Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #7 of the Vorkosigan saga.
Introduction
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold is Book seven of the Vorkosigan saga. It is the direct sequel to Shards of Honor, Book #1 of the Vorkosigan saga. Cordelia Naismith of Beta Colony married Aral Vorkosigan of Barrayar. She moves to Barrayar as Lady Vorkosigan. The Emperor of Barrayar has died and named Aral as the regent for his young grandson, Gregor. Assassins target Aral and Cordelia to gain control of the Empire. Will Cordelia survive the regency and give birth to her son?
Summary
In Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, Cordelia marries Aral Vorkosigan and is pregnant with his son. Emperor Ezar Vobarra names Aral as his Regent for his underage grandson, Gregor Vorbarra. An aristocracy rules Barrayar with each family holding its districts of the planet. The ruler of each district is a Count and they use the honorific preface of Vor. Aral’s father, Piotr Vorkosigan, heads the Vorkosigan family. Piotr doesn’t like that his son has married a woman from outside of the Empire and worries about his only living descendant being their unborn son. The other aristocrats dislike the Emperor’s choice of Aral as the regent. Aral and Cordelia face assassination attempts and must unite the people of Barrayar or face destruction.
Many people help Cordelia in her quest to protect her husband and unborn son. Captain Vaagen if the Barrayaran Military Hospital helps with Cordelia’s son using a uterine replicator. A deadly mission to the Imperial Palace includes Cordelia, Aral’s bodyguard Sergeant Bothari (Konstantine Bothari), Cordelia’s bodyguard Drou (Ludmilla Droushnakovi), and Aral’s personal secretary Kou (Clement Koudelka). Imperial Security officer Simon Illyan provides information for them on their mission. Cordelia’s goals are to protect her husband by preserving the Regency and for a healthy birth of her son, Miles Vorkosigan.
Recommendation
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold is a space opera mixed with a romance. I enjoyed following Cordelia and Aral on their adventures. There was plenty of adventure and plotting leading to the daring raid on the Imperial Palace. I liked Cordelia as the protagonist. I liked the parallels of the different types of love displayed by these pairs of characters; Cordelia/Aral, Drou/Kou, Padma/Alys, and Bothari/his daughter Elena. Barrayar won the Hugo and Locus awards for best novel.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61905.Barrayar
In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?
In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.