Comments on: REVIEW: ‘Cryoburn (A Miles Vorkosigan Novel)’ by Lois McMaster Bujold

By: Mnk13

Mnk13 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:22:24 +0000

@Jeff

It makes perfect sense to the rest of us. Perhaps you need to read some good books so you understand too.

Best,

By: Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:04:04 +0000

Oh, okay. It's all clear now; SF Signal's star system makes no sense.

By: tam

tam — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:56:42 +0000

@Paul somehow I associate a Hugo with a high amount of research and tedium

By: TK Kenyon

TK Kenyon — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:29:06 +0000

Using @tam's system, I guess Cyroburn's -0.5 star was due to its nomination for a Hugo.

By: Paul (@princejvstin)

Paul (@princejvstin) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:25:08 +0000

Why is that, Tam?

By: tam

tam — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 23:34:29 +0000

If a book wins a Hugo, I automatically subtract a star.

By: MeiLin Miranda

MeiLin Miranda — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:15:12 +0000

I can understand how something Bujold wrote can be both "minor" and 4.5 stars: There is Greater Bujold and Lesser Bujold, but it is always Bujold. I have never read anything of hers that wasn't at the least readable and at best outstanding. I still wish I'd written "The Mountains of Mourning." "Cryoburn" was a ripping read and yet thoughtful at the same time.

By: TK Kenyon

TK Kenyon — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:09:59 +0000

@Jeff VanderMeer:

Bujold's competent and minor works still rate 4 to 5 stars when compared to most books published.

Bujold's best works earn 5 stars, plus Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards.

If you reserve a rating of "5" for books that win multiple major awards, you don't identify nearly enough excellent books for readers.

If you rate good books (in a series of excellent books) low because, by comparison, they are minor, then you don't do them justice.

That's my rationale anyway. Each entitled to his own.

TK Kenyon

By: Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:56:17 +0000

I may be the resident curmudgeon, but I'm completely perplexed by a review that calls a book "competent" and "minor" and yet gives it almost five stars. By that reckoning I'd imagine a major novel by the author would shoot through five stars off to seven or eight and over-heat the scale entirely...so I'm going to put it down to the reviewer just wanting to mess with those of us who expect rationality in reviews. jv

By: alSeen

alSeen — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:25:28 +0000

While I would encourage anyone to buy all of the Vorkosigan books, you don't even need to buy the hardcover to get the ebooks legally.

Just go here. It's a repository of every Baen cd released.

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/

Baen allows the cds to be freely distributed. They are advertising. As Baen says when you boot up the cd

"This disk and its contents may be copied and shared, but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved. That’s it.

Why are we being so generous? Simple: we think the more people who read Ms. Bujold’s works the more people will buy them. Say, one set of hardcovers for yourself, a set of paperbacks to lend out, possibly even the next ebook when it comes out. And if you like the Vorkosiverse, we’re pretty sure you’ll like other Baen books, too."

By all means, buy the books, but if you just want to try them, that website is a good way to do so.