The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Flowers of Vashnoi: An Ekaterin Vorkosigan Novella by Lois McMaster Bujold --- 93 pages

Still new to her duties as Lady Vorkosigan, Ekaterin is working together with expatriate scientist Enrique Borgos on a radical scheme to recover the lands of the Vashnoi exclusion zone, lingering radioactive legacy of the Cetagandan invasion of the planet Barrayar.  When Enrique’s experimental bioengineered radbugs go missing, the pair discover that the zone still conceals deadly old secrets.

This novella falls after Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance in the Vorkosigan series timeline, but may be read entirely independently.  The Vorkosigan Saga was the recipient of the first Hugo Award for best science fiction series in 2017.  If you have not yet made the acquaintance of Miles Vorkosigan of Barrayar, I urge you not to waste any more time. 

Click HERE for the Wikipedia entry on the Vorkosigan Saga, including a list of the books in chronological order.

Click HERE for a review from the Space and Sorcery blog.

Click HERE for a review from tor.com.

The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Prisoner of Limnos: A Fantasy Novella in the World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold --- 256 pages

The sixth volume in McMaster Bujold's entertaining Penric and Desdemona fantasy novella series picks up immediately after the ending of of the previous Mira's Last Dance.

Temple sorcerer and demon host Penric and the widow Nikys Khatai seem to have found refuge in the duchy of Orbas, where Nikys brother, the irascible but brilliant  General Adelis Arisaydia has been offered a command in the Duchy's army.

Penric and Nikys however have still not reached an understanding despite their obvious attraction to each other. Nikys is still mourning the sudden loss of her first husband, and  ambivalent about beginning a new relationship --- especially considering the chaos demon that Penric is bound to host for the rest of his life as a temple sorcerer in the service of the Fifth God, the Bastard.

But when Nikys receives a letter saying her mother has been kidnapped and is being held hostage in Cedonia by her brother's sworn enemies, she instinctively turns to Penric for help. After all, if Penric managed to smuggle Nikys and Adelis to safety in Orbas, surely he and his demon, Desdemona, can rescue her mother from a locked cell in a forbidden sanctuary on the inaccessible cliffs of a closely guarded island?

And if Penric succeeds in this impossible quest, will Nikys finally agree to marry him?

A quick and charming story with characters who are three (possibly four) dimensional, appealingly human and very entertaining. I do recommend reading the novellas in order, starting with Penric's Demon, so as not to miss one jot of the fun!

Click HERE to read the * review in Publishers Weekly.

Click HERE to read the review from fantasyliterature.com

Click HERE to read the review from readingreality.net

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen: A Vorkosigan Saga Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold --- 344 pages

McMaster Bujold is just one of the best and most honored science fiction/fantasy writers going, and her sprawling Vorkosigan Saga is "space opera" at its finest: fast-paced, inventive, utterly human and fascinatingly alien combined, and wickedly funny when you least expect it.

Although some reviewers are speculating that Gentleman Jole signals McMaster Bujold's intent to wind down the series, one could just as easily argue that she's taking it into a new direction.

The series began with Shards of Honor, the story of how Betan Expeditionary Captain Cordelia Naismith met and --- against all political, cultural and personal expectations --- fell in love with the infamous Admiral Aral Vorkosigan of the Barrayer Imperial Fleet.  Gentleman Jole takes place forty some years later, on the same planet where Cordelia and Aral met, when the now widowed Cordelia returns to Sergyar to face the question of what she will do with the rest of her life.

Admiral Oliver Jole, commander of the Sergyar Fleet, facing the same question for much the same reason, finds himself caught up on Cordelia's plans in ways he never anticipated.

Bujold at her humane and humorous best.

Click HERE to read the review from Ars Technica 

Click HERE to read the review from Gadgets 360°

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance: A Vorkosigan Saga Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold --- 422 pages

A new Vorkosigan Saga novel is always a cause for rejoicing among Bujold's legions of fans, and at long last she has provided Miles' hapless cousin Ivan with a story all his own.

Poor Ivan, overlooked and under-appreciated by his family, friends and the world in general, and quite content to keep his profile low and his life uncomplicated by political intrigue and all the mayhem his close proximity to the Barrayaran throne invites. But when he collides with a similarly imperiled political refugee running for her life, he just can't walk away.

The Vorkosigan Saga so far comprises fifteen novels and numerous novellas and short stories, and it would be a book in itself to try to summarize the series here. But if you like nonstop action, fully dimensional characters and plots you can sink your teeth in --- difficult moral choices AND some of the most delicious and deadpan humor in the galaxy, then give Bujold a try. The first book in the series is Shards of Honor and this is one series that I recommend reading in order. Fortunately, Bujold includes a chronology at the end of each volume.