Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

By: Lois McMaster Bujold

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Science Fiction, 2014

Captain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor's life as a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. Cousin to imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, Ivan is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere, leaving Ivan to enjoy his life on Komarr, far from the Byzantine court politics of his home system. But when an old friend in Barrayaran intelligence asks Ivan to protect an attractive young woman who may be on the hit list of a criminal syndicate, his chivalrous nature takes over. It seems danger and adventure have once more found Captain Vorpatril.

Tej Arqua and her half-sister and servant, Rish, are fleeing the violent overthrow of their clan on free-for-all planet Jackson’s Whole. Now it seems Tej may possess a secret of which even she may not be aware - a secret that could corrupt the heart of a highly regarded Barrayaran family and provide the final advantage for the thugs who seek to overthrow Tej’s homeworld. But none of Tej’s formidable adversaries have counted on Ivan Vorpatril. For behind Ivan’s facade of wry and self-effacing humor lies a true and cunning protector who will never leave a distressed lady in the lurch - making the ultimate sacrifice to keep her from harm: the treasured and hard-won freedom from his own fate as a scion of Barrayar.

Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the most honored writers of science fiction and fantasy, having won five Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. In 2011 she was awarded the Skylark Award for her significant contributions to science fiction.

©2012 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2012 Blackstone Audio

Confession: I'm a Grover Gardner fan

What made the experience of listening to Captain Vorpatril's Alliance the most enjoyable?

The narration and fast pace.

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

Oh, yes. I've listened to many books narrated by Mr. Gardner.

Any additional comments?

This was a fun book that didn't take itself too seriously but the world was fully fleshed out and full of realistic and relatable relationships. There is a not-so-subtle satiric tone that really enhances to story.

Light Fun ... prior books not required

This book is a light hearted romp that is tangential to the story arc in Bujold's Vor books. The engaging central character has been a minor player in the series to date. There are passing references to the events and people that figured in the other Vor stories, but the dialog and plot in this book will amuse you regardless of your degree of familiarity with the other books. Warning: there is little profound character development or thought provoking world building in this book. It is just a fun read, well performed and worth the credit.

loyal fan<br />

Love the book.It was good to see Ivan with his own story.Not such an idiot after all!

An excellent Vorkosigan spinoff.

Really nice spin off, I enjoyed it as much as any Miles Vorkosigan novel. I hope it's not the last one!

Ivan you idiot!

Finally a book about Ivan (you idiot). Funny, charming, and a romance. Grover Gardner is great narrator. Does male and female voices excellently. Highly recommend you listen to this book just for fun. I ended up buying the rest of L.M. Bujold Vorkosigan books because I liked the narrator, even though I own most of them in paperback.

Finally a full book from Ivan's perspective!

Everything Lois McMaster Bujold writes is worth reading, but this book is a true delight.

Bujold is one of my favorites!

Grover Gardner does a great job with all of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosikan series! Her dry humor in this series is perfectly captured by Mr. Gardner and really adds to the story.I have found all of these books (including this one) very entertaining and laugh out loud funny! Be careful in public, your bursts of laughter may startle others! Although Bujold has an entirely different style, I rate her with David Weber and John Ringo. Good clean fun!

Bookends

I enjoyed Ivan's adventure well enough, but I found myself missing Miles, the nonpareil. Bujold is never less than satisfactory, but Miles on his best days is nearly impossible to match, so it was inevitable that this story would suffer by comparison.

Then, happily, I immediately followed this book with Barrayar and found that the connections between the two stories, the one set before Miles' birth and the other transpiring with no appreciable reference to him, are very strong and very satisfying. Many seeds planted in Barrayar provide the rich context for Ivan's long delayed arrival into maturity in Capt. Vorpatril's Alliance. Two courtships and weddings (or wedding and courtship in the latter case) provide wonderful bookends for the series (at least so far), and seeing MIles' parents, once more in their prime and struggling with the events surrounding his arrival on the scene, was an absolute delight for one who has reveled in his adventures through the years, his and mine.

So I recommend that you skip back to Barrayar and read or reread it before you begin this book. By tying the current narrative in with the entire sweep of the series and revisiting events which bear fruit here, you may greatly heighten your enjoyment. If, on the other hand, you have not read many or any of the Vorkosigan books, this is definitely not a good place to start. But DO get started. This is one of the premier series in all of F&SF. Just save this book for later.

Another winner from Bujold

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a story of Miles's cousin Ivan Vorpatril and takes place before "Cryoburn." For fans of the Barrayar saga, this lets us spend time with Ivan and many of the other Barrayar characters. Miles has a minor supporting role; the story revolves around Ivan, Lady Alice Vorpatril, Simon Illyan, Byerly Vorrutyer and some very entertaining people who become Ivan's relatives. Not quite as laugh out loud as "A Civil Campaign" but it's really fun to see what new troubles will plague Ivan. I also enjoyed learning more about what makes Ivan tick and listening to how the characters evolve.

As with all Bujold books it can be read as a standalone but is much richer if one is familiar with the Barrayar saga.

Grover Gardner and Blackstone Audio have done all the Bujold audiobooks. Gardner is an outstanding narrator, his characterizations are spot on and he brings out the nuances of the plot.

Highly recommended.

So much fun!

This story is a lot of fun and Grover Gardner's performance is excellent!
This has become one of my very favorite science fiction series.