Barrayar
Barrayar is a direct sequel to Shards of Honor, picking
up days (if not hours) after than one ends. It explores the chaos that
the emperor's death has thrust the planet into, which Aral Vorkosigan is
tasked with trying to stopper. And all while he and his new wife
prepare for their first child.
The most interesting part of this book, to me, was the intense culture shock that Cordelia experiences on almost every page. She grew up in the progressive and technologically advanced Betan Colony. Barrayar has only recently rejoined the galactic society, following a self-imposed exile that lasted for eighty years. The exile resulted in a paranoid and blood-thirsty society whose technology and culture are not up to Cordelia's standards.
The center of this shock, and the story, is Cordelia's pregnancy. She grew up in a society where reproduction is closely regulated by the government and also almost wholly taken over by technology. In Cordelia's world, children are implanted with contraceptive devices when they reach puberty. When they want to have children, they find a suitable partner, take a class, apply for a license, combine their genetic material, and come back in nine months to collect the child. Due to overpopulation, each individual is limited to two children.
Barrayar, on the other hand, still relies on natural reproduction. While Cordelia is initially thrilled that she won't have to pass a test, and that she'll be able to have as many children as she wishes, she's less sure about the experience of natural childbirth. This all comes to a head when a plot to kill her husband results in her being poisoned, too. It's revealed that her child will be born with birth defects, and because of Barrayar's fear of disability, she is expected to abort. The book then follows her struggle to bring her child to term, forcing her to fight ingrained prejudice on every side, most painfully when her father-in-law takes it into his own hands to end the fetus' life before it can start.
All of this culture clash is set against the backdrop of a coup that threatens Aral's ability to keep the government functioning stably until the next emperor comes of age. Cordelia is confronted with everything from poverty (she's initially shocked that there are people on the planet without dependable internet access and can barely fathom a society that allows some to go without food and clothing), to gender roles (Cordelia was a soldier and a captain at home, but on Barrayar has to fight to be taken seriously by anyone other than her husband), to the military mindset of her new home.
Apart from the incredibly engrossing critique of our own society, this book has plenty of action. There are chases and escapes, infiltrations and traps, fights and explosions. And it balances all of that thrill quite well with the quieter moments of Cordelia and Aral's fantastic and mature romance.
You should read this book. Seriously. The only downside of the series is that I now have to leave Cordelia behind as the focus shifts to the next generation. But I trust Bujold to continue to provide interesting and insightful stories with fascinating technology and societies.
The most interesting part of this book, to me, was the intense culture shock that Cordelia experiences on almost every page. She grew up in the progressive and technologically advanced Betan Colony. Barrayar has only recently rejoined the galactic society, following a self-imposed exile that lasted for eighty years. The exile resulted in a paranoid and blood-thirsty society whose technology and culture are not up to Cordelia's standards.
The center of this shock, and the story, is Cordelia's pregnancy. She grew up in a society where reproduction is closely regulated by the government and also almost wholly taken over by technology. In Cordelia's world, children are implanted with contraceptive devices when they reach puberty. When they want to have children, they find a suitable partner, take a class, apply for a license, combine their genetic material, and come back in nine months to collect the child. Due to overpopulation, each individual is limited to two children.
Barrayar, on the other hand, still relies on natural reproduction. While Cordelia is initially thrilled that she won't have to pass a test, and that she'll be able to have as many children as she wishes, she's less sure about the experience of natural childbirth. This all comes to a head when a plot to kill her husband results in her being poisoned, too. It's revealed that her child will be born with birth defects, and because of Barrayar's fear of disability, she is expected to abort. The book then follows her struggle to bring her child to term, forcing her to fight ingrained prejudice on every side, most painfully when her father-in-law takes it into his own hands to end the fetus' life before it can start.
All of this culture clash is set against the backdrop of a coup that threatens Aral's ability to keep the government functioning stably until the next emperor comes of age. Cordelia is confronted with everything from poverty (she's initially shocked that there are people on the planet without dependable internet access and can barely fathom a society that allows some to go without food and clothing), to gender roles (Cordelia was a soldier and a captain at home, but on Barrayar has to fight to be taken seriously by anyone other than her husband), to the military mindset of her new home.
Apart from the incredibly engrossing critique of our own society, this book has plenty of action. There are chases and escapes, infiltrations and traps, fights and explosions. And it balances all of that thrill quite well with the quieter moments of Cordelia and Aral's fantastic and mature romance.
You should read this book. Seriously. The only downside of the series is that I now have to leave Cordelia behind as the focus shifts to the next generation. But I trust Bujold to continue to provide interesting and insightful stories with fascinating technology and societies.
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