronger wife!) don't find out. Then you can say "piffle" all you want.

As a way to get one hooked on Miles and Bujold, this is an exquisite trap. Bujold's mastery of language, nuance, and character definition will sweep you away. Her gentle humor, Miles's ironic and dry wit, and the sheer scope of the canvas will enthrall even the most casual SciFi reader. But in the end, Bujold's talent captures the hearts of most who delve into this wonderful book.

Will you be next?

This science fiction novel deals with the start of the military and mercenary career of Miles Vorkosigan, son of Cordelia and Aral Vorkosigan of the planet Barrayar. The assassination attempt made at the end of the novel "Barrayar" (1991) has given Miles a stunted growth and very brittle bones. He is now seventeen years old and tries to qualify for Barrayar's military school but fails. Then, during a vacation on another planet, he finds himself involved in an interplanetary war in which he improvises a mercenary force. Later, upon returning to Barrayar, he finds himself the focus of a plot to destroy the political power of his father. The book, as are most of the books in the Vorkosigan series, are very quickly read and most fans of space operas or of science/military fiction really enjoy them.

Since I nearly always approach a book through characterization rather than plot, for me The Warrior's Apprentice was an outstanding read. Not that the book has no plot. As in most of her works, Ms. Bujold takes time to set up her tale, but it gathers momentum as the story progresses until, at the end, I felt as if I was traveling downhill at breakneck speed. However, it is the main character, Miles Vorkosigan, who intigues me most, not only with his intellect, but with his heart. The piece is essentially frivolous, but beneath the fun, Ms. Bujold is telling us something without preaching, about what is perfect and not so perfect, and who are we to say. From that standpoint, I put The Warrior's Apprentice on my all-time top ten list. I think the author is immensely talented and truly deserves the awards she has received.

The question which naturally arises in introducing new readers to an author who has produced a substantial body of work is, "Where to begin?" My own preference is to start off with Falling Free, which is the earliest book according to internal chronology, and also the first of Bujold's work which I encountered. However, for many fans, the best part of Bujold's writing is the character of Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, and so they prefer to begin with this one, which is where Miles gets his start. (He does appear, briefly, at the end of Cordelia's Honor, although it can be argued that he is a central figure in the entire book.) I can't say that I disapprove of such a choice, either. The Warrior's Apprentice is a thoroughly entertaining romp across the galaxy, and introduces us to Miles as a brilliant, charismatic, natural leader who gets into the most amazing scrapes in the process of attempting to extricate himself from previous scrapes.
I should take this opportunity to point out that the original cover gave an entirely false impression of the story. (The helpless, almost-clad heroine type clinging to the bared chest of the jut-jawed hero type are particularly hilarious if you know the real characters.) The cover of the reissue is much closer to capturing the tale.
One of the many things which appeal to me about Bujold's work is the way she can evoke such a wide variety of emotions without being sentimental or melodramatic. Sometimes, the line between sorrow and hilarity is almost too fine to see:
Mile exhaled carefully, faint with rage and reminded grief.
He does not know, he told himself. He cannot know...
"Ivan, one of these days somebody is going to pull out a
weapon and plug you, and you're going to die in bewilderment,
crying, 'What did I say? What did I say?'"
"What did I say?" asked Ivan indignantly. (p. 250.)

An easy read that will make you feel good, but not very challenged. There is usually little doubt as to what will happen next, but the characters are interesting at times (even if they are somewhat cariacatured). The warlike Barryarans and peacenik Betans don't display much variety, but the character of Miles Vorkosigan is interesting to read in action. Lois Bujold gets better with her later novels about this strange universe set in a future where humans migrated to the stars as tribes and lost touch with each other for a time and then found each other again. The Barrayarans appear to be made to resemble the Soviets (warlike and totalitarian), while the Betans are Anglo-American democratic pacifists. All in all Bujold is a good writer (as she proves with some later adventures starring Miles), but here she appears to be experimenting and growing still. Not bad and not the best, but it's a better read than most other science fiction out there.

I've read "Cordelia's Honor" and Bujold's recent fantasy novels and enjoyed them quite a bit, so I know that she can write pretty well. In this book she just doesn't. To qualify that, "The Warrior's Apprentice" introduces us to Miles Vorkosigan, the handicapped son of Cordelia Naismith and Lord Vorkosigan. At the start, an instantaneous misstep ruins Miles' hopes for a military career on Barrayar. As a consolation, he gets a vacation back to Beta Colony. An odd series of events leads to him buying a space ship, recruiting a crew, and undertaking to run a blockade into a war zone. Then the silliness begins.
The backbone of the story is how Miles overcomes his disability to provide strong leadership, and inspire others along the way. A worthy theme, to be sure, but Bujold orchestrates it in a preposterous way. It works like this: Miles and his band of wacky misfits take on one spaceship of soldiers and wins handily. Then he tricks all the defeated soldiers into joining his side. Then he uses his new, larger band of wacky misfits to beat up a larger group of soldiers. Then all those people agree to join his side. Repeat this several times, and all of a sudden Miles not only controls a solar system, but also has high self-esteem. Now none of his opponents ever seem to consider seriously fighting back, and furthermore you'd have to be pretty dumb to fall for some of the tricks that he uses.
In Bujold's defense, I can say that she does a decent job with characters, although not as good as scifi greats such as Donaldson's Gap Saga. Miles and his merry men for the most part feel genuine and at least a little bit gritty, if not incredibly deep. But a solid novel needs both good characters and good plot, and it's too bad that Bujold dropped half the ball on this one.

This was the second Vorkorsigan book I read, I'll have to admit. I started with Shards of Honor, so maybe the final fate of a certain person (no spoilers) had more of an impact than otherwise. That said, I really have no clue what the bad reviews had to do with this book. Miles is eighteen and not even His force of personality is enough to overcome his crippled body and get him into the military. When his failure heralds the death of his difficult, but beloved grandfather Piotr, Miles leaves for Beta. How does a eighteen-year-old become the admiral of a mercenary fleet? Not without some slapstick and some heart-rending along the way.

***1/2

A breezily entertaining sci-fi adventure. The story, in which the physically stunted but exceedingly clever Miles extricates himself from predicaments by jumping into even bigger predicaments, moves enjoyably along, even if the plot and some of the characters are a little by-the-numbers. Bujold writes with wit and Miles is an easy protagonist to like. The fact he comes from a feudal society gives the book an interesting fantasy-in-space flavor. Not a particularly mind-expanding read, but a good one.

I cannot rate these books highly enough. I'm on my 7-8th Vor book now - I started with Warrior's Apprentice - and I'm consistently astounded by McMaster's ability to create new intriguing, exciting, and emotionally gripping stories. Her range in writing style is just incredible. I truly feel a connection with the characters, and I'm the opposite of an emotional person. I've read all the popular sagas (e.g., GoT), and no single book from any series has engaged me as much as ANY single book in the Vor Saga

If you're looking for a series that is thrilling as much as it is brilliant, look no further. Really.

The Warrior's Apprentice is the first Vorkosigan adventure I've read. It was recommended to me by a friend of mine, who urged me to read this book first. I couldn't agree more - this episode serves as an excellent introduction to our hero, Miles Vorkosigan, and to his world. It's a fast-paced account of his first adventure away from home, and I found myself so enjoying the book that I was almost trying to turn pages before finishing them!
I, too, recommend The Warrior's Apprentice as the first Miles Vorkosigan book to read. It's primarily action, but I didn't find this to detract from its charms.

Disabled kid masters military and manipulation.

Miles Vorkosigan is a teenager afflicted with fragile bones and other physical problems because he mother was poisoned when he wasn't born yet.

Living on a gung-ho must look pretty for the part military world is a problem given he is a noble type.

A combination of military sf of the more Ender's Game or Phule's company variety than kill 'em all space marines, and period romance, which gets rather tedious at times when that part is overdone.

My husband LOVES science fiction. Me, not so much. But I really enjoyed "The Warrior's Apprentice." Miles Vor Kosigan is so clever, and it's joy to see him fly by the seat of his pants as he stumbles into a career as a mercenary.

If you don't like sci-fi, don't let that put you off. It's a great book for those interested in the suspense of whether Miles can pull off the equivalent of a great heist. (Think "Ocean's Eleven" rather than "Star Trek.") For sci-fi fans, it's the launch of great space opera.

Having just finished "Shards of Honor" and "Barrayar", I simply couldn't wait to pick up the first book in the Miles Vorkosigan series. Unfortunately for me, it seems Mrs. Bujold has shifted tones when going from Cordelia to her son Miles.
Where Cordelia's novels were sometimes funny, sometimes inclined to the romantic, but as a whole well-crafted and dramatic, "The Warrior's Apprentice" feels more like a running joke. It seems Mrs. Bujold has decided she would show Miles is human by making him whine, cry, puke his guts out and tremble in fear most of the time, 'in aparté' for the reader. Oh, he also lusts after Elena a lot, and shows us his noble streak by going down the 'unrequited love' path. Bleh.
What is particularly irritating about the novel is the way things just fall in place conveniently for Miles. Miles' genius is that which comes forth in second-rate novels, where it is not so much the protagonist that is intelligent, but the rest of the Universe that is downright dumb. Miles recruits people by stuttering half-baked lies; he exposes imperial schemes by confronting admirals with his sharp wit; he outwits entire armies by concocting plans full of assumptions that his enemies conveniently fall into.
I realize this novel is intended as light reading, but so were "Shards of Honor" and "Barrayar". They were light reading, filled with drama, action and humor, and a certain dose of romance. "The Warrior's Apprentice" feels like a bad imitation of all that made the Cordelia books so great, and all the characters from these two books are here only as cardboard cutouts reminding us of the clichés at the heart of the vibrant characters we grew to love previously.
I wish Miles were more like his mother.

Ok, I am going the wrong way. I have some the books out of order. So I already knew what the major plot points were but it did not matter. Miles at is constantly over his head, or being stupidly brilliant.