Reading order · 17 books · 1986 to 2016 · Set in Barrayar and beyond
Vorkosigan Saga in Order
The Vorkosigan Saga is space opera full of wit and heart. It centres on Miles Vorkosigan, born with brittle bones on Barrayar, a militaristic planet that despises physical weakness, who makes up for it with brains, charm and a talent for talking himself into and out of impossible situations. The early books follow his parents, Cordelia and Aral.
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Series facts
- Books
- 17
- Published
- 1986 to 2016
- First book
- Shards of Honor
- Latest
- Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen (2016)
- Setting
- Set in Barrayar and beyond
- Order
- Story order differs from publication order
The reading order
Every Vorkosigan Saga book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
17 books · Set in Barrayar and beyond
- 1Shards of Honor1986With Cordelia Naismith VorkosiganCordelia Naismith, captain of a survey ship from the egalitarian planet Beta Colony, is taken prisoner by Aral Vorkosigan, a Barrayaran officer with a brutal reputation, and finds him nothing like she expected.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Warrior's Apprentice1986With Miles VorkosiganSeventeen-year-old Miles Vorkosigan fails the physical test for the Barrayaran military academy because of his fragile bones.Buy on Amazon
- 3Ethan of Athos1986With Elli QuinnEthan Urquhart, an obstetrician from Athos, a planet of men only, travels to a space station to buy new ovarian cultures and finds himself in the middle of a galactic intrigue with Commander Elli Quinn.Buy on Amazon
- 4Falling Free1988With Leo GrafLeo Graf, an engineer, is sent to teach welding to the quaddies, people genetically engineered with four arms to live in free fall, and learns that their makers think of them as property.Buy on Amazon
- 5Brothers in Arms1989With Miles VorkosiganMiles Vorkosigan is stranded on Earth with his mercenary fleet and finds that someone has made a clone of him for a sinister purpose.Buy on Amazon
- 6Borders of Infinity1989With Miles VorkosiganThree linked novellas in which Miles Vorkosigan investigates a death in the backcountry of Barrayar, rescues a scientist from the planet Jackson’s Whole and leads a prison camp breakout.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Vor Game1990With Miles VorkosiganMiles, newly graduated, is sent to a remote Arctic base as weather officer, and his talent for trouble leads him back to the mercenaries and to the young Emperor Gregor.Buy on Amazon
- 8Barrayar1991With Cordelia Naismith VorkosiganCordelia has married Aral Vorkosigan and moved to Barrayar, where Aral becomes regent for the child emperor, and she is drawn into a war for the throne while pregnant with their son.Buy on Amazon
- 9Mirror Dance1994With Miles Vorkosigan and Mark VorkosiganMiles’s clone brother, Mark, impersonates him to lead the mercenaries on a raid to free clones on the criminal planet of Jackson’s Whole.Buy on Amazon
- 10Cetaganda1995With Miles VorkosiganMiles and his cousin Ivan are sent to the funeral of the Cetagandan empress and become involved in a plot at the heart of that strange empire.Buy on Amazon
- 11Memory1996With Miles VorkosiganMiles makes a terrible mistake and lies to cover it, and his career in Imperial Security falls apart, just as his old chief, Simon Illyan, begins to lose his mind.Buy on Amazon
- 12Komarr1998With Miles Vorkosigan and Ekaterin VorsoissonMiles, now an Imperial Auditor, investigates an accident that damaged the solar mirror that keeps the planet Komarr warm, and meets Ekaterin Vorsoisson, the wife of an administrator there.Buy on Amazon
- 13A Civil Campaign1999With Miles Vorkosigan and Ekaterin VorsoissonBack on Barrayar, Miles tries to court Ekaterin, while his cousin Ivan, his clone brother Mark and the Emperor’s wedding create chaos.Buy on Amazon
- 14Diplomatic Immunity2002With Miles VorkosiganMiles and Ekaterin’s honeymoon is interrupted when Miles is sent to sort out a diplomatic incident involving a Barrayaran fleet held by the quaddies.Buy on Amazon
- 15Cryoburn2010With Miles VorkosiganMiles is on the planet Kibou-daini, where the dead are frozen in the hope of revival, and a cryonics conference turns into a kidnapping and an investigation.Buy on Amazon
- 16Captain Vorpatril's Alliance2012With Ivan VorpatrilIvan Vorpatril, Miles’s easy-going cousin, is asked to keep an eye on a young woman on the run, and ends up much more deeply involved than he planned.Buy on Amazon
- 17Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen2016With Cordelia Naismith VorkosiganCordelia, now vicereine of the colony planet Sergyar, plans a new life, and Admiral Oliver Jole, her late husband’s friend, finds his own life changing too.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Many readers start with Shards of Honor and Barrayar, about Miles’s parents, then follow Miles from The Warrior’s Apprentice. Bujold suggests reading in story order, which differs slightly from publication order.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Miles Vorkosigan | Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan | Ekaterin Vorsoisson | Ivan Vorpatril | Elli Quinn | Mark Vorkosigan | Leo Graf | Aral Vorkosigan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Shards of Honor | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 2 The Warrior's Apprentice | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 3 Ethan of Athos | LLead | |||||||
| 4 Falling Free | LLead | |||||||
| 5 Brothers in Arms | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | ||||
| 6 Borders of Infinity | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 7 The Vor Game | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||
| 8 Barrayar | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 9 Mirror Dance | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 10 Cetaganda | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 11 Memory | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 12 Komarr | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | |||||
| 13 A Civil Campaign | LLead | ·Minor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 14 Diplomatic Immunity | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 15 Cryoburn | LLead | ·Minor | ||||||
| 16 Captain Vorpatril's Alliance | ·Minor | LLead | ||||||
| 17 Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen | ·Minor | LLead |
Characters in the Vorkosigan Saga books
11 characters from Lois McMaster Bujold’s chart, with the number of Vorkosigan Saga books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Miles VorkosiganBrilliant, fragile son of a Barrayaran lord | 13 | The Warrior's Apprentice 1986 |
| Cordelia Naismith VorkosiganBetan survey captain, Miles's mother | 7 | Shards of Honor 1986 |
| Ekaterin VorsoissonKomarran-posted widow | 4 | Komarr 1998 |
| Ivan VorpatrilMiles's cousin | 9 | The Warrior's Apprentice 1986 |
| Elli QuinnMercenary officer | 6 | Ethan of Athos 1986 |
| Mark VorkosiganMiles's clone-brother | 3 | Brothers in Arms 1989 |
| Leo GrafEngineer to the quaddies | 1 | Falling Free 1988 |
| Aral VorkosiganAdmiral and Regent, Miles's father | 7 | Shards of Honor 1986 |
| Simon IllyanChief of Imperial Security | 6 | The Warrior's Apprentice 1986 |
| Bel ThorneBetan hermaphrodite captain | 5 | The Warrior's Apprentice 1986 |
| Gregor VorbarraEmperor of Barrayar | 5 | The Vor Game 1990 |