At first, they were military science fiction novels of a higher order than most. But the romance elements creep in very early on. Bujold tips her hand in the eloquence of her language (normally a good thing) and the attention to detail that only women would find attractive: balls, courts, military dress, palace intrigues, gossiping, and whispering in the corridors.

Even presuming he means "attention to details" that only women are into, that's, uh, quite a sweeping generalization you've got going on there, guy. Especially when followed by the note that Alexander Dumas did this sort of thing, because of course only women have ever read The Three Musketeers.


Bujold is very good at what she does, but she’s operating well within a military sf tradition where nothing is lost in the end (except minor throwaway characters) and all is well.

I want to smack him over the head with Shards of Honor. Or The Warrior's Apprentice. Or Barrayar, Mirror Dance, Memory... Clearly I'm just imagining the suffering and sacrifices in those books. Or does it not count if nobody blows up a planet?