" I just reread this, and I expected it to be much more awesome than it actually was; I remember the introduction of Mark very fondly, and indeed the conversations between him & Miles are really, really cool, but much of the rest of the book I felt lukewarm about. Realising that this was a very early Miles book -- the first one actually focusing on Miles other than The Warrior's Apprentice -- makes me forgiving, though; Bujold simply hadn't developed as much as a writer as she did later on in the series. It's an important link in the chain. "
— Cera, 1/25/2014