Reading: Komarr (265/365)

[white_hart]

The eleventh book in the Vorkosigan series, Komarr sees Miles, now an Imperial Auditor, sent with a colleague to investigate an accident to the terraforming equipment on the Barrayaran colony of Komarr. While investigating, he meets Ekaterin Vorsoisson, niece of his fellow-Auditor and unhappily married to a senior Barryaran administrator on Komarr, and the novel is roughly equal parts investigation and comedy of manners, as Miles and Ekaterin develop a friendship, and maybe more.

After Memory, I was expecting another serious and thought-provoking book, which I think is why it's taken me so long to carry on with the series, during a time when I'm really not sure I have the wherewithal to cope with serious and thought-provoking, but in fact I found myself wrong-footed again, as Komarr is fun, and as light-hearted as any book with a non-zero body count can be. I liked Ekaterin a great deal, and the alternating points of view between her and Miles help to prevent Miles's ego ever becoming overwhelming. I look forward to seeing more of her as I carry on with the series.

Comments

[white_hart]

I think that's next on my list, and I agree with your friends that by this point you really need to know the backstory. (I think it would be like my first attempt to read Sayers, in my teens, when the only one the local library appeared to have was Busman's Honeymoon.)