Cetaganda

by Lois McMaster Bujold

Baen, ISBN 0-671-87701-1, 1996, 302pp, US$21

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Some of Bujold’s “Miles Vorkosigan” stories are serious examinations of deep issues. CETAGANDA is not. It’s a murder mystery.

Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan go to Cetaganda to attend a state funeral. When they arrive, they are mysteriously attacked; then there is a murder. The rest of the novel is basically Miles solving the murder, along with unraveling a plot involved genetic engineering banks and a possible coup. As such, CETAGANDA seems to be written for people who are already fans of the series; if you haven’t read any of the other stories, you will probably not find this one anything special, and you will undoubtedly wonder what all the fuss is about the series. This is, I believe, the first Vorkosigan novel to be published in hardback, and I find that a bit ironic, since it is a fairly lightweight entry. It’s enjoyable enough, but you might as well wait for the paperback unless you’re a collector of first editions. (And why did they decide to use a cover so similar to that of MIRROR DANCE? I mean, the two heads facing each other made sense there, but for this book they are meaningless.)

%T Cetaganda
%A Lois McMaster Bujold
%C New York
%D January 1996
%I Baen
%O hardback, US$21
%G ISBN 0-671-87701-1
%P 302pp
%S Miles Vorkosigan
%V 6 (internal chronology)