The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

Why I listened:  After finishing The Firebird, I listened to some podcasts - a bit of a sorbet if you will, and I thought it was safest to listen to something from another genre altogether for my next audiobook - Kearsley casts a long shadow.  Also, Bujold is always reliable I have found.  This was no exception.

What it's about:  (from Goodreads)  Together, they can get into a lot of trouble. Trouble only the combined forces of the Free Dendarii Mercenaries can get them out of. At least, that's what they're hoping...

In this latest adventure with the galaxy's craftiest mercenary leader Miles, starts out by so shaking up the High Command on his home planet of Barrayar that he is sent to the other side of the galaxy - where who should he run into but his old pals the Free Dendarii Mercenaries. And a good thing too, because it turns out that Miles' childhood chum, that's Emperor Gregor to you, has been the victim of foul play, and only Miles - with a little Dendarii muscle - can save him. This is very important to Miles; because if Gregor dies, the only person who could become the new emperor is Miles himself - and that he regards as a fate worse than death.

What worked for me (and what didn't): As is most often the case with the Vorkosigan books, I didn't read the blurb before I clicked play.  The story begins when Miles is given his first assignment after graduating from the Barrayaran Military Academy.  He is sent to Kiril Island ("Camp Permafrost") where his mission is to learn to be subordinate to superior officers and to also learn how to command ordinary soldiers.    What I thought was going to be the story (which perhaps would have been clearer had I read the blurb!) was not at all what the story turned out to be.  But, it's an adventure tale and it's an adventure when you don't know where the story is going.  I was happy to go along for the ride and marvel at the way things went from point A to point Z and all the wonderful journeys in between.

The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

Why I listened to it:  I decided to sneak in one of my own listens between review audios.  This isn't a romance but I love the Vorkosigan world so the series is one of my rare exceptions.

What it's about: (from Goodreads) Miles Vorkosigan is the leader of a fast growing mercenary force and the hero of an all-out space battle. At the end of the conflict, he heads a fleet of 19 ships and 3,000 troops. The only problem is, it is treason--as in, a hanging offense--to command a private army.

Warning: **Mild series spoilers for Shards of Honor/ Barrayar**

What worked for me (and what didn't): When I last left Miles Vorkosigan at the end of Barrayar, he was a rambunctious 5 year old, getting into mischief even while breaking bones all the time due to his medical condition.  The series picks up here, with Miles at age 17, trying out for the Barrayaran Military Academy.  Aral (Miles' dad)  is now the Prime Minister, Gregor having ascended to the throne on his majority.

Due to Saltoxin poisoning when he was in utero, Miles is short of stature (just under 5 feet so far) and has very brittle bones.  A mishap on the obstacle course means his hopes of becoming an Officer are dashed.

Miles has a huge crush on Elena Borthari, now 18, and, to try and woo her, he agrees to help her discover information about her mother.  Miles, Elena and Sgt. Borthari travel to Beta Colony ostensibly to visit his grandmother, but Miles has a secret plan to stop at Escobar and see what he can find out about the mysterious woman who is the other half of Elena's DNA.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

Why I listened to it: Having enjoyed Shards of Honor and Barrayar so much, I decided, whether or not any of the other books had a strong romantic thread (or any) I was going to listen to the rest of the series.  I decided to start at the beginning - Falling Free was written after Shards of Honor but is chronologically the first book in the series.  There are no Vorkosigans in the book, but apparently the author recommends starting here.

What it's about: (from Goodreads)  Leo Graf was an effective engineer...Safety Regs weren't just the rule book he swore by; he'd helped write them. All that changed on his assignment to the Cay Habitat. Leo was profoundly uneasy with the corporate exploitation of his bright new students—till that exploitation turned to something much worse. He hadn't anticipated a situation where the right thing to do was neither save, nor in the rules...

Leo Graf adopted 1000 quaddies— now all he had to do was teach them to be free.

What worked for me (and what didn't): I hadn't even read the blurb for this one. So, the "quaddies" and the whole set up was a bit of a shock.  Essentially, the quaddies are a genetically engineered human species, designed to be perfectly adapted to life in freefall (zero gravity).  They have no need of legs.  They have four arms instead.  They can cope with a lot more radiation than a "normal" human and for a variety of reasons, represent a huge potential saving to the company "Galactech" - they don't need to send the quaddies to 1G atmosphere for 1 month every 3 months - no transport costs, no wages, no employee benefits.  Because the quaddies aren't regarded as human.  

Leo, from whose (3rd person) POV most of the story is told doesn't think of them that way (thank God or I would have hated him).  But the story does raise interesting questions about what is humanity, about genocide, slavery and corporate disinterest and greed - both of which can only mean disaster for the quaddies.

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

Why I listened to it:  I loved Shards of Honor so much I wanted to listen to the next one to see what happened next.  Luckily it was on my TBL.

What it's about:  (from Audible)   Political intrigue, culture clash and romance make a stirring mix in this award-winning follow-up novel to the acclaimed Shards of Honor.

In the wake of interplanetary war, former commander Cordelia Naismith has deserted her own planet to marry the leader of the defeated enemy, Aral Vorkosigan. On his home planet of Barrayar, two rival factions are eyeing the recently vacated throne, and Aral, recently appointed Regent of Barrayar by the Emperor on his deathbed, must stand between them. 

Lord and Lady Vorkosigan, Aral and Cordelia struggle to establish stability in a fragile government thrown into confusion by the transition of power and the threat of civil war. When a palace coup endangers the government, their lives, and her unborn son, Cordelia takes action to secure the safety of her new family and new home.

What worked for me (and what didn't): I have been so fortunate in my reading and listening this year.  Soon I shall worry I'm getting soft.     Following on almost immediately from Shards of Honor, Barrayar is the story of what happens when Aral takes the post of Regent for the young emporer Gregor.  Barrayar is politically unstable and there are a number of opportunists who would like to take advantage and grab power for themselves.    Cordelia and Aral are expecting their first child and there is risk to the child, herself and her beloved husband. 

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

Why I listened to it:  I've had this on my TBL for a while and I was in the mood for a fantasy (although in this case, it's really more sci-fi) romance from a reliably good author and I had it on good authority that the narrator was awesome too.

What it's about:  (from Goodreads)  Cordelia Naismith, Betan Survey Captain, was expecting the unexpected: hexapods, floating creatures, odd parasites... She was not, however, expecting to find hostile humans on an uninhabited planet. And she wasn't really expecting to fall in love with a 40-plus barbarian known to cosmopolitan galactics as the Butcher of Komarr. Will Mother ever understand? And can such an odd beast as love survive an interplanetary war?

What worked for me (and what didn't): Quite a few of my reader friends have recommended the Vorkosigan saga books to me.  This book had been sitting on my TBL for quite a while and I finally found the space to listen.

The story is told in Cordelia's third person POV and I was a little disappointed when at the beginning of the listen it became apparent that she was going to be stuck with a very deep male voice for the whole book.  Grover Gardner has a low baritone and he doesn't even attempt a female voice.  While I appreciated there was no drag-y falsetto, it took some getting used to to "hear" Cordelia in that deep rumble.  But, my friend Brenda told me that the narrator was awesome and the book was as good so I bore down and kept going.  I'm so glad I did.  After a while, the deep voice stopped bothering me because Gardner conveyed the character so well in other ways.  Even though there was little difference between Vorkosigan's voice and Cordelia's, their characters were so different and distinct, that I had littel difficulty in identifying who was talking.  I realised that my friend was right. Gardner is an awesome narrator.