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Winterfair Gifts

A Vorkosigan Adventure

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About this listen

 This Hugo-nominated novella adds a delightful extra chapter to Bujold's acclaimed Vorkosigan series. Falling in between the novels A Civil Campaign and Diplomatic Immunity, it describes the wedding of Miles and Ekaterin and the events leading up to it.

In the festive season of Winterfair on the planet Barrayar, Lord Miles Vorkosigan is making elaborate preparations for his wedding. The long-awaited event stirs up romance and intrigue among his eccentric family and friends, particularly for bioengineered space mercenary Sergeant Taura and shy, diffident Armsman Roic. But Miles also has an enemy who is plotting to turn the romantic ceremony into a festival of death.

Winterfair Gifts offers another of Bujold's witty, character-centered science-fiction plots with a twist of romance.

Hi-fi sci-fi: listen to more in the Vorkosigan saga.©2004 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Fiction Science Fiction Romance Witty Short Stories

Critic reviews

"Miles is one of the most enjoyable characters in science fiction." ( School Library Journal)
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This is a short story (but then, it's cheap too). It's a good glimpse into some much-loved characters. It's certainly not where I would choose to start listening to the series, but for someone who has read everything else in the Vorkosigan series, it's certainly worth a listen.
Also I too disagree about the narration (while accepting that everyone has a right for preferences in such matters). For me, Grover Gardner is a superb reader of the novels - dry, witty and understated. I love to read the books and then a bit later listen them to them too - it's a completely different, but equally wonderful, experience.

A good short story

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As an avid Vorkosigan fan having all the books from Audible, I disagree with the previous reviewer's comments on the narration. Grover Gardner's narration of the series is superb. His narration effortlessly captures Miles' mannerisms, his wit, intrigue and the inevitable 'forward momentum'. Can't wait for 'Barrayar', available November this year, and hopefully 'CryoBurn' the latest in the saga, November 2010. My personal preference is to listen to Grover Gardner than to read them myself.

Great Series Great Narration

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This book was very short obviously and not up to the usual scrapes associated with Miles.
However it has the usual funny bits that make me laugh.

Short

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If you’re a fan of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series then this extra addition will not disappoint. A short story detailing Miles’s wedding, the audio reading meant that what might have been a quick snack turned into a delightful feast of an experience. For fans this is excellent fare from Bujold as usual. Newcomers might want to try Bujold’s earlier titles first. Excellent.

A must for fans

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If you've enjoyed the rest of the series then you'll enjoy this one too.
It suffers from the same issue many shirt stories set in established world's do, that there isn't enough time to give all the relevant back story. Vorkosigan veterans will have no problems, though.

Nothing wrong with it.

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