The Warrior's Apprentice
In which a seventeen year old Miles Vorkosigan accidentally acquires a full mercenary fleet.
The Warrior's Apprentice is the first book in the Vorkosigan series to feature Miles as a protagonist. It begins with him breaking both of his legs during the entrance exam for the military academy he hopes to attend. With no clear course for the future, he decides to visit his grandmother for a few weeks. But while on Beta Colony his compassion compels him to save first the pilot of an obsolete ship and then a deserter. One thing leads to another and before you know it Miles finds himself involved in a Civil War as the admiral of a Mercenary Fleet that's been hired by one side.
It's amazing how much luck is actually involved in this, though Miles also has an interesting mix of compassion, honor, and audacity that makes it impossible for him to give up once he's gotten started. Instead he keeps moving forward, amassing more loyal followers as he goes.
I was a little amazed that this book was written before Barrayar, because it follows it so seamlessly. Miles' disability, due to an assassination attempt on his father, is ever-present. It colors his relationships with both of his parents and his grandfather. It causes him to push himself too far occasionally when he's trying to prove he's just as capable as everyone else. His desire to make his father proud is always hanging over his head. Miles is a fascinating and complex character, and he makes an excellent protagonist.
The book also touches back on some of the differences between Barrayar and Betan culture. Since the protagonists are teenagers, this focuses on the different ways virginity is treated on the two planets, as filtered through Miles' closest friend, Elena. On Barrayar, everyone is expected to remain virginal until marriage (though this is of course enforced more strictly with girls than with boys). Beta Colony is at the opposite extreme: adolescents are given a full complement of vaccinations and implanted with contraceptive devices when they hit puberty and are turned loose to experiment to their hearts' content.
For all that the plot of this book is fairly straightforward, there's a surprising amount of depth here. It deals with shattered illusions, finding your place in the world, and learning to rely on other people or let them go and how to figure out the difference. Basically it has everything any good coming-of-age novel should. All buried beneath a layer of adventure and intrigue.
The Warrior's Apprentice is the first book in the Vorkosigan series to feature Miles as a protagonist. It begins with him breaking both of his legs during the entrance exam for the military academy he hopes to attend. With no clear course for the future, he decides to visit his grandmother for a few weeks. But while on Beta Colony his compassion compels him to save first the pilot of an obsolete ship and then a deserter. One thing leads to another and before you know it Miles finds himself involved in a Civil War as the admiral of a Mercenary Fleet that's been hired by one side.
It's amazing how much luck is actually involved in this, though Miles also has an interesting mix of compassion, honor, and audacity that makes it impossible for him to give up once he's gotten started. Instead he keeps moving forward, amassing more loyal followers as he goes.
I was a little amazed that this book was written before Barrayar, because it follows it so seamlessly. Miles' disability, due to an assassination attempt on his father, is ever-present. It colors his relationships with both of his parents and his grandfather. It causes him to push himself too far occasionally when he's trying to prove he's just as capable as everyone else. His desire to make his father proud is always hanging over his head. Miles is a fascinating and complex character, and he makes an excellent protagonist.
The book also touches back on some of the differences between Barrayar and Betan culture. Since the protagonists are teenagers, this focuses on the different ways virginity is treated on the two planets, as filtered through Miles' closest friend, Elena. On Barrayar, everyone is expected to remain virginal until marriage (though this is of course enforced more strictly with girls than with boys). Beta Colony is at the opposite extreme: adolescents are given a full complement of vaccinations and implanted with contraceptive devices when they hit puberty and are turned loose to experiment to their hearts' content.
For all that the plot of this book is fairly straightforward, there's a surprising amount of depth here. It deals with shattered illusions, finding your place in the world, and learning to rely on other people or let them go and how to figure out the difference. Basically it has everything any good coming-of-age novel should. All buried beneath a layer of adventure and intrigue.
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