Title: Shards of Honor
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Audiobook Narrator: Grover Gardner
Series: Vorkosigan Saga (Book 1)

While on a science expedition on an alien planet, Cordelia Naismith is taken by surprise when her crew is attacked by a viscous group of Barrayarans. Cordelia and a surviving member of her crew soon find themselves prisoners of Aral Vorkosigan, the infamous Butcher of Komarr. It doesn't take long until Cordelia realizes that her situation is not completely black and white. The Barrayarans that attacked her crew also betrayed Vorkosigan. If they are to survive in the harsh wilderness of this unknown planet, Cordelia and Vorkosigan will need to become fast allies. But what happens when that shaky alliance grows into something more?

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga is one of the most beloved sci-fi series out there, so I've always been interested in trying it out. I tried reading Shards of Honor about a year ago but couldn't get into it decided to put it aside. This time around, I decided to experience the book as an audiobook and found the experience more satisfying all around. Shards of Honor is clearly an early, and flawed effort from Bujold, something that will probably obvious to anyone who has read later novels by this talented author. Interestingly, despite it's flaws, you can already see the strengths of Bujold's writing beginning to emerge, especially when it comes to characterization.

Shards of Honor is a science fiction/adventure book with a heavy emphasis on romance. The story's main focus is the relationship between Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkosigan, and their journey from sworn enemies into love. Admittedly, I had a hard time buying how quickly the two characters fell for each other, but the further I got into the book, the easier it was for me to route for them. Bujold certainty has a gift for crafting likable characters, and this can really be felt with the main duo. I feel as if the words I often use to describe Bujold's protagonists are “satisfyingly competent” which is true with Cordelia. It's true she does make mistakes, but she's ultimately intelligent and good at thinking on her feet, which makes her very likable. Although the world crafted here is not as memorable (at least during this book) as say, Bujold's Chalion series, I did enjoy the old fashioned feel of the series. It felt at times like watching episodes of the original Star Trek series, only with less misogyny and bizarre costume choices. Where the book wavers is with plot. It took me a long time to get into this admittedly short book. On top of that, I found myself annoyed with it's multiple endings, and the epilogue feels randomly tagged onto the end. Because of this, I found myself disappointed at times with Shards of Honor, but I was ultimately happy that I read it.

Thoughts on the Audiobook: Grover Gardner doesn't put as much effort into crafting voices as I prefer, but he does really nail some of the more intense moments of the book. Not a fantastic performance, but solid overall.

Final Thoughts: Shards of Honor may not have wowed me on the same level as Curse of Chalion or Paladin of Souls, but the novel's likable cast of characters, sweet romance, and overall fun feel made it an enjoyable read. From what I hear the series really hit's it sweet spot with Barrayar, the second novel to start Cordelia Naismith and winner of many book awards. I look forward to reading it. Three and a Half Stars

Next I will be reviewing Joe the Barbarian by Grant Morrison