The Vorkosigan Saga - The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold

This copy

Publisher – Baen

Published – 1986 (my copy 2000)

Price - $6.99 paperback

Discharged from the Barrayan Military Academy, Miles Vorkosigan chances on a jumpship with a rebellious pilot and arranges to take over the ship. Events escalate from there, and soon Miles is commander of a mercenary fleet and reinvents himself as Admiral Naismith of the Dendarii Mercenary Army

I think my love of the trickster comes from Doctor Who. The character who arrives into a situation and by their wits rather than their brawn causes the enemies downfall. For an impressionable kid with about all the physical powers of celery I can see why such characters appealed to me – and as I grew up I continue to have a soft spot for those who create change and chaos (almost became my own job description). In space opera we tend to think of Kirk or Picard – the serious and the strong but in Miles Vorkosigan who arrives with energy in The Warrior’s Apprentice Lois McMaster Bujold gives us not only a very different type of hero but one who is disabled and can’t play the role of action man without serious consequences.

So Ivan and Cordelia lived and got married (I shall get back to their tale when we reach it in publication order) and they had a son named Miles (yay) but then got nearly assassinated and while surviving Miles as an embryo received dangerous levels of gas. He arrives with brittle bones and height but an incredible intellect and in the old-fashioned world of Barrayar a personality that will challenge anyone who things he is weak and should be dead. But reality hits and the physical entry exam for the Imperial Military service results in to broken legs. Miles can’t go any further on his world. A brief trip to his mother’s world may help him find out his future what no one is expecting is Miles to get entwine in a drunken pilot’s Mexican stand-off; a renegade Barrayan exile and a galactic ccoil war. With one simple ship and his first ever accidental command he has to tackle some of the most mercenary dangerous people in space to survive, pay off his debts and also ensure Barrayar doesn’t fall into civil war.

A key phrase for this series is forward momentum – used by Miles to help propel people into his schemes and its really important to how this story works. Miles here a 16-year-old balancing a body he can’t rely on; his brain and his legacy of being related to the Vorkosigans of legend is this swirling mix of bravado, cunning and depression. Several times its alluded too that Miles has nearly given in to darker impulses but for those meeting him its smiles and a sense of I know what I’m doing just trust me. He is an incredibly likeable character who pulls you and those he meets along in the story. He’s not afraid to be brave or do the right thing either which makes others feel empowered to do so. Stand back a minute and he can look incredibly lucky that his cards always end up as aces – but there is also a sense that Miles is pedalling underneath as fast as he can to work out a next move and very quickly is reminded that real lives are on the line of his decisions. I really liked how Bujold makes him physically ill through the tress (although with 21st century we know the wrong illness is being used) nor when action is required is Miles good at it -often getting hurt or incapacitated so he ends up relying on those better skilled to help – refreshing in a role for leading man.

Worldbuilding here is a little lighter – we get a bit more of an insight into Barrayan culture and how they are perceived. Most think of Mile’s people as warrior obsessed barbarians and that actually gives Miles an advantage that people think he will do whatever is necessary to win. The wider universe though here is a little weakerin structure – we don’t really understand the war underway – we don’t know if the team is on the right side. But a bit like Basil Exposition that’s not for us to think about right now just enjoy one ship versus a mercenary fleet. A bit like the whirling of a magician’s cups we are moving to fast to think about what is actually going on.

It can feel pretty light, but I think what makes this a more interesting series (and a sign Bujold can do more than fun action tales in the future) is a couple of left field turns. Two thirds of the way in we move from a simple game of take over mercenaries through cunning to Miles finding out he has become a pawn between feuding powers back home. It’s interesting to see then Miles lose that confidence he’s been faking and we get to see that a lot of what he is trying to do is show his father he is worthy – even though as a pleasant surprise we see that’s something his father actually isn’t bothered about. It makes the earlier action feel more an appetiser for the meatier politics out there to play with. The other interesting angle is how Bujold decides to revisit one of the more troubling aspects of the first novel with Cordelia – Sgt Bothari – the loyal Vorkosigan man turned by mental torment by an enemy into a torturer and rapist albeit involuntary. In the previous book this diffuclt subject feels a little too lightly brushed off. Now we see several years later he has a beautiful loyal daughter and then Miles accidentally ends up showing Bothari his victim – Elana’s mother. This ends disastrously and actually I like that Bujold doesn’t actually try to say Bathari’s fate is wrong nor ws it justified. It’s a consequence of past wars and war crimes future impacts are often years in the making. A theme that gets revisited again later in the series. I would say I’m however not overly happy with the roles for women here but do like that Miles while hormonal and keen to act as a ‘nice guy’ actually realises he has been a jerk to his friend Elana.

So, I think this is a very fun space opera adventure with a very different character. Bujold uses an interesting rocket fuel mix of Mile’s wits and an ever changing situation to keep the reader looking too hard at the seams but there is something here that makes you want to see what happened next to this kid. It’s a good thing there are many sequels then

Next time – Ethan of Athos