Led by Admiral Naismith (a.k.a. Lord Miles Vorkosigan), the Dendarii mercenaries have pulled off the daring interspace rescue of an entire Cetagandan POW camp. But they have made some deadly enemies. Having finally outrun the infuriated Cetagandans, the Dendarii arrive on Earth for battle, shuttle repair, and a well deserved rest.
But Miles realizes he’s in trouble again. First the mercenaries’ payroll doesn’t arrive on time, and then someone tries to murder him. Now Miles must juggle both his identities at once to unravel the complicated plot against him—and to reveal an unexpected ally. Just who is trying to assassinate which of his personas, and why?
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"Every time I get a new Vorkosigan book I get SO excited. I breezed through this one in two days, and that was trying to take it slowly. Miles Vorkosigan continues to be a flawless character and I love him to pieces. He's a genius character who actually acts smart! This book is quite exciting and page turning. I was yelling aloud in surprise at a couple of places. I just can't recommend this series enough for a really fun time."
— Kim (4 out of 5 stars)
“Read or you will be missing something extraordinary.”
— Chicago Sun-Times on Falling Free“Miles is confronted with some of the most intriguing and complex plot and psychological developments…in addition to some fascinating new characters.”
— Library Journal" I liked the idea a lot, but for some reason the execution seemed to fall short. "
— Will, 2/20/2014" More Vorkosigan fun. Funny, action-packed summer reading. Not really too suspenseful since I know he must survive for books eight through eighty (I don't know how many there are, but I know they're still going), but Bujold established early on in the series that she wasn't afraid to kill some pretty important characters. "
— Sarah, 2/12/2014" 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" Miles is a BAMF. As always. "
— Anna, 1/20/2014" Not bad, gets a little bit crazy. The foreshadowing is pretty good. "
— Matt, 1/15/2014" Liked this one, didn't love it. Don't get me wrong, I do in fact love Miles with all my heart, but this story wasn't quite as involving as the previous ones. I like the Elli twist, of course. And am interested to see where the Mark storyline goes. "
— melody, 9/15/2013" WOW! To awesome. This series continues to amaze. "
— Liz, 8/24/2013" Weaker plot than in other Bujold books, but still quite entertaining. "
— Ottox, 8/22/2013" July 20, 2009: Miles rules! "
— Ali, 6/20/2013" An outstanding Vorkosigan story, one of the best I've read so far. The characters are brilliant, as always, the story is compelling, and the themes leave you with something to think about. A lot of fun to read. "
— SixBeforeLunch, 6/4/2013" I saw a review of this that said Bujold's characters are as realistic as the plots are insane. This one has clones. "
— Denise, 5/17/2013" Very Very Very good! Lois Bujold's writing is amazing. I can't wait to read the next one. "
— Jeremy, 5/3/2013" Key part of the saga, lots of great adventure. "
— Stacey, 3/27/2013" Another great Vorkosigan adventure. "
— Tom, 2/3/2013" Marvelous and I could not stop till I finished it. "
— William, 1/28/2013" Re-read 11/12. "
— Craig, 12/19/2012" Holy convoluted plot-line batman! "
— nooker, 9/24/2012" read this series in order starting with Shards of Honor, but don't bond with Cordelia too much, as most of the series is about Miles "
— Jennifer, 7/4/2012" Fabulous! Mark is a welcome (if sometimes annoying, but so is Miles to tell the truth!) addition to the Vorkosigan family. "
— Mary, 6/8/2012" Candy is delicious and makes studying easier. "
— Sam, 5/22/2012" Miles meets his clone Mark on Earth, kinda boring. "
— Rob, 4/1/2012" An exceptional novel. On old Earth, Miles comes across a plot against Barrayar that becomes more personally involving than he can imagine. Wonderful characters, an involving plot, and some fantastically funny sequences--this is one of my favorite Vorkosigan novels. "
— Diane, 7/9/2011" I liked the book but disliked the. haracternames. The names were too complex to read through easily. "
— Daniel, 6/9/2011" I've found all of the series to be pleasurable listening. Science fiction with strong characters, complex plots and plenty of wit. Miles is interesting, adding his brother/clone casts his personality in another light. "
— Dave, 5/21/2011" This is another intrigue-filled adventure with Miles Vorkosigan and there was an interesting addition to the family tree. "
— Tressa, 1/17/2011" Marvelous and I could not stop till I finished it. "
— William, 12/1/2010" This book has all of the things fans live about Miles; action, a superb ability to get himself into mischief, and an unlimited amount of witty dialogue. It also is the most reflective and mature Miles I've met to date. For me, it made Miles even more relatable, and personable, than before. "
— Laurel, 11/13/2010" second least favorite to date "
— Meagan, 9/19/2010" I think is one of the best books in the series. It was just plain fun to read, and I enjoyed every moment of it. "
— Nihonjoe, 3/5/2010" love this series. It's hard to find comedy and sci-fi! "
— Gail, 12/18/2009Lois 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.
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.