Miles Vorkosigan makes his debut in this frenetic coming-of-age tale. At age seventeen, Miles is allowed to take the entrance exams to the elite military academy; he passes the written but manages, through miscalculation in a moment of anger, to break both his legs on the obstacle course, washing out before he begins. His aged grandfather dies in his sleep shortly after, and Miles blames himself. He is sent to visit his grandmother Naismith on distant Beta Colony, accompanied by his bodyguard, Sergeant Bothari, and Bothari’s daughter, Elena. Miles passes himself off as a mercenary leader as he picks up a ragtag crew, and soon his father Aral is under political attack back home as garbled rumors of Miles’ mercenary operations trickle back. Miles must abandon his new fleet and dash back to Barrayar to stop the plot.
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"This third book in the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold is set 17 years after the first two books. Miles Vorkosigan, the infant son of Aral and Cordelia born with brittle bones due to a botched assassination attempt on his pregnant mother in Barrayar, is now an honorable young man eager to prove himself in the military as his father did. However, despite his intelligence and strong grasp of strategy, his physical condition prevents him from entering the service. Adrift, with no concrete plans for the future, Miles ends up admiral of a mercenary fleet through an escalating series of well-intentioned lies and misunderstandings. Readers will enjoy being along for this amusing ride, although some will be disappointed in the death of a major character and the abrupt end to a promising romance between two others."
— Carolyn (4 out of 5 stars)
“The Warrior’s Apprentice displays such wit, style, and versatility that there’s no doubt about it; Bujold is one of the best writers of SF adventure to come along in years.”
— Locus“The pace is breathless, the characterization thoughtful and emotionally powerful, and the author’s narrative technique and command of language compelling. Highly recommended.”
— Booklist" Have to say I'm becoming quite taken with this series. I don't know why I avoided Bujold for as long as I did, but she really lives up to her reputation as a fantastic science fiction writer. This is a great book and an okay place to jump on to the series, if you only want to read about Miles. But I'd recommend starting with Shards of Honor and working your way here, they're all worth a good read. "
— Invid, 2/16/2014" Clearly the start of a long love affair, and confirms my Bujold fan status. "
— Liz, 2/13/2014" Reading this book feels a little like watching a bad 80s sci-fi movie - complete with a slow plot, stiff dialogue, grainy color (one imagines), bad hair-dos, and futuristic costumes that suspiciously resemble tacky 80s fashion. There was some good humor here and there, and for some reason I was curious to know what happened, so I finished it out of idle curiosity. "
— Lobeck, 2/10/2014" It started off a little slow for me as at first I did really find all the amazing stuff happened just by coincidence believable. Regardless, I pushed through to the very rewarding conclusion. Charactars were very well written and if it did not pre-date Game of Thrones. I would just say its "Tyrion in Space". The conclusion wrapped everything up nicely. "
— Bruce, 1/28/2014" Ms. Bujold really is wonderful. This book is immediately absorbing, extremely well written and has a dandy group of characters and plot. Even the secondary characters come to life in a manner where one feels you know them. Another splendid achievement by one of my favorite authors. "
— TJ, 1/21/2014" A breezily entertaining sci-fi adventure. The story, in which the physically stunted but exceedingly clever Miles extricates himself from predicaments by jumping into even bigger predicaments, moves enjoyably along, even if the plot and some of the characters are a little by-the-numbers. Bujold writes with wit and Miles is an easy protagonist to like. The fact he comes from a feudal society gives the book an interesting fantasy-in-space flavor. Not a particularly mind-expanding read, but a good one. "
— Ryan, 1/5/2014" One of my alltime favs. Though it is the third book in the series its not necessary to have read the first two in advance (though they are recommended). Its funny, it has drama and it has action. What do you want more? :D "
— Chukkzy, 1/4/2014" A good old fashioned sf novel - prelude to a space opera I believe. fun to listen to and work to - I will definitely listen to more even though I am deeply confused as to what order I should be reading them in. Every site organises them differently. "
— Maylin, 12/12/2013" I am excited that I am finally reading this series. Miles makes an unlikely hero, but I love his humour and how he seems to just fall into situations and make them endlessly more complicated. "
— Pinikir, 7/19/2013" Easy and fun to read, it's a good start to a series!! "
— Dawn, 7/17/2013" How can you not like Miles Vorkosigan and his escapades? "
— Jane, 11/12/2012" Great fun. A physically challenged hero with a quick mind. The great brain goes space faring. "
— Dave, 7/5/2012" Excellent! I've read this book once before and absolutely loved it. Good writing, good pace, enjoyable characters. "
— Felicia, 4/29/2012" Mobius strip of bureaucratic paperwork-- love the choice of words throughout this book! "
— Christine, 1/8/2012" This is one of the books that I tell people to read if they want to get to know me. Or if they aren't sure if they will like SF or not. The characters and plot is compelling and fantastic. Great world. Great all the way around. "
— Haengbok92, 9/18/2011" A fun diversion! I listened to the audiobook during my commute and I think I missed a few details of the plot (it probably deserved a little more attention than I gave it). I will probably read more of the series. (especially now that I know they are available as free eBook) "
— Ellen, 9/2/2011" This book was entertaining enough. A good space opera, as it says on the cover. "
— Vicky, 5/20/2011" One of the best cosmooperas indeed "
— Pono, 5/12/2011" Good story, very funny tale of a misfit with high intelligence who stumbles his way into leading his own army of inter-galactic mercenaries. Liked the characters and the tone, hope to read more in this series one day. "
— Richard, 4/25/2011" Fantastic introduction to LMB's best character. If you don't like this one, you're not going to like any of the Mile Vorkosigan books. "
— Alisa, 4/19/2011" One of my all-time favorite books! "
— Syp, 4/5/2011" The sci-fi elements were pretty standard, but the story and characters were interesting and well drawn. A fun space opera. "
— Rob, 3/30/2011" Pretty awesome book. I can't wait to read the others. Definitely one of the best sci fi books I've read in a while. Miles is a wonderful character. "
— Jeremy, 3/17/2011" I've read it at least 3x. I've been a fan of this author since her first back in the late 80s. "
— Nancy, 3/10/2011" Continua la saga dei Vor, con premesse più avventurose e forse inverosimili. Piacevole romanzo d’evasione, nulla di più. "
— Zeruhur, 2/9/2011" There were times where I wasn't really sure where it was going, but there was a great payoff at the end. Can't wait to read more about Miles. "
— Athene, 1/25/2011Lois 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.