Five Happy Things
Fabulous Books that Defy Categorization
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I was trying to choose a new book to read recently and realized it had been a while since I grabbed anything from the science fiction section.
My husband read Shards of Honor (the first book in the Vorkosigan Saga) not too long ago and recommended it highly, so I pulled it off the shelf.
I’ll admit, my first thought when I looked at the cover was, “Really?” I mean, I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I kind of hate everything about this one - the title font, the weird floating heads, the blandly high-tech ships, the overly melodramatic tagline. But Alan read it based on a recommendation from a friend and he thought I’d really like it too, so I gave it a try.
I loved it.
It’s an adventure with some really fun world-building - particularly the animals she created for the planet they start on. It’s got sociopolitical commentary, but never in a heavy-handed way. It’s got terrific (and I mean really terrific) character-building, with a dash of romance.
Where have these books been all my life?
Now I must read them all! I went digging for more info and I found out that her books are considered really hard to categorize. Even within the Vorkosigan Saga they say some are mysteries, some are political thrillers, some are military sci fi, and some are romance. I’m intrigued! And it makes total sense based on the one book that I’ve read so far.
So today, to fill out the rest of our Five Happy Things I’m going to recommend four other books (and/or series) that are tricky to categorize and gave me some of the same vibes as Shards of Honor.
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (the first book in the Pern series)
Back when I started as a bookseller, I remember one of my colleagues telling me that if it has space ships it goes in science fiction and if it has dragons it goes in fantasy. My response? But what if the dragons are genetically engineered to help the settlers survive on a difficult planet?
That’s Pern.
I dearly love the Pern books - a terrific blend of fantasy, science fiction and romance, with a dash of espionage in some of them. My favorite trilogy within the series is Harper Hall of Pern (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums) but if you’re new to the series I recommend starting with Dragonflight. It’s excellent.
The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
No science fiction in this one (or these two - you must read the pair) but there is fantasy, mythology, court intrigue, magic, family drama, strong heroines, and a bit of romance. These are comfort reads for me. I love them.
Imzadi by Peter David
I’m a huge Star Trek: The Next Generation fan. And when I say huge fan I mean I’ve also read most of the books. Imzadi is the best. The show made it clear from the very first episode that Riker and Troi have. . . history. We see in many episodes how that impacts their current relationship, but we never get any details of that history until the book Imzadi. It’s got further development of beloved characters plus adventure, time travel, romance and humor. Peter David is my favorite Star Trek author and Imzadi is my favorite Star Trek book.
The Thief and The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Like Bujold where the different books in the series all belong to different genres, Megan Whalen Turner takes that a step further. The first book in the series is even written for a different age level! The Thief is for kids 8-12 and The Queen of Attolia is for ages 12 and up. When I read The Thief I thought it was pretty dang great, with a clever and unforgettable main character (the thief), a rich setting (which felt vaguely Greek but also wholly unique), and a fun and twisty plot with a terrific ending. Then I read The Queen of Attolia and it completely blew me away by adding even more intrigue and also a rich layer of heartbreaking romance. There are four more books in the series, all excellent, but these are the two I read over and over again.
So there you are - five (plus) fabulous books that defy easy categorization.
Enjoy!
Best,
Wendi
❤️
Aaaah! I envy you encountering Miles & Co. for the first time. I reread a fair bit, but there's nothing like the first time. I admit that I didn't love the series ending, but it gave some food for thought. Bujold is stellar and I would DEARLY love to hear your take on the Penric and Desdemona series. That's an autobuy series for me about a priest and his...helper. If you've read Ursula Vernon writing as T. Kingfisher's Paladin series (and if you have not PLEASE do - cozy feel mystery w/ Ursula's dry but hilarious style and the odd severed head, plus... romance?!) the religious structure within the country is faintly reminiscent...
I love these book posts. Autumn and winter is just the best time for denning up with well-loved books (even books with DREADFUL, ghastly 80's era SF covers, yikes). Happy reading!
I have so appreciated your book recommendations. I adore Miles Vorkosigan! The series gets better and better. Have you tried David Webers Honor Harrington series? He can be a bit heavy handed on the military details, so I tend to skip some of that, but the female characters are amazing. I want to be 20% as amazing as Honor.