Time of Isolation

Last updated October 07, 2019

The Time of Isolation was a period on the planet Barrayar in Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi series, the Vorkosigan Saga.

<i>Barrayar</i> novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

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.

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.

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.

Duration

The Time of Isolation lasted around 700 years on Barrayar. It started some time after Earth colonists first found Barrayar, and ended when a new wormhole route to Komarr was discovered. The Time of Isolation ended largely with the first Cetagandan Invasion.

<i>Komarr</i> novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

Komarr is a 1998 science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the twelfth full-length novel in publication order. It was included in the 2008 omnibus Miles in Love.

Cause

Originally, colonists from Earth took a wormhole to Barrayaran local space. They started to settle the planet. Then, the wormhole collapsed. As far as anyone knew, the only way into Barrayar had just disappeared. This event was believed to be a natural phenomenon.

Eventually, a new wormhole route through a series of five jumps was found that led from Komarr to Barrayar, thus ending the Time of Isolation.

Effects

The Time of Isolation is a sizable portion of Barrayaran history. It affected the evolution of culture on Barrayar and consequently affected the current state of affairs on Barrayar.

Effects of isolation on the formation of Barrayaran culture

The nascent government of the colony, with accountants having an important role in the system, was transformed as battles broke out between different factions. Ultimately, a ruling class of Vor was created, headed by an emperor of the Barr family. The prefix "Vor" was added to this class's names, making the ruling family Vorbarra. Beneath the emperor was a legislature, the Council of Counts. The "Counts" evolved not from the European aristocratic title but from the word "accountant" as the bureaucrats became lords.
Many advanced technologies were forgotten.
The social structure became class-based, with the Emperor at the top, beneath him the high Vor, who governed large land areas, the low Vor, who did not hold land but were nevertheless higher than the people below, who did not bear the prefix "Vor" in their names.
The economy became somewhat feudal.
Sexual roles shifted from the more-or-less egalitarian ones that had existed before isolation, to sharply divided roles in which women raised children and had little power, and men were in charge through political and military might.
Infanticide and anti-mutant mindset: Due to the poisonous native biology and limited genetic variety, genetic mutations became common throughout the planet. Large prejudice against any perceived genetic problems developed, with infanticide becoming a common practice when faced with mutations, and genetic purity being stressed.
Prejudice against mutation: It is deeply ingrained in most Barrayarans' minds that any genetic deviation from the norm is bad, even beneficial or intentional mutation. Betan Hermaphrodites and Quaddies are notable examples of people Barrayarans are bothered by. Barrayarans even have prejudice against the genetically engineered Haut race of Cetaganda because they represent deviations from the norm.
Transportation: Horses became the primary means of transportation on Barrayar, and the Barrayaran military continues to wear riding boots in recognition of their past as cavalry.

Beta Colony is an important planet in Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga. The planet's biome is almost entirely desert, described as "screaming hot", and the colony itself exists primarily underground. Beta Colony's chief industries are weapons R&D and sex tourism.

In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has complete or partial reproductive organs and produces gametes normally associated with both male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which either partner can act as the "female" or "male." For example, the great majority of tunicates, pulmonate snails, opisthobranch snails, earthworms, and slugs are hermaphrodites. Hermaphroditism is also found in some fish species and to a lesser degree in other vertebrates. Most plants are also hermaphrodites.

Effects of recontact with other planets on Barrayaran culture

Barraryar is gradually changing in response to galactic contact. New technologies are gradually being accepted, and sex roles are becoming less rigid. It still maintains its feudal form of government headed by an emperor.

Effects of isolation on the current state of Barrayar

Komarr - Barrayar conquered Komarr to make sure that they controlled the only gateway to their homeworld at all times. Thus, Komarr is an integral, though occasionally unwilling, part of the Barrayaran Imperium.
Politics - With the influx of galactic ideas and beliefs, much of Barrayar (mostly the plebes, or proles, not Vor ), wants to move more towards a galactic-style constitutional government. Much of the Vor naturally want to maintain the Vor system and keep the Imperium alive.

Notable events during the Isolation

Vorloupulous's 2000 '"cooks" The Emperor passed a law limiting Vor private armies to 20 men. Vorloupulous decided this was insufficient and hired an army; to get around the law he declared that his men were all cooks, not soldiers. He sent this army of 'cooks' against other Counts' forces and was eventually captured. In the spirit of the law, he was arrested and sentenced to death for treason. However, his sentence was suspended to allow him to fight in the First Cetagandan War. Miles Vorkosigan's possession of the Oseran or Denderii mercenaries violated the restriction on liegemen and as a result, he was accused of treason (The Warrior's Apprentice).

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<i>The Vor Game</i> novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Vor Game is a science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in September 1990. It won the 1991 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The Vor Game is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the sixth full-length novel in publication order, and is the sixth story, including novellas, in the internal chronology of the series. It was included in the 1997 omnibus Young Miles.

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).

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance is a science fiction novel by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold, part of the Vorkosigan Saga. The action centers on Miles Vorkosigan's cousin Ivan Vorpatril, now a captain, and a Jackson's Whole refugee called Tej. By internal chronology, the book is set a year or so after Diplomatic Immunity (2002), about four years before Cryoburn (2010).

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