#A Civil Campaign

[tanoraqui]

it’s such a shame that even 30 years into the reign of Gregor Vorbarra, Barrayar’s government is still fundamentally non-transparent with a tight hand on the press, because can you fucking imagine watching Ekaterin tell Richars to fuck off then propose to Miles in the Chamber of Counts live on Barrayaran C-SPAN

[swordshapedleaves]

Yes I did stay up until four in the morning rereading A Civil Campaign. But in my defense once you get to the dinner party you really can't stop until you get to the letter.

[i-cast-zone-of-truth]

AND MOST DISASTROUS DINNER PARTY GOES TO

[havendance]

I am obsessed with the way that Escobar is haunting the honor vs reputation discussion. That horrible ghost of an event everything was built on top of.

[leojurand]

this paragraph. delicious

[cookie-nom-nom]

Lois McMaster Bujold: okay so the A plot is an intense political romance dealing with slander and healing from abuse

me: cool cool and the B plot?

Lois: bugs

me: sorry, what?

Lois: B U G S

[randomishnickname]

Just reread A Civil Campaign and my gooood i had forgotten how funny and thrilling and complex that book is. There's so much stuff happening! It's pure chaos everywhere! And yet it's all intervowen and makes perfect sense! Wonderful.

Quick overview of all the plot threads in A Civil Campaign, please help me out if i forgot some:

Miles' "secret" (*cough*) and catastrophic courting of Ekaterin

Ekaterin starting a new life in Vorbarr Sultana and fending off suitors left and right

Kareen Koudelka fighting to get her parents to accept her new galactic mores

Mark launching the Butterbug Business and all the delightful messes that ensue

René "Ghembretten" fighting for his claim to the Vorbretten Countship

Dono Vorrutyer fighting for the claim to his own Countship and all the shenanigans and intrigues that ensue

Escobaran police trying to get their hand on the wicked Doctor Enrique Borgos (Enrique ily <3)

Miles and Ekaterin fighting against awful rumors to preserve their reputation and protect Nikki

Gregor and Laisa's imperial marriage and its stressful preparations

And final special mention to Count Vormuir and his 118 daughters

That's like, 10 different plot threads at once, and wielded with such skill! Never a dull minute. I'm in such awe of LMMB 😵🤯

[alcnolien]

“Mark . . . why do the air holes have screens in them?”

The first time I read A Civil Campaign, this exact conversation was the MOMENT I realized what an absolutely wild book this was going to be. Yes I’m rereading it again for the 50th time.

[agardenandlibrary]

Watching all these pieces line up... 👀

[thirdwifeofriversong]

if someone told me, last summer when i was reading shards of honor, that a VORRUTYER would be one of my favorite characters, i would’ve laughed in their face… but that was before i met dono

[unbizzarre]

VORKOSIGAN DINNER PARTY SCENE (wip)

“My dinner party,' Miles grated. 'It's just breaking up.' And sinking. All souls feared lost.”

Work in progress. The dinner party scene in “A Civil Campaign” from Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga. Characters from left to right are: Ekaterine Vorsoisson, Captian Koudelka, Olivia Koudelka, Dono Vorrutyer, Alys Vorpatril, Miles Vorkosigan, and Enrique Borgos (under the table)

This is a drawing of my friend’s favorite scene in the vorkosigan saga! I personally found this book to be the most stressful to read in the entire series the first time I read it, but that was mostly just cuz I take a lot of damage from secondhand social anxiety for fictional characters. On a second read of the book I was a lot less stressed able to wholeheartedly enjoy this scifi comedy-of-manners for the delightfuly intricate social and politicial clusterfuck it is 🥰.

Second image is early planning for the piece trying to figure out where the hell everybody was supposed to be seated. Goddamn was that a logic puzzle!

[starfishlikestoread]

The "My ex-wife still misses me ... but her aim is getting better!" joke from GF but it's Count Vormuir in A Civil Campaign

[swordshapedleaves]

Quote from Kareen near the beginning of A Civil Campaign (yes I'm rereading it again):

“What Miles needs is a woman who will tell him to go soak his head, or it’ll be a disaster. For her, not him.” After a moment, she added sapiently, “Though if for her, for him too, sooner or later.”

That's it. That's the whole novel right there.

[qwanderer]

By Vorrutyer is such a character tho

Like

Especially in contrast to Miles, from Ivan's perspective, because it's like, well yeah, if I have a cousin who just goes and gets into the most outlandish insane trouble and then shrugs it off as another day working for ImpSec, well, yeah, that's just how Miles is, but if my... old friend has a cousin who does the same, what the fuck? What the fuck, Byerly?

It kinda underscores how wild the whole concept is if you aren't already used to it.

[havendance]

Before I continue with A Civil Campaign today, let’s make a few predictions for this dinner party for fun and profit, and of course the entertainment of you viewers at home. (Please no spoilers) I am currently in the middle of chapter 7 (Ivan has just met Dono). So, without further ado, I predict:

Bugs. Either the butterbugs will inconveniently escape or else they will contribute significantly to the food

Ekaterin is going to find out about Miles’ secret courtship

hmm, I need a third prediction… Either the Vorutyer drama or that baba that Vormoncrief or whatever his name is sent is going to pop up and cause even more problems

[leojurand]

so i finished a civil campaign and the conclusion is pretty much what i've been saying since i started reading it: it's a good book, it's fun, but it's not really a book for me and it's kind of a disappointment.

i went into ACC with very high expectations knowing that it was one of, if not the fan favourite in the series. i can't say it's one of my favourites though... i enjoyed it a normal amount. it's more of a middle of the road entry for me

i liked that the two major plotlines in this book were political infighting and. bugs! tho i wasn't super into the bug stuff lol i wish it had been more of a side quest and not taken as much page time

but anyway. it was very entertaining nevertheless. just not one of the best vorkosigan books and it baffles me how often i've seen this up there with memory in rankings but well! different readers have different tastes!

diplomatic immunity comes next... will try to get into it soon 🫡