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A Civil Campaign: A Comedy of Biology and Manners Audiobook
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(4.00) - 5,970 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Lord Miles Vorkosigan, youngest Imperial Auditor to be appointed by the Emperor since the Time of Isolation, has a problem that all his new power can’t solve: unrequited love for the beautiful Vor widow Ekaterin Vorsoisson. Ekaterin is violently allergic to marriage as a result of her first exposure. But as Miles learned from his late career in galactic covert ops, if a frontal assault won’t do, go to subterfuge.
Miles has a cunning plan, which, of course, has to be worked out in between District succession scandals and plans for the Emperor’s wedding. And if no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, just imagine what all Miles’ friends and relatives can do to his romantic strategy.
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"Love is in the air. Miles in courting mode is scary, yet endearing. In Miles' view "the spectacle of a man of thirty-plus, going courting seriously for the first time in his life - the first time in the Barrayaran style, anyway - promised to provide hours of entertainment for his interested staff." Mark is helplessly in love too, but at least Kareen hasn't sworn off marriage, just gotten confused by being home. Throw in butter bugs, a sex change operation, & Cordelia as Baba. When the Commodore claims she trusts beyond reason, her reply is "Yes. It's how I get results beyond hope.""
— June (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A modern comedy of manners…Gardner rolls with the humor, holding the silliness in check but allowing it to move to the foreground now and again. With a well-placed tongue in cheek, he serves up a narration that has an underlying sense of seriousness and a clear eye on a plot that is entertaining and fun.”
— AudioFile -
“A Civil Campaign is a highly enjoyable romp, and will be happily received by long-time readers.”
— Locus -
“Bujold successfully mixes quirky humor with just enough action, a dab of feminist social commentary, and her usual superb character development in a sprightly SF romance that her many fans will find enormously satisfying.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Likely to add another statue to Bujold’s already full shelf. It’s charming, touching, and quite funny too.”
— Amazon.com -
“Among the best books in an outstanding series.”
— Booklist -
“The amazing Lois McMaster Bujold dares to be different as her wonderful creation, Miles Vorkosigan…Pure magic, this irresistible character study works on myriad levels as Ms. Bujold charms and delights us with scathing wit and absolutely delicious humor. The hysterically funny dinner party from hell will surely go down as one of the most unforgettable moments in all fiction.”
— RT Book Reviews (4½ gold stars) -
“The Vorkosigan Saga is a classic work of space opera military sf that contains several books that are also marvelous sf romance. Shards and Barrayar could also be classified as military romance, while A Civil Campaign is a Regency romance set in this far-flung, intergalactic empire.”
— Library Journal, praise for the series
Awards
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Finalist for the 2000 Hugo Award for Best Novel
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Nominated for the 2000 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
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Nominated for the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel
A Civil Campaign Listener Reviews
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" This is hysterical!! This is the romance novel of the series and with Miles in the middle, everything is out of control. "
— Bill, 2/18/2014 -
" Oh, I love Bujold's books. This one's particularly awesome, though possibly too much of a romance for some of my friends. It's also late-ish in the Vorkosigan series and shouldn't be the first one you pick up. You should definitely pick up some of them, though. "
— Grillables, 2/10/2014 -
" I love this one. I love it more on audiobook--Grover Gardner has really gotten to know the characters in this series. Kind of a goofy story on which all the character development of the last nine novels bears fruit. "
— Elizabeth, 2/5/2014 -
" Miles finally gets his lady love. There is a lot of intrigue, trickery, and action (some quite humorous) along the way. Bujold never disappoints. "
— Clyde, 1/30/2014 -
" By far the best of the Vorkosigan books! "
— Marc, 1/12/2014 -
" Fun reading, although definitely a bad place to start in the Vorkosigan Saga (too much backstory). It's a little painful watching Miles screw up, but the butter bugs are priceless. "
— Yoon, 1/11/2014 -
" My least favorite of the Miles books, sadly. I applaud Bujold's writing range, but romantic comedy of manners/errors just doesn't fit my worldview of the Miles universe. (Plus, I tend to loathe comedies of errors to begin with.) "
— Terran, 1/5/2014 -
" This book made me laugh countless times. Everybody finds themselves in Vorbar Sultana for Gregor's wedding, and problems are bound to follow. "
— Damir, 1/1/2014 -
" Every time I think this series has reached its pinnacle, Ms. Bujold outdoes herself again. Her characters live and breathe, make me laugh aloud, and change the way I look at the world. I stand in awe (and very, very entertained). Brava! "
— Emily, 12/30/2013 -
" This is funny as hell, a comedy of manners and errors. "
— Michael, 5/31/2013 -
" Good and entertaining. Really good if you like fiction "
— Edlyn, 4/20/2013 -
" Re-read. Now, this one gets it right in that it all links together, thematically and plotwise. "
— Lesley, 1/29/2013 -
" When I wasn't laughing I was crying or so angry at the characters I could scream! Great introduction to more of the side characters inhabiting the capital, and the social/political scene if the Vor. Might be my favorite one yet. "
— Nilya, 1/1/2013 -
" This book is worth it for the "Dinner party from hell" scene alone. "
— Diane, 5/4/2012 -
" I didn't want it to stop. :( "
— honestly, 2/6/2012 -
" Not her best - more of a romance than her typical action adventure or mystery. "
— Jesse, 10/14/2011 -
" I laughed aloud throughout pretty much the entire thing. :-D "
— Michelle, 9/27/2011 -
" As I said in my review for Memory, if Memory is a car crash, A Civil Campaign is a clown car crash. It's one of my favorite comfort rereads, and although I normally can't stand awkward/embarrassing humor, this manages the perfect balance of cringing and laughing (and cringing while laughing). "
— Kristen, 6/21/2011 -
" Not so much a reread as a reskim--I like to just page forward to my favorite parts and then read those over and over again. That letter from Miles is the cure for all ills. :) "
— Sheila, 5/10/2011 -
" So freaking funny! A worthy follow-up to all that has come before. "
— Nancy, 3/10/2011 -
" What can I say? As good as always, Bujold is an all-time comfort author. "
— Malgorzata, 1/18/2011 -
" My favorite LMB Vorkosigan novel, by far. "
— Ericwilliams, 1/14/2011
About Lois McMaster Bujold
Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the most honored writers in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. In 2019 she was named a Damon Knight Grand Master by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, one of science fiction’s highest honors. She has won seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. In 2011 she was awarded the Skylark Award for her significant contribution to science fiction. Hugo awards for Best Series were received by the Vorkosigan Saga in 2017, and the World of the Five Gods in 2018.
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.