Miles Vorkosigan, biochemically damaged son of the Prime Minister on his home planet of Barrayar, was determined to join the Imperial military, despite his physical fragilities. When he fails the physical part of the entrance exam (breaking both his legs in the process), he decides to pay a visit to his grandmother on a distant planet. Once there, he manages to start off a sequence of events that eventually puts him at the head of a newly formed mercenary fleet, under the guise of 'Admiral Naismith.' And this is just the start of his problems...
The story 'Young Miles' comes in three parts, relating to Miles' adventures between the ages of 17 and 20. The first part covers his rise to the admiralty. The second, slower-moving, more poignant section, relates a tale on his own planet involving the murder of a baby for the simple reason that the baby had a cleft pallet. The third part tells the story of Miles' first six months after graduating from the military academy. Each separate incident is a stream of events, with Miles an unwitting, but very clever, passenger on the path of destiny. His intelligence and natural leadership skills get him into and out of scrapes, with each attempt to solve things leading to yet another complication.
The twists and turns in the plot happen quickly, but they aren't hard to follow, the writer making sudden changes clear and comprehensible. This novel is a real ripping yarn, with each new turn almost forcing the reader on to the next page without pause for breath. Pausing to think, the story line is often quite ridiculous, with everything that occurs seeming utterly unbelievable. But the point of the novel seems to be that there isn't time to think, for reader or characters. When there is time to think, it tends to be during a juncture in the story line where the more ridiculous events are behind, or ahead.
Alongside the winding plot, there is a wonderful cast of characters, each one believable in their own way. The characters are far more real than any of the events they take part in, which allows the reader to suspend disbelief while they overcome yet another complication. Each character is completely internally consistent, their interactions with their world seamless, so that you take their surroundings for granted, no matter how they got there.
With an extremely clever, fast-moving plot and brilliant characterisation, 'Young Miles' is entertaining, amusing and occasionally very thought provoking. It comes highly recommended.
