Today's Bujold Lesson

[elfs]

Today's Bujold Lesson: It is not enough to keep your hero out of the loop. While showing how far out of the loop he/she is, you should use your time wisely to tell the reader about exactly the kind of crap up with which he/she will be putting later, without in any way letting on that he/she will be put into this position.

Bujold is a mistress of aftshadowing: she kills Miles and stuffs him in a frozen meatlocker. Then she goes back and writes a scene in which, in all innocence, Miles and his med-tech discuss all the ways being killed and stuffed in a frozen meat locker can mess with your head.

None of her books is written in fast-forward. If anything, they're written backwards.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Heh. I think I read that story.

BTW, you read any Elizabeth Moon? I know you have Weber; if you like Weber, but don't care for heroes that are a little too perfect, Moon is an excellent read.....

[hugh-mannity.livejournal.com]

She's also on lj as e_moon60

[qtplatypus.livejournal.com]

I found Elizabeth Moons villains a little too perfect.

[resonant.livejournal.com]

Bujold is AMAZING! I read and re-read her work, and find so many treasures I missed the first few times.

[abostick59.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I've read them, but this sounds more like a spoiler for Mirror Dance than Brothers in Arms.

(Spoiler... meat locker.... I see what you did here.)

[nbarnes.livejournal.com]

Dead Miles in a meat locker == Mirror Dance
Set on Earth == Brothers in Arms