Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold

Hello, Stranger.

Let's talk about Lois McMaster Bujold's Borders of Infinity.

The Short of It

Plot: In an attempt to balance the books, Miles relates three of his early adventures to Ilyan.

Page Count: 311

Award: Part of the Vorkosigan Saga

Worth a read: Yes
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Pass
Technobabble: Moderate.
Review: A bit all over the place, as the three stories fall at different points in the Vorkosigan timeline. The first is a murder mystery, the second and third are both infiltrations. All of them work on their own, but are a bit awkwardly fit together - the framing narrative is nothing more than a husk. These are non-optional reads, which introduce a number of essential characters. Pacing is good for the first two, drags a bit in the third. It is nice to see more of these smaller stories: a bit less interplanetary conspiracy, a bit more nuance.

The Medium of It

Spoiler Free!

This is a collection of three previously published novellas. It seems like it would not violate the ethos of spoiler-freedom of this portion to explore each of them briefly.

"The Mountains of Mourning" is set between The Warriors Apprentice and The Vor Game. Miles is thus just starting his career. Before heading off for his next adventure, Miles returns to his family's estates and ends up handling a murder case. The specific murder: infanticide of a baby born with a mutation. 

"Labyrinth" comes after Ethan of Athos and explores genetic manipulation in the Vorkosigan universe. Miles and co. are hired to kidnap the lead scientist in the employ of an illegal genetics baron. We are introduced to a new planet, Jackson's Whole, which is basically a bastion for questionable genetics work.  

"The Borders of Infinity" follows "Labyrinth" and details Miles's mission to free a military prisoner from a Cetagandan prison. Effectively all of the action takes place within this prison, so it's nice to have a smaller scale to handle.

The first of these three is probably the strongest. Miles is a mutant himself, as far as Barrayarans are concerned, and sending him to deal with a mutation-motivated infanticide is brilliant. In some ways we see what Miles's life (and death) might have been, had he been born to other parents. This is a far more personal conflict than anything else here. It also comes before Miles is fully developed as himself: he struggles with this (and with himself) far more than he would, if he encountered the same problem later on. We also see far more of the small town and local life of Barrayar - more nuance on more planets is always good stuff!

"Labyrinth" introduces a few vital characters for later books, but is mostly important in that it greatly expands our understanding of what types of genetic manipulation are available within this universe. The story itself is a bit tepid - on its own, this story probably would not count as particularly plot driven. Jackson's Whole is great. Bujold does excellent work with setting up an incredibly scientifically capable Wild West (get it? Jackson's Hole, WY is also out West!) with zero morality. At some points the body horror here turns comical, and some of the silliest sex scenes of the whole series are here.

"Borders of Infinity" is Miles in his element. Or, more accurately, it shows that even when Miles is out of his element, he is still an incredible leader. The prison story works as a small part of a larger conflict, and Miles comes off well, but this is probably the least imaginative of the three.

Taken as a set, the three stories effectively show the growth of Miles. He starts insecure and struggling with his own identity in "The Mountains of Mourning" and ends up able to cobble together a plan from nothing in "Borders of Infinity," backed by his own mercenary fleet. The issue is that we have already seen this character growth throughout the books. Stitching them together like this does no favors to the stories themselves - they would probably be better read at the point of internal chronology where they belong, and ignoring the framing story.

All of these do work on much smaller conflicts than the main Vorkosigan books. It's nice to have the end goal be something like justice for a family, or a rescue - and not an interplanetary war. Ultimately, it's worth a read and in some ways it's vital - just not in the order presented. Get the book, read "Mountains of Mourning" before The Vor Game, then read the other two after Ethan of Athos.

If you'd like to give it a spin, here's a link! I'll get a few cents at no extra cost to you.

The Link of Infinity

The Long of It

Spoilers Ahead!

A fricken' minotaur? That's where this series ends up going? A minotaur. Like a bull-person. I mean, c'mon. 

Damn, I do believe she'd clean up good. She was not without a certain . . . charm was not the word—whatever beauty there was to be found in the strong, the swift, the leanly athletic, the functioning form. Once you got used to the scale of it. She radiated a smooth heat he could feel from here—animal magnetism? the suppressed observer in the back of his brain supplied. Power? Whatever else it was, it would certainly be astonishing.

One of his mother's favorite aphorisms drifted through his head. Anything worth doing, she always said, is worth doing well.

Dizzy as a drunkard, he abandoned the crutch of logic for the wings of inspiration. "Well then, doctor," he heard himself muttering insanely, "let us experiment."

Kissing a woman with fangs was indeed a novel sensation. Being, kissed back—she was clearly a fast learner—was even more novel. Her arms circled him ecstatically, and from that point on he lost control of the situation, somehow. Though some time later, coming up for air, he did look up to ask, "Nine, have you ever heard of the black widow spider?"

Right, a sexy minotaur. I believe this was after we learned that she ate live rats. Which is, it would seem, the Viagra of the Vorkosigan universe. We're supposed to really feel for Taura - that's right, Taura - as a person... but she's a giant sexy minotaur. It's so silly. 

So much of "Labyrinth" is intense, grotesque, and dark. It's about the perversion of unrestrained science coupled with unfettered capitalism - if you want something done, and can pay, it'll happen. It's a system that is full of abuse, torture, and absolute dehumanization. And the pinnacle of it is a sexy sexy minotaur. 

Also: this series has a really severe issue with having spoilers in titles. Miles gets locked in an underground dungeon with a minotaur? "Labyrinth" it is! It's like naming a character Ikaris and then having him fly into the Sun.

"Mountains of Mourning" is excellent, though. It is a perfect example of a plot conflict mirroring a character's internal conflict: Miles trying to become more secure in himself, while trying to get justice for a murdered child. Again, the dehumanizing nature of the crime is presented well: most don't even view it as a crime, because the baby was born deformed, and that is just what is supposed to happen. The weak are disposed of. It's a great way of having the very being of a character butt up against the constraints of society. There are plenty of other Vorkosigan stories that pit Miles against Barrayaran tradition, but that is usually a side dish: here it is the main event.

The weakest of the three is "The Borders of Infinity" - though it is still enjoyable. "Mountains of Morning" is the story most focused on character, "Labyrinth" is the best for world building, and "The Borders of Infinity" tends towards plot. It's a serviceable plot, with enough twists to keep things fun, but Miles does not grow and our understanding of the Vorkosigan universe is not changed or expanded. It's fun - watching Miles create a cult and organize an army out of nothing is a blast. But it feels a bit flat compared to the previous two.

I think you're great without any genetic modifications, Stranger!

And don't forget to read a book.