I was resigned to Lois McMaster Bujold lowering the curtain on the Vorkosigan universe, but it seems otherwise.
This is a Cordelia book rather than a Miles book, I see. The title is Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. I dislike that title myself, but the title is a trivial detail in this case. The release date is early next year.
So, happy dance here.
ALSO, if you were in charge of assigning LMB a writing project, what would you most want?
a) Another Miles story, filling in a gap somewhere in the extant chronology. For example, I always wanted to see the rescue story where Miles went off to rescue those Barrayaran subjects who were taken hostage by bad guys at the end of Brothers in Arms.
b) An Elli Quinn story. She was pretty cool as a secondary character in Ethan of Athos.
c) A prequel story, dealing with General Piotr and the Cetagandan invasion.
d) A story set in the future, focusing on the children of Miles and Ekaterin.
e) Something else, but in the Vorkosigan universe.
f) Something else in the Sharing Knife universe.
g) Something else in the Chalion universe.
While I would welcome any of the above, I have always wanted a prequel novel.
Please Feel Free to Share:
CHALION. There are two more gods, after all.
And then the next generation in the Vorkosigan series–can you picture Tej & Ivan’s kids getting into trouble with their Vorkosigan cousins? The universe might not survive.
b), probably: I like Quinn and am curious about what happened to her and the Dendarii, post-Miles. If she were inspired about the Next Generation, it would be interesting to see, but then if she were *inspired* about any of the options obviously that would be the way to go.
I’d be leery of a First Cetagandan War prequel, actually, because I think LMB underestimated the difficulty of making a Barrayaran victory plausible.
I might go for Chalion (CURSE is one of my favorites of everything Bujold has written), except that I wasn’t that impressed by the 3rd one.
Besides ‘something that she really wants to write’? I think I’d opt for Chalionverse, Sharing Knife-verse, or something brand new. The Ivan book left me feeling like she’d really tapped out that vein. not that I didn’t enjoy it, but it didn’t have that spark I look for.
I suspect this is the last in the Vorkosiverse. Miles will now be Count Vorkosigan and mostly past mourning his father. Not a lot of character development left there. Maybe we’ll see another side story (Elli Quinn Lives!) but nothing else mainline. The Ivan story seemed like she was tying up loose ends.
I’d say: Chalion is next.
I’d take any of the above. And it’d be okay with me if Bujold played a bit fast and loose with probability to get Barrayar to win.
Pete, I totally thought Cryoburn would be the last Vorkosigan book ever, especially given the ending. But then she kept going after all. So who knows?
Elaine, I liked Ivan’s book quite a bit; better than Cryoburn, in fact. If she suddenly wanted to write something else in that universe, well, I wouldn’t count it as tapped out.
I definitely think she ought to “finish” the Chalion set — but I have liked each one in that set a bit less than the one before. On the other hand, that doesn’t have to be a trend. Onward!
I also feel very warmly toward the Sharing Knife world, which is a major comfort read for me. With those, I liked the first couple but loved the latter two, so that’s the series where I’d like the trend to continue. I don’t think she’ll go on with it, but I would be happy if she did.
Plainly Bujold should quit whatever hobbies currently distract her and rotate through her current universes plus a new one, two books a year. How else to meet all our wishes?
“Tej & Ivan’s kids getting into trouble with their Vorkosigan cousins?”
Ha! Yes, that would be amazing!
Much as I’d love another Miles story, I feel very satisfied with his character arc, and I feel as though LMJ has said what she wants to say about him. However, if she were ever bored one day and wanted to toss off a short story or two from those early adventures, I would be thrilled!
What about a Gregor story?
But really, anything she feels inspired to write, obviously!
posted on usenet & elsewhere, probably
“And Toni Weisskopf, High Lady of Baen, posted
To make it up to you,the first snippet from the new Bujold Vorkosigan Saganovel:
It was a good day on the military transfer station orbiting the planet
Sergyar. The Vicereine was coming home.
And Lois said
The story begins 3 years after Aral’s death. Cordelia is 76, Jole is 49, and Miles is 43.
“
Kim, I don’t know, I love Gregor, but he works so well as a secondary character. Not that I would refuse to read a Gregor story if she wrote one.
Thanks, Elaine!