Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Winterfair Gifts  By  cover art

Winterfair Gifts

By: Lois McMaster Bujold
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $7.76

Buy for $7.76

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

This Hugo-nominated novella adds a delightful extra chapter to Bujold's acclaimed Vorkosigan series. Falling in between the novels A Civil Campaign and Diplomatic Immunity, it describes the wedding of Miles and Ekaterin and the events leading up to it.

In the festive season of Winterfair on the planet Barrayar, Lord Miles Vorkosigan is making elaborate preparations for his wedding. The long-awaited event stirs up romance and intrigue among his eccentric family and friends, particularly for bioengineered space mercenary Sergeant Taura and shy, diffident Armsman Roic. But Miles also has an enemy who is plotting to turn the romantic ceremony into a festival of death.

Winterfair Gifts offers another of Bujold's witty, character-centered science-fiction plots with a twist of romance.

Hi-fi sci-fi: listen to more in the Vorkosigan saga.
©2004 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Miles is one of the most enjoyable characters in science fiction." ( School Library Journal)

Featured Article: 12 of the Best Sci-Fi Series in Audio


From the furthest reaches of space to the microbiology of pandemics and gene manipulation, to the future implications of technology for societies similar to our own, science fiction is a fascinating genre that offers listeners a wide variety of ways to access its themes. In looking for the best sci-fi audiobook series, it can be difficult to know where to start due to the genre's sheer number of iterations and variations. But what these series have in common is an acute devotion to telling a good story, as well as fully building out the worlds therein. The writing is enhanced by the creative and impassioned narration.

What listeners say about Winterfair Gifts

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,619
  • 4 Stars
    464
  • 3 Stars
    128
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,428
  • 4 Stars
    270
  • 3 Stars
    39
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,280
  • 4 Stars
    341
  • 3 Stars
    106
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Miles

Lois... Please, please, please...
Bring us more Miles.
This is my favorite series, and I have heard them all more than once. Most are on Audible, but keep them comming.
There are not many books with this mix of action, emotion, and humor. Great Characters that are very memorable from book to book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Really Enjoyed

I had read two of Lois McMaster Bujold books over the years but nothing containing Miles himself. I have really enjoyed these audio books they make the miles fly. I found the narator easy to listen to, he changed for each character but not to such an extreme as to be unplesant to listen to. The reading was nice and smooth, without putting you to sleep.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Read before Cryoburn!

A short story about Miles and Ekaterin's wedding. It's told from Armsman Roic's view and was kind of refreshing to see things from his prospective. . Very sweet episode with Taura, too! If you read the series, I would definitely recommend adding this short story to your collection. It also give you better understanding of Roic before you read Cryoburn!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This Is How A Novella Should Be

This was an excellently made novella. Considering I am not a huge fan of short stories that is a big compliment. This a telling of Miles life through the perspective of Armsman Roic. After having read the last 9 books from Miles viewpoint having a short side track for a few hours from another characters perspective was interesting. This is a great treat for a fan of the series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I laughed & cried all in the same breath

This book was truly a delight. In addition to the wonderful wedding saga of the lead characters, Miles & Ekaterin, you get a lot of insight into the characters of TAURA and Mile's new armsman, ROIC. I found myself laughing & crying almost at the same time while reading & re-reading the sections between Taura & Roic.

Kudos to Bujold & Gardner for this off-the-normal Vorkosigan Adventure.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

how the garden grew

What did you love best about Winterfair Gifts?

meeting Roic (fully dressed)

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. He's always good, and has corrected some mispronunciations from the earlier books in the series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Only problem is it's too short!

I have listened to all the Vorkosigan series books that are out on Audible, even the ones I have already read before...multiple times. Maybe I'm obsessed. I need more Miles. Grover Gardner narrates this whole series perfectly - he is wonderful! Start with this if you like to get a taste of the series (and if you don't mind spoilers) but I recommend starting from the beginning with The Warrior's Apprentice and working through them from there. I'd like to see Shards of Honor and Barrayar on Audible as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I Love This Series

What made the experience of listening to Winterfair Gifts the most enjoyable?

As usual, this was a compelling read from Lois. Although lacking in the action area that I enjoy so much from the Miles books, it was still exciting. Excellent addition to my library.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

GREAT BOOK

I am a huge fan of Lois McMaster Bujold, and Grover Gardner is the perfect reader for the Miles books. This one has a fun romance and a good mystery.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Lois MacMaster Bujold is certainly in my top 5 for favorite authors. (Possibly top 3) I can't get enough of Miles Vorkosigan. Even when its not directly about Miles, its enough to give me my Vorkosigan Fix. More More More, we want More!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful