In this 1991 novel by John Grisham, Mithell McDeere, an almost-lawyer not quite out of Harvard is recruited by a Memphis law firm offering everything he could ever want: money, cars, a house, and success as a tax lawyer. So what if the firm is a little pushy about how much their workers drink, when they should have children, etc.? It’s all worth it, for the money and for the chance to work at a firm with zero turnover. Of course, things with the firm aren’t quite what they seem, and Mitch has to find out why certain lawyers are dying strange deaths before he finds himself next in line.…

In this Vorkosigan short story (which takes place chronologically after “Labyrinth”), Miles infiltrates a Cetegandan prison camp in order to save a relative of his, a cousin of his mother. The problem is, the old man is dying, leaving Miles stuck in a prison of over ten thousand soldiers with plans gone awry. So what does our favorite minature hero do? Uses Dendarii Mercenary resources to save them all, executing a brilliant plan to establish order in the prison, thus making them ready for orderly removal. The escape goes off with no major, effort-stopping problems, but there are too many loses to endure for Miles. Another great short story by…

Following the Dragoola IV break-out of “Borders of Infinity”, the Dendarii Mercs are fleeing the Cetagandans, and limp their way to Earth. Miles and his cousin Ivan become involved in stopping a Komarran scheme invented by a loyal officer’s father and executed in part by Miles’ clone, Mark Pierre. The shaky status of Komarrans (as a conquered people) in the Barrayaran military leads to doubts of loyalty abound. On top of that, the Dendarii need money–badly, and Miles is stuck as Lord Vorkosigan, while his chores as Admiral Naismith pile up and his clone runs around his ships as him. This is a startlingly action-packed book. The chaos is characteristic…

The debut book of Roger Levy, this science fiction novel tells of an Earth near its ecological end, where the air is nearly unbreathable and the citizens are chronically depressed escapists. The main character, Jon Sciler, is called a Far Warrior, part of a troop sent to retake a planet needed for colonization several years ago. They failed, however, and the Earth is bitter as a result, ostracizing the Far Warriors, who are now prone to suicide. Sciler finds himself suspicious of a friend’s suicide, and seeks to discover what is really killing the Far Warriors. First impression upon finishing this book: this is Matrix on crack. Or ecstacy. The…

In this Vorkosigan short story, which follows Ethan of Athos chronologically, Miles takes charge again, heading to Jackson’s Whole for the dual purpose of meeting a new man in power there (Baron Fell) and acquiring a geneticist for a client of the Dendarii Mercs. Things rapidly fall apart, and Admiral Naismith must avoid falling into the wrong hands, killing an innocent woman, and torture by several parties. I found this story much more in the spirit of the Vorkosigan series than Ethan of Athos. Miles is present and active, and several other recurring characters are introduced (it certainly helps explain Mirror Dance, which I read before this one). I usually…