Shards of Honor Audiobook By Lois McMaster Bujold cover art

Shards of Honor

Preview

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Shards of Honor

By: Lois McMaster Bujold
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.22

Buy for $13.22

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

It was the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. And Captain Cordelia Naismith of the Betan Expeditionary Force would be forced into a separate peace with her enemy, Lord Vorkosigan.

Shards of Honor is the novel in which Lois McMaster Bujold introduced the science-fiction world to Barrayar and Aral Vorkosigan, Beta Colony and Cordelia Naismith. From this beginning the author has created a multigenerational saga spanning time as well as space.

Bujold is generally recognized as the current exemplar of the character-based science-fiction adventure story.

©1986 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Adventure
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"[Bujold] gives [her] characters enough emotional depth, and enough sense, to raise their story beyond cliché." ( Locus)

Featured Article: 12 of the Best Sci-Fi Series in Audio


From the furthest reaches of space to the microbiology of pandemics and gene manipulation, to the future implications of technology for societies similar to our own, science fiction is a fascinating genre that offers listeners a wide variety of ways to access its themes. In looking for the best sci-fi audiobook series, it can be difficult to know where to start due to the genre's sheer number of iterations and variations. But what these series have in common is an acute devotion to telling a good story, as well as fully building out the worlds therein. The writing is enhanced by the creative and impassioned narration.

What listeners say about Shards of Honor

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,597
  • 4 Stars
    1,281
  • 3 Stars
    469
  • 2 Stars
    105
  • 1 Stars
    44
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,297
  • 4 Stars
    956
  • 3 Stars
    329
  • 2 Stars
    51
  • 1 Stars
    20
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,178
  • 4 Stars
    987
  • 3 Stars
    376
  • 2 Stars
    93
  • 1 Stars
    32

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

More romance than my usual sci-fi fare

This was my first audiobook, listened to on a road trip for business. I enjoyed the world building hints, which make me want to proceed a bit further into the series. it is definitely more romance than I'm used to, though.

Scenes and discussions of rape, so beware of this is a concern for you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rich and Deep

Great world-building with equally great character development. Cordelia is wonderful heroine--intelligent and calm. Since most of the story is told from her perspective, I was surprised the (male) narrator pulled it off so well. Aral was beautifully-drawn tortured hero. While the romantic element is a foundation of the story, there are no love scenes. The story has a lot of political intrigue and doesn't shun the horrors of war. Much of its depth is realized in the choices the characters make in the imperfect world they inhabit. Some reviews say this is one of the weaker stories in the series. If that's even partly true, I'm in for some seriously gratifying listening because I loved this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it.

Characters and setting are top notch. Narrator is pretty good. He doesn't get too animated and that helps sort of draw you in.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Clever, capivating, and makes you want for more!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would and have recommended this audiobook to several friends. I love the whole Vorkosigan series and I can't get enough of them. Each book leaves you wanting more.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shards of Honor?

The most memorable moments are the different creatures that attack them during the trek to safety.

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Grover Gardner sounds to me like Edward R. Murrow which brings the story a special feeling. I don't think anyone else could have brought the story to life the way he did.

Any additional comments?

Read the series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The beginning of one of the best SF series there is

This book sets the pace for the following series of books. The characters grow as the story does.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My most favorite characters ever.

I read Vorkosigan books twice. And then I discovered them on Audible and lost count of how many times I re-listened them. I love the characters, their wittiness and sense of honor, love for each other. The Vorkosigans became a family to me (for a lack of my own) and their values became my own.
I’m looking forward to many more books in this series. Thank you Lois for such a life shaping stories-experience!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story that gets better as you go along

This is a nice sf story that emphasizes different things mostly from having a female perspective. There is a military conflict, but the personal relationships are more important. There is a good amount of action, though, but it’s not that glorified and there are many different ways conflict is resolved that are interesting. The story also develops differently than I anticipated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Author's first book & my absolute favorite of all!

A glimpse into a warrior's mind and the values we call honor and loyalty, blended with a wonderful cast of people and worlds soon to develop into the Vorkosigan Universe series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An Indiana Jones type of adventure with love

Two people from very different backgrounds and home worlds are thrown together in an Indiana Jones type space adventure. Aral Vorkosigan is an unrefined military leader from an "uncivilised" world called Barrayar while Cordelia Naismith comes from Beta Colony, a place that seems civilised and technologically advanced.

In a time of war, Cordelia must choose between love or patriotism, truth or fame, an uncertain future or celebrity status. Woven through these choices are a quest for true honour that might just be masked as shame.

Lois McMaster Bujold draws you into an enjoyable adventure where you are kept on the edge of your seat - boy meets girl, but are they really going to live happily ever after?
As this novel introduce the parents of Miles Vorkosigan - but not yet Miles - even the final answer stays tentative.

Again Grover Gardner can be congratulated for a solid performance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and heartily recommends it to anyone looking for a true Indiana Jones type space adventure!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A Good Start of a GREAT series

This is the first in the Vorkosigan series. The writing here is good but not as good as the later books. Nevertheless it is still better than most Sci Fi and well worth reading to set the tone and history of the continuing characters. This is very light Sci-Fi and more like fantasy. The later books become a bit more Sci Fi oriented. This is one of my favorite series in Sci Fi. The series has lots of action, really great characters, lots of fun, interesting concepts, and stories that really hang together well. This first book is a little slow but I recommend it as it adds richness and depth to the later novels.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful