Science fiction : La Saga Vorkosigan, Lois Mac Master Bujold

"Was he much disturbed by the attack?" Vordarian inquired, following her gaze to Aral.

"Wouldn't you be?" said Cordelia. "I don't know... he's seen so much violence in his life, almost more than I can imagine. It may be almost like... white noise. Tuned out." I wish I could tune it out.

"You have not known him that long, though. Just since Escobar."

"We met once before the war. Briefly."

"Oh?" His brows rose. "I didn't know that. How little one truly knows of people." He paused, watching Aral, watching her watch Aral. One corner of his mouth crooked up, then the quirk vanished in a thoughtful pursing of his lips. "He's bisexual, you know." He took a delicate sip of his wine.

"Was bisexual," she corrected absently, looking fondly across the room. "Now he's monogamous."

Vordarian choked, sputtering. Cordelia watched him with concern, wondering if she ought to pat him on the back or something, but he regained his breath and balance. "He told you that?" he wheezed in astonishment.

"No, Vorrutyer did. Just before he met his, um, fatal accident." Vordarian was standing frozen; she felt a certain malicious glee at having at last baffled a Barrayaran as much as they sometimes baffled her. Now, if she could just figure out what she'd said that had thrown him... She went on seriously, "The more I look back on Vorrutyer, the more he seems a tragic figure. Still obsessed with a love affair that was over eighteen years ago. Yet I sometimes wonder, if he could have had what he wanted then--kept Aral--if Aral might have kept that sadistic streak that ultimately consumed Vorrutyer's sanity under control. It's as if the two of them were on some land of weird see-saw, each one's survival entailing the other's destruction."

"A Betan." His stunned look was gradually fading to one Cordelia mentally dubbed as Awful Realization. "I should have guessed. You are, after all, the people who bioengineered hermaphrodites... ." He paused. "How long did you know Vorrutyer?"

"About twenty minutes. But it was a very intense twenty minutes." She decided to let him wonder what the hell that meant.

"Their, ah, affair, as you call it, was a great secret scandal, at the time."

She wrinkled her nose. "Great secret scandal? Isn't that an oxymoron? Like 'military intelligence,' or 'friendly fire.' Also typical Barrayaranisms, now that I think on it."

Vordarian had the strangest look on his face. He looked, she realized, exactly like a man who had thrown a bomb, had it go fizz instead of BOOM! and was now trying to decide whether to stick his hand in and tap the firing mechanism to test it.

Then it was her turn for Awful Realization. This man just tried to blow up my marriage. No--Aral's marriage. She fixed a bright, sunny, innocent smile on her face, her brain kicking-- at last!--into overdrive. Vordarian couldn't be of Vorrutyer's old war party; their leaders had all met with their fatal accidents before Ezar had bowed out, and the rest were scattered and lying low. What did he want? She fiddled with a flower from her hair, and considered simpering. "I didn't imagine I was marrying a forty-four-year-old virgin, Count Vordarian."

"So it seems." He knocked back another gulp of wine. "You galactics are all degenerate... what perversions does he tolerate in return, I wonder?" His eyes glinted in sudden open malice. "Do you know how Lord Vorkosigan's first wife died?"

"Suicide. Plasma arc to the head," she replied promptly.

"It was rumored he'd murdered her. For adultery. Betan, beware." His smile had turned wholly acid.

"Yes, I knew that, too. In this case, an untrue rumor." All pretense of cordiality had evaporated from their exchange. Cordelia had a bad sense of all control escaping with it. She leaned forward, and lowered her voice. "Do you know why Vorrutyer died?"

He couldn't help it; he tilted toward her, drawn in. "No..."

"He tried to hurt Aral through me. I found that... annoying. I wish you would cease trying to annoy me, Count Vordarian, I'm afraid you might succeed." Her voice fell further, almost to a whisper. "You should fear it, too."

His initial patronizing tone had certainly given way to wariness. He made a smooth, openhanded gesture that seemed to symbolize a bow of farewell, and backed away. "Milady." The glance over his shoulder as he moved off was thoroughly spooked.

La première femme d'Aral est une Vorrutyer, alliance familiale qui sera abordé de nouveau dans Ekaterin.

Les prémices de son existence semblent déjà tellement compliqués! La pratique de l'eugénisme, incarnée par la réaction de Piotr. Brr, ça fait froid dans le dos

Ils deviennent moins présent et ne font plus que passer...

Bien qu'Aral et Cordélia soient deux personnages très forts auquel on s'attache rapidement, tu verras que Miles arrive à les surpasser sans aucun problème.
Comme vient de le dire Bexounet, il ne feront par la suite que passer. Mais ce changement se fait progressivement sans que l'on sent rende compte

Ne me dites pas qu'Elena va finir ses jours avec ce Baz, c'est trop affreux!?!

Mile et Elena, c'est perdu d'avance.

Comme Popila, je trouve aussi très belle la scène de son enterrement

Citation :

Les mottes étaient froides et humides. L’hiver affleurait encore. La terre était lourde. Il rejeta une nouvelle pelletée par dessus son épaule.
- Tu t’es écorché les mains, remarqua sa mère. Tu aurais mis cinq secondes pour faire ça avec un arc à plasma.
- Le sang lave les péchés, répondit Miles. C’est le sergent qui le disait.
-Je vois…

Pour moi Bothari représente l’ancien monde de Barrayar. Arcahaïque, à la limite de la folie. Sa mort est comme une libération, pour Elena d’abord et pour Miles ensuite. Qui est en quelque sorte est libéré des dernières chaînes qui le reliaient à la planète. A lui maintenant les aventures.
Tu as raison Popila, Bothari est un des personnages les plus complexe et « humain » de la saga. Malgré toutes les horreurs qu’il a pu commettre, je l’ai toujours trouvé très attachant. J’aurais aimé que LMB ne le fasse pas disparaître aussi vite. Mais quand le personnage Marc apparaîtra, tu comprendras pourquoi Bothari n’avait plus sa raison d’être.

Pas étonnant qu’elle ait ignoré ses avances, elle ne voulait pas finir étouffée à la fois par le bonhomme, mais aussi par la planète.

j'ai effectivement trouvé très belle la scène de l'enterrement de Bothari qui fait écho à la discussion qu'il a eue avec Cordélia dans Barrayar, et, dans une moindre mesure, avec l'épisode inaugural de Cordelia Vorkosigan. Bothari meurt par amour : on n'aurait pas forcément attendu ça de lui.

en épousant Baz.