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Title: Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold, Hanson Michael, Cowan Carol ISBN: 1-885585-05-5 Publisher: Readers Chair Pub. Date: September, 1999 Format: Audio Cassette List Price(USD): $36.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (22 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Who needs Miles?
Comment: This volume is generally one of the less popular among Bujold fans, probably due to the absence of Bujold's most celebrated character, Miles Vorkosigan. But it's a solid story with pleasures of its own.
Ethan comes from Athos, a planet founded by misogynists who took their loathing of women so seriously that they founded a planet populated only by men. Uterine replicator have been used for reproduction, but now they are failing and there is a need to import fresh genetic material, so Ethan is sent to Klein Station to pick up new materials.
On Klein Station, Ethan encounters betrayal and conspiracies from galactic powers that isolated Athosians have little understanding of. His only ally is Elli Quinn of the Free Dendarii mercenaries.
Wild adventures ensue, with the usual amount of double-crosses, mysteries, and sudden plot twists, all of which are handled well and are a sufficient reason to read the book. But the greatest pleasure in this story for me is the Bulold's world-building. She has really thought about Athos and about Klein Station, and she creates them as plausible places, showing what they are like. And, as another reviewer has properly pointed out, she shows the uniqueness of these societies not with long chunks of exposition that break up the story, or characters who deliver implausible lectures on the differences between their societies and 20th Century Earth, but by allowing you to see events from the perspective of people from those societies.
This isn't Bujold's best. But it's an illustration that Bujold, even a bit off form, is still better than most and a very rewarding writer.
Because this book doesn't include Miles Vorkosigan and his complicated personal issues, it will be an easier read than most Bujold books for somebody unfamiliar with the series.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Great Book If You're Willing to Look Past Miles
Comment: Okay, let's get the worst out of the way first - this book doesn't feature Miles Vorkosigan, although there are a few references to him. It doesn't feature Aral or Cordelia, either. But the main characters are still wonderful Bujold creations, the plot is tight and gripping, and the mechanics are first-rate.
The protagonists in this novel are Elli Quinn (later featured rather extensively in Miles books) and the eponymous Ethan (Urquhart). They're fun, they're smart, they're what you'd expect from a Bujold character - even though they aren't Vorkosigans.
The story is fast-moving and fascinating, and it falls into that elusive subgenre, mystery science fiction - so hard to write and write well that there's hardly any out there. But Ethan of Athos follows all the rules of the subgenre, and so reveals a lot about the Vorkosigan universe its inner workings.
If you've enjoyed Bujold's other novels, and you can cope with the concept of a Miles-less book, this one is for you. (And, look - she doesn't write fast enough to occupy even the slowest reader full-time. So think of this as a welcome interlude between Miles books.) And if you enjoy good characters in good SF, or especially mystery SF, this one is definitely for you.
Rating: 4
Summary: A Fun, Light-hearted Romp
Comment: This is a fun romp through a space station through the eyes of a man who has never seen a woman and has been raised to believe that they are the ultimate evil. Unfortunately for him, he's also pretty open-minded and a genuinely nice guy. Plus, one woman in particular (Quinn) keeps saving his life from the machinations of the bad guys and eventually it seems like bad form to run away from her every time he does so. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
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Title: Borders of Infinity by Bujold, Lois McMaster Bujold ISBN: 0671720937 Publisher: Baen Books Pub. Date: 22 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Cetaganda by Bujold ISBN: 0671877445 Publisher: Baen Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold ISBN: 0671697994 Publisher: Baen Books Pub. Date: 02 January, 1989 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold ISBN: 067157812X Publisher: Baen Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Memory by Bujold ISBN: 067187845X Publisher: Baen Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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