Anyone else read John Ringo?Follow

Ringo is the one of the best at writing Sci-fi military that I have come across. It is rare to find an author who can create great characters and still be able to write a believably battle scene.

I read Emerald Sea, by him, and I didn't like it. There were a few inventive ideas, but for some reason the book as a whole didn't click for me.

I picked this book up because it was published by Baen, and Baen are the publishers who brought me the Vorkosigan books by Lois Mc Master Bujold. Despite having some of the most God-awful wincingly bad covers I've ever seen, the Vorkosigan serial is one of my most favourite groups of book ever.

Each Vorkosigan book is written as a stand alone, but of course reading them all gives you a richer picture. I think they are somewhat variable in their quality. The worst of them are merely fun adventures in space. The best of them are very meaningful, and have great insight into human psychology - and are also fun adventures in space.

The first two are written from Cordelia's perspective, and the remainder are written from her son Miles' perspective. Both of them are some of my most favourite protagonists ever.

Cordelia is the captain of a survey ship. A scientist, pacifist, highly moral, unsure of herself in many ways, and yet with the capacity to take enormous action and responsibility when she sees an important problem. She's one of the most admirable heroes I've ever come across. And it feels natural to call her a hero instead of a heroine.

Her story begins when her peaceful government exploration ship runs into a military vessel of an expansionist empire, on a previously uncharted planet.

Miles' story starts when he's 17, and he's in his mid 30's in the last story. Severely damaged in utero as collateral damage from an assassination attempt, he's born a cripple into a world where physical defects are relatively rare. He faces massive obstacles, because he's set his heart on the space navy, and nothing else will do for him. Bujold might write in a very simple style that is easy to read, but if you pay attention, and especially read several of the Miles books, Miles is actually an exquisitely complex creation.

He has massive and deep character flaws, which you might not notice at first because he's so dynamic, interesting, attractive, and charming. He also is fundamentally good and highly generous, if he could only stop manipulating every situation to get his own way all the time. His flaws and virtues arise naturally out of his background, which is extremely satisfying storytelling.

A lot of his adventures are hair-raisingly way out. But Bujold has method in her madness, even in the most unbelievable plot line she ever created. This is how she wrote her stories for a long time: She creates a character, and then, given who this person is psychologically, she does the very worst thing to them possible, given who that person is. Then she sees how that character copes with the situation.

The blend changes from book to book, but in a Vorkosigan book you can expect some mix of science fiction, action, comedy, drama and romance. They are fast paced and easy to read, but as I said before, if you pay attention, you'll be rewarded with depth.

Just one caution. There are about 11 Vorkosigan books at last count, and several short stories written for magazines. Also a couple of books that don't feature anyone from Miles' family, but do give added background to his universe. The books and short stories weren't necessarily written in the order of events that happened in Miles life. So the publishers recently took pity on new Vorkosigan readers and brought out a series of omnibus editions, where everything is put into chronological order. You can typically expect two books and a short story in each omnibus edition. The best plus is it's cheaper than buying them all separately.

Don't accidentally buy a Miles book you have already bought, because one version is the original stand-alone, and the other version is in an omnibus.

The Omnibuses in order:

Cordelia's Honor
(Please don't be put off by the ghastly cover that makes it look like a romance novel.)

Young Miles

Miles, Mystery and Mayhem

Miles Errant

Memory
The longest Miles Vorkosigan book (and possibly the best one) it seems to be left standing alone, not included into an Omnibus edition, unless I've missed one somewhere.

Miles In Love
(Some of the titles don't do themselves any favours either )

Miles, Mutants and Microbes

Edited, Jan 5th 2008 8:36am by Aripyanfar

Kao names many of my favorte authors for SF/Mil lit. Also in alt history check 1633, 1634 and the Rest of the Ring of Fire series, by Eric Flint.

I may also add Harry Turtledove for alt History with aliens.

I may dislike many of Ringo political stances, but I love how he isn't afraid to have his main character be kinky and sick as Ghost.

Since many of the authors are publish by Baen, you can head over to Baen's Bar and read for free online. Isn't the same as reading a hard back in bed, but a lot cheaper. Often Baen will put a cd inside books with earlier novels in series on them.

Still I tend to spend far more then I can afford on their books. As long as I go through BSFS.org's Amazon link Jonwin seems not to complain.

Ringo's the best after David Weber. And no, the writing's not stodgy. Some of the books probably belong in erotica rather than sci fi, but all good reads.