Cetaganda
First off, I must confess I’ve been mainlining LMB for a couple of weeks now, ever since Diplomatic Immunity. To get over my mild disappointment with the latest, I started over from Shards of Honor. There’s just something about Cordelia.
I stopped by the library for The Vor Game and hit unexpected paydirt - Miles, Mystery & Mayhem, the latest two-volume edition, and the last two novels I hadn’t read. I found Cetaganda a bit too much like Diplomatic Immunity - Miles running around knowing too much about the Star Creche and trying to keep his accidental discovery from touching off yet another war with the Cetagandans. A novel all about things not happening can hardly compare to a novella where they do happen, such as the weatherman half of The Vor Game, but I’m not complaining. The Cetagandans were interesting, if
something of a still-life, and I’ve always had a soft spot for that-idiot-Ivan. I suppose that’s one of the perils of having started with A Civil Campaign.
August 11th, 2002 at 6:09 pm
I share your love of Ivan.
I found that Cetaganda improved on rereading. It’s not a favourite, but once you’ve read it, and taken the suspence out of the plot (which follows a formula I’m not in love with), then you have the time to savour the beautiful Cetagandan society.
(And it is beautiful, physically and in its construction. I love Cetaganda, the society. Not in love with Cetaganda the book.)
As for Diplomatic Immunity, it doesn’t come anywhere near the lows of Ethan of Athos. For me, anyway. It was a light, flawed read, but it kept me entertained for a few hours.
And as LMB said in an interview, in a career which she intends to span 20 or more books, there are inevitably good and bad moments.