Diplomatic Immunity

Diplomatic Immunity was not quite as good as the preceding Vorkosigan books. That speaks more to how fantastic those books were, than to any major flaws in this one, though. It lacked nothing except that little something extra that I've come to expect from Bujold. The way she has with words and characters that leaves my laughing out loud and crying tears of both sadness and joy.

There was one incredibly awe-inspiring scene, when the quaddie ballet is being described. I really wish it was something I could actually witness. The quaddies were originally designed to be null-gee workers, but with the advent of artificial gravity technology they instead established a mostly null-gee colony in an asteroid belt. Their society has been based there for 200 years, evolving and changing and slowly reintegrating into the world of downsiders, as they call humans with legs.

As for the rest of the story...maybe I'm just getting used to the formula. Miles is sent to quaddie space to untangle a diplomatic knot. He discovers a much deeper conspiracy, just in time to stave off a war with the Cetagandans. It was fun to see the Cetagandans again, but it also felt a little forced. Like this was all just a set up for Miles to prove himself a genius and larger-than-life hero again. Not that they were shoe-horned in at the end - I saw their involvement coming from the first chapter - it just all felt like a bit too much. Particularly after the quieter A Civil Campaign and Winterfair Gifts.

Still, I'm sad to have only three books left. This a series I may just have to start over again from the beginning. I definitely want to go back to the first couple of books, at least, and see how it all started.

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