Further to my previous post

[bohemiancoast]

Opinions on the optimum reading order for the Vorkosigan saga, for three different cases, please:

a) for rather forgetful fan re-reading;
b) for 13 year-old who is allegedly less geeky than us, but discovered her current love The Big Bang Theory while googling Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock.
c) for 10-year-old who only ever seems to read things by accident, wildly age-inappropriate or not.

Comments

[drplokta]

For fan re-reading, and the 13-year-old, I'd go for internal chronological order (without obsessing about the framing material from Borders of Infinity, which in any case isn't in the ebooks on the Cryoburn CD). For the 10-year-old, I'd start with The Warrior's Apprentice and let him work through Miles in internal chronology, and then backfill with Shards of Honour, Barrayar and Ethan of Athos if he wants. I'd skip Falling Free in either case.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

This.

[flick.livejournal.com]

You: either internal or writing is good.
Her: start with older Miles, I'd say.
Him: start with the one where he accidentally gets the ship fleet.

[inamac.livejournal.com]

13 YO could start at the chronological beginning with 'Shards of Honor' - particularly given its Trekish genesis.

10 YO would probably prefer to dive straight in with the action/adventure of Warrior's Apprentice.

Speaking as a forgetful fan, I'd probably go for the collection of shorts, with its useful chronology at the back.

[anef.livejournal.com]

Jo Walton wrote about re-reading the books on Tor.com, which you may have seen, but might be useful for new readers, and also interviewed the author:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/04/interview-with-lois-mcmaster-bujold-about-writing-the-vorkosigan-saga#23578

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

> Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

An awful lot of Civilization 4 is "Rock Paper Scissors". An axeman will beat a spearman because of his melee bonus, but a horse archer, not being a melee unit can thrash an axeman, and a spearman, despite being quite weak, can defeat a horse.

While of course Lizards and Spock probably beat all of them. :-)



And the answer to your question is "why bother. Watch Big Bang Theory instead".

[dev-iant.livejournal.com]

I'd say that both 13YO and 10YO should start with The Warrior's Apprentice, though I haven't yet been able to persuade our 14YO to read it. After that, I'd read them in internal chronological order.