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Here we are again, it’s time for the Hugos, and Bujold’s latest “Vorkosigan Saga” novel is up for the award. This time around it’s not Miles at the center of this story, though, it’s his much put upon cousin, the eponymous Ivan Vorpatril, and (I guess because domed city’s are romantic?) we’re back at Komarr for another love story. Ivan is doing his typical thing, being the super-devoted efficient assistant to a high-ranking officer and occasionally playing the Playboy, when yet another cousin (this one working for Barrayaran Intelligence) asks him to check on a young woman he describes as being in trouble without specifying exactly why. Meanwhile the young woman (and her very unusual female roommate) have decided this young Barrayaran officer is one of the hit squad they know is after them, and kidnap him instead…just in time for both the real hit squad and the Komarran authorities to both come looking for them. Ivan has a solution to get them all out of trouble, though…and it involves breakfast cereal.

This is a book that I read not 2 months ago, but I could not for the life of me tell you what any of the characters introduced in this book are named. And one of them is a major viewpoint character! There’s also a certain…seismic event that occurs at the climax of the novel that is so absurdly pat that it renders some degree of the entire universe unbelievable. It’s not a bad book, not at all really, but it’s definitely minor Bujold, and definitely not a Hugo winner. This one’s just for the completionists.