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A review by captlychee
Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold
4.0
There's little to say about this that hasn't been better said by the contributors to [b:Lois McMaster Bujold|23359569|Lois McMaster Bujold (Modern Masters of Science Fiction)|Edward James|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414015920l/23359569._SX50_.jpg|42915520] and the author herself at the end of this book.
The important thing is that it contains additional information (some might say spoilers) about the characters which lets the reader make sense of what characters do in other novels. In particular, the second story, 'Labyrinth' explains why Bel Thorne is with the Quaddies in [b:Diplomatic Immunity|61901|Diplomatic Immunity (Vorkosigan Saga, #13)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297832355l/61901._SY75_.jpg|2511259] and who Taura is in [b:Mirror Dance|61909|Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga, #8)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297831387l/61909._SY75_.jpg|287351].
'The Borders of Infinity' is a lovely, sad story of another of MIles' lost loves, but it does contain a bit of gratuiotous death. Bujold does have a habit of killing off characters for the hell of it, as well as conjuring marriages that wouldn't last long in real life, but you can just get swept away in the writing and complain about those things in a Goodreads review.
'The Mountains of Mourning' isn't that great a story, and Cordelia Naesmith has a small and pretty docile role in it, which is unusual, but it does have some info about the settlement of Barrayar, so that's something.
I'll briefly mention the framing device, which is silly and unnecessary. Why the hell would Miles have to report on his expenditure while working for Barrayar, and then why don't the stories mention anything about the expenditure if that's what he's being asked about? Just give us the stories! For a much better framing device, see [b:Clearinghouse|72423872|Clearinghouse|Randall Schanze|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677893304l/72423872._SX50_.jpg|76132267]
The important thing is that it contains additional information (some might say spoilers) about the characters which lets the reader make sense of what characters do in other novels. In particular, the second story, 'Labyrinth' explains why Bel Thorne is with the Quaddies in [b:Diplomatic Immunity|61901|Diplomatic Immunity (Vorkosigan Saga, #13)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297832355l/61901._SY75_.jpg|2511259] and who Taura is in [b:Mirror Dance|61909|Mirror Dance (Vorkosigan Saga, #8)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297831387l/61909._SY75_.jpg|287351].
'The Borders of Infinity' is a lovely, sad story of another of MIles' lost loves, but it does contain a bit of gratuiotous death. Bujold does have a habit of killing off characters for the hell of it, as well as conjuring marriages that wouldn't last long in real life, but you can just get swept away in the writing and complain about those things in a Goodreads review.
'The Mountains of Mourning' isn't that great a story, and Cordelia Naesmith has a small and pretty docile role in it, which is unusual, but it does have some info about the settlement of Barrayar, so that's something.
I'll briefly mention the framing device, which is silly and unnecessary. Why the hell would Miles have to report on his expenditure while working for Barrayar, and then why don't the stories mention anything about the expenditure if that's what he's being asked about? Just give us the stories! For a much better framing device, see [b:Clearinghouse|72423872|Clearinghouse|Randall Schanze|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677893304l/72423872._SX50_.jpg|76132267]