Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life as a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral.Cousin to imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, Ivan is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship.Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere, leaving Ivan to enjoy his life on Komarr, far from the byzantine court politics of his home system.But when an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractiveyoung woman who may be on the hit list of a criminal syndicate, his chivalrous nature takes over. It seems danger and adventure have once more found Captain Vorpatril.
Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant Rish are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on free-for-all planet Jackson's Whole.Now it seems Tej may possess a secret of which even she may not be aware—a secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barrayaran family and provide the final advantage for the thugs who seek to overthrow Tej's homeworld. But none of Tej's formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril.For behind Ivan's fa├ºade of wry and self-effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch—making the ultimate sacrifice to keep her from harm: the treasured and hard-won freedom from his own fate as a scion of Barrayar.
Download and start listening now!
"YAY! So happy to have another story from Bujold. I liked the side trip into Ivan's life. He's always been a mostly ignored, very put-upon character. It was fun to spend time with an older, slightly wiser Lord Vorpatril." — Rachel (4 out of 5 stars)
"YAY! So happy to have another story from Bujold. I liked the side trip into Ivan's life. He's always been a mostly ignored, very put-upon character. It was fun to spend time with an older, slightly wiser Lord Vorpatril."
“Grover Gardner gives a top-notch performance…This is a fun, complicated caper, performed in a seemingly effortless manner by a total pro. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
“Ivan Vorpatril has finally been given his chance to be a protagonist in this fast-paced and funny romp of a novel. With a well-crafted plot and engaging characters, this is a good book.”
“This may be one of the most anticipated and long-awaited entries to Bujold’s acclaimed Vorkosigan saga. For years fans have clamored for Ivan Vorpatril’s story, and at last Bujold delivers something that will both thrill the devoted audience and entrance new readers…Longtime readers will love seeing a new side of Ivan as well as hearing his views on many of the series characters. New readers can enjoy Ivan’s story on its own but will miss many of the nuances that add depth and character; best to begin at the beginning. Essential for all SF collections and a must-read for Bujold and Vorkosigan fans.”
“Grover Gardner does his usual fine job of bringing a Bujold story to life and seems to enjoy this more lighthearted adventure. While some characters are fully voiced, Gardner most often uses changes in tone, pitch, and style to differentiate speakers—keeping dialogue clear for the listener. Although this title integrates smoothly into the Vorkosigan Saga, Bujold always strives to write her books so that they are accessible to readers encountering her work for the first time, so this will appeal to long-time fans and newcomers in search of SF blended with romance and plenty of action.”
" Will it be as fun if you haven't read the rest of the series, probably not. If however you have read and enjoyed the rest of the series, and if you haven't why not, you should definitely read this one as well. "
" Funny. And it's nice to see someone finally appreciate Ivan fully. The line at the beginning where she calls him an idiot is priceless. Bujold never disappoints. "
" This is the first book that I've read by Bujold, having received the ARC for free. Perhaps I didn't like it since I don't know the world or the series. However, for me it was slower and more explanatory than I felt it should be. I love good sci-fi but this didn't do it for me. "
" Ivan's romance-novel plot. Pretty good, but I still miss the insanity of Brothers in Arms or Borders of Infinity. "
" A little unfocused, but fun. Nice, also, to see more of Ivan and By from a perspective other than Miles'. "
" Reading one of these books is like putting on a fuzzy sweatshirt. <3 "
" Fun and worth reading for fans of the Vorkosigan Saga. (It's about time Ivan had a book!) Not he strongest book in the series, but certainly made me laugh or exclaim out loud several times. "
" A completely delightful addition to the Vorkosigan saga. "
" Ivan meets a girl. That's how I remember it. Good story, enjoyed it very much. "
" I just want to read this every single day. "
" Bujold is losing me. About 4 books ago the tone changed - the characters are no longer n real danger of failure or death. While I love many of the characters, the stories lack emotional weight now. "
" A bit slow in the middle, but overall quite entertaining. And having not read any previous books in the series, I didn't feel too lost most of the time. "
" I enjoyed this because it was Bujold, but Ivan really deserved a little bit better. "
" Ivan is no Miles, but at least he's less mopey than aging Miles... And I kind of loved seeing everything through a different perspective. "
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.
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.
Audiobooks Were Restored to Your Cart
[ShoppingCartItemsAddedOnMerge] audiobook(s) were left in your cart from a previous visit, and saved to your account for your convenience. You may view or remove these audiobooks on the shopping cart page.