Their technological resources destroyed, a colonizing expedition from Earth has been stranded on the world of Methuen for over two hundred years. Their continued survival is largely due to the organization of healers known as the Eumedicos and to the Seekers Veritas, a unique group composed of pairs of Bondmates, one human and one ghatti--a telepathic catlike being native to Methuen who bonds with a specific human for life. These Bondmates travel from town to town, settling disputes by truth-reading the minds and emotions of plaintiffs and defendants. While most people respect the Seekers, there are those who fear the ghatti powers. And now someone has begun attacking Seeker pairs. What no one knows is that this destroyer has targeted one specific pair of Bondmates as special victims--the woman Doyce and the ghatta Khar'pern. For the key to defeating this deadly foe is locked away in Doyce's mind behind barriers even her ghattas has never been able to break down.
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14 books in catalog
Space opera and character-driven speculative fiction were reshaped by the expansive universe of the Vorkosigan Saga, which follows complex characters across an interstellar commonwealth. Author Lois McMaster Bujold burst onto the speculative fiction scene in 1986 with her debut novel Shards of Honor, establishing a career defined by witty dialogue, deeply human characterization, and intricate political intrigue across both science fiction and fantasy.
Born Lois Joy McMaster on November 2, 1949, in Columbus, Ohio, she developed an early passion for science fiction through her father, an engineering professor at Ohio State University. She graduated from Upper Arlington High School in 1967 and attended Ohio State University from 1968 to 1972. After living in Marion, Ohio, from 1980 to 1995, where she raised her two children, Anne and Paul, she relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1995. Her professional career took off when publisher Jim Baen pulled her manuscript The Warrior's Apprentice from the slush pile and purchased it alongside two other novels, initiating her acclaimed science fiction series.
Over her career, Lois McMaster Bujold earned four Hugo Awards for Best Novel—matching the record held by Robert A. Heinlein—for The Vor Game, Barrayar, Mirror Dance, and Paladin of Souls. Her overall honors include seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards, highlighted by a Nebula Award for Best Novel for Falling Free, dual Hugo and Nebula Awards for her novella The Mountains of Mourning, and a first-place Analog Award for her short story Labyrinth. In 2019, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named her its 36th Damon Knight SFWA Grand Master.
Lois McMaster Bujold's writing combines fast-paced military and political adventure with subtle character comedy, emotional resonance, and ethical inquiry. Her stories frequently examine physical disability, social engineering, bioethics, family loyalty, and the institutional friction between traditional societies and modern technological advances. Whether navigating interstellar diplomacy or exploring divine influence in her fantasy worlds like The Curse of Chalion, her narrative style emphasizes empathy, pragmatic problem-solving, and sharp interpersonal dynamics.
Vorkosigan Saga (Chronological)
