Capsule Review Archive – Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 27, 2016.
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen
By Lois McMaster Bujold – Baen Books – February 2, 2016
Review by Robin Marx
An alternate title for this could be “How Cordelia Got Her Groove Back.”
Lois McMaster Bujold is perhaps my favorite living author and her Vorkosigan books my favorite ongoing series. While this book has very little to offer those new to the series and characters, longtime fans may enjoy it provided they don't mind the fact that (continuing a recent trend) it's more of a romance novel than anything else.
The story focuses on Cordelia Vorkosigan (star of the first book in the series, but mostly a supporting character in subsequent books) and Admiral Jole, a pleasant but somewhat minor character that—to be honest—has never left much of an impression on me. Bujold is a master of characterization and I love spending time with her creations. After so many years, reading about them is like checking in with old friends. That feel is present in this book, but Miles' presence is all too brief.
The usual brilliant characterization aside, there's not a lot of action or really even much drama present here. While I appreciate that the romance referred to in the title begins fairly early on, without much “Will they or won't they?” jerking around, there's not much conflict in the story that follows. The romance has some obstacles to overcome, but nothing too wrenching or surprising, and they're all introduced and reconciled fairly quickly and without much trouble.
Over the course of the story, some details are revealed about Aral's past. Without getting into spoilers, I found them interesting and not particularly hard to swallow, but some readers may have trouble reconciling them with the character as presented to date. I don't think this aspect had been hinted about previously, so some readers might feel taken off guard.
The best words to describe this book are probably cozy and sedate. My rating for this book is really 3.5 stars, but rounded up for the Vorkosigan factor.
★★★★☆
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