"Memory" functions both as a murder mystery and a belated coming of age novel revolving around one of Bujold's favourite topics, identity.Again eminently readable, though it feels a little episodic in the beginning (until it later becomes clear that much of this is set-up for the murder mystery part).Two things bug me generally about this series: Miles and his string of women (and hermaphrodite) and gender politics. It's fair enough, I guess, that Miles-as-Naismith's immense charisma (hidden as it is on Barrayar) will attract a great deal of women, but they're always incredibly beautiful women. It's a little imbalanced.Barrayar's gender politics is just a constant off-putting twinge. Yes, isolated, militaristic, sexist planet ends its Time of Isolation, but those in power are very happy with their sexism and have no urge to change it. Time passes. Planet is violent and various rulers are insane and downright nasty. Time passes. Planet matures, gets better medicine, gets less nutso rulers, better education, becomes a little more cosmopolitan. Gets Regent's "super-democratic" Betan wife. Still sexist. Thirty years pass. No apparent change. Is there _no_ women's lib movement on Barrayar? The scene at the Emperor's private party where all the women are told to bugger off (sorry, smooth things over socially) while the men talk business is particularly galling.A militaristic sexist planet is hardly surprising, and Bujold's provides counter-examples with Quinn, etc. But this "women's sphere" and "men's sphere" stuff on Barrayar seems to be unnaturally frozen in time.
