Komarr could be a garden--with a thousand years of work--or an uninhabitable wasteland, if the terraforming fails. Now the sole mirror vital to the terraforming of the conquered planet has been shattered by a ship hurtling off course. The Emperor sends his newest Imperial Auditor, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, to find out why. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Rendered unfit for military service by incurable seizures resulting from his having died, been cryofrozen and then revived, Miles Vorkosigan has managed to land on his feet once again, this time as an Imperial Auditor handling top-secret investigations of the most difficult and vital sort. When a gigantic solar-powered satellite necessary to the terraforming of the planet Komarr is damaged in a collision with an ore freighter, Miles and another Auditor are sent to determine whether the collision was an accident or sabotage. Conquered within living memory by the Barrayaran Empire, which Miles represents, Komarr has a history of rebellion. Worse, Miles's father, Lord Vorkosigan, who put down the last revolt, is hated by many Komarran patriots. Miles eventually uncovers what is apparently a straightforward scheme involving bribery in high places, but a darker and more dangerous plot is brewing below the surface, one that could destroy the Empire. In addition, he falls in love with the unhappily married wife of the government official who is his host. As usual, Bujold (Memory) tells a fast-moving story that combines just the right amount of action and wit as Miles continues to mature in a manner unusually complex for a series protagonist. Breaking new ground, Bujold tells much of her story from the viewpoint of Ekaterin Vorsoisson, the woman Miles falls in love with, and the portrait that emerges of a good woman stuck in a loveless marriage is both believable and intensely painful. Bujold continues to grow as a writer, and her work remains among the most enjoyable and rewarding in contemporary SF. (June) of the year and was a finalist for both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards.Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

The latest Miles Vorkosigan adventure is so understated that only very gradually does the emotional impact we have come to expect from Bujold's novels register. Imperial auditor Miles is investigating a nasty Chernobyl-like accident on Komarr, a planet occupied by Barrayar as a first line of defense against the Cetagandans. Although the Barrayarans are financing the terraforming of Komarr, the Komarrans have a history of resistance to the occupation. Miles quickly discovers plots within plots, which involve both financial peculation and a band of Komarran terrorists who combine fanaticism and stupidity to a truly terrifying degree. In the course of these discoveries, he also meets Ekaterin Vorsoissons, wife of one of the key figures in the financial peculation. For most of the book, we see Miles through Ekaterin's eyes and thus get a new perspective on his multitudinous complexities that fascinates despite slowing the action. In the end, the terrorists are outmaneuvered more than outfought, and what can only be called the courtship of Miles Vorkosigan gives every sign of being underway. Another fine effort from one of sf's outstanding talents. (Reviewed May 15, 1998)0671878778Roland Green From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.