This is the book where I fell in love with the Vorkosigan Saga. It's rare I can say I fall in love with a character in a book, but I fell hard for Miles Vorkosigan, which is why this book gets five stars. Not because it's mind-expanding or has amazing prose--but because I loved the character so much. This is the third book chronologically in this series, the first two books, among the first things Bujold ever wrote focus on Miles' parents--this is the one where he comes into his own. Miles is born a "Vor"--into an aristocratic family in a very traditional, military culture on the planet of Barrayar. That society had for a long time practiced infanticide--killing any child born in any way disabled. Due to an attack before he was born, Miles is short in stature and has various physical problems--particularly very brittle bones. His grandfather wanted him killed--in fact at a certain point tried to kill him. Miles has had to fight hard for a measure of acceptance in his society and worked hard to earn the right to enter the planet's military academy--but couldn't pass the final physical tests--and then proceeds to form a path his own.
One could see there part of why I love Miles--not conventionally handsome, handicapped, someone who has to work so hard. But it's more than that. I've always had a weakness for the kind of character not only with gifts of leadership, but a certain kind of cleverness. Whether Homer's Odysseus, CS Forester's Horatio Hornblower or Roddenbury's Captain Kirk of Star Trek. Miles has that quality in abundance--of turning defeat into a fighting chance to survive. And in this story, which Bujold has said is modeled on "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" there's quite a bit of humor too in seeing Miles manage to keep his head above the rapidly rising waters he conjures up.
