Best Lois McMaster Bujold Books

The best books by Lois McMaster Bujold — 25 titles spanning Sci-Fi, Fantasy, averaging 4.28 BLT stars.

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Lois McMaster Bujold has won more Hugo Awards than almost any other writer alive, and the Vorkosigan Saga is the reason why. What sets her apart is the combination: military science fiction with genuine emotional intelligence, built around Miles Vorkosigan — a physically disabled nobleman's son who outthinks every obstacle with manic brilliance and barely contained self-destruction. Bujold writes character-driven plots where the action sequences matter because the relationships matter first. Mirror Dance is one of the most psychologically intense SF novels ever written; A Civil Campaign is essentially a Regency comedy of manners in space. Her prose is fleet and precise, her dialogue sharp, her stakes always personal before they're political. Readers who want SF with real human depth — and are willing to commit to a long series that keeps getting better — will find Bujold essential.

Lois McMaster Bujold's highest-rated book in our collection is A Civil Campaign (4.47 BLT stars). Browse the full list below.

Lois McMaster Bujold has won more Hugo Awards than almost any other writer alive, and the Vorkosigan Saga is the reason why. What sets her apart is the combination: military science fiction with genuine emotional intelligence, built around Miles Vorkosigan — a physically disabled nobleman's son who outthinks every obstacle with manic brilliance and barely contained self-destruction. Bujold writes character-driven plots where the action sequences matter because the relationships matter first. Mirror Dance is one of the most psychologically intense SF novels ever written; A Civil Campaign is essentially a Regency comedy of manners in space. Her prose is fleet and precise, her dialogue sharp, her stakes always personal before they're political. Readers who want SF with real human depth — and are willing to commit to a long series that keeps getting better — will find Bujold essential.

Lois McMaster Bujold's highest-rated book in our collection is A Civil Campaign (4.47 BLT stars). Browse the full list below.

Where to Start with Lois McMaster Bujold

Best entry point → Penric’s Demon
Start the Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) series → Scherben der Ehre
What readers keep coming back to → Shards of Honor
Highest rated by readers → A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #12)

1

A Civil Campaign

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 12

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.47 BLT Score (20.4K ratings)

★ 4.41 Goodreads (20.4K)

534 pages • 1999

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2

Memory

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 10

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.47 BLT Score (19.9K ratings)

★ 4.43 Goodreads (19.9K)

509 pages • 1996

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3

Komarr

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 11

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.42 BLT Score (18.7K ratings)

★ 4.3 Goodreads (18.7K)

366 pages • 1998

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4

Mirror Dance

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 8

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.37 BLT Score (23.4K ratings)

★ 4.32 Goodreads (23.4K)

560 pages • 1994

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5

The Assassins of Thasalon

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 10

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.35 BLT Score (4.5K ratings)

★ 4.5 Goodreads (4.5K)

308 pages • 2021

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6

Diplomatic Immunity

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 13

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.34 BLT Score (17.6K ratings)

★ 4.2 Goodreads (17.6K)

367 pages • 2002

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7

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 15

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.33 BLT Score (17.3K ratings)

★ 4.21 Goodreads (17.3K)

426 pages • 2012

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8

Penric’s Mission

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 3

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.33 BLT Score (6.8K ratings)

★ 4.34 Goodreads (6.8K)

139 pages • 2016

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9

Brothers in Arms

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 5

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.32 BLT Score (19.5K ratings)

★ 4.2 Goodreads (19.5K)

338 pages • 1989

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10

Penric’s Demon

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 1

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.27 BLT Score (12.8K ratings)

★ 4.2 Goodreads (12.8K)

139 pages • 2015

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11

The Prisoner of Limnos

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 6

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.27 BLT Score (5.7K ratings)

★ 4.32 Goodreads (5.7K)

138 pages • 2017

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12

Cetaganda

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 9

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.27 BLT Score (21.4K ratings)

★ 4.17 Goodreads (21.4K)

302 pages • 1995

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13

Winterfair Gifts

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #13.1 • Book 13

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.27 BLT Score (9.7K ratings)

★ 4.16 Goodreads (9.7K)

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14

Demon Daughter

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 12

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.27 BLT Score (3.2K ratings)

★ 4.48 Goodreads (3.2K)

153 pages • 2024

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15

Scherben der Ehre

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 1

by Lois McMaster Bujold, Michael Morgental

★ 4.26 BLT Score (40.7K ratings)

★ 4.06 Goodreads (40.7K)

335 pages • 1986

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16

Penric and the Bandit

Penric and Desdemona (Chronological) • Book 14

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.25 BLT Score (3.2K ratings)

★ 4.52 Goodreads (3.2K)

123 pages • 2024

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17

The Physicians of Vilnoc

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 8

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.24 BLT Score (4.7K ratings)

★ 4.31 Goodreads (4.7K)

126 pages • 2020

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18

The Orphans of Raspay

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 7

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.24 BLT Score (5.0K ratings)

★ 4.29 Goodreads (5.0K)

127 pages • 2019

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19

Penric and the Shaman

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 2

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.21 BLT Score (8.5K ratings)

★ 4.17 Goodreads (8.5K)

160 pages • 2016

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20

Penric’s Fox

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 5

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.19 BLT Score (6.5K ratings)

★ 4.21 Goodreads (6.5K)

113 pages • 2017

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21

Mira’s Last Dance

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 4

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.19 BLT Score (6.2K ratings)

★ 4.24 Goodreads (6.2K)

110 pages • 2017

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22

Masquerade in Lodi

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 9

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.18 BLT Score (4.7K ratings)

★ 4.27 Goodreads (4.7K)

125 pages • 2020

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23

Knot of Shadows

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 11

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.18 BLT Score (3.9K ratings)

★ 4.29 Goodreads (3.9K)

114 pages • 2021

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24

Testimony of Mute Things

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) • Book 15

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.14 BLT Score (1.9K ratings)

★ 4.49 Goodreads (1.9K)

151 pages • 2025

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25

Shards of Honor

Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) • Book 1

by Lois McMaster Bujold

★ 4.12 BLT Score (40.6K ratings)

★ 4.07 Goodreads (40.6K)

313 pages • 1986

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