Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold

Lois McMaster Bujold is the real McCoy. Her stories are space opera withouth the space and with not too much of the opera.


Of course space does come into it. How could you have interstellar empires otherwise ? But more often than not, Bujold describes what happens planetside.

This trend continues with 'Cetaganda'. A story in which Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin are on diplomatic duty, attending the funeral of the Cetagandan Empress.

Immediately on entering Cetagandan space, Miles becomes embroiled in a plot, which he sets out to solve unaided. Sooner rather than later the plot thickens to the point where even if he wanted aid he couldn't ask for it.

Bujold does a good job of seeding the 'normal' round of parties and official events that diplomatic duty calls for, with the danger and tension that makes this such a good tale.


She does this while describing in depth the background and history of the Cetagandan Empire, not a little of which is required to help the plot along.


At the same time, she is once again exploring the depths of Miles's character, and showing how he overcomes the terrible physical defects with which she saddled him in the original stories.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book. I hesitate to pick any of Bujolds books for special praise, but this is one of the better ones.
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