Lois McMaster Bujold is an American speculative fiction writer. She is one of the most acclaimed writers in her field, having won the Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record. Her novella "The Mountains of Mourning" won both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award. In the fantasy genre, The Curse of Chalion won the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature and was nominated for the 2002 World Fantasy Award for best novel, and both her fourth Hugo Award and second Nebula Award were for Paladin of Souls. In 2011 she was awarded the Skylark Award. In 2013 she was awarded the Forry Award for Lifetime Achievement, named for Forrest J. Ackerman, by the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. She has won two Hugo Awards for Best Series, in 2017 for the Vorkosigan Saga and in 2018 for the Chalion series.
Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that has been called the "literature of ideas". It typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, time travel, parallel universes, fictional worlds, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific innovations.
The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of science fiction novels and short stories set in a common fictional universe by American author Lois McMaster Bujold. The first of these was published in 1986 and the most recent in May 2018. Works in the series have received numerous awards and nominations, including five Hugo award wins including one for Best Series.
Clement "Kou" Koudelka served as an Ensign aboard the General Vorkraft under Captain Aral Vorkosigan during the novel Shards of Honor. He suffered a non-fatal hit by a nerve disruptor and eventually had his nerves replaced with artificial nerves. This "tin foil nervous system", as he described it, could not give him full mobility and he required various artificial aids. These included a walking cane, for which Cordelia Naismith shrewdly substituted a swordstick as a confidence booster.
Aral Vorkosigan is a fictional character appearing in American writer Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series of science fiction books. Known throughout this universe as "The Butcher of Komarr", he dominates the imagination of the two main point-of-view characters in the Vorkosigan Saga, Cordelia, who becomes his wife, and their son Miles. He appears, at least briefly or as an important if absent figure, in all the novels of the series except Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos and Falling Free. He also provides the narrative framework for the presentation of three short stories in Borders of Infinity.
A swordstick or cane-sword is a cane containing a hidden blade. The term is typically used to describe European weapons from around the 18th century, but similar devices have been used throughout history, notably the Roman dolon, the Japanese shikomizue and the Indian gupti.
Facing a life of poverty on the limited pay of an invalid ex-Ensign, he was surprised to find himself promoted to Lieutenant and made personal secretary to the Lord Regent, Aral Vorkosigan. Still severely emotionally traumatized by his injury, given Barrayar's intolerance for any disability or deformity, he met Ludmilla Droushnakovi when she was seconded to the Regent's household and immediately fell in love with her, but was too ashamed to woo her.
Despite this, they eventually consummated their mutual affection unknowingly during an assassination attempt on Cordelia and Aral. The confusion and trauma resulting from the assassination attempt led Koudelka to believe that he had sexually assaulted Droushnakovi "Drou", while she was confused and saddened by his avoidance and humiliation following their encounter. "Kou" married "Drou" at the end of the novel Barrayar.
He was eventually promoted to Commodore, and he and his wife continue as Aral and Cordelia's closest friends. This friendship was tested when Mark Vorkosigan and Koudelka's daughter Kareen became a couple and engaged in a sexual relationship while on Beta Colony. Cordelia squashed the parental objections during a meeting at Vorkosigan House, partly by re-introducing them to the sofa on which they had their first sexual encounter.
Cordelia Naismith is the name of two fictional characters by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold. One is from the science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga. The other is the title character of the Victorian era Sherlock Holmes short story "The Adventure of the Lady on the Embankment" included in her anthology Dreamweaver's Dilemma.
Ludmilla Droushnakovi
Ludmilla "Drou" Droushnakovi was the personal bodyguard to Princess Kareen and later to Regent Consort Cordelia Vorkosigan and then eventually reassigned to child Emperor Gregor, who knew her as "Droushie". She married Clement Koudelka and eventually had four daughters with him.
Gregor Vorbarra is the Emperor of the Barrayaran Imperium in the science fiction series Vorkosigan Saga by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold.
"Drou", who like her husband despises her given name, is not only a fully trained bodyguard, expert in martial arts and weapons, but is tall and strong besides. During submission wrestling contests at Vorkosigan House she knocked out a male Barrayaran soldier in under 10 seconds, although her social conditioning got in the way until Cordelia told her to stop holding back.
As an Imperial bodyguard she was also required to learn every possible escape route from the Palace in case of emergency, and was made aware of the locations of secret caches of money, false documents and weapons set aside to aid an escape. This knowledge was equally useful in breaking into the Palace when it was occupied by Count Vordarian.
Naturally Drou trained her daughters in the same martial arts she learned, as a defense against the male dominated society they lived in. This training enabled Olivia to take down three hoodlums attempting to harm her intended, Lord Dono Vorrutyer, compared to one by Ivan Vorpatril who was also on the scene.
As a young woman, Drou was a tall, strapping muscular blonde, with what Cordelia referred to as 'valkyrie good looks.' Now a respected matron, she is still tautly muscled, but her long hair has acquired a silvery sheen.
Her wedding dress was designed by Lady Alys Vorpatril, described as 'a graceful fall of white silk,' as her height would make her look ungainly and weighty in the lace gown she originally chose.
The Koudelka Girls
Koudelka and Droushanakovi had four girls. This was unusual for their generation, as recently imported Galactic technology allowed the parents to choose their children's sex; the patriarchal Barrayarans more often picked boys, resulting in a serious gender imbalance. In addition, the two later children were some of the first Barrayarans to be born in uterine replicators.
Kou and Drou had hoped their children would do well for themselves, ideally marrying promising young officers. This met with a limited amount of success, but as of A Civil Campaign, all four are either married or firmly attached—thought not always to whom their parents expected.
All four daughters are lovely and blonde, and all except Kareen are uncommonly tall. They are often half-jokingly referred to as Koudelka's All-Blonde Commando Team or just Team Koudelka.
Delia
Delia is the oldest and most socially adept of the Koudelka girls; she seems to be "in training to be Lady Alys [Vorpatril, the grande dame of society events in the capital]." Fittingly, she follows Barrayaran social convention and becomes engaged to a rising officer, Duv Galeni. Duv was initially unaware of her interest, but his social and career prospects, not to mention his good looks, made him a prime target. He was also less than desirable to Vor women because of his Komarran roots. Delia simply determined that "he's the one" and set about making it happen. As her sister told Miles, "Some fellows you have to hit with a brick to get their attention. Some you have to hit with a big brick."
It is highly likely that Delia was named after Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan, her parents' liege-lady and good friend.
Olivia
Olivia is her mother's daughter; bright, friendly, and dangerous. She spent much of her time in A Civil Campaign helping Lord Dono Vorrutyer lobby the Council of Counts, and was able to rescue him from a group of hoodlums who intended to reverse the sex-change operation that turned Lady Donna into Lord Dono. At the end of the novel, she and Dono announced their engagement. It is probable that Olivia was named after Countess Olivia Vorbarra Vorkosigan, Aral Vorkosigan's mother.
Martya
Martya is cynical, mostly about the patriarchal society of Barrayar and the Vor, but levelheaded and practical. She is also the most no-nonsense of the Koudelka girls and even a bit prickly. (Kareen observes that 'any man whose idea of a good time was to feed, pet and care for a creature that mainly responded to his worship with hostile noises, was going to get along great with Martya.') During the events of A Civil Campaign Kareen was forbidden to have any contact with the Vorkosigan household due to her forbidden affair with Mark Vorkosigan, and Martya was assigned as her warden. However, as she was not forbidden to contact the Vorkosigans, she was able to act as a conduit for information for Kareen—though not without tweaking her sister at the same time. Martya eventually became fond of Dr. Enrique Borgos, the quirky Escobaran biogeneticist principally responsible for Butter Bugs.
Kareen
Kareen, the youngest Koudelka, is important in the Saga principally as the companion, business partner, and lover of Mark Vorkosigan, Miles Vorkosigan's clone brother. She first met Mark when he was introduced to Vor society at a ball while Miles was missing and presumed dead and Mark found himself thrust into the role of heir apparent. They fell hard and fast in love, in Mark's case almost to the point of dependency, and during their time on Beta—she there on an academic scholarship, he there for economics school and psychotherapy—became lovers. When they returned to Barrayar, Kareen felt trapped in a box, dependent on her family and pushed into traditional Barrayaran roles, which included chastity. This almost destroyed her and Mark, until Cordelia straightened them (and Kareen's parents) out. At that point, Kareen and Mark decided they had a "mutual option" on each other—not a formal promise to marry, but an accepted relationship which would be re-evaluated later, once Kareen had more of an idea of who she was and what she wanted.
Many years later, the Koudelka family finally accepts that Kareen will never be married or have children, even though all her sisters are married with children. Kareen is the unmarried life partner of Mark Vorkosigan and works/travels with him around the galaxy. Mark and Kareen adhere to the social norm of Beta Colony in choosing an unmarried life-partnership, which contrasts with Barrayaran marital norms. Mark's phobia about his upbringing makes him fearful of the thought of having children.
Kareen was named after Princess Kareen Vorbarra, whom Drou served as personal bodyguard.
Miles Naismith Vorkosigan is a protagonist of a series of science fiction novels and short stories, known as the Vorkosigan Saga, written by American author Lois McMaster Bujold.
Captain Lord Ivan Vorpatril, also known as "That Idiot Ivan" or "Ivan, You Idiot", is a fictional character in American writer Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series of science fiction novels. He is Miles Vorkosigan's second cousin, foil, burden, workhorse, and - before Miles has children - his formal heir. He is everything Miles is not - tall, handsome, and athletic. He waltzed into the military academy and waltzed right back out into one plum posting after another. He inhabits any uniform - even the Dendarii's - like a second skin.
Simon Illyan is a fictional character in the Vorkosigan Saga science fiction novels by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Sergyar is one of the three planets that comprise the Barrayaran Empire in the Vorkosigan Saga. The other planets are Barrayar and Komarr. The entire planet has been said to be the personal property of Barrayaran Emperor Gregor Vorbarra.
Vorbarra is a surname in the science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga. It is the surname of the Emperors of Barrayar and the namesake of the planet.
Count is a title and position in the government of Barrayar in Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga.
Count Piotr Vorkosigan is the father of Aral Vorkosigan and the grandfather of Miles Vorkosigan in the fictitious universe of the Vorkosigan Saga.
Ezar Vorbarra is a minor character in Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi series, the Vorkosigan Saga.
Ekaterin Vorsoisson is a character in Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series, the Vorkosigan Saga. Her character is first introduced with the Vorsoisson surname, though it changes to Vorkosigan when she marries Miles.
Sergeant Konstantin Bothari is a character in the Vorkosigan Saga of science fiction novels by Lois McMaster Bujold. He is a deeply disturbed foot soldier and a classic example of an anti-hero.
Shards of Honor is an English language science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in June 1986. It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the first full-length novel in publication order. Shards of Honor is paired with Bujold's 1991 Barrayar in the omnibus Cordelia's Honor (1996).
Barrayar is a science fiction novel by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold. It was first published as four installments in Analog in July–October 1991, and then published in book form by Baen Books in October 1991. Barrayar won both the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 1992. It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the seventh full-length novel of the series, in publication order. Barrayar is a direct sequel to Bujold's first novel, Shards of Honor (1986), and the two are paired in the 1996 omnibus Cordelia's Honor.
Memory is a science fiction novel by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in October 1996. It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the eleventh full-length novel in publication order.
A Civil Campaign: A Comedy of Biology and Manners is a science fiction novel by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in September 1999. It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the thirteenth full-length novel in publication order. It is included in the 2008 omnibus Miles in Love. The title is an homage to the Georgette Heyer novel A Civil Contract and, like Heyer's historical romances, the novel focuses on romance, comedy, and courtship. It is dedicated to "Jane, Charlotte, Georgette, and Dorothy", likely the novelists Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Georgette Heyer, and Dorothy L. Sayers or Dorothy Dunnett.
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