Saga Vorkosigan

The cycle of Vorkosigan was written by Lois McMaster Bujold. It is centered on the character of Miles Vorkosigan, hero atypical. It is a Space-opera, whose two novels and a news received the Prix Hugo, made unequalled in the history of the science fiction.

The draftsman Caza dealt with the covers for the French edition.

Works of the cycle

See also: Amorce=Œuvres in the chronological order of the saga, Laws McMaster Bujold#La saga Vorkosigan, the saga Vorkosigan

History

Roughly 200 years before the birth of Miles: the quaddies, equipped with arm in place of legs, are created by genetic engineering. Intended to work in weightlessness with the service of their employer and creator, they are made technically obsolete by the invention of artificial gravity, and must flee to gain their freedom. (Operation Cay - Falling free )

During the war between Escobar and Barrayar, the captain Cordélia Naismith directs the task force bétan, with the help of their Escobar ally. Made captive, it finds the commodore Aral Vorkosigan, member of the staff barrayaran, which it had briefly met before the war during a mission of exploration. In spite of the difficulties, they fall in love and marry (Cordelia Vorkosigan - Shards off Honor ).

Turned over on Barrayar, Aral Vorkosigan is named regent of prince Grégor Vorbarra, 4 years old, by the dying Empereur Ezar Vorbarra. Whereas Cordélia is pregnant, the couple is poisoned during an attack; they survive it, but their son, Miles Vorkosigan, will be born deformed and fragile. During the civil war according to the attempt at usurpation of the throne by Vidal Vordarian, Cordélia proves its courage and its determination, gaining the reticent respect of the barrayarans for this extra-planet gear ( Barrayar ).

17 years old, Miles Vorkosigan fails the test of admission to the Imperial Academy (school of the army), eliminated by the physical tests. He undertakes, accompanied by his bodyguard the Bothari sergeant and the girl of this one, a voyage in his grandmother betane, but meets on the way a despaired pilot, a lugubrious deserter and a major in a hurry; improvisations in blows of bluff it makes this staff the core of the free Mercenaire S Dendarii, its personal army. Shown treason, it turns over at his place to prove its innocence and between to the Academy by favor of the emperor Grégor (the training of the warrior - The Warrior' S Apprentice ).

At 20 years, Miles is sign, and must return justice in a business of child murder for change (mountains of mourning - The mountains off mourning ). It enters then to the service of the emperor. During a mission of evaluation of the Core of Hegen, it finds Dendarii (under the identity of the Admiral Naismith) and uses them to stop an invasion cétagandane. He convinces the emperor to secretly take the mercenaries with his service, they become the invisible arm of imperial safety (Miles Vorkosigan - The VOR Range ).

To 22 years, it is sent on mission diplomatic on Cétaganda; it is found mingled more or less in spite of him with a plot aiming at dividing the empire cétagandan. Its actions are worth to him to receive the Order of Merit Cétagandan, distinction awkward on behalf of an enemy of long time of Barrayar.

He also learns on Cétanganda the existence from a remarkable genetic complex, whose history will be used as screen with Ethan d' Athos ( Ethan off Athos ), which belongs to the cycle but in which Miles does not appear.

During one of its missions, Miles is discovered the existence of a Clone, created within the framework of a plot against his/her father. He releases it from his creators and thwarts the plot, but does not manage to convince it to come on Barrayar (a cumbersome clone - Brother in arms ).

This clone, Mark, remade surface 2 years later and, being made pass for the admiral Naismith, it " emprunte" one of the vessels of the Dendarii fleet in order to carry out a forwarding against the traffic of clones which has course in the Whole of Jackson. Miles street with its rescue and, in the disorder which follows, it is killed, cryogénisé then reanimated. Mark is adopted by Cordélia and Aral Vorkosigan (Dance of the mirror - Mirror Dance ).

But the reanimation of Miles left him after-effects: subject with crises of convulsions, it lies to Imperial Safety to preserve its station and its identity as an Admiral Naismith. The lie discovered following an accident, it is transfered, but a strange disease striking its ex-chief, Simon Illyan, the conduit to ask for the emperor the capacity of inquire. He discovers that Illyan was poisoned by an ambitious subordinate, and by solving the enigma bails out of a new job: Imperial, investigating listener with the direct service of the Emperor. He is then 30 years old. ( Memory )

Three months later, its station of Imperial Listener the conduit on the new possession of Barrayar, the Komarr colony. Indeed, the solar mirror which allowed the terraformation was destroyed and Miles, helped by his/her colleague the Vorthys Listener, must inquire into the accident . It proves that it was about a plot to destroy the only hole of worm of Barrayar. This plot is destroyed thanks to the assistance of the niece of Vorthys, Ekaterin, with which Miles very quickly falls in love. ( Komarr )

At once returned on Barrayar, Miles starts to make the court with Ekaterin, but déchante quickly. It is also attacked by calumnies concerning the preceding business of Komarr, and must face the eccentric projects of its brother-clone Mark Vorkosigan. Thanks to its talent of politician, and helps it of friends, it is able to be left all its problems, and to engage durably with Ekaterin. The end of the novel sees also the Gregor Emperor marrying with Laisa Tuscan, member of a famous family of Komarr. ( Ekaterin ) Miles marries Ekaterin, and the latter escapes an attempted murder ( Winterfair Gifts ).

A few months after their marriage, and at the end of their honeymoon, Miles, accompanied by Ekaterin, are found sent on the Quaddie unit not the Gregor Emperor where a diplomatic complex history created a disorder monster, but behind an administrative business a plot with the planetary scales bringing hides a machination seeking to lead to a war between Barrayar and Cetaganda. (Diplomatic Immunity - Diplomatic Immunity )

Universe

The history is in a distant future of one or two millenia. Many planets were colonized by the man, thanks to space connections (" Hole of worm ") who allow an instantaneous voyage of an end the other of connection. The number and the destination of these connections to the neighborhoods of a given planet influence the interstellar policy enormously.

Technology

Technology is particularly advanced in certain fields.

It is possible of cryogéniser people mortally wounded to try to reanimate them later.
the genetic Engineering makes it possible to create Hermaphrodite S and quaddies (beings with 4 arms adapted to the Impesanteur).
the human beings can be clones, which led to the introduction of a traffic. Indeed, to prolong their life, certain individuals are made once make a clone and this one adult, they are made transplant the brain in a young and healthy body, the brain of the clone being classified in medical waste.
gestation, of fecundation to the birth, can be done in artificial uteruses (uterine réplicateurs), which completes to dissociate sex and reproduction in the advanced cultures. The possibility of correcting the majority of the genetic defects before the establishment of an embryo in a replicator gives to this technology a particularly significant range on Barrayar.
the artificial Gravité was invented, it allows faster voyages while countering acceleration, but threat the existence of the quaddies.
the Terraformation of planets is possible, even if she takes several centuries. For example, to help with the terraformation of the Komarr planet, reflectors solar was put into orbit to increase the luminosity arriving on the ground.
the Life expectancy varies largely according to planets, it reaches sometimes more than 150 years.
Of the non-fatal weapons exists; most usually employed is the neutralisator, left paralyzing but nonlethal gun.

One can note that Lois McMaster Bujold is generally not satisfied to make technique for the love of science: any technology which it describes is integrated as an element of intrigue. In fact, it really does not describe: it makes use of it, without embarrassing explanations, and one from of deduced that it is possible.

Worsen Barrayaran

Barrayar

Barrayar is a relatively late planet according to the galactic standards. It is that she suffered from an extremely rare test: the terminus of the " hole of ver" who connected it to the interconnected network space is one day closed again brutally, unforeseeable astrophysical phenomenon and with the major consequences on the incipient colony. It thus had to develop in autarky during centuries, fauna and the hostile flora returning the adaptation of the land colonists particularly testing. East is established there a patriarchal company, directed by a feudal government under the reign of an emperor. To the original difficulties of the colony a strong rate of changes was added, leaving a very deep mark on the culture barrayarane: a hatred and a fear of the changes and all that can be comparable there.

Komarr

It is starting from Komarr that Barrayar was redécouverte, by another point of space jump. But it is there that the government of planet accepted a bribe full of consequences. The empire cétagandan coveted feudal planet, conquest " facile" who would add still a little to his reputation: it bought in Komarr the right-of-way for its men-of-war. It was necessary for Barrayar 20 years and an ocean of blood to push back the cétagandans, but strong on this experiments, the lords barrayarans decided to take the control of their single access to the galactic network. It is with the admiral Vorkosigan that returned the honor to lead the conquest of Komarr, which proved more painful than envisaged. The planet is since integral part of the empire barrayaran, while preserving a certain galactic specificity.

Komarr is a hostile planête, with the atmosphere low in oxygen but rich in CO2 and water. The cities are built under dome. However, the atmospheric pressure is sufficiently high not to require a complex equipment to live there. Thus the destruction of certain domes during the invasion will not cause catastrophes and a simple oxygen mask, without combination, is enough to go in the external zones. The terraformation is right with its stammerings. The principal obstacle with its continuation is the coldness and the weak luminosity due to the distance of its sun. It is compensated by the presence of the orbital mirror, a satellite which collects solar light in altitude to return it on the surface. Its rebuilding and its enlarging by Barrayar following its partial destruction will contribute, among other events, with the integration of Komarr within the Barrayaran empire.

Komarr will have also the privilege to give wives to two large noble of Barrayar.

Sergyar

Last planet colonized by Barrayans. It is on this planête that Aral and Cordélia will meet and that he will ask him to marry it. It is a wild place, with a dangerous fauna, which will miss several times killing them. The worst will be discovered years later: very dangerous parasitic worms whose infection leaves indelible scars. Aral Vorkosigan will take its retirement of regent while becoming Vice king of Sergyar.

Barrayanne company

Vors

Vors train the warlike and aristocratic caste of the company barrayarane. Each family VOR has armorial bearings and a uniform, which all the members and the personnel of the House carry.

During the time of the insulation, the VOR constituted a crack corps of cavalry, whose attribute is two swords. At the time of Miles, families VOR are always submitted to a very strict code of honor, with a network of suzerains and the vassal ones. They are the only ones with being authorized to carry the sword.

Genetic tares

Because of long insulation of Barrayar, of its regression at the medical level and consanguinity, a certain number of genetic diseases appeared or their number of cases increased. Consequently a ill-considered fear of the even tiny body imperfections like a Bec-de-lièvre (see Mountains of mourning ) comparable with serious genetic tares leads to a rejection to see with the murder of the affected people.

The Cétagandan Empire

August 1st

The whole of Jackson

Den of established pirates, the whole of Jackson is a planet with the testing climate, as well with clean as with illustrated. The original conquerors of planet acquired a sizeable varnish and constituted themselves in Houses, but they basically constitute the center of attraction dreamed for the dregs of the universe. Only planet where the creation of clones with an aim of prolonging its life is not regarded as a murder, the whole of Jackson draws its resources from its " loi" if flexible and of the four termini of hole of worm which is in its vicinity. The principal houses are 4 of which the Bharaputra House.

The colony of Beta

Beta it scintillating, technological and moral jewel, or Beta the corrupted, with dépravées manners, according to the point of view. One in another, undoubtedly one of the technologically most advanced planets. Dry and hot, certain Betan calls it the " Vat with sable" , its colonists had to ensure their survival to secure an absolute control on the births, limited to two children by parents (control reached in the facts by a contraceptive implant imposed to the women and hermaphrodites as of their puberty). Egalitarian and tolerant, the planet is in peace with his neighbors, thrives, and if the fight against criminality takes forms of police force of the thought, the fact is that there is hardly criminality. The policy of this company is of type Socialiste and it research of the equality between the human ones led scientists to create human hermaphrodites. The reader meets for the first time an hermaphrodite betan in the Training of the warrior, it acts of the character of Bel Thorne.

Escobar

This planet constitutes the bond between Sergyar and the colony of Beta although there is probably another Trou of worm. Escobar is one of oldest planets colonized with a livable climate of terrestrial type which did not require major work of Terraformation. Escobar seems to have been mainly founded by colonists Hispanic, Spanish, or Italian, and seems to be a rich and strongly advanced world, with sophisticated medical technologies and of bio-engineering. Escobarans have names with Spanish consonance, but the name of the Escobaran security service mentioned in Saga Vorkosigan suggests that the local language is an amalgam of Romance languages.

Space Quaddie

The Union of the Free Habitats , or Space Quaddie , is the name of a regrouping of space stations built by and for Quaddies. Its birth is reported in the Opération Cay and the near total of the diplomatic history of Immunity takes place there. Miles meets for the first time Quaddie in the Labyrinth .

Quaddies are the human ones genetically modified equipped with 4 arms and hands and an organization more resistant to the osteoporosis. The 2 additional arms replace our 2 legs and the articulation is connected with our elbow in such manner that they can join the lower extremities and superiors, thus they are able to draw and reload at the same time. They were conceived with an aim of creating a race of workman adapted to the Impesanteur. However the development of artificial gravity, made them obsolete before even their use. Promised with the Sterilization and the extinction by the firm which had developed them, Quaddies foment a rebellion and flee with the experimental space station where they had been born. In order not to be pursued and be able to develop with the variation and the shelter of the other space nations, Quaddies took refuge in part of space not comprising any viable planet for the man, strewn with asteroids.

Quaddies built their stations according to their needs and morphologies. Not needing the Gravity and being naturally more at ease in weightlessness, most of the stations is deprived of gravity safe in the zones where human normal, called the Grav by Quaddies, is most numerous such as the bridges of unloading. In these zones, like during displacements apart from their habitats, Quaddies use nacelles antigravity which they can direct thanks to their 4 members. Those are in free provision with each change of zones of gravity in their habitats. Whenever they cannot make differently, they can go in a state of gravity, they have a chicken step then.

They form a peaceful nation and, proper mouth of the author, politically, they are largely socialist. Quaddies travel little apart from their habitats.

Military ranks

The ranks of the various characters are, of the mouth even of the author, drawn from the Grades of the Armed forces of the United States.

Characters

Vorkosigan miles

Following the attack having aimed his/her parents in the volume Barrayar , Miles is born with a deformed and fragile skeleton. It cannot go before five years, will never exceed 1 meter 45, and if its silhouette only is slightly curved, it owes it with innumerable operations with an aim of rectifying its skeleton then to replace certain bones by bones artificial during completion of its growth. Of appearance mutoïde on a planet which hates the mutants (although the damage is teratogenic and not genetics…), it must fight, all its life during, against the prejudices. And being the son of a Great man does not facilitate the things: no matter what it does, one will suppose by defect that it owes its success in the name of his father. But it compensates for its handicaps by a twisted spirit and manipulator, doubled per moment of a true genius. Hyperactive, maniaco-depressive, it is all the more intense as it is small, it is a charismatic character to the extreme, which does not leave anybody indifferent. Undoubtedly one of the atypical heroes and more attaching science fiction: a Don Quichotte of space.

Ivan Vorpatril

" This cretin of Ivan" is, primarily, the cousin and odd-job man occasional Miles. Large, beautiful, it is all that Miles is not (but could have been without the soltoxine), perfectly in its place in uniform. He knows Miles like anybody, and resigned himself to his role of " baudet" , not without maugréer, but by simple fascination. Wire cherished by his mother since her more young age and become inveterate fast liver, it is in butts with the desire of marriage of his mother and sees of an air more and more depity the other recurring characters marrying. He seeks by all the means to avoid being in first line but is always there to render service gladly, badly liking.

Cordélia Naismith Vorkosigan

Cordélia Naismith Vorkosigan is the wife of Aral and the mother of Miles. Thanks to its origin bétane, it will support the modernization of Barrayar, while fighting so that the aspects passeists of Barrayar disappear. She also dreaded by all by her direction of is distributed which is able to make change opinion no matter who and deeply acquires a more visible place in the political world misogynist of Barrayar while going to slice the head of " Usurpateur" in the imperial palace in the volume Barrayar

Aral Vorkosigan

Aral Vorkosigan is the father of Miles. It orders the conquest of Komarr where the massacre of part of the nobility by a political officer will be worth the nickname of " to him; To stop of Komarr" , it acquires nevertheless a galactic varnish thanks to its voyages extra-planet gears. He seeks during regency to modernize the traditions and laws of Barrayar, to give to Gregor, the future emperor, a modernized empire.

Sergeant Constantine Bothari

The Bothari sergeant is a singular character. Unstable psychologically, it carries in him the marks of a particularly terrible childhood last in the bad districts of the capital barrayarane, Vorbarr Sultana. It is helped in turn by Aral Vorkosigan, then abused by Ges Vorrutyer, which in fact its personal torturer to satisfy his sadistic inclinations. In Cordelia Vorkosigan, it binds to Cordelia and assassinates Vorrutyer under its eyes, a murder which is then allotted to Cordelia as an act of war. Demobilized for medical reasons, its memory is unobtrusive after the war between Barrayar and Escobar, and it enters to the service of the Count Piotr Vorkosigan. It becomes the bodyguard of Miles shortly after its birth, and takes care on him constantly until its clean last catches up with it in the training of the warrior.

Elena Bothari-Jesek

Only daughter of the sergeant Constantine Bothari to the ambitions attached by the patriarchal company of Barrayar, it will be able to finally become soldier during the creation of the Dendarii Mercenaries. For Miles, it remains the love of childhood, but its feelings lean towards Baz Jesek, the tech deserter. They will have a girl.

Beautiful Thorne

Bel Thorne is a Hermaphrodite of the colony of Béta working as mercenary. Captured by Miles during a control because of a blockade in the Training of the warrior , he very quickly becomes lieutenant under the orders of Vorkosigan Miles in the Free Mercenaries Dendarii. He gives up his station in the Dance of the mirror . However it reappears in Diplomatic Immunity on the Graf Station, where it failed to die after Cetagendan to him is injected a virus, it is finally saved by Cetagendan although there will remain weakened.

Elli Quinn

The reader the meeting for the first time in the Training of the warrior . At the time of the catch of the refinery of Tau Verde, it is disfigured by the discharge of an arc with plasma. It becomes a Dendarii mercenary. Miles takes it along with him on Beta and pay the expenses of rebuilding of its face. It will decide to make him a face of dream what will pose some problem to him to hold the role of right-hand man (what includes bodyguard - guard chiourme) of Miles: to be discrete and post a threatening air having become more difficult. It is sent on mission of espionage in solo on the Kline Station in the volume Ethan d' Athos . They have a relation only starting from the volume a cumbersome clone , Miles not wanting to appear to impose itself thanks to its rank. However she refuses to marry it and thus to go down on the ground and refuses to him to follow it to the head of the Dendarii mercenaries following his reference of its station within the army in the volume Memory . Following the final departure of Miles, Elli takes the head of the fleet and becomes the Admiral Quinn.

Taura

The reader the meeting for the first time in the Labyrinth . It was created by the Bharaputra House on the Ensemble of Jackson with an aim in making an ultimate warrior. Canaba Hugh, its originator, equipped it with a physique and a metabolism except standard: at the 16 years age it measures 2,50 m, weighs approximately 150 kg, and has reflexes and very fast movements as well as claws and canines had made animal genes making of it a Chimère, it has moreover important energy need had made of an accelerated metabolism. This metabolism induces a life shorter than that of human not modified. It is the only surviving one of the 10 prototypes created. Miles is charged to destroy it and take a fabric sample. But the things occur badly. Prisoner with it, they have a relation. They succeed in fleeing. It enters the fleet of Dendarii in the Labyrinth . Become sergeant, it recovers Miles when he is touched mortally by a missile (needle grenade) drawn by Bharaputran in the Dance from the mirror on the Unit from Jackson. It saves the life of Ekaterin little before its marriage with Miles in Winterfair Gifts .

Gregor Vorbarra

Gregor Vorbarra is the son of the prince Serg Vorbarra, therefore grandson of the Empereur Ezar and the Princess dowager Kareen. His/her father died when it was still very young. Died of the Ezar Emperor, the beginning of Barrayar , it reaches the throne, but not the capacity: Aral Vorkosigan is its regent. He becomes orphan at the 5 years age whereas Kareen is killed at the time of the Putsch of Vordarian Ursupateur. Aral Vorkosigan remains the regent until the majority of Gregor, at the beginning of the Training of the warrior . Gregor becomes Empereur of full Barrayar then, having to be able on the three planets which are Barrayar, Komarr and Sergyar.

Having learned which monster was his/her father on Escobar, it tries to commit suicide while jumping of a balcony, fails in its attempt and flees planet. It is stopped on the whole of Jackson for vagrancy and is joined fortuitously by Miles in prison. They are led on a space station in construction, Miles as clandestine and Gregor as workman. Miles tries to join the station of Tau Verde in order to give Gregor to the embassy of Barrayar, but they are captured by mercenaries. Gregor will save itself during its exchange set up by Miles ( Miles Vorkosigan ).

Insofar as the father of Vorkosigan Miles were the tutor of Gregor as from the 5 years of this one, Miles and Gregor grew with little thing near as adoptive brothers. They remain very close.

Simon Illian

Lieutenant at the time of old the Emperor Ezar, a mémorielle chip was established to him on the order of the emperor in order to be used to him as alive continuous recorder, in the service of Imperial Safety, detached with the ministry for the Policy of Barrayar. Attached to Aral Vorkosigan as a political police chief, it helped it in difficult circumstances, which involved a indéfectible and mutual respect between them. With died of the Negri Captain, supreme chief of Imperial Safety at the time of the Putsch of Vordarian Ursupateur in the volume Barrayar , it is him which took the head of this crucial military institution for the safety of the Emperor and the State. He remained there during very long years, supervising and controlling the safety of Miles starting from the volume Barrayar and his actions within Imperial Safety starting from the volume Miles Vorkosigan . Its immense prestige, reinforced by will have fear and of unknown which surrounds it, will be maintained beyond its " setting with the retraite" forced in the volume Memory , where a connection between him and Mrs. Vorpatril starts besides, mother of Ivan Vorpatril. Miles considers it his/her uncle and, with his parents, like a friend, contrary with all the others which fear it.

Canaba Hugh

Cananba Hugh is a biologist employed by the Bharaputra House on the Ensemble of Jackson. Prisoner of his contract and seeking to remake its life outside the Whole of Jackson, it Barrayar contact to be exfiltrer. Miles and the Dendari Mercenaries deals with his evacuation in the Labyrinth , but he does not want to leave without the samples his work, which he placed in one of his experiments: Taura, of which he asks the execution. Arrived on Barrayar it profits from a new face and a new identity: Dr. Vaughn Weddell . Miles calls upon him in Memory to find the cause of the failure of the bioship of Simon Illyan and to help it to uncover the culprit of the aggression against the chief of SecImp. It is a character releases and imbû his own importance.

Random links: