Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold

I think I probably preferred the UST of the earlier books over the random romantic interlude for one thing, it really does seem a bad idea for Miles to get involved with a senior officer, and the book seems to skirt over that in an annoyingly 'love conquers all' kind of way. And the interaction between Miles and Mark is very well done he isn't just a sucker who falls for Miles' silver tongue, and I did like the ambiguity of the ending, the realistic awkwardness rather than a nice neat resolution. I really enjoyed the development of the relationship with Ivan in BiA he becomes real and isn't just a goofy flirtatious straight man to Miles. Also, the glimpses of far future earth are really cool! But I can't complain because the plot that does happen is fun and thrilling. In some ways it seems to want to fold in the middle, there are almost two arcs, and the section after Miles' rescue seems to be a little bit Miles gratuitously buying trouble in order to make plot happen.

In some ways it comes very close to classic farce, with all the multiplying clones and mistaken identities and people pretending to be someone who's pretending to be someone else, and ending with marriages. I really ought to buy some copies of my own, because I'll certainly want to reread at least Borders of infinity and The warrior's apprenticeĪs I've come to expect from this series, Brothers in arms is full of delightful intrigue and tension and some very moving moments. How it came into my hands: cartesiandaemon lent it to me. Reasons for reading it: I should probably stop filling in this field for the Miles series, because really the only trouble here is rationing myself so that I don't spoil them by reading too many back to back. Verdict: Brothers in arms is magnificent fun.

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold