Space Opera

Reuired Book

Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honor 
 


 Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, holds to some of the standard aspects of "Space Opera", but it also adds in a few literary characteristics. For example, there are many explosions, tough decisions, and long periods of one crisis after another. The characters are put through so much turmoil that it seems like they should have broken before the halfway mark. This is where McMaster's storytelling struck a chord with me. 

Yes, there is drama, adventure, and Sci-Fi galore, but that is not the only appeal of the book. I've read Sci-Fi in the past that I could not get into, because the story was all shiny affects and no development of character and plot. However in Shards of Honor, the main character, Cordelia is not impervious to the strife she is put through. She develops several unhealthy conditions caused by her mental and physical strain. Some of these are Pounding Headaches, insomnia, left hand tremula, and a stutter. This immediately makes her character more engaging, because she is made realistic in her human weakness and inspiring in her strength to endure. 

Outside of this her character strives for understanding and acceptance of a culture that is widely regarded as "barbaric, war-loving, and uncivilized" and it does not happen overnight. She has some very strong opinions, like most people, and must come to terms with them. Cordelia conquers a great deal of the stereotypical judgments taught to her by her own culture. However, even after she has come so far she still has moments where her gut reaction is negative. 

The most surprising to me was when she witnessed the "birth" of a child and someone asked why it had to scream so loud. Her response to this question, in her own mind, was "Because she knows she's been born a Barrayar". This is the kind of subtle characterization that McMaster uses throughout the book. She is letting us know that while Cordelia may accept and love her husband, who is a Barrayar, she does not view his society in the same light. 

Also, McMaster has chosen to write Shards of Honor in a third person omniscient voice. Thereore Cordelia is not the only character we get an internal view of. I found this quite entertaining, but it must also be noted that this was a smart move on her part to emphasize the cultural struggle that existed in her world. The reader did not have to imagine what each side was thinking, they got a front row seat.

The internal struggle of the characters to find and keep their honor is a big theme in the book, as the title Shards of Honor, suggests. Some of them have to make tough decisions to keep their honor or choose to loose it in order to save someone important to them. There is also the impact of outer forces on a character's perceived honor. The media is shown to twist around the truth repeatedly turning some characters into heroes and others into villains when they are undeserving of these titles. 

As this is a romance space opera, there are also the complications of love and where it leads the characters. Sometimes they deny their true emotions in the face of their social complications and sometimes dramatic events keep them apart. This adds a sense of the realistic to the book as well. The characters are not drooling over each other for the entire book, which is much appreciated. They have lives outside of each other and it is through a balancing act that they form a healthy relationship and move forward. It takes time.

The "Aftermaths" section of the book must also be remarked upon. It took me by surprise. This "Aftermaths"comes after what I thought was the natural ending of the book, which is the description of Cordelia's contentment and the hope for the future. The mood is decidedly positive. However, the "Aftermaths" drastically changes the mood to a somber one. It is not negative, but it does leave a lingering sense of foreboding. This foreboding could be taken as a hint at her future installments into the series, but it could also be seen as a warning to the audience. The warning is, you have the power not to see the differences all around you, but the similarities. See the good in people first, before the bad and hopefully you can stop your society from ever getting to the point of so much destruction. 

The "Aftermaths" does not involve the main characters at all, it follows a Medtech and a Pilot Officer assigned to recover the bodies of the fallen from one of the war zones. Designed to look into the devastation of war, it highlights that death is a great equalizer. No matter if the war was fought for a good reason or for the greed of powerful individuals, the cost of human life is high on both sides. The Medtech is a deeply compassionate woman who cares for the dead with dignity. The Pilot Officer is a character foil to her in that he does not understand why the collection of the dead matters, especially when it comes to the collecting of the enemy's dead. He gradually, with the reader, is taught how his attitude is not healthy. The "Aftermaths" of Shards of Honor brings up many stirring emotions and ideas and is an interesting piece of literature to read for its own merits.

Overall Shards of Honor has deeper character development, commentary on social complication, exploration of what it means to have honor, action adventure, realistic romance, well thought out plot, and compelling world building. It has taken the Space Opera genre and given it a higher standard to meet.