Komarr continues the story of Miles Vorkosigan, taking us further into his second career. As with previous books, the story focuses on Miles's sharp mind and romantic interests, with humor and call backs to much that has come before. It is yet another fantastic contribution to the series.

This is another series where you will get a lot more out of it if you have read what has come before. There are a lot of snide comments made about Miles by other characters that are funny if you know how extremely wrong they are. That being said, I think you could read the book out of order and still enjoy it.

The characters in this book are really well developed, as they have been throughout the series. I mean, the 9-year-old son has a personality, interests, and ideas. Also, the bad guys are not just bad people who are doing bad things because they are bad and want to be bad to others. They are people with feelings and reasons behind their actions. I love it when the antagonists are acting against the hero because their goals are different rather than because they are evil. I also really love how very human issues like dealing with disability and the death of parents are prominent parts of the book.

The setting is very rich, another feature of the series. This book especially deals with how the history of this part of the galaxy evolved and how the main character's family history on the planet is remembered by the people who live there. Now that I think about it, the last three or four books have been reminders of what happened on Komarr and how the locals feel about it, so by the time you read this book, you are absolutely ready for it. Interestingly, some history is mentioned without any reminders. You have to remember from previous books that Miles's grandfather tried to kill him after he was born, because of his deformities. It really gives you the feeling that you know the character.

The plot, as often is the case, is pretty good too. It has some romance, but it is definitely "romantic elements" rather than being in the romance genre. There is one moment that might have been a bit too obvious in terms of "here is a seemingly innocent encounter that will be important later", but overall it did a really good job of taking confusing little details (not that they were seemingly unimportant, but just that they were parts without reference to a whole) and making them into a really compelling story. I especially like the ending and how it is clear that the main character learned from his father's experience.

This is another series that I may reread. There are parts (in earlier books) that are really dark, and I don't know if I want to revisit that or not. Also, Miles's romantic woes are not my favorite. On the other hand, I really love a lot of moments in the books (there is an afternoon spent fishing in the previous book that is just fantastic), and I would like to live them again. So, maybe.

Should you read this series? If you like SF, then yes. The main character is a bit hyper, so maybe not if you can't tolerate that. However, it is right up there with Aubrey & Maturin (historical fiction) in being a great series with great characters. That having been said, I think that it might be better to start with The Warrior's Apprentice, as opposed to Shards of Honour (which I remember being kind of meh). The Warrior's Apprentice sets up the whole series pretty well. If you don't like that, you won't like the rest of it, as the humor, the darkness, and the unrequited love are the same.

Obviously, I will be reading the next book, which I think continues right on from where this one left off.