Audible Book Review: Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

This space sci fi has battles, dangerous enemies, and a conflicted, mild, romance.

Shards of Honor
Series: Vorkosigan Saga (chronological), Book 2
By: Lois McMaster Bujold
Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
Release date: 05-01-09
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Fantasy, Military Science Fiction,
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
It was the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. And Captain Cordelia Naismith of the Betan Expeditionary Force would be forced into a separate peace with her enemy, Lord Vorkosigan.
Shards of Honor is the novel in which Lois McMaster Bujold introduced the science-fiction world to Barrayar and Aral Vorkosigan, Beta Colony and Cordelia Naismith. From this beginning the author has created a multigenerational saga spanning time as well as space.
Bujold is generally recognized as the current exemplar of the character-based science-fiction adventure story.
©1986 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Review:
Cordelia is the Captain of a scientific survey crew that is exploring an uninhabited planet. Cordelia and one of her men return to camp to discover it destroyed and her team gone except for one man who has been killed by a nerve disruptor.

Cordelia is next surprised to learn the attack was by a Barrayaran force that is now off chasing Cordelia’s ship in space. Then Cordelia and her Ensign are confronted by an enemy soldier. Her crewman is injured and Cordelia becomes the prisoner of Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan who has been shot and abandoned in an act of betrayal. Cordelia won’t leave her man behind so she convinces Vorkosidan to help drag him as they head off to a hidden Barrayaran base to get supplies.

This starts the beginning of an interesting, and ultimately beautiful friendship. Vorkosigan first saves Cordelia, then she saves him, and his friends, particularly a man soldier, Sargeant Bothari, will save her again. Along they way Cordelia learns dangerous secrets. Vorkosigan’s leaders are intent on attacking a nearby world, Escobar, to control the jump hole there. Cordelia must get home to warn her people and help prevent the attack on Escobar.

Cordelia is from a planet that is scientifically and technologically advanced. Barrayar is a warrior-race with an aristocratic/feudal type society. Cordelia slowly learns that there is a great deal of infighting and machination in the Barrayar leading class. Cordelia and Vorkosigan may have developed a certain respect and interest in each other but their ability to continue a relationship is greatly limited.

Cordelia eventually gets safely home only to have her superiors question her loyalties. Has her mind been altered to slip her back in her world as a double agent?

I enjoyed the characters, the danger, and the suspense. Bujold has created a complex world in the aristocratic juggling of the Barrayar society. As the title indicates, the characters struggle to find honor in their activities. Best, I was delighted by the very mild development of the romance. I thought this was book 1, but apparently it is book 2 in reading order. I am glad I have books 1 and 3 to continue this series.

Audio Notes: Grover Gardner is a wonderful narrator although I am accustomed to hearing him narrate other works (like the Andy Carpenter series). It took me a few minutes to adjust to his voice in this sci fi setting. Somehow I think Gardner’s voice matched Vorkosigan’s character.

Source: December 2020 Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.

Audible Book Review: Zero Day Code by John Birmingham

This end of the world thriller is scarily possible.

Zero Day Code
End of Days, Book 1
By: John Birmingham
Narrated by: Rupert Degas

Series: End of Days, Book 1
Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
Release date: 07-04-19
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, Military Science Fiction,
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Every modern city has one week’s worth of food to feed itself. Then it will collapse.
Cut off the resources to New York, Sydney, or even a mid-size metropolis, and millions will soon starve. In Zero Day Code we see those immense and open, hyper-complex, networked supercities of the new millennium die. And in the last moments we see their vengeance take form as all the best and worst traits of humanity bubble to the surface.
Zero Day Code is set in a realistic near future with dwindling global food supplies under increasing pressure from worsening droughts, floods and extreme weather events. Written by prolific Australian writer John Birmingham, the thriller follows a handful of survivors from the first day of society’s descent into violent, uncertain futures.
James, a consultant to the US National Security Council, is the first to suspect that the worldwide emergence of a crippling computer virus is actually a cover for something else - a devastating cyber-attack by China on the food distribution system of the United States. The attack is a bid for the Middle Kingdom to distract America as it seizes the food bowl of South East Asia and feeds its starving population. But Beijing has miscalculated.
Follow the missions of an embittered activist chasing salvation, a single mum rescuing her child from a frantic San Francisco and an army veteran who has long retreated from society, as the world they knew crumbles around them.
Please note: this audiobook contains mature content and listener discretion is advised.
©2019 Audible Australia Pty Ltd. (P)2019 Audible Australia Pty Ltd.

Review:
This story follows several key characters who struggle to survive a collapse of society. James is a business adviser who studies the trends of the markets. He manages to become a consultant for the US National Security Council, where they provide him some additional information on a glitchy computer virus. He suspects that China is planning an attack on the US food distribution system. His warnings are accurate but just a tad too late. Apparently, most grocery stores in the US have only three days’ worth of supplies on hand, always expecting the next truck delivery. When the food distribution systems are scrambled it doesn’t take long for society to breakdown into chaos and brutality.

When the government contractors are released, James invites his new co-worker, Michelle, to join him to travel to his family home and farm in the Midwest. First, they have to gather some supplies, primarily transportation and food, in a hope to break out of DC and then they have to travel safely.

Rick is a former soldier who has chosen a solitary live style, with a service Lab, Nomi, as his companion. He finds himself with a sharp young woman, Mel, who teaches martial arts and self-defense in a nearby park. The pair are off in their own world enjoying their new relationship and not following the news. A routine stop to pick up dog supplies finds them caught in the middle of an armed robbery.

Another character is a violent, low-life thug who dreams of becoming a famous pod-caster. He is part of the evil side of the society breakdown and contributes a barrage of ugly language to the book. One woman, dealing with an escape from an abusive ex-husband, is desperate to get to her son to find a safe place for them.

The author includes vignettes of the situation in other countries which led to this attack. The China powers tried to make the attack less than full on to minimize the response, but they didn’t recognize the extent of the damage they would cause and the reaction that would follow.

The plot is a scarily possible version of an end of the world scenario. The mix of characters are interesting with some quite likeable and others not so much. Real life struggles that emerge are shown through the various points of view. Few of the characters are prepared to face the rapid decline of life as we know it. This is the first book I have read by Mr. Birmingham but it certainly won’t be the last. I am glad to have books 2 and 3. I highly recommend this to fans of TEOTWAWKI thrillers.

Audio Notes: Rupert Degas does a wonderful job with the narration. He provides distinct voices and strong energy. I will admit I was engrossed in the story and I think that gives support for good narration that helped draw me into the story.

Source: February Free Audible Catalog. This qualifies for 2021Audiobook and 2021Alhabet goals.

Audible Book Review: After the Galaxy: The Unsung by Scott Bartlett

This is a mix up of sci fi ideas - with some strange twists.

After the Galaxy: The Unsung
By: Scott Bartlett
Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
Release date: 03-27-19
Publisher: Mirth Publishing
Genre: Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
The galaxy’s not big enough....
Commander Joe Pikeman has his share of demons. But after a long deployment, he just wants to enjoy some home leave with his daughter.
The galaxy has other plans.
His last assignment takes him to Earth, humanity’s deserted homeworld. There, he finds Earth’s last settlement littered with the bodies of the people who lived there.
As he hunts down those responsible, he runs head-first into some galaxy-shaking questions.
Why did humanity really abandon the galaxy for a computer simulation?
Who would want to start killing off the last real humans left?
There’s one thing Joe knows for sure. If they’re going after his neighbors...his family...his daughter....
They’ll need to go through him first.
If you like action-packed, run-and-gun military science fiction, you’ll love After the Galaxy. Fans of Firefly will also love After the Galaxy. Download this military space opera now and jump into the action.
©2018 Scott Bartlett (P)2019 Mirth Publishing

Review:
Commander Joe Pikeman lives and works in a world where many people have moved themselves from the real world to a digital, simulation life known as the Subverse. Joe is a Guardsman known by others, especially the pirates, as “The Butcher”. He has learned on an assignment to Earth that there are few real human settlements left and someone is trying to keep Joe from investigating the troubles of the Subverse.

Joe gets to take a break to visit his home and grab a quick visit with his 15 year old daughter, Harmony. Harmony’s mother checked out of life to live permanently in the Subverse. She feels abandoned by her father who is always deployed and won’t listen to her pleas for some opportunity beyond her meager settlement community. The visit with Harmony doesn’t go well for Joe and when he returns to his ship, he realizes how wrong the visit went.

Joe manages pretty much alone on his ship with only his Cybernetic D1C, an AI companion he calls “Dice”. Dice does give good support and saves Joe’s life several times but the two verbally abuse each other in a very unpleasant fashion. Joe has also adopted a feral dog he named Maneater due to the circumstances in which he found the dog. When Joe does need crew on the ship, he activates four members who are stashed in the Subverse waiting to be activated.

Joe is a mixed character who I liked most of the time except I didn’t like his rude, bigoted attitude toward the AI… not that the AI was much better. Harmony adds an additional thread and good element and even the dog adds to the story. The world building is fascinating, and I enjoyed the extensive action, the intrigue and the suspense. Unfortunately, about three quarters into the story, things go very weird. But the action still runs high and all in all is entertaining. Although Joe succeeds in defeating (or destroying) the immediate plan for human destruction, the main villain escapes…letting the story continue in the next book. I’m not planning to rush off to get it, but I would recommend this first book to hard core fans of science fiction and space opera.

Audio Notes: Mark Boyett is a skilled narrator and he does a great job with this. He gives the characters appropriate voices, conveying their quirks and energy. I am glad that I had this in audio.

Source: 9/21/2019 Audible Daily Deal $3.95. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook goal and 2021Alphabet Audio Goals.