Fandom Snowflake Challenge 2016 - Day 07

[ilien]

In your own space, share a favorite piece of original canon (a TV episode, a song, a favorite interview, a book, a scene from a movie, etc) and explain why you love it so much. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

This is a very hard challenge. I mean, how do I pick a single part of my numerous canons? How do I explain why I love it so much (probably avoiding words like 'squeee' and 'justlookathowcutetheyare')? Is that even possible?

One of my favourite pieces of canon — a book I return to quite often, as it's one of my favourite "feel good" stories — is A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. I adore each and every book of the Vorkosigan saga (Barrayar and Komarr share a second place among my most favourite Bujold books), but A Civil Campaign is the one I get back to very often.

It has everything I love in my comfort reading: a bit of adventure, some romance, a lot of family, main characters being silly and awesome, side characters being equally awesome, some hilarity, and a happy ending. There's also a lot of politics, and this might be the only place where I actually enjoy the politics.

I love Miles in this book: so confident and competent one moment, and completely lost the very next one. I love Ekaterin here, taking her life in her own hands, after a decade of an abusive marriage, and I love how she deals with the whole mess, never losing her dignity. I love Dono and By, Olivia and Karen, Gregor and Nikki — especially Gregor with Nikki. I love Cordelia through all of it, both when she's physically present and when she's not a part of a particular scene, but still there, being such a huge influence on her children's (and, through them, the Empire's) life.

It's a really amazing book.

Comments

[scripsi]

THIS! I feel exactly the same about ACC. It has Everything and I love it to bits. I Think I have read it at least once a year since it was published. :)

[ilien]

I know, right? I think I've been know to read it twice in a row - although that probably speaks more about my tendency to get stuck on things than about the quality of the book :)

[scripsi]

Oh no, I am sure it's because you have an excellent taste! :D

[hamsterwoman]

Here from the Snowflake post, and, hee! I ended up picking a bit of ACC for (one of) my answers for this challenge also.

It's my favorite Vorkosigan book, too (not sure what my second favorite would be. Memory is SO GOOD, but also OUCH, and Mirror Dance, ditto...), and I love Dono and Gregor with Nikki especially, too.

[ilien]

Memory is one of my favorite, too. It's such a good story about growing up and moving on - one of few books that deal with growing up/growing older the way it should be: a part of life, a step towards new adventures and accomplishments, rather than a tragedy and the end of the world; most books (and people), in my experience, get stuck on Miles' initial reaction to the change, and could really use a good bathtub of ice. :D

[hamsterwoman]

and could really use a good bathtub of ice. :D

Heh, indeed! As I get closer to 40 myself, I find Memory and post-Memory books downright encouraging :)

[akamine_chan]

ACC is my favorite Vor book as well, there's just the perfect combination of political maneuvering, complex (and seekrit) courtships and Miles-related ridiculousness.

The scene at the grand dinner when the kittens run across the table with the butterbugs...*giggle*

I think for second favorite, I would go with Cetaganda - loved the peek into that complex culture.

[ilien]

Myself, I didn't really like Cetaganda; I'm not very good at second-hand embarrassment, and that one had a bit too much of it for me. I love the culture, though - although it's not the only culture thoroughly described in the series, it's somehow more complex than the Quaddies and more thoroughly explored than Athos, Jackson's Whole, or even Earth (that's also bound to have some sort of different culture, all these years into the future).

As for the kittens, one can never have enough kittens! It's such a pity there weren't too many of them in later stories! I think ACC made me laugh out loud at least two or three times, with the kittens, Mark, bugs, and the butter.

[akamine_chan]

Well, I'm pretty easily squicked by second-hand embarrassment myself, and it's usually Ivan that triggers it for me (so much fail!) but I think with Cetaganda I was just so fascinated that I managed to avoid the squick.

The Quaddie culture was fascinating as well, and one I'd like to know more about. I was so pleased when we revisited Quaddiespace and Nicol in Diplomatic Immunity.

Jackson's Hole has some interesting bits. Athos left a really bad taste in my mouth. I would totally live on Beta, though.