satisfactory ending to the series

I was quite disappointed with the first two books in this series. They seemed very thin after the complex characterisation and racing plots of Bujold's other books. Things picked up in book three and, either I got more into this world, or Bujold got more into her stride, but I couldn't put this one down. I wouldn't recommend starting with this though. She does give some back story, but I think you need to know what is happening from book one and I think that's why I enjoyed this so much more - the density of plot after four books was bringing her back up to usual very high levels of story telling.

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Excellent Read

Loving this series, I'm not usually into romances but finding this uplifting in the hope and promise of the story. Sometimes with all the bad in the world it's difficult to remember that there is much good too. The magical groundwork of the world set in this series of course make it more than just a romance.

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Wonderful series, beautifully narrated!

Have loved this series of books and this particular book has been a great ending to the series. Well written, well conceived plot. I would recommend reading the books in the correct order.
Beautifully narrated with convincing voices for the different characters. The narrator did a great job of expressing the characters' personalities and emotions and I will look out for more books she has narrated.
Highly recommend both the author and the narrator.
I was not familiar with McMaster-Bujold's writing until I listened to the entire Vorkosigan series and if you like SciFi they are a must-listen.

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Poor Narrator Spoiled a Good Story

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The printed version of this book, yes. I read this series of books when they were first published and loved them. The Audio version, perhaps not.. As to why, I would have to say that I certainly enjoyed the printed version better, as I didn't have to listen to the narrator spoiling it.

What did you like best about this story?

I have always enjoyed character based stories, and this story gives a whole raft of characters, who are both likeable and interesting. The story itself was also intriguing, and kept me interested all the way to the end.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Reading in a sing song voice might be fine for three year old's, but its excruciatingly annoying for everyone else. This method of reading makes every sentence a question, which detracts from the enjoyment of the story. In my opinion, this strange phenomena seemed to get worse with each book in this series, so that by this book "Horizon", it could almost have been accompanied by an orchestra.

Did The Sharing Knife, Vol. 4: Horizon inspire you to do anything?

Avoid future books read by Bernadette Dunne

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the printed versions of this series, with its vivid characters and interesting story line, peppered with a wonderful wit and humour. The Audio version has been spoiled by a reading style that should be restricted to children's books. Ms Dunne might have done a better job if she hadn't set the story to music. I will recommend this series in Printed Form, but unless you like sung books, I'd say steer clear of this version.

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