Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

In this series, a lot of loose ends were tied off neatly in [b:A Civil Campaign 12779339 A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga, #12) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446998868l/12779339.SY75.jpg 1093445]; apart from Captain Lord Ivan Xav Vorpatril, if you regard a 34-year-old bachelor as a loose end. Bujold apparently does, and decided to devote this book to him.Ivan is tall, handsome, and healthy, and it makes a change in this series to have a protagonist with no medical problems. He seems somewhat lacking in drive and ambition, but he's a decent fellow, intelligent and hard-working, and I find myself wondering why his girlfriends never seem to last long.In this story he encounters two young women on the run, and his attempt to protect them lets him in for complications, discomfort, and some degree of danger. However, overall this is a good-natured and amiable book, which I suppose could be called a romantic comedy science-fiction thriller. It has a number of amusing scenes and rereads well.Considering that they're the central characters of this novel, Ivan and Tej are both relatively uninteresting compared with the other characters. Despite coming from families that are both abnormal, in their different ways, they've somehow turned into nice, almost-normal adults who are pleasant but not fascinating to meet. Although it's of some interest how they react to the abnormal events of the story, and to each other in that context.The first half of this story is delightfully amusing and entertaining, after which we have to plod through a relatively dreary phase, before it livens up again for the finale. In case you wonder what happened to Ivan and Tej after the excitement was over, we then get a rather odd little epilogue answering that question.

I quite enjoyed Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, the 15th book in Bujold's long running Vorkosigan saga. Can you successfully mix humor, intrigue, and romance in a science-fiction tale? Well you can if your name is Lois McMaster Bujold.
The main characters are happily unmarried Captain Ivan Vorpatril and a refugee from Jackson's Whole called Tej. The story begins with Ivan temporarily on Komarr, assigned as aide-de-camp to Admiral Desplaines. His plans are interrupted when Imperial Security agent Byerly Vorrutyer shows up at his flat late one night and asks him to help out with Byerly's current investigation. Ivan has misgivings, but reluctantly agrees to help. Byerly stresses that all he needs to do is get find out what he can about an attractive young woman who might be in danger. (Obviously he knows Ivan's hot buttons.)
From that point, nothing goes as Ivan expected. He soon finds himself sheltering two young women on the run, dodging kidnappers, and caught up in the intersecting machinations of Jackson's Whole plotters and ImpSec. His life will be forever changed.
Good book.

This is probably my favorite of this year's Hugo Award nominees, and definitely my pick for this year.

Pretty good, typical Bujold. Nice to get a better look at Jackson's Whole culture.

I enjoyed this book more than I should have. The plot never really goes anywhere, and neither the hero nor the heroine do anything that is particularly heroic. Yet it has the charm and wit of most Bujold novels, and it's not necessarily a bad thing to see events unfold from the POV of a few average, everday characters instead of the high powered adventurers and butt-kickers. The romance between Ivan and Tej is understated but sweet. Ivan is not much more than a nice, honorable man but to a woman like Tej who grew up with a family who is always scheming and plotting, he is just perfect. (For those romance readers, he reminded me of a Carla Kelly hero.)

I loved the early Miles Vorkosigan novels but couldn't make it through Cryoburn. Captain Vorpatrils' Alliance was a charming welcome back to the Vor fold.

Short Review - Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold - This is the latest entry in a long series. Focuses on a different character this time. The everyman, Ivan, instead of the super genius Miles. On the whole a good book. I like Ivan and his desire to not be in charge of everything. A bit more romance than action focused.


Click through for the full review on my blog http://bookwi.se/captain-vorpatrils-alliance-by-lois-mcmaster-bujold/