This short novella takes places after Cryoburn and before Capt. Vorpatril’s Alliance. We have Ekaterin and Enrique going back to their bugs, this time working with bugs designed to eradicate radiation in nuclear zones. These bugs glow, and they have attracted thieves both stealing the bugs, but more importantly walking among and spreading the radiation the bugs are designed to target. So they have to investigate.
I like and have always liked the Lois McMaster Bujold novellas. But one things I’ve noticed is that they tend to serve very different purposes. The early Miles novellas clearly fill in gaps, but also extend early stories, provide background, and were working to a future. The World of the Five Gods novellas as essentially a long novel telling one continuous and connected story about Penric and Desdemona.
This one is different feeling. I liked it, and I am happy to have more Ekaterin because she’s very interesting, but it also saddens me because I feel like this one won’t come around to a later novel that we can look forward to. I feel like it’s more or less possible that there’s no more big Vorkosigan novels. I think Cryoburn is one of the weakest and the next two were great, but not traditional series novels. So I am hoping for some sense of conclusion to the series. I think we have a little bit of one because of Ivan’s book, and Cordelia’s final book. We’re still left with a little leftover for Miles. I am not looking for him to die or anything, just that our last few times out have trailed off, rather than concluded.
(Photo: https://www.amazon.com/Flowers-Vashnoi-Vorkosigan-Saga-ebook/dp/B07D4M7N3L/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FDJYK3MP6OIC&keywords=flowers+of+vashnoi&qid=1569874277&s=gateway&sprefix=flowers+of+%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1)