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Stone Sky by NK Jemisin

The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin, Book #3 of the Broken Earth trilogy

Introduction

The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin follows three different narratives. The author set the novels on a continent called the Stillness. It’s a post-apocalyptic world or possibly a second-world fantasy land. They reveal the name of the first-person narrator in this novel. The narrator has been advising Essun from the beginning of the first novel. Essun and the people of Castrima head to Rennaris to stay for the Fifth Season. Nassun finishes what she needs to do in Found Moon and figures out where to go to fulfill her destiny. These three tales intersect and come to a dramatic conclusion which completes the trilogy.

Stone Sky by NK Jemisin

Summary

The prologue narrator is tied to the subsequent chapters that are named SYL ANAGIST. The author set these chapters in the past before they created the Stillness. As the chapters progress, the reason that the Stillness occurred and a possible solution is revealed.

Essun wants to save the people of Castrima. She also wants to end the Stillness. She follows her principles and comes to the end of the earth to achieve it.

Nassun wants to destroy the earth to end the Stillness. She follows her principles and comes to the end of the earth to achieve it.

Recommendation

The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin is a challenging novel to read, but it is a great novel. The author expands on themes from the first and second novels and reveals more mysteries. Essun’s chapters are all in the second person and past tense. A narrator talks to her. Usually, the second-person point of view is difficult to read, but it is easier to read in this novel because it is more familiar, since the author used it in the previous novels for Essun’s chapters. The narrator’s chapters are in first person present tense and tell the story about how the Stillness was created. Nassun’s chapters are in the third person and present tense. This novel completes the trilogy very well.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Stone Sky by NK Jemisin

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31817749-the-stone-sky

The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin, Book #2 of the Broken Earth trilogy

In The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin, Nassun, and Essun all face hard choices in the Broken Earth of the Stillness. Will they survive?

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin is Book #1 of the Broken Earth trilogy

In The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin, Essun, Damaya, and Syenite, all face hard choices in the Broken Earth of the Stillness. Will they survive?

Writing Progress Report March 2023

This is my Writing Progress Report March 2023.

Had dinner at Comida Hudson Mexican Restaurant on February 24, 2023, and watched the Ohio Weather Band there.

Writing Progress from February 2023.

I wrote three blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One post was my writing progress report for February 2023, which is linked below.

In February 2023, I submitted my story, The Squirrel Curse, to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

I did not submit a short story to the Fiction Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library in February 2023.

I did not submit a short story to the Critters.org online workshop in February 2023.

Writing Progress from February 2023 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in February 2023.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I submitted in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022.

Events from February 2023.

ConFusion was the last con I attended in Novi, Michigan, from January 20, 2023, to January 22, 2023. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

https://2023.confusionsf.org/

The con theme this year was Avatar: The Legend of Confusion

Writing Goals for March 2023.

In March 2023, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for March 2023.

I plan to submit a story to the Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library in March 2023.

In March 2023, I plan to submit a short story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in March 2023.

In March 2023, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for March 2023 continued.

In March 2023, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for March 2023.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Cleveland Concoction, from March 17, 2023, to March 19, 2023. They will hold the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Another event I plan to attend is the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 25, 2023.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, Book #2 of The Mars Trilogy

Introduction

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson continues the story about the terraforming of Mars a generation later after the events of the novel, Red Mars. Red Mars told the story of the first hundred people who make a permanent home on Mars. The first hundred are joined by many more immigrants to Mars. Two factions want different futures for Mars. The Red faction wants to keep Mars as close to its prehuman condition as possible. The Green faction wants to completely terraform Mars into an Earthlike planet. Which Mars faction will prevail in the fight for the future of Mars?

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Summary Part One

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson is divided into 10 parts. Each part features a different point of view character with seven total characters having a POV.

Nirgal is first generation Mars born. Nirgal grows up in the Zygote dome. It’s carved out of the South Polar ice cap. He grows up with half-brothers and half-sisters, most from his mother Hiroko. He gets out of the dome and learns about Mars by traveling with Coyote. Coyote travels and trades with the different domes of the southern hemisphere where the Red faction went after losing the rebellion of 2061.

Art Randolph is an American. The Corporation named Praxis sent him to Mars as an ambassador. The transnational corporation Praxis bought Art Randolph’s company, Dumpshares. After some time, they invited Art to a company retreat headed by William Fort, the president of Praxis, with six others. Fort learns about the employees and offers them each a unique position. He offers Art the position of Ambassador to Mars for the Praxis Corporation. Art takes the three-month journey to Mars. He learns about Praxis’ operation on Mars and wants to contact the Red faction on Mars.

Ann Claybourne is an American Geologist who wants to keep Mars in its primal state. Ann is a geologist and one of the First Hundred. She watches and thinks about the terraforming project on Mars and doesn’t like it. She talks to Coyote, and he convinces her to meet with the leaders of the Red faction.

Summary Part Two

Sax Russel is an American physicist. Sax was a terraformer from the First Hundred. He went into hiding with the Red rebels after 2061. The Reds want him to spy on the Greens so they get him plastic surgery to change his appearance and Desmond gives him a false identity. The Swiss firm called Biotique has not turned in the others that the Reds have sent to them, so they send Sax to Biotique with the identity of Stephen Lindholm. Sax as Lindholm starts his job with Biotique. He passes through Burroughs and works at their Arena Glacier facility.

Michel Duval is a French psychologist. Michel is part of the Red group that picked up Art. The group finds out that Sax was taken. The group decides to rescue him. They use the winds around the detainment facility holding Sax to help with the attack.

Nadia Chernyshevski is a Russian engineer. The refugees from Gamete come to Dorsa Brevia for the conference. At the first meeting, Hiroko speaks. Then they break into workshops. Nadia attends a workshop where they are discussing what went wrong in 2061. They conclude a coup would be better than an open conflict. They need intel before they proceed. Another workshop is about terraforming. Ann takes the leave Mars alone approach and Sax takes the make the surface livable for humans approach. The workshops continue.

Maya Toitovna is a Russian teacher and politician. Maya and most of the First Hundred meet at Sabishii. The Transitional Authority sends a force to the south. The First Hundred split up and they headed to each of the southern communities to coordinate a response.

Recommendation

The world-building in this trilogy is impressive. It details a rational and likely method for the terraforming of Mars. The author writes wonderful descriptions and creates interesting characters. The only problem that I have with the novel is that the author relies heavily on a narrative summary. While the technique of narrative summary can help tell a story that takes place over many years, it limits the connection the reader feels with the characters. In Green Mars, the reader gets to know the children of the first hundred, some of the first hundred characters return, and the reader sees the characters walk long distances in the newly aeroformed Mars. The trilogy concludes with Blue Mars. Another book of short fiction contained within the Trilogy’s timeframe was also released and named The Martians.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, Book #2 of The Mars Trilogy.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77505.Green_Mars

My review of Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, book #1 of The Mars Trilogy, begins as the story of the first hundred people who make a permanent home on Mars.

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Introduction

Under the Dome by Stephen King is a Science Fiction novel with a unique beginning. A dome suddenly appears over the Maine town of Chester’s Mill. The dome is semi-permeable, but no one can enter or leave the dome. The people inside the dome try to escape, but fail, and fight over the scarce resources. Who made the Dome, and will the people trapped inside it escape before they all die?

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

Under the Dome by Stephen King was an excellent long novel. The characters were well-defined and the situation they were put into was interesting. The problem was the slow-moving plot and the abrupt ending.

I watched all three seasons of the CBS TV series named Under the Dome which aired in 2013, 2014, and 2015. I watched it on Paramount Plus. It was based on a novel of the same name. The TV series is kind of dopey. It started pretty well, but the character’s actions made less and less sense as the episodes went on. Sort of like what happened in Lost. In Under the Dome, they added plot points, not in the novel like using ideas from Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Alien which I thought was not successful. The TV show also changed most of the relationships and motivations of the characters from the book. The novel and the TV series both had non-ending endings.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Under the Dome by Stephen King.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6320534-under-the-dome

Most of Stephen King’s novels are fantasy horror. Under the Dome is straight Science Fiction. Of the books, I have reviewed of him the closest in the content is the Dark Tower series which is Science Fiction Fantasy.

Drawing of the Three by Stephen King, book #2 of The Dark Tower series, features Roland, Eddie Dean, and Odetta Holmes. Roland gets one step closer to reaching the Dark Tower.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series, seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.

Writing Progress Report February 2023

This is my Writing Progress Report February 2023.

I went to Michel Angelo’s Winery in Richfield, Ohio on January 29, 2022, for Paczki Fest. We had pierogis, meatballs, and paczkis. I had the wine flight board in this picture. It was a wonderful experience. I hope to go again next year.

Writing Progress from January 2023.

I wrote two blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One post was my writing progress report for January 2023, which is linked below.

In January 2023, the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library did not meet.

I did not submit a short story to the Fiction Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library in January 2023.

Writing Progress from January 2023 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in January 2023.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I submitted in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022.

Events from January 2023.

I attended ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 20, 2023, to January 22, 2023. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

https://2023.confusionsf.org/

The con theme this year is Avatar: The Legend of Confusion

Writing Goals for February 2023.

In February 2023, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for February 2023.

I plan to submit a story to the Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library in February 2023.

In February 2023, I plan to submit a short story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in February 2023.

In February 2023, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for February 2023 continued.

In February 2023, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for February 2023.

The next conference I plan to attend is Cleveland Concoction from March 17, 2023, to March 19, 2023.  They will hold the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center located at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Black Sun Rising by C S Freidman

Black Sun Rising by C S Freidman, Book 1 of the Coldfire Trilogy

Introduction

Black Sun Rising by C S Freidman is a science fiction fantasy novel about four people going on a quest to defeat the forces of the Fae that want to destroy humanity. The story begins when the warrior priest Damien Vryce enters a Fae Shop looking for answers about the Fae. He meets the sorceress adept Ciani of Faraday at the shop. They go on a quest and Ciani’s apprentice Senzei and the undead sorcerer Gerald Tarrant join them. Their quest leads them deep into the Fae lands and they have secrets revealed. Will Damien defeat the Fae and get answers to the questions that he has asked about them?

Black Sun Rising by C S Freidman

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

[Insert Recommendation Here]

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Black Sun Rising by C. S. Freidman.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36159.Black_Sun_Rising

A fantasy novel like Black Sun Rising is The Last Unicorn.

Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle is a fantasy novel about a female unicorn’s search for the rest of her kind. She faces an evil carnival owner, a creepy king in a lonely castle, and a scary red bull. Is she the Last Unicorn?

Writing Progress Report January 2023

This is my Writing Progress Report January 2023.

I went to the Cleveland Botanical Garden on December 9, 2022. The Christmas displays were wonderful, and it was great walking through the exhibits.

Writing Progress from December 2022.

I wrote two blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One post was my writing progress report for December 2022, which is linked below.

In December 2022, the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library did not meet.

I submitted my short story, “Inheritance,” to the Fiction Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library in December 2022.

Writing Progress from December 2022 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in December 2022.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I submitted in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022.

Events from December 2022.

I attended no events in December 2022.

Writing Goals for January 2023.

In January 2023, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for January 2023.

I plan to submit a story to the Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library in January 2023.

In January 2023, I plan to submit a short story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in January 2023.

In January 2023, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for January 2023 continued.

In January 2023, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for January 2023.

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 20, 2022, to January 22, 2022. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

https://2023.confusionsf.org/

The con theme this year is Avatar: The Legend of Confusion

It by Stephen King

It by Stephen King

It by Stephen King

Introduction

It by Stephen King is the horror story of seven people who faced horror in two time periods in the fictional Maine town of Derry. The chapters alternate between the two time periods, 1957 to 1958 and 1984 to 1985. The seven people call themselves the Losers Club. They are kids in the first period and adults in the second. They face a horror that manifests itself as Pennywise the Clown. It feeds on their fears. Will the Losers Club defeat the hidden evil in the Derry sewers, or will they perish?

Summary

In It by Stephen King, there’s horror in the sewers of Derry, Maine. The horror preys on the fears of children taking the image of what they fear. Mostly It takes the form of Pennywise the Clown.

In 1957, seven kids come together to defeat It. They call themselves the Losers club. After the battle, they lose their memories of the encounter with It. In 1985, they return to Derry to fight it again.

Bill Denbrough is the leader of the Losers Club, who feels responsible for the disappearance and death of his younger brother, Georgie. He likes Bev but doesn’t end up with her. He becomes a horror writer and returns to Derry to finish what they started.

Ben Hanscom is the most intelligent of the Losers and he has an engineering talent. He has a crush on Bev. Ben was obese as a child but loses weight as an adult. He made a lot of money as an architect and lives in Texas.

Bev Marsh is the only girl in the Loser’s Club. All the boys have a crush on her. She becomes a fashion designer in Chicago. She gets married and her husband physically abuses her.

Summary Continued

Richie Tozier is the comic of the club. He becomes a successful DJ in Los Angeles.

Eddie Kaspbrak is a hypochondriac with an inhaler. He runs a successful limousine business in New York.

Mike Hanlon is the only African American in the club. He is the only member who stays in Derry after high school and becomes the town librarian. He researches the history of Derry and calls back all the Losers when he realizes It has returned.

Stan Uris is Jewish and a Boy Scout. He’s skeptical and logical. He becomes an accountant in Atlanta.

Recommendation

It by Stephen King is a long, good novel. The novel explores the themes of coming of age and adult reflection on childhood. It reminds me of Stephen King’s novella, The Body, adapted into the movie Stand by Me. Both stories feature a group of misfit kids trying to solve a problem. They adapted it as a miniseries and also into two movies. The 1958 story in It, and the 1985 story in It: Chapter Two. The miniseries alternates the stories. The part of the story I didn’t like was an incident near the end of the 1958 story. You will know what I’m talking about if you read it. I don’t think the incident was earned or warranted. I know that my opinion of the novel would change for the better if the author had eliminated that incident or changed it into something else.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of It by Stephen King.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/644173.It

Drawing of the Three by Stephen King, book #2 of The Dark Tower series, features Roland, Eddie Dean, and Odetta Holmes. Roland gets one step closer to reaching the Dark Tower.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series, seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.

Writing Progress Report December 2022

This is my Writing Progress Report December 2022.

It snowed the night before I took this picture on November 13, 2022, at my house.

Writing Progress from November 2022.

I wrote two blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One post was my writing progress report for November 2022, which is linked below.

In November 2022, I submitted my short story, “Nanotechnology,” to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library. It is the final chapter of the first draft of the novel.

I submitted my short story, “In The Box,” to the Fiction Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library in November 2022.

Writing Progress from November 2022 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in November 2022.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I submitted in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submission for 2022.

Events from November 2022.

I attended no events in November 2022.

Writing Goals for December 2022.

In December 2022, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for December 2022.

I plan to submit a story to the Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library in December 2022.

In December 2022, I plan to submit a short story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in December 2022.

In December 2022, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new Chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for December 2022 continued.

In December 2022, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for December 2022.

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 20, 2022, to January 22, 2022. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

https://2023.confusionsf.org/

The con theme this year is Avatar: The Legend of Confusion

Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold

Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #9 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold is the ninth published novel of the Vorkosigan saga. It is also the sixth novel of the internal chronology of the saga. Miles Vorkosigan is the protagonist of the novel. He suffers from brittle bones because of an assassination attempt on his mother when she was pregnant with him. Miles and his cousin Ivan are sent to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. Miles becomes involved in a complex mystery. Will Miles foil the plot to destroy the Cetagandan Empire and avoid their hostile fragmented forces threatening his home planet of Barrayar?

Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold

Summary

Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan Vorpatril are sent to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. They are both young inexperienced lieutenants in the Barrayar secret service. They dock at Eta Ceta IV, the home planet of the Cetagandan Empire. The secret service sent them there to represent Barrayar at the state funeral of the dowager, Empress Lisbet. After they dock someone attacks them, they obtain a mysterious object, and they become involved in a complex plot to destroy the Cetagandan Empire. If the Empire is broken apart then the pieces will expand into Barrayan space so Miles cannot let that happen.

There are three important classes of people in the Cetagandan Empire. The haut class are the rulers, the ghem class is their military force, and the ba class is their sexless servants. The plot involves the Cetagandan class system, genetics, and the key to the Cetagandan’s future.

Ivan is exotic to the haut ladies and desirable to them. Miles has a close relationship with the haut woman Rian Degtiar, who helps Miles unravel the mystery.

Miles juggles these impossible tasks in a way only he could succeed and then he saves the day.

Recommendation

Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold takes a mysterious former enemy of Barrayar and gives them context. The reader learns about why and how the Cetagandans do things. The Cetagandan background introduced in this novel is explored further in the novel, Ethan of Athos. At first, I found it difficult to understand the Cetagandan terms introduced in this novel, but by the end of the novel, I understood their meaning. I like Miles and wanted him to succeed. I liked his relationship with Rian Degtair, and how she intrigued him. I’m looking forward to reading Miles’s next adventure in my Vorkosigan saga reading project.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76812.Cetaganda

In The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, they accused Miles Vorkosigan of treason. Will Miles play The Vor Game well enough to escape the treason charges made against him and secure the assignment he desires?

In Warriors Apprentice (Book #2 of the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan gets involved in another planet’s war. Can he escape the mischief he started?

In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces an assassination attempt and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?

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?