Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga. Discussion, readthroughs, fic recs, art, general fannish stuff.
Favorite source of non-Barrayarans
Places that the books have been set in at least partially. (I hope I didn't miss any.) The Cetagandan planets have been collapsed into one entry. Komarr and Sergyar are part of the Barrayaran Empire and thus not in this poll.
Optional: tell us about your favorite non-Barrayarans!




This is really hard... but I picked Beta, because 1. Cordelia and 2. Bel Thorne. And also much of the first book. I HAVE A WEAKNESS FOR SINGLE CHARACTERS, OKAY.
Although Cetaganda is definitely what I would choose if we were talking about society as a whole.
Beta's nice! ("Single" as in "romantically unattached" or something else?) Bel is a gem, even if I wish that LMB had chosen some other pronoun to use with the herms. Actually, one could even say that Bel is a Thorne in the side of its enemies... *shows self out*
My vote is for Cetaganda, since the Sexist Empire That Celebrates Pretty Things is not a place often seen in SF. I also feel that there would be space for some interesting meta about Barrayar subscribes to the warrior king model of masculinity, whilst Cetaganda subscribes to the philosopher king model.
Cetaganda is such an interesting place, both in its own right and also because we only really see it through Miles' POV. I would love to read a more unbiased (or maybe differently-biased?) perspective of their politics and way of life.
Not gonna lie, I want Ivan (socially competent, not-at-all-politically-inclined Ivan) to become some sort of embassy attaché on Cetaganda and then get invited to all the garden parties. And try very hard not to get roped into any ghemish scheming. :P Or perhaps have Mark visit? Or Simon and Alys?
I would of course also read a book with just Cetagandans in it. Perhaps the annals of Lady Arvin?
I voted for Cetaganda because of the sheer chutzpah of making it Heian Era Japan IN SPACE!
(srsly: if you want court ladies with many-layered clothes and hair longer than their height who use personal vehicles to roam around because being seen by strangers would be impolite, who spend their time in stuff like short-form poetry and incense-tasting contests, and where politics are determined by who gets to get their daughters married to the Emperor, read The Tale of Genji. Cetaganda has also haut and ghem parallel kuge and buke nobility from the Kamakura period)
Everything's better IN SPACE, no? :P
I am completely unfamiliar with Heian Era Japan and The Tale of Genji, but that sounds really, really interesting! Does the plot of Cetaganda reference the plot of The Tale of Genji, by any chance, or is it just the setting? In any case, I'd be very much interested in hearing your thoughts on any similarities.
No, the plot doesn't have anything to do with the Genji at all (except maybe the emphasis on grooming Murasaki from childhood as the ideal bride in absence of Cetagandan genetic engineering, perhaps). It's just that the inspiration for Cetagandan society is really blatant.
I'd still be interested in a look at what corresponds to what, and how any changes were done. Would you like to make a post on it, perhaps?
Eeep, I'll see what I can do O_O
I adore the quaddies; I always have. I want MORE quaddie stories, drat it!