Mirror Dance (A Vorkosigan Adventure) [Paperback]

Once again, instead of a play-by-play plot synopsis I will direct the reader's attention to the true merits of Mirror Dance (not that the plot is lacking in any way, trust me!). First, this is a poignant look into the minds and souls of two men who happen to be genetically identitical, but whose lives have taken jarringly disparate paths. Many have wondered before if Bujold has a degree in Psychology or some other such head-shrinking, she does such a superb and realistic job of getting inside characters' heads. But far from a tour of Psych and Neuroses 101, Mirror Dance participates; we are speared with their hopes and heartaches, dragged into their whirlwind view of the action around them. The moment of truth came for me when I realized that I could actually empathize with a man who was raised by terrorists to become a sociopath, and his painful struggle to rise above his upbringing to be psychologically reborn as a human.

Next, Bujold accomplishes here a rare coup: this is a carefully thought out universe, with laws, advanced technologies, cultures, wars, and moral dilemmas aplenty -- but without overwhelming attention to the logistics and alienness of this future. We can exist with the characters here on their comfortable level of existence and marvel and puzzle just as reaslistically as they without distraction from things that would not appear out of ordinary to them; after all, do we spend time describing mundane things in our minds such as the microwave (which for instance would have seemed fantastic in a novel written 100 years ago, about us here and now)? As Bujold put it in a commentary somewhere else, the technology is always present, just not intrusive.

But best of all, this is space opera at it's pinnacle. Good v. Evil, action, moral dilemmas, all that and Bujold's signature intelligence and wit. Here come the cliche's I just couldn't avoid: roller coaster ride of emotions, makes you laugh and cry, new paradigm for excellence, something for everyone, etc.

What can I say, my words really are inadequate!

It's hard to talk about specific things I liked without giving the plot away, but the general, I loved the quality of the writing. It was fluent, graceful and filled with moments of aching beauty. The characters are all well-drawn and completely believable. (For example, in a community of clones, the author manages to make individual stand out without letting the reader forget that this is a community of clones -- and without being obtrusive about either point.)

And then there is the plot. In many ways, this is the critical book in Miles' story, as it sets him up for the struggles and epiphanies of _Memory_. Here, Mark moves from being a foil for Miles, and becomes a character in his own right. In writing from Mark's point of view through much of the book, Bujold humanizes him. As his horrific experiences alter his way of being in the world, he becomes steadily more sympathetic. While all this is going on, the action never lets up: battles and mysteries and escapes; amnesia and botched missions and mothers reuniting with sons they didn't know they had. The action is exceedingly well-paced, and is never heavy-handed. Bujold foreshadows beautifully, and all the surprises work on two levels: they surprise and yet once they occur, you know that it could not have been any other way.

I can't say whether the book would have had as great an effect on me had I not read the previous books in the Vorkosigan saga. Reading when I did, I was fascinated by Mark, by Miles, by the actual, painful changes that they each went through.

In sum: beautiful writing, deep characterizatons, astonishing mental interiors, and an action-filled plot. This is not mind candy: this is literature.