The Warrior's Apprentice

I'm not often a fan of “Mary Sue” characters. They're overpowered and everything seems to go their way for the sake of the plot. Miles Vorkosigan could easily be considered such a character, except for two things.

First, he's severely crippled. His mother was poisoned by an assassin while he was still in her womb, and the result was a twisted spine and brittle bones. Second, he's unintentionally successful. He doesn't realize his own brilliance and charisma, which leads to him hilariously stumbling from one victory to the next.

After flunking out of military academy for failing his physical tests, Miles has his dreams of following in his legendary father's footsteps crushed. In an attempt to fix his financial difficulties, he purchases an old spaceship. From there, he ends up recruiting a ragtag team for a smuggling expedition, and things spiral wildly out of control.

I don't read a lot of sci fi—perhaps because I suffer from the mistaken impression that it emphasizes technology over people—but this is exactly the kind of book that makes me want to fix that. It's got humor, heart, and prose that makes me forget it was written more than thirty years ago.

The Warrior's Apprentice is a fun read that offers and exciting jumping-in point to Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga. I look forward to continuing the series.