Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen

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Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen.jpg
Author Lois McMaster Bujold
Audio read byGrover Gardner
Cover artist Ron Miller
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series Vorkosigan Saga
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Baen Books
Publication date
2 February 2016
(eARC sold from October 2015)
Media typeE-book, print
ISBN 9781476781228
Preceded by Cryoburn  

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen is a science fiction novel by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold. It is an installment in Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga. [1] Bujold has described it as "not a war story. It is about grownups." [2]

Contents

The concept for the cover art was designed by Bujold herself. [3]

The eARC was released for sale by Baen Books on October 21, 2015. [4] The paper edition was published in February 2016. [5]

Plot summary

Three years after the death of Aral Vorkosigan, Admiral Oliver Jole of the Sergyar Fleet (Aral's long-time subordinate and lover) receives a proposal. After returning from Barrayar, Aral's widow Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan announces that she intends to have several new children using stored genetic material from herself and Aral. She also offers Jole the chance to have children of his own, likewise created from the genes of Jole and Aral.

Reception

At Ars Technica , Annalee Newitz declared it to be "one of the most realistic and funny novels you'll ever read about space colonization", [6] while Tor.com's Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer observed that it would be a fitting conclusion, both to Cordelia's character arc and to the Vorkosigan universe as a whole. [7] Publishers Weekly considered it "droll" and "enjoyable", and compared it to the works of Jane Austen, but noted that it was "more comforting than exciting" and would "work best for readers who don’t expect interstellar derring-do." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois McMaster Bujold</span> American speculative fiction author (born 1949)

Lois McMaster Bujold is an American speculative fiction writer. She is an acclaimed writer, 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. She has won two Hugo Awards for Best Series, in 2017 for the Vorkosigan Saga and in 2018 for the World of the Five Gods. The Science Fiction Writers of America named her its 36th SFWA Grand Master in 2019.

<i>Vorkosigan Saga</i> Science fiction book series by Lois McMaster Bujold

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.

<i>Ethan of Athos</i> 1986 science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

Ethan of Athos is a 1986 science fiction novel by American author Lois McMaster Bujold. The title character is Dr. Ethan Urquhart, Chief of Biology at the Sevarin District Reproduction Centre on the planet Athos, who is sent to find out what happened to a shipment of vital ovarian tissue cultures. Set in the fictional universe of Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga, the novel mentions but does not feature her usual protagonist Miles Vorkosigan. To date, Bujold has never revisited the settings of Athos or Kline Station in her many subsequent novels, but the events of Ethan of Athos are later referred to indirectly in the novels Borders of Infinity (1989) and Cetaganda (1995).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cordelia</span> Name list

Cordelia is a feminine given name. It was borne by the tragic heroine of Shakespeare's King Lear (1606), a character based on the legendary queen Cordelia. The name is of uncertain origin. It is popularly associated with Latin cor "heart", and has also been linked with the Welsh name Creiddylad, allegedly meaning "jewel of the sea", but it may derive from the French coeur de lion "heart of a lion".

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annalee Newitz</span> American journalist, editor, and author of both fiction and nonfiction

Annalee Newitz is an American journalist, editor, and author of both fiction and nonfiction, who has written for the periodicals Popular Science and Wired. From 1999 to 2008, Newitz wrote a syndicated weekly column called Techsploitation, and from 2000 to 2004 was the culture editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian. In 2004, Newitz became a policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. With Charlie Jane Anders, they also co-founded Other magazine, a periodical that ran from 2002 to 2007. From 2008 to 2015, Newitz was editor-in-chief of Gawker-owned media venture io9, and subsequently its direct descendant Gizmodo, Gawker's design and technology blog. As of 2019, Newitz is a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times.

<i>The Vor Game</i> 1990 science fiction 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.

<i>Shards of Honor</i> 1986 novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

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).

<i>Cryoburn</i> 2010 novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

Cryoburn is a science fiction novel by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in October 2010. Part of the Vorkosigan Saga, it was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2011, as Bujold's ninth Best Novel nomination. Also in 2011, it was one of the top five finishers in the poll for the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

<i>The Warriors Apprentice</i> 1986 novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Warrior's Apprentice is an English language science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, part of the Vorkosigan Saga. It was the second book published in the series, and is the fifth story, including novellas, in the internal chronology of the series. The Warrior's Apprentice was first published by Baen Books in 1986, and was included in the 1997 omnibus Young Miles.

<i>Cetaganda</i> 1996 novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

Cetaganda is a science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in four parts from October to December 1995 in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and published in book form by Baen Books in January 1996. It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and was included in the 2001 omnibus Miles, Mystery and Mayhem.

<i>Barrayar</i> 1991 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.

<i>A Civil Campaign</i> 1999 science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

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", novelists Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Georgette Heyer, and Dorothy L. Sayers.

<i>Mirror Dance</i> 1994 novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

Mirror Dance is a Hugo- and Locus-award-winning science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. Part of the Vorkosigan Saga, it was first published by Baen Books in March 1994, and is included in the 2002 omnibus Miles Errant.

<i>Brothers in Arms</i> (Bujold novel) 1989 novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

Brothers in Arms is a science fiction novel by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold, part of the Vorkosigan Saga. It was the fifth book published in the series, and is the twelfth story, including novellas, in the internal chronology of the series. Brothers in Arms was first published by Baen Books in January 1989, and is included in the 2002 omnibus Miles Errant.

<i>Captain Vorpatrils Alliance</i> 2012 science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold

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).

<i>Komarr</i> 1998 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. It won the Minnesota Book Award (1999).

This is the complete list of works by American science fiction and fantasy author Lois McMaster Bujold.

World of the Five Gods is a fantasy series by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold. It was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2018. It consists of four novels and eleven novellas, with six of the novellas included in the award. Three novels and two of the novellas were nominees for or winners of major awards.

"The Flowers of Vashnoi" is a 2018 science fiction novella by Lois McMaster Bujold, part of her Vorkosigan Saga. It was first published by Subterranean Press.

References

  1. FOREWORDS: THE BOOKS BEFORE THE BUZZ, in Romantic Times; published March 23, 2015; retrieved March 31, 2015
  2. new book, by Lois McMaster Bujold, at Goodreads; published March 16, 2015; retrieved June 28, 2015
  3. "Lois McMaster Bujold's Blog - new Vorkosigan book cover art - August 10, 2015 08:24". goodreads.com.
  4. "Baen eBooks - Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen - eARC".
  5. Lois McMaster Bujold Announces New Cordelia Vorkosigan Novel Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, at Tor.com; published March 20, 2015; retrieved March 31, 2015
  6. Time to try the Vorkosigan Saga—you’ve never read science fiction like this, by Annalee Newitz, at Ars Technica ; published February 12, 2016; retrieved May 26, 2017
  7. Birds Do It, Bees Do It: Lois McMaster Bujold’s Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, reviewed by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer, at Tor.com; published February 11, 2016; retrieved May 26, 2017
  8. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, reviewed at Publishers Weekly ; published December 21, 2015; retrieved May 26, 2017