If you relish costume adventure in an intergalactic society starring strong, convincing male and female characters, you'll adore the Vorkosigan Series. If you haven't met Miles Vorkosigan, whose brilliance, manic energy, and unstoppable determination make him a larger-than-life hero despite his dwarfish stature, pick up Komarr and A Civil Campaign. Read them, and then go back and catch the previous nine books (10 if you count Ethan of Athos, which features not Miles but his partner, Ellie Quinn); or read the series in order, starting with the romance of Miles's parents in Shards of Honor.

A Civil Campaign opens where Komarr ends, with Miles determined to court Ekaterin. Unfortunately, his approach is described as "General Romeo Vorkosigan, the one-man strike force." By his father. The potential for comic disaster increases when Miles's clone brother Mark arrives. He's brought a brilliant but scatterbrained scientist who's created a bug producing a perfect food: bug butter. They set up a lab in the basement of Vorkosigan House. Mark has also found a nice Barrayaran girl--she even likes the bugs--with whom he got together on the sexually liberated world of Beta. But now Kareen's living at home. Naturally, disaster strikes, repeatedly and on all fronts.

Bujold unfolds her comedy of manners while continuing to explore familiar themes: the difficulties in becoming a strong adult woman in a patriarchy, the need for trust and honesty in relationships between the sexes, the difference between appearance and identity, and the impact of advanced biotechnologies on society. A Civil Campaign is a sure-fire Hugo and Nebula nominee, likely to add another statue to Bujold's already full shelf. It's charming, touching, and quite funny too. --Nona Vero


From Publishers Weekly
Bujold dedicates her new novel to the Bront?s, Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Sayers, which gives a pretty good indication of the territory she's staked out in this well-done addition (after Komarr) to her popular Miles Vorkosigan series. Miles, forced by ill heath to give up his military career and having embarked on a second career as an Imperial Auditor (a kind of peripatetic judge and ambassador), is madly in love with the beautiful and brilliant Ekaterin Vorsoisson. Unfortunately, Ekaterin is the recent widow of a crooked government official whose death Miles holds himself partially responsible for. Their courtship is made even more difficult by a series of interrelated events. First, Emperor Gregor is getting married, and Miles, like everyone else in the government, is caught up in the complex social and diplomatic whirl surrounding the impending nuptials. Second, Miles's disaster-prone clone brother, Mark, has concocted a scheme to make a fortune marketing "butter bugs," unattractive, cockroachlike creatures that secrete a bland tofulike food product. Worse, Mark has set up his laboratory in Vorkosigan House, the bugs have gotten loose and Miles's parents, Lord Aral and Lady Cordelia, are due home any second. And then there's the dirty infighting going on in the Council of Counts over who should inherit two vacant districts, plus an attempt to frame Miles for murder. Through all these often hilarious and occasionally dangerous incidents, Miles strives heroically to keep his eye on the prizeAthe winning of Ekaterin's hand in marriage. Bujold successfully mixes quirky humor with just enough action, a dab of feminist social commentary and her usual superb character development in a sprightly SF romance that her many fans will find enormously satisfying. (Sept.) FYI: Bujold has won four Hugos and two Nebulas for books and stories in the Miles Vorkosigan series. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
As an Imperial Auditor, Miles Vorkosigan involves himself in the Emperor's wedding plans and discovers his own romantic interest in Lady Ekaterin Vorsoisson. The latest in Bujold's space opera featuring the diminutive nobleman Miles Vorkosigan combines a comedy of manners with political intrigue as suspicious deaths and treachery threaten to cast a damper on galactic affairs. Libraries should purchase where the series is popular. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The latest Miles Vorkosigan adventure has him campaigning in four plots. Courting the lovely widow Ekaterin Vorsoissons, he must overcome her resistance to marrying again. As best man at Emperor Gregor's wedding, he must wade hip-deep in social intrigue. As an imperial auditor, he must deal with two disputes over aristocratic titles, one of which arose because one claimant has had gender-changing surgery. And as heir to the Vorkosigan title, he has duties contingent on his clone-sibling Mark's complicated courtship of Karreen Koudelka. Bujold weaves all four actions into a seamless whole that her faithful readers may rank among the best books in an outstanding series. Familiarity with most of the characters and with Barrayaran society is expected, however, and readers new to Miles may feel somewhat at sea in this comedy of manners--the banquet at Vorkosigan House is one of Bujold's most memorable scenes. There is, of course, a pleasant remedy for such discomfort: go further back in the Vorkosigan corpus and read forward! Roland Green


From Kirkus Reviews
Another yarn in Bujold's military-family series (Mirror Dance, 1994, etc.) set on planet Barrayar, home of the dwarfish, multitalented Miles Vorkosiganhis secret identity is that of the fearless mercenary leader Admiral Naismithand his obese clone-brother Mark. Here, the Emperor Gregor comes to Barrayar to be wed, with Miles's aunt, the Lady Alys Vorpatril, making the arrangements. Amid the pomp and circumstance, Miles's tender, careful wooing of lovely widow Madame Ekatarin Vorsoisson will stir intrigues both political and romantic. Whatever the actionand, physically, there isn't muchMiles will be in the thick of it. Inviting if sometimes overembellished folderol, with an agreeable sense of humor. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Miles Vorkosigan has a problem: unrequited love for the beautiful widow Ekaterin Vorsoisson, violently allergic to marriage after her first exposure. If a frontal assault won't do, Miles thinks, try subterfuge. He has a cunning plan...Lord Mark Vorkosigan also has a problem: his love has just become unrequited again. But he has a cunning plan...Lord Ivan Vorpatril has a problem: unrequited love in general. But he too has a cunning plan...If no battle plan survives first contact with the enymy, just imagine what all Miles' friends and relatives can do to his romantic strategy!

FROM THE CRITICS

Chicago Sun-Times

All the virtues we have come to expect from Bujoid including more and more prose that sings.

Jonathan Strahan - Locus

A Civil Campaign is highly enjoyable romp, and will he happily received by long-time readers.

Publishers Weekly

Bujold dedicates her new novel to the Bront s, Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Sayers, which gives a pretty good indication of the territory she's staked out in this well-done addition (after Komarr) to her popular Miles Vorkosigan series. Miles, forced by ill heath to give up his military career and having embarked on a second career as an Imperial Auditor (a kind of peripatetic judge and ambassador), is madly in love with the beautiful and brilliant Ekaterin Vorsoisson. Unfortunately, Ekaterin is the recent widow of a crooked government official whose death Miles holds himself partially responsible for. Their courtship is made even more difficult by a series of interrelated events. First, Emperor Gregor is getting married, and Miles, like everyone else in the government, is caught up in the complex social and diplomatic whirl surrounding the impending nuptials. Second, Miles's disaster-prone clone brother, Mark, has concocted a scheme to make a fortune marketing "butter bugs," unattractive, cockroachlike creatures that secrete a bland tofulike food product. Worse, Mark has set up his laboratory in Vorkosigan House, the bugs have gotten loose and Miles's parents, Lord Aral and Lady Cordelia, are due home any second. And then there's the dirty infighting going on in the Council of Counts over who should inherit two vacant districts, plus an attempt to frame Miles for murder. Through all these often hilarious and occasionally dangerous incidents, Miles strives heroically to keep his eye on the prize--the winning of Ekaterin's hand in marriage. Bujold successfully mixes quirky humor with just enough action, a dab of feminist social commentary and her usual superb character development in a sprightly SF romance that her many fans will find enormously satisfying. (Sept.) FYI: Bujold has won four Hugos and two Nebulas for books and stories in the Miles Vorkosigan series. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

As an Imperial Auditor, Miles Vorkosigan involves himself in the Emperor's wedding plans and discovers his own romantic interest in Lady Ekaterin Vorsoisson. The latest in Bujold's space opera featuring the diminutive nobleman Miles Vorkosigan combines a comedy of manners with political intrigue as suspicious deaths and treachery threaten to cast a damper on galactic affairs. Libraries should purchase where the series is popular. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Another yarn in Bujold's military-family series (Mirror Dance, 1994, etc.) set on planet Barrayar, home of the dwarfish, multitalented Miles Vorkosigan—his secret identity is that of the fearless mercenary leader Admiral Naismith—and his obese clone-brother Mark. Here, the Emperor Gregor comes to Barrayar to be wed, with Miles's aunt, the Lady Alys Vorpatril, making the arrangements. Amid the pomp and circumstance, Miles's tender, careful wooing of lovely widow Madame Ekatarin Vorsoisson will stir intrigues both political and romantic. Whatever the action—and, physically, there isn't much—Miles will be in the thick of it. Inviting if sometimes overembellished folderol, with an agreeable sense of humor.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING