| Lois McMaster Bujold | |
|---|---|
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| Occupation | novelist |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Genres | science fiction, fantasy |
Lois McMaster Bujold (born November 2, 1949, Columbus, Ohio) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy works. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting
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Bujold is best known for her series of novels featuring Miles Vorkosigan, a physically-impaired interstellar spy and mercenary admiral from the planet Barrayar, set approximately 1000 years in our future. Miles Vorkosigan is the physically impaired fictional hero of a series of novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold known as Barrayar is a fictional Planet in Lois McMaster Bujold 's Vorkosigan Saga series of Science fiction novels and stories The series demonstrates Bujold's mastery of various science fiction genres and sub-genres. Earlier titles are generally firmly in the space opera tradition with no shortage of battles, conspiracies, and wild twists, while in more recent volumes Miles becomes more of a detective. Space opera is a subgenre of Speculative fiction or Science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often Melodramatic adventure set mainly or entirely Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder In A Civil Campaign, Bujold explores yet another genre: a high-society romance with a plot that pays tribute to Regency romance novelist Georgette Heyer (as acknowledged in the dedication). Georgette Heyer (16 August 1902 &ndash 4 July 1974 was an English Historical romance and Detective fiction Novelist. It centers on a catastrophic dinner party, with misunderstandings and dialogue justifying the subtitle "A Comedy of Biology and Manners". Her psychological insights and creation of complex characters are particularly appreciated by many readers.
There is considerable debate among readers as the best order to read the Vorkosigan series. Some favor reading in publication order, some in order of internal chronology, and some prefer other orders. This illustrates the widely held view that this series consists of independent works which nonetheless gain from their inter-relations.
The author has stated that her Miles Naismith Vorkosigan series structure is modeled after the Horatio Hornblower books documenting the life of a single person. Admiral of the Fleet Horatio Hornblower 1st Baron Hornblower, GCB, is a fictional protagonist of a series of Novels by C In themes and echoes, they also reflect Dorothy L. Sayers' mystery character Lord Peter Wimsey. Dorothy Leigh Sayers ( IPA: usually pronounced /ˈseɪɜrz/ although Sayers herself preferred /ˈsɛːz/ and encouraged the use of her middle initial to facilitate this Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey, a Fictional character, is a bon vivant sleuth in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy Bujold has also said that part of the challenge of writing a series is that many readers will encounter the stories in "utterly random order", so she must provide sufficient background in each of them without being excessively repetitious. Most recent printings of her Vorkosigan tales do include an appendix at the end summarizing the internal chronology of the series.
Bujold is one of the most acclaimed writers in her field, having won the prestigious Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's earlier record; and her novella "The Mountains of Mourning" won both the Hugo and Nebula Award. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7 1907 – May 8 1988 was an American Novelist and Science fiction Writer. The Nebula Award is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA for the best Science fiction / Fantasy fiction In the fantasy sphere, The Curse of Chalion won the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature and was nominated for the 2002 World Fantasy Award for best novel, and her fourth Hugo and second Nebula for a novel was for Paladin of Souls. The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given by the Mythopoeic Society to authors of outstanding works in the fields of myth fantasy and the scholarly The World Fantasy Awards are annual international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of Fantasy.
Bujold is the daughter of Robert Charles McMaster and attributes her early interest in SF, as well as certain aspects of the Vorkosigan saga, to his influence. He was editor of the monumental Nondestructive Testing Handbook generally referred to as McMaster on Materials.
Bujold currently lives in Minnesota. Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers She is divorced and has two children.
Science fiction and fantasy
Lois Bujold wrote three books (Shards of Honor, Ethan of Athos and The Warrior's Apprentice) before The Warrior's Apprentice was accepted after four rejections. On the strength of The Warrior's Apprentice, Baen Books agreed to a three-book deal to include the two prior novels. Baen Books is an American Publishing company established in 1983 by long time Science Fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen. Thus began Bujold's career in science fiction.
She also wanted to break into the Fantasy genre but was met with early setbacks. Her first foray into Fantasy was with The Spirit Ring. She wrote the book "on spec", shopped it around, and found very low offers, forcing her to go back to Baen Books, where Jim Baen bought The Spirit Ring for a fair price in exchange for the promise of more Vorkosigan books. Bujold called this experience, combined with the mediocre sales and lack of critical acclaim of that book, very educational.
She would not attempt to break into the Fantasy market again for almost another decade, with The Curse of Chalion. This book was also written on spec and offered up to a book auction, like her previous The Spirit Ring. But this time, she met with considerable critical and commercial success, tapping into a cross-over market of Fantasy and Romance genre fans.
Selected works
The Vorkosigan Saga
Listed in series order:
- "Dreamweaver's Dilemma" [set in the Vorkosigan universe long before the rest of the series] (1995) (included in collection Dreamweaver's Dilemma) NESFA Press
- Falling Free [set approximately 200 years before the birth of Miles Vorkosigan] (1988) -- Nebula Award
- Shards of Honor [set approximately 1 year before the birth of Miles Vorkosigan] (1986)
- Barrayar (1991) -- Hugo Award
- The Warrior's Apprentice (1986)
- "The Mountains of Mourning" (1989) (included in Borders of Infinity) -- Hugo Award, Nebula Award. The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically NESFA Press is the publishing arm of the New England Science Fiction Association, Inc The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically First published in Analog magazine. Available online via the Baen Free Library
- The Vor Game (1990) -- Hugo Award
- Cetaganda (1995)
- Ethan of Athos [Miles Vorkosigan is referred to, but does not actually appear, in this novel] (1986)
- "Labyrinth" (1989) (included in Borders of Infinity) --First published in Analog magazine. The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically Ethan of Athos is a Science fiction Novel which is part of the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically
- "The Borders of Infinity" (1987) (included in Borders of Infinity) -- First published in Freelancers. The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically Available online via Baen Webscription
- Borders of Infinity (1989) (Collection of "The Mountains of Mourning", "Labyrinth" and "The Borders of Infinity", tied together with an original frame story interspliced between them, which is set shortly after Brothers in Arms. The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically )
- Brothers in Arms (1989)
- Mirror Dance (1994) -- Hugo Award winner
- Memory (1996) (unavailable in any omnibus volume)
- Komarr (1998)
- A Civil Campaign (2000)
- "Winterfair Gifts" (2002 in Croatian (as a "Zimoslavni darovi") and Russian, 2004 in English) -- First published in Irresistible Forces, a Science Fiction/Romance genre crossover anthology edited by Catherine Asaro. The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of Science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold, most of which concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically Catherine Asaro is an American Science fiction and Fantasy author The "Winterfair Gifts" novella is also available as a standalone ebook from Fictionwise.
- Diplomatic Immunity (2002)
Omnibus volumes:
- Cordelia's Honor (contains Shards of Honor, Barrayar)
- Young Miles (contains The Warrior's Apprentice, "The Mountains of Mourning", The Vor Game)
- Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem (contains Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos, "Labyrinth")
- Miles Errant (contains "The Borders of Infinity", Brothers in Arms, Mirror Dance)
- Miles, Mutants and Microbes (contains Falling Free, Diplomatic Immunity, "Labyrinth")
- Miles in Love (contains Komarr, A Civil Campaign, "Winterfair Gifts")
- Vorkosigan's Game (Out of Print - contained The Vor Game, "The Mountains of Mourning", "Labyrinth", and "The Borders of Infinity" including the framing story for the collection Borders of Infinity)
Audiobooks:
"Books-on-tape/CD" versions of Falling Free, Shards of Honor, Barrayar, The Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game, Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos, Borders of Infinity, and Brothers in Arms were produced by The Reader's Chair. Diplomatic Immunity is a 2002 Science fiction Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold.
"Books-on-tape/CD/MP3 downloads" versions of The Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game, Cetaganda, Brothers in Arms, Mirror Dance, Memory, Komarr and A Civil Campaign are produced by Blackstone Audio and are also available from Audible.com. Audiblecom is an Internet provider of spoken audio entertainment information and educational programming
Fantasy novels
- The Spirit Ring (1993)
- in the Chalion universe:
- The Curse of Chalion (2001)
- Paladin of Souls (2003) (sequel to The Curse of Chalion) Hugo Award Nebula Award
- The Hallowed Hunt (2005)
- The Sharing Knife:
- Beguilement (2006)
- Legacy (2007)
- Passage (2008)
- Horizon (2009)
Audiobooks:
"Books-on-tape/CD/MP3 downloads" versions of The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, The Hallowed Hunt, The Sharing Knife: Vol1 Beguilement, The Sharing Knife: Vol 2 Legacy, and The Sharing Knife: Vol 3 Passage are produced by Blackstone Audio and are also available from Audible.com. The Spirit Ring is a Fantasy novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, published in 1992 The Curse of Chalion is a 2001 Fantasy Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. Paladin of Souls is a 2003 Fantasy Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year The Nebula Award is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA for the best Science fiction / Fantasy fiction The Hallowed Hunt is a Fantasy novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, published in 2005 The Sharing Knife Beguilement is a Fantasy novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, published in 2006 The Sharing Knife Legacy is a Fantasy novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, published in 2007 Audiblecom is an Internet provider of spoken audio entertainment information and educational programming
See also
The Fivefold Pathway of the Soul, one of the (fictional) primary religious texts for the southern cultures in The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls
External links
- The Bujold Nexus
- Official forum (to which the author regularly contributes) at IBDoF
- Lois McMaster Bujold at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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