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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
The Warrior's Apprentice [Vorkosigan Saga, Book 3]
15 Sep 2026
02:05:34
Series protagonist Miles Vorkosigan takes the reins in 1986's The Warrior's Apprentice, his first main-stage appearance in both internal and publication chronologies. Forward momentum!
Cordelia's adventures continue with Lois McMaster Bujold's 1992 political thriller Barrayar. Kirk and Sam had a great time discussing this tremendous book.
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VOR-CABULARY:
Katas - a set combination of positions and movements performed as an exercise
Bolero - a loose waist-length jacket open at the front (comes up multiple times as something Drou is wearing)
Vassal Secundus - Aral uses it to refer to his position as someone who is sworn directly to the Emperor
Vassal - a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom they have vowed homage
Secundus - Latin term meaning second or following
Punctilio - a minute detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code
Cosset - to pamper or treat as a pet
Riverine - relating to, formed by, or resembling a river
Sobriquet - nickname, referring to Aral’s title “the Butcher of Komarr”
Inveigled - to win over by wiles
Paroxysm - a sudden outburst, fit, or attack (as of emotion)
Caravanserai - an inn surrounding a court in eastern countries where caravans rest at night
Teratogenic - Harming embryonic/fetal development. Used in contrast to mutagenic, which means altering DNA.
Iatrogenic - a condition induced unintentionally by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures
Prole - proletarian, the laboring class
Sibilant - a sound resembling that of the s or the sh in sash
Commensal - A relationship between two kinds of organisms in which one obtains food or benefits from the other without damaging or benefiting it. Used by Cordelia when she is thinking about horses.
Flinders - Splinters, fragments. Describes Cordelia’s slippers after escaping into the mountains.
Suasion - the act of influencing or persuading
Grubstake - material assistance (such as a loan) provided for launching an enterprise or for a person in difficult circumstances
Duenna - an elderly woman serving as governess and companion to the younger ladies in a Spanish or Portuguese family
Raff - as in riffraff, disreputable persons
Villi - small finger-like projections, such as those in the small intestine that absorb nutrients from food
Belike - casual, noncommittal expression in the Dendarii hills, meaning “maybe” or “perhaps”
Marquetry - Inlay or veneer forming decorative patterns
Sere - dry
Sitzkrieg - Referring to a period of inaction after Germany invaded Poland and the UK and France declared war to start WWII, but before any Allied operations in Europe. Also known as the Phoney War. A play on blitzkrieg.
Kirk and Sam kick off their full series read-through of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga with her 1986 novel Shards of Honor.
Watch a video version free on YouTube, listen free on your favorite podcast player, or go ad-free, get bonus segments, and support the show by joining the Patreon.
VOR-CABULARY
Casuistry - specious or deceptive reasoning (the meaning as used in this book)
Saturnine - sullen, gloomy, or sour, also a word LMB loves and is honestly pretty great
Pith - to kill an animal by piercing or severing the spinal cord
Gavotte - a dance
Hagridden - to be harassed or tormented
Stygian - Of the river Styx. Very dark, gloomy, or forbidding.
Batman - someone assigned as personal servant to a (most often British) military officer
Welcome to Definitely Fiction! Hosts Sam Parrish and Kirk Hamilton introduce the first book series they'll be covering: The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Watch a video version free on YouTube, listen free on your favorite podcast player, or go ad-free, get bonus segments, and support the show by joining the Patreon.