Komarr

Komarr is a 1998 science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the twelfth full-length novel in publication order. It was included in the 2008 omnibus Miles in Love.

Plot

In his new role as Imperial Auditor, Miles Vorkosigan finds himself on Komarr, a planet with which his father has an unfortunate association. He is there, along with an older, more experienced Auditor, to investigate whether the destruction of a solar power satellite vital to the ongoing terraforming of the planet was an accident or sabotage. In doing so, Miles uncovers an extremely dangerous Komarran conspiracy, one which threatens the entire Barrayaran Empire, and is attracted to Ekaterin Vorsoisson, the unhappy wife of a Barrayaran engineer, though he keeps his feelings hidden.

When Ekaterin and the other Auditor's wife are taken prisoner by the fleeing conspirators, Miles sets out to rescue them. He is surprised and utterly delighted to discover that Ekaterin has a previously hidden talent for inflicting mayhem on her enemies and has already dealt the plot a fatal blow. In a departure from the style of the previous Vorkosigan books, much of Komarr is narrated from her point of view.

Vorkosigan Saga

The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of science fiction novels and short stories set in a common fictional universe by American author Lois McMaster Bujold. The first of these was published in 1986 and the most recent in 2016. Works in the series have received numerous awards and nominations, including three Hugo award wins.

Bujold’s approach varies, sometimes crossing genres. All the novels include humor and comedy, sometimes very black and juxtaposed with tragic deaths or losses. She mixes military adventure, political thriller, romance, and the whodunit in various proportions.

The point of view characters include women (Cordelia in Shards of Honor and Barrayar; Ekaterin in Komarr and A Civil Campaign), a gay man (Ethan of Athos), and a pair of brothers, one of whom is disabled and the other a clone (Miles and Mark Vorkosigan), their cousin (Ivan Vorpatril) together with some less well educated characters (e.g., the bodyguard Roic and the runaway lad Jin).

An important concern of the series is medical ethics. The author focuses on problems of personal identity, particularly the role of the physical in determining personhood. In this science-fiction context, identity may be affected by bioengineering, genetic manipulation, cloning, and medical technology allowing the replacement of failing systems and the prolonging of life. Some stories explore the relationships among child-rearing, pair-bonding (romantic love), and sexual activity.

Komarr (fictional planet)

Komarr is a fictional planet in Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series of novels and stories.

Discovered centuries prior to the Vorkosigan Saga, Komarr is undergoing a major terraforming project to make the outside air breathable. During this centuries-long program, the Komarrans are confined to domed cities, with controlled air supplies. The outside air is far too rich in carbon dioxide. The planet is also very cold, somewhat similar to Mars. At the time of the Vorkosigan saga, the most complicated life form outside the domes is a genetically modified peat moss. There is also a large orbital mirror, which increases amount of sunlight actually hitting the planet. The terraforming program, and the orbital mirror, are major plot points in the book Komarr.

Komarr has strategic importance because its local space contains the single known wormhole into Barrayar, the heart of the Barrayaran Empire. It is also a major trade nexus.