[.ca] Diplomatic Immunity (ISBN 0743468023)

From Amazon.com:
Fans won't find this surprising in the least, but Miles Vorkosigan--the plucky, short-statured hero of Lois McMaster Bujold's beloved series--is uniquely incapable of having an uneventful honeymoon. Between a racially fueled diplomatic dispute, the appearance of a hermaphroditic old flame, and a bizarre Cetagandan genetic conspiracy, Miles just can't seem to get a minute of peace with his new wife, the lovely and resourceful Ekaterin (whom Miles courted in A Civil Campaign). Miles had hoped to give "hands-on op games" a rest once and for all, but when the Emperor urgently calls on him to resolve a "legal entanglement" in Quaddiespace, diplomacy alone might prove inadequate. (Quaddies, you'll remember, are the no-legged, four-armed free-fallers introduced in Falling Free.) Our newly minted Imperial Auditor almost immediately forgets all about "Baby's First Cell Division" (after the assignment comes in, Ekaterin quickly observes "You know, you keep claiming your job is boring, Miles, but your eyes have gone all bright"), but even Miles feels the heat after his diplomatic attempts devolve into a series of flattering assassination attempts. Vorkosigan (and family now!) is as winning as ever, with Bujold offering up her usual fun mix of space-opera action and droll social commentary in a character-centered plot. And here's a bonus for Milesophiles and Vorkosiga novices alike: a book-by-book timeline detailing what trouble Miles got into and when. --Paul Hughes

Liked it a lot:
I've read most of the series, and despite disagreeing with some of Ms. Bujold's political and social views I find her books universally compelling and entertaining. I read one reader review that says the book doesn't have the depth of character development that previous books had. I have to agree somewhat, so those new to the series might want to start with a book earlier on, or better yet--read the series from the beginning. But as someone completely familiar with the characters, I enjoyed getting right down to the nitty-gritty--a fast paced and highly enjoyable story. As I believe one of the back cover blurbs says, the woman can flat out write.

Great - as always:
I have been reading this "series" for years. Ms. Bujold writes in great depth on multiple complex levels - politics, leadership, relationships, diplomacy, and of course great thrills. In re-reading her novels, I always discover something new - like hearing a great song time and again. You wonder "How does she do that?"

For Vorkosigan addicts:
If you aren't already a fan of Miles Vorkosigan, please, please, do yourself a favor and start earlier in the series. While I don't doubt any book in the series is self-contained enough to be read independently of the rest, you are risking losing so much by jumping into the latter part of a multiple-novel story. That being said, for the Barrayarra-philes, you already know the background - recent marriage after a memorable courtship now on a galactic honeymoon. As always, Bujold embellishes her universe with familiarity amongst the novel and surprising. You won't be disappointed. Oh, and if you're like me and each book only whets your appetite for more, you're in luck. A novella, Winterfair Gifts, that describes the Vorbarra Sultana wedding of Miles and Ekaterin is amongst the collected stories of Irresistable Forces. Check it out.

FIrst Vorkosigan I read:
A friend of mine has been recommending this series to me for several years now, but recommended starting with one of the other books, which my library didn't have. After reading _Curse of Chalion_, I decided to try this series, and started, apparently, with the most recent. I really like the Miles series (having read some of the others now, too), and this book is no exception. Probably what I like about it is that the characters are intelligent, funny, and usually have a mystery to solve. The mysteries help move the plot along, and I usually find I'm staying up late to find out who did it. :) All in all a great series, and I enjoyed this one a lot, even though I wasn't as familiar with the characters as someone who had read the other books first.

Bujold at her worst is still better than 90% of the stuff on the shelf:
This is one of Bujold's weaker efforts, or maybe it only seems so after the triumphs of Komarr and A Civil Campaign. In it, we follow Miles on an assignment as Imperial Auditor, from the time he first gets the assignment to the time he wraps it up. In it, we see Miles playing detective (a role he has played before, most notably in The Vor Game and Cetaganda.) We also see a few loose strings left over from previous books neatly tied up. In fact, this is so much of a "tidying up" book that it makes me worry that Bujold might be getting tired of Miles. The major disappointments are that it's so short, that we don't get to see any of the story from Ekaterin's perspective, and that, uncharacteristically for Miles, he doesn't manage to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. (Survival, yes, but I wouldn't exactly call it a victory.) There are also some subtle indications here and there that Bujold was paying less attention than usual to canonicity. In particular, she has Miles and another character reminiscing about their "dim and distant past", which was, I'll grant you, four books back, but only about two years ago in internal chronology. Still, this is Bujold, and Bujold at her worst is still better than 90% of the stuff on the shelf.