The disadvantage of authors adding to a series

[owl]

I was trying to read Mirror Dance the other day and failing—I can only read it from after Miles' death and even then it's hard going except for my favourite scenes (Gregor and Mark, Ivan crying in the garden, Miles going manic when he gets his memory back). Similarly I can't read the first few chapters of Memory, I have to start just after the scene in Illyan's office. Anyway, I was slogging away towards Aral's heart attack, and I started to wonder if the announced next Vorkosigan book is going to be the one in which LMB finally kills him off. Because on the scale of 'worst possible things' the only thing above Aral's death I can think of is Ekaterin or the twins being killed (or Miles, again, I suppose). Um. There's always Gregor being assassinated, I suppose, which would be almost as bad as Miles but would have worse consequences for Barrayar as a whole.

After that I couldn't read any of the books, not even the happier ones. The downside of an open canon. I mean, I like the thought of a Vorkosiverse story, but is it worth all the anxiety beforehand? Best case for me I suppose would be for the focus not to be on the Vorkosigans. Shame she finds Ivan so slippery to write, he's getting rather interesting of late. And I'd like to know what the rest of the Dendarii are getting up to.

Comments

[coughingbear]

I'm much the same as you with Memory, definitely can't read the first chapters when he makes the mistake and makes the decision to lie about it and I hurry through the next bit. After Illyan's office I'm OK (and I do think it's a wonderful book).

I do dread Aral's death. But I would like to see more of Sergyar and him and Cordelia there, and I am hoping that (as has happened before) Bujold thinks of something else entirely to do to people. If there is more Mark and Ivan I will also be pretty happy. But I was surprised when she said there'd be another one as I thought she'd fairly much finished with Miles.

[owl]

I'm thinking that if we do see more of Aral and Cordelia, it will be a swan-song :(
I d think that Miles has about reached the end o his story. Ekaterin might be good for a bit more (I really missed her PoV in DI), but focusing on someone else in the extened family would be nice.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see Ekaterin and Laisa make friends. Now I think about it, what I would really like a book of short stories, focusing on extended family characters (in the widest sense of family), or unusual combinations of characters. A book of things like Winterfair Gifts.

[owl]

Ooh, now there's a good idea....

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Like a ficathon, only done by Lois so that we don't have too ;-D