Miles, mystery & mayhem Book

Spaaaaaaaace opera!

I've been keeping the Vorkosigan Saga on standby for when I want to dive headfirst into something fun and exciting. Science fiction at its soft best, clever protagonists, funny dialogue. I got all that in this omnibus. I also got plenty of social commentary on gender and sexuality, which is VERY relevant to the gay marriage backlash and all the anti-trans nonsense that's been gong on lately.

So the first story, Ceteganda, I would sum up as "Miles being Miles," and it was awesome. Intrigue, machinations, cleverness, and Miles pushing forward (despite Ivan's best attempts at being a voice of reason) because ... it's what Miles does. He even gets called on it a few times; when he finally gets cornered and has to figure out WHY he's so determined to take charge and do everything himself, it really does come down to that giant chip on his shoulder and nothing else. Entirely in character, and entirely satisfying. I particularly loved what one character said to him (paraphrased) when he was about to get honored at the end: "At first I thought you would love this. Then I thought you might hate it. But either way, you deserve it."

The second story, Ethan of Athos, was every bit as exciting, but much more thought-provoking. Miles himself wasn't in it, though he's there by proxy via Elli Quinn. Athos is an entirely male planet; women are forbidden, and all children are test-tube babies. But their ovarian cultures that are necessary for reproduction are getting old, and the titular Ethan is sent out into the galaxy to procure new ones. Things get really complicated for him when he gets caught up in all sorts of intergalactic intrigue, aided by Quinn. (The first woman he's ever encountered. The fact that she's a particularly attractive woman doesn't make things easier on him.) The story itself was quite exciting, but the real takeaway was the ruminations on sexuality and what gender roles can mean when one takes away the necessity of sexual reproduction. It's take-an-idea-and-run-with-it in the best tradition of science fiction.

The final novella, Labyrinth, is something similar with non-binary genders. Bel Thorne, Miles' hermaphrodite lieutenant, is a prominent character, as is a mutant female that Miles' meets along the way. Fluidity of gender and sexuality both are examined, in an exciting and extremely touching story.

So all in all, a great set of stories.