pleasingly like crack

[snugglekitty]

On Monday, I read Borders of Infinity in just one day. For me, this was the last part of the Miles Vorkosigan series that I hadn't read. It's three linked novellas. The first, "The Mountains of Mourning," I had read in another book, but the other two novellas were new to me. My favorite was "Labyrinth," the first introduction of the character Taura, who's always been one of my favorites. "Borders of Infinity" showed some good usage of Miles' ingenuity, as well as some good ideas to try if I ever need to torture large groups of POWs without breaking international treaties. Overall, I give it three stars. I think it would have done better as a simple anthology, without the framing plot, which I felt was weak.

Yesterday, I finished The Cry of the Icemark, which bryghtrose gave me as an uncorrected proof a few years back. Wow, that book was just good. It's YA fantasy, intended for ages nine to twelve, according to the cover. Epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, featuring a Scandanavian princess who'd rather fight than read or brew a potion. I loved the plot, characters, and language. I really liked this book overall, although the ending felt a little bit fast. Four stars.