# About the Vorkosigan books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [November 16, 2025, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913 "2025-11-16T23:01:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/381 "2026-09-25T12:18:20Z")
She’s mostly been writing penric novellas recently, so that’s plausible. There are a lot of penric novellas. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/382 "2026-09-25T13:06:38Z")
Are any of them in actual print? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/383 "2026-09-25T13:15:05Z")
Every so often a collection of three or so gets printed in hardcopy, yes. > **[Bujold, Penric – AbeBooks](https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Bujold&kn=Penric&sts=t&ref_=search_f_hp)** > > Penric's Labors by Bujold, Lois McMaster and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/384 "2026-09-25T13:24:30Z")
Thanks. I don’t think my local libraries have been getting them; but maybe they’re somewhere in the system. I should check. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/385 "2026-09-25T13:33:48Z")
If you own an ereader, or are comfortable reading long -form fiction on whatever you use for the SDMB, your library might also lend ebooks. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/386 "2026-09-25T13:52:59Z")
Ok, I’ll bite the bullet. I had read the Vorkosigan series a couple of years ago and this thread has convinced me I need to reread it. Time to load up the Kindle! Except for Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen because that one sucked. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/387 "2026-09-25T13:57:06Z")
I disliked _Gentleman Joel and the Red Queen_ the first time i read it. But i went back and read it as a romance novel, rather than as a space cowboy novel, and liked it much more the second time. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/388 "2026-09-25T14:46:59Z")
It’s mostly a matter of expectations, if you expect _The Warrior’s Apprentice_ when reading _The Vor Game_, you’ll dislike it (it happened to me, and I coined the expression “Vor Game’s Syndrome” for books I disliked not because they were bad but because I expected a different book (I re read _The Vor Game_ a few years later and loved it)). The same thing may be happening with _Red Queen_, I would suggest, @Catamount, that you reread it too, after rereading the whole series and knowing what to expect you may end up liking it. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/389 "2026-09-25T14:51:47Z")
It took me forever to finish Cryoburn because… you know. And then it took me forever to start Red Queen because… you know. I liked what it was trying to do. In some ways it succeeded and in other ways it was just a boring book. But the whole idea of it just wrecks me. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/390 "2026-09-25T14:57:22Z")
I don’t remember Cryoburn that well, but I read Red Queen recently, and… I don’t know. If you are comfortable doing so, can you spell it out? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/391 "2026-09-25T15:02:14Z")
ARAL DIED. 😭 😭 😭 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/392 "2026-09-25T15:09:41Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Are any of them in actual print? Here’s the breakdown. The Penric books are a series of novellas, with one short novel. They’re originally released as ebooks. They then each get a very limited printing. These initial printed versions sell out quickly and then get resold for very high prices. After a few years, Bujold writes enough that she puts three of the novellas together and re-releases them in book form. There are four of these collected editions in print. Here’s the list of novellas, in publication order. Penric’s Demon (2015) Penric and the Shaman (2016) Penric’s Mission (2016) Mira’s Last Dance (2017) Penric’s Fox (2017) The Prisoner of Limnos (2017) The Orphans of Raspay (2019) The Physicians of Vilnoc (2020) Masquerade in Lodi (2020) The Assassins of Thasalon (2021) the short novel Knot of Shadows (2021) Demon Daughter (2024) Penric and the Bandit (2024) The Adventure of the Demonic Ox (2025) Testimony of Mute Things (2025) Darksight Dare (2026) As is common with Bujold, the order the stories were written and published does not always match the order the events of the stories occurred in. So here is the chronological order of the stories: Penric’s Demon Penric and the Shaman Testimony of Mute Things Penric’s Fox Masquerade in Lodi Penric’s Mission Mira’s Last Dance The Prisoner of Limnos The Orphans of Raspay The Physicians of Vilnoc The Assassins of Thasalon Knot of Shadows Demon Daughter Penric and the Bandit The Adventure of the Demonic Ox Darksight Dare And here are the collections with the stories they contain: Penric’s Progress (2020) Penric’s Demon Penric and the Shaman Penric’s Fox Penric’s Travels (2020) Penric’s Mission Mira’s Last Dance The Prisoner of Limnos Penric’s Labors (2022) Masquerade in Lodi The Orphans of Raspay The Physicians of Vilnoc Penric’s Intrigues (2026) The Assassins of Thasalon Knot of Shadows ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/393 "2026-09-25T15:20:12Z")
I’m older than you. That didn’t really bother me at all. He was old and lived a full life. I can now count him as a happy man. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/394 "2026-09-25T15:21:46Z")
I was a little bit in love with him. Doesn’t happen to me usually with book characters. He’s a lot like my husband in some ways. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/395 "2026-09-25T16:37:16Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I disliked _Gentleman Joel and the Red Queen_ the first time i read it. But i went back and read it as a romance novel, rather than as a space cowboy novel, and liked it much more the second time. That’s the problem. I don’t like romance novels. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/396 "2026-09-25T16:37:47Z")
Then it’s not a great book for you. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/397 "2026-09-25T18:11:00Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > If you own an ereader, or are comfortable reading long -form fiction on whatever you use for the SDMB, your library might also lend ebooks They do; but I’d really rather read peper, for actual books. Might wind up making an exception in this case, eventually. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Here’s the breakdown Thanks! Will investigate further this winter. Too busy now. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/398 "2026-09-25T20:29:10Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > But suddenly, the younger generation is leading/pulling from the front and there’s several moments during the transition where you can see “But that’s not what WE planned?!” going through their minds. And that was a point Miles made to Gregor, in the book set just after the end of the Regency. Aral had spent years ensuring that the Emperor would still have real power once he’d reached the age to take power in his own name, and it was time Gregor used it, based on his own judgement. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/399 "2026-09-26T00:15:30Z")
One other thought that’s been rattling around in my brain: The Sergyan worm plague was karmic. They’d never have fallen victim to that if Cordelia had had the chance to finish her ecological survey properly. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913/400 "2026-09-26T00:29:48Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > That’s the problem. I don’t like romance novels. I don’t either but I liked _Red Queen_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-vorkosigan-books/1024913.md?page=21)