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The Vor Game
Modern · Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy

The Vor Game

by Lois McMaster Bujold
1990 · 343 pages · Fiction
Critics' pick
≈ 9 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Miles Vorkosigan graduates from the Barrayaran Imperial Military Academy and gets the assignment he dreads: weather officer at a frozen arctic base. Miles, whose brittle bones and small stature make every posting a fight, soon finds himself at odds with his commander, and then caught up in an interstellar crisis that puts him back in charge of a mercenary fleet and puts the young Emperor Gregor in danger.

Why it's worth reading

It won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. It's a fast, funny and clever military space adventure, and Miles is one of science fiction's most engaging heroes.

You'll love it if you liked

Barrayar, Mirror Dance or Ender's Game

Good to know

It follows The Warrior's Apprentice, and reading that first helps. The Vorkosigan Saga can be read in several orders.

Quick answers

Is The Vor Game worth reading?

Yes. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. It ranks #380 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.2 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Vor Game about?

Miles Vorkosigan graduates from the Barrayaran Imperial Military Academy and gets the assignment he dreads: weather officer at a frozen arctic base. Miles, whose brittle bones and small stature make every posting a fight, soon finds himself at odds with his commander, and then caught up in an interstellar crisis that puts him back in charge of a mercenary fleet and puts the young Emperor Gregor in danger.

How long does it take to read The Vor Game?

About 9 hours (343 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What awards has The Vor Game won?

Hugo Award winner (1991).

What should I read after The Vor Game?

If you liked it, try Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold or Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

By the numbers

80.2Must-Read Score
  • Readers88 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller19 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Hugo Award winner (1991).

Where it ranks

Won

Reads as

Adventurous, Epic

How we rank

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More by Lois McMaster Bujold

Barrayar
BarrayarLois McMaster Bujold
Paladin of Souls
Paladin of SoulsLois McMaster Bujold
Mirror Dance
Mirror DanceLois McMaster Bujold
Memory
MemoryLois McMaster Bujold

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