A Civil Campaign

4.5*! Another great entry in Miles Vorkosigan's saga, this book is more of a love story (not too sappy) than a space opera thriller. There is a bit of interesting internal Barrayar politics going on in a secondary arc, but most of the focus is on Miles, his brother and some other well known characters finally making progress (or lack of) in their love lives. This provides an excellent opportunity to explore Barrayar's paternalistic culture and its impact on the female characters. The best scene (perhaps in any of the books so far) involves a dinner party Miles has painstakingly planned for his matrimonial target and its farcical unravelling.