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Winterfair Gifts  By  cover art

Winterfair Gifts

By: Lois McMaster Bujold
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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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)

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What listeners say about Winterfair Gifts

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Miles is getting married finally!

Everyone's invited. An old love maybe jealous of Miles' happiness. Is his intended having an attack of nerves or worst? Will she make it to the altar?

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All together again

If you could sum up Winterfair Gifts in three words, what would they be?

Although winterfair gifts is a short story about wedding, it is worth the listen as all of Admiral Nesmith's and Mile's friends and family come to celebrate with him.

Who was your favorite character and why?

miles

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

laugh out loud

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  • Overall
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The Wedding Novella We Needed

After Miles Vorkosigan’s hilarious courtship of Ekaterin Vorsoisson in “A Civil Campaign”, the author wrote what felt like coda in “Diplomatic Immunity”as the newlyweds embark on a postponed honeymoon and find themselves racing to avert war and catastrophe.
This book was written several years later. It tells the story of their wedding and brings fans up to date on other secondary characters in the series.
I am sad the series appears to have ended, the last book having been written in 2008. I wish the story had gone on longer and given us more, but this is an entertaining tale. Not a good stand-alone for new readers. Grover Gardner is reliably excellent in this series.

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short vor story

the usual excellent bujold writing about Miles and Ekaterins' wedding, with a surprise appearance by Sgt Taura and Roic. Lots of fun, assassination attempts and learning.

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Miles & Ekaterin, Roic & Taura

Loved that it filled in the spaces in between, loved it all. Sweet with Taura

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  • 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.

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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!

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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.

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3 people found this helpful

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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.

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Perfect little transitional piece, definitely worth the read

Old characters return. Puts a nice little capstone on several of the ongoing series arks, and in addition to the big wedding, includes a nice little assassination plot.

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