It’s a fair-to-middling caper novel, or maybe somewhat better than that. It’s better than the two weakest novels in the series (Cetaganda and Diplomatic Immunity) and not as good as the best (probably Memory, Brothers in Arms, and A Civil Campaign, though I’m also awfully fond of Komarr and Mirror Dance).
Interesting. I considered Diplomatic Immunity to be very weak but I enjoyed Cetaganda (I think the main reason people consider Cetaganda to be so weak is that it has no Naismith and all Vorkosigan.)
Why is no one mentioning The Vor Game? I thought it did the best job of carrying through on the main comic theme of the series—Miles bumbling and scheming his way to victory in a universe which seems determined to make him the butt of its jokes.
But the two best books in the series, IMHO, didn’t even include Miles as a character—Barrayar and Ethan of Athos.
I agree that The Vor Game is the best exemplar of the comic theme you note, but it just didn’t pack quite the emotional punch of Brothers in Arms or Memory.
Interesting. I considered Diplomatic Immunity to be very weak but I enjoyed Cetaganda (I think the main reason people consider Cetaganda to be so weak is that it has no Naismith and all Vorkosigan.)
I agree with your assessment 100%.
Why is no one mentioning The Vor Game? I thought it did the best job of carrying through on the main comic theme of the series—Miles bumbling and scheming his way to victory in a universe which seems determined to make him the butt of its jokes.
But the two best books in the series, IMHO, didn’t even include Miles as a character—Barrayar and Ethan of Athos.
I agree that The Vor Game is the best exemplar of the comic theme you note, but it just didn’t pack quite the emotional punch of Brothers in Arms or Memory.