Fascinating!

The characters of Cordelia and Aral Vorkosigan (in the audiobook "Barrayar" by Lois McMaster-Bujold) are some of the most multi-layered I've ever encountered. Cordelia is plunged into a society at odds at what she's been taught about being female, and Aral rises above a blood-drenched society of force and privilege to become a very satisfying yin to her yang. In the middle of a culture that's transforming from the survival of the strongest to a society of more equality and (hopefully) inclusion, the story is a rare combination of action-thriller, love story, and a paen to the extremes that parents will go through for their children. Its settings range from a undeclared war zone with exploratory scientists pitted against the first wave of soldiers intent on conquering, to a capitol in the revolutionary death throes of it's reigning emperor, with all the power-grabs, brute force and would-be rulers this entails. All this on a planet whose original earth-born settlers have only recently been rediscovered by the rest of the human race, during which time they were on their own in a society both modern and backward, battling their planet's deadly environment and off-planet invaders. A very multi-layered tale, it is best enjoyed by reading the book (or listening to the audiobook) that came before it, "Shards of Honor" (aka "Cordelia's Honor"), although it could be read on its own. I was disappointed when the two-book series came to an end, but found the next series about their son, Miles, to be just as good. I like Bujold's exploration of wide- ranging themes in her books, from mental illness to what is good governance, to what happens to people whose mental competence isn't matched by their bodies (picture Captain America sans his "serum" and I believe you'll get their son, Miles; there's also Cordelia's female bodyguard, discounted by those around her because she wasn't born male, and the bodyguard's future husband, partly crippled in a society wherethe non-ablebodied usually commit suicide). If you're listening to the audiobook, I give kudoes to "Blackstone Audio's" Grover Gardner who was perfect as the voice of Cordelia. I also give high marks to McMaster-Bujold for writing the only space-sage I've ever read where the use of a sword (in one of the final scenes) makes perfect sense (and with no swash-buckling!).

Read (or listen) and enjoy!