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Foreigner Series; Favorite Moments (beware spoilers!)
Topic Started: Feb 5 2008, 08:21 PM (6,194 Views)
agricola
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I just love Miles! I love his MOTHER. I love his FATHER. I even love little brother MARK! Heck, I even love Cousin IVAN!

Anybody who hasn't yet read Shards of Honor, Barrayar, Memory et al - get thee to a bookstore NOW and get started!
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agricola
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OK OK thread hijack - sorry - or stick it in the appropriate forum about recommended authors/series. still -

Of all the current authors out there, Bujold and Cherryh are 'nearest siblings' in style. Just my opinion.
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Chanor-ji

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Quote:
 
The last three Foreigner books were all published in sequential Februaries. Given when  sent off the recently completed manuscript, I'm going to venture that this trilogy will be published in either sequential Decembers or Januaries. All things being equal, I'm leaning more to January. That way, the book will not get lost in the Christmas clutter and many people will have gift cards or gift money to pay for the book.


In light of a posting Sk8er made on another thread, I must retract my speculation as to when Foreigner 10 will be published. I am now as much in the dark as the rest of you, and just as frustrated. (The only thing lower on the book industry food chain than booksellers are authors. The publishers treat both categories as mushrooms: They keep us in the dark and feed us horse manure.)
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Arcadia
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agricola,May 26 2008
09:44 PM
OK OK thread hijack - sorry - or stick it in the appropriate forum about recommended authors/series. still -

Of all the current authors out there, Bujold and Cherryh are 'nearest siblings' in style. Just my opinion.

I hadn't thought of this, but... yeah. I have re-read series from both authors many times with great enjoyment. I wonder if we could have another thread, or if there is already one here, comparing and contrasting Bren and Miles. It might be interesting.
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agricola
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I do like characters that grow and change (in NORMAL fashion) as a book series goes on - it's very eerie when they just soldier on, from book to book to book, with never a hint of reflection, self doubt, or a gray hair...

I loved it in Civil Campaign, when Miles put on his Dendarii uniform and was so astonished when the darned thing didn't FIT around his tummy any longer!

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griffinmoon
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Agricola nadi:
Right there with ya' on Miles & Boujold in general. Just picked up a copy of The Sharing Knife, part 1 of 2, fantasy of hers. Found myself bursting out laughing in a spot or three!
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Resa
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agricola,May 26 2008
06:13 AM
I just love Miles! I love his MOTHER. I love his FATHER. I even love little brother MARK! Heck, I even love Cousin IVAN!

Anybody who hasn't yet read Shards of Honor, Barrayar, Memory et al - get thee to a bookstore NOW and get started!

:ot2
Psst, what's the title of the first book? Our library seems to have the series ... but does not indicate which order they're supposed to be in.
/ :ot2
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Aelith
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LT has both the cronological and publication orders listed.

sorry lost the link. just search her name for the author page.
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agricola
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Shards of Honor is first, then Barrayar - these two were later published in an omnibus called Cordelia's Honor. They are the 'pre-story' of Miles - he is born in 'Barrayar'. But DEFINITELY read these books! They would be excellent even if Miles never existed!

here's a link to a list:

www.amazon.com/Chronological-List-Vorkorsigan-Books/lm/R1TP35AQSK5GIA/ref=cm_lmt_srch_f_1_rsrsrs0
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Chanor-ji

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"Civil Campaign" was the first Miles Vorkosigan book I read, and despite being unfamiliar with the series, spent several hours snickering and chortling and even laughing out loud.

As a mystery, Diplomatic Immunity is fantastic. Unfortunately, I can't just stock it and recommend it to people. In order to understand what's happening, you need to have read the entire series, and there are very few mystery readers who will read sf. They will happily believe that one or two people a week get murdered in Cabot's Cove, Maine, but vampires or FTL or interstellar empires? "That's just not real!"
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Arcadia
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I'm with Chanor-ji about Diplomatic Immunity, and with agricola-ji about Shards- wonderful books!

I haven't heard of The Sharing Knife, but as much as I like Bujold, I need to read them.

I'm not a big fantasy fan, but I liked Bujold's Chalion books, too.
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Chia

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I'm another Vorkorsigan fan. And the parents are among my favorites. I found Cordelia's Honor (also known as Shards of Honor and Barrayar) on tape at my old library. The reader adds an amazing amount of depth that I didn't find in the written book. (Perhaps I was spoiled by the tapes :( ) If the audio existed on CD or mp3 I'd snaffle it up in a second.

If you are looking for the reading order be aware that they are currently being re-released repackaged with about two to three books under one new title. (As if the Foreigner series was re-issued with Foreinger, Invader and Inheritor in one Volume, then Precursor, Defender and Explorer together etc...)

I just love how Cordelia uses "Barrayar!" as an epithet. :rofl:

I had never considered comparing Miles and Bren, possibly because Miles is so hyper compared to Bren. Yet, I can begin to see it. They both try to hold together chaotic situations while questioning themselves. Although if Bren was as suseptable to ulcers as Miles, I think he'd have the bigger glass of Maloxx.
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Arcadia
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One striking similarity is that both use sharp wit to solve problems in creative ways, each using their own talent.

I feel that both are physically fragile, but actually, if I remember correctly, Bren is hardy for a human- is this correct? Perhaps I compare him against the stronger and larger Atevi. Although we do hear his inner complaints about the cold, for example.

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agricola
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For a human - according to the canon - Bren is a) tall b) athletic c) brilliant in math and d) extremely talented with languages and diplomatic 'soft' skills (c and d, in my opinion, are a rare mix for a human). He skies. He sails - he is VERY competitive with his brother in these pursuits. He picked up mechieta-riding skills pretty darned fast - and likes to do it - he is proud of his skills in that area.

He is either blonde or light brown haired - in an early book it said 'brown' but the ateva keep saying he is blond (yellow hair). I originally pictured him as slender and bookish looking, but I am having to revise that. Now I sometimes think he probably looks like a Viking! He's small compared to atevi, not compared to humans. My usual picture of Bren is that he is well built but not massive, and tall but not unusually so (for a human). He worked out with Banichi on the ship and got into pretty good shape, he felt. He was reasonably physical in the cross country trip and assorted violence after, and although very tired, obviously, he wasn't totally wiped out. He was 'together' enough in the winter forest to target the right person, and steady enough to take his aim.

Is he blue eyed? I don't know. We hear a lot about golden atevi eyes, and a mention now and then of Bren's hair- which is also curly, BTW, which atev hair isn't - apparently the curls are a novelty. But we haven't heard (as far as I can recall) any mention of BREN'S eyes. You'd think we would have. Cajeiri mentions the eye colors of his human 'associates' on the ship (dark brown, hazel).

DOES anybody mention Bren's eye color? I can't recall any mention.



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griffinmoon
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Agricola nadi:
Bren's eyes are blue, I just can't recall where all this is mentioned.
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