The Warrior’s Apprentice (Book)

“That’s the spirit! Forward momentum.”

Mayhew snorted, “Your forward momentum is going to lead all your followers over a cliff someday…On the way down, you’ll convince ‘em they can fly.” He stuck his fists in his armpits, and wagged his elbows. “Lead on, my lord. I’m flapping as hard as I can.”

In the fourth book—plot chronology—of The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, we see Miles as a young man. After being unable to pass the physical requirements of the entrance exam for military cadets—he breaks his legs during one of the tests because of his brittle bones—Miles inadvertently forms his own band of mercenaries. While much of the book involves Miles’ well-developed ability to con people, Bujold also shows him growing up, if only a little bit.

The Warrior’s Apprentice was just an okay book for me. This was only the second book that Bujold published, and she got much better later on. On the other hand, it resolves some of the story lines started in Shards of Honor and Barrayar, so in that way it was rewarding to read.