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nwhikerI finished this a while back -a long while- but dh and the kids just finished it, so I waited to get especially AC and Perry's opinions. Some spoilers.
Vorkosigan Saga, really the first book. We got it on CD, the book is usually lumped together with Barrayar into the larger Cordelia's Honor. I read Barrayar, and AC is reading it now, but KCLS doesn't have it on CD, so I have to see if I can get it via ILL or from Audible for dh and Perry.
Because Perry really liked Shards of Honor. Which cracked me up to no end, because it's really a romance. Dressed up really nicely, with loads of good story, though. Heck, I'm surprised at how much AC liked it.
For the record, and I talked about this when I reviewed The Vor Game, there is one scene in the book that is totally 100% inappropriate for children, and mildly upsetting to even me: a sadistic attempted rape that ends with a murder, with plenty of allusions to sadism. There is voyeurism, and it's just a generally creepy creepy scene. It was necessary from an adult standpoint, really, for one of the main subplots of the book to make sense, but the acutal details weren't, I felt, necessary for the kids, so we just skipped it. AC and Perry were pissed, but I summarised and that was ok. Obviously, this is easier when you're listening on CD, and much more difficult with an actual book. That said... I handed AC Cordelia's Honor so she could read Barrayar and told her that I trusted her not to read that chapter in Shards of Honor. I don't know if I can trust her. I know that at her age, I'd have read it, but then again, I was a much less sheltered reader than she is, and by most standards... she's not sheltered. We'll see.
Back to the book. It's good.
The beginning of the book is a trek, a journey, across a planet, but also a journey of discovery of an other person, as Cordelia and Vorkisigan learn about each other, about their societies, and how they see the world. It's very well done, and the touches of romance are very light, and yet very moving. This was Perry's favourite part of the book.
Later... space adventure. AC's favourite part, when Cordelia, in a nutshell, kicks ass. Mine too, actually. We like kick ass gals around here.
Linnea said she liked the humour, though I think she just wanted to add something. She also said she liked Miles best, but Miles isn't around in this book. So... so much for her opinion!
Now for the warning, beyond the scene I deleted, there were several references to rape, and rape in time of war. With no context, the kids were more interested in the story than in some of the details, so no questions were asked, really.
What I -and the kids, too- liked the best about it is how getting to know Miles's parents, Cordelia and Aral, brought insight into who he was, his motivations, and actions. That was remarkably well done, that feeling of 'of course, with parents like that he'd....'
So with the caveat on one unacceptable imo chapter for kids, a definite rec for 9 and above. Linnea enjoyed listening, but didn't get much of the story. She got more laughs out of the The Vor Game.
For the record: Aral is sexy, Cordelia even more so, heh. No temptation to slash pair him with anyone, she's more than his match. More than, and he knows it, accepts it, and thrives on it.
Barrayar is, if anything even better. I'll review when the kids are done listening, though there will be an interruption: we currently have Catching Fire the sequal to The Hunger Games and we'll be listening to that next.
Vorkosigan Saga, really the first book. We got it on CD, the book is usually lumped together with Barrayar into the larger Cordelia's Honor. I read Barrayar, and AC is reading it now, but KCLS doesn't have it on CD, so I have to see if I can get it via ILL or from Audible for dh and Perry.
Because Perry really liked Shards of Honor. Which cracked me up to no end, because it's really a romance. Dressed up really nicely, with loads of good story, though. Heck, I'm surprised at how much AC liked it.
For the record, and I talked about this when I reviewed The Vor Game, there is one scene in the book that is totally 100% inappropriate for children, and mildly upsetting to even me: a sadistic attempted rape that ends with a murder, with plenty of allusions to sadism. There is voyeurism, and it's just a generally creepy creepy scene. It was necessary from an adult standpoint, really, for one of the main subplots of the book to make sense, but the acutal details weren't, I felt, necessary for the kids, so we just skipped it. AC and Perry were pissed, but I summarised and that was ok. Obviously, this is easier when you're listening on CD, and much more difficult with an actual book. That said... I handed AC Cordelia's Honor so she could read Barrayar and told her that I trusted her not to read that chapter in Shards of Honor. I don't know if I can trust her. I know that at her age, I'd have read it, but then again, I was a much less sheltered reader than she is, and by most standards... she's not sheltered. We'll see.
Back to the book. It's good.
The beginning of the book is a trek, a journey, across a planet, but also a journey of discovery of an other person, as Cordelia and Vorkisigan learn about each other, about their societies, and how they see the world. It's very well done, and the touches of romance are very light, and yet very moving. This was Perry's favourite part of the book.
Later... space adventure. AC's favourite part, when Cordelia, in a nutshell, kicks ass. Mine too, actually. We like kick ass gals around here.
Linnea said she liked the humour, though I think she just wanted to add something. She also said she liked Miles best, but Miles isn't around in this book. So... so much for her opinion!
Now for the warning, beyond the scene I deleted, there were several references to rape, and rape in time of war. With no context, the kids were more interested in the story than in some of the details, so no questions were asked, really.
What I -and the kids, too- liked the best about it is how getting to know Miles's parents, Cordelia and Aral, brought insight into who he was, his motivations, and actions. That was remarkably well done, that feeling of 'of course, with parents like that he'd....'
So with the caveat on one unacceptable imo chapter for kids, a definite rec for 9 and above. Linnea enjoyed listening, but didn't get much of the story. She got more laughs out of the The Vor Game.
For the record: Aral is sexy, Cordelia even more so, heh. No temptation to slash pair him with anyone, she's more than his match. More than, and he knows it, accepts it, and thrives on it.
Barrayar is, if anything even better. I'll review when the kids are done listening, though there will be an interruption: we currently have Catching Fire the sequal to The Hunger Games and we'll be listening to that next.
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Date: 12 Jan 2010 12:09 (UTC)My favorite scene in Barrayar is when Cordelia announces, "I've been shopping." One can visualize the reactions of the assembled Important Men.
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Date: 12 Jan 2010 20:17 (UTC)I just loved that, it was just awesome.
You know, I didn't realise it was a romance until I saw it called that on amazon, and went "Oh. Well. Yeah. I guess," because I'd been so impressed with the characters.
Still, fingers crossed that AC doesn't read The Scene.