Chronologically the first novel in the Vorkosigan Saga, the novel sets up an event that has repercussions for the future and has little to do with the Vorkosigans overall. Synopsis: And Suddenly He Was Falling Free... Leo Graf was just your average highly efficient engineer: mind your own business, fix what's wrong and move on to the next job. Everything neat and according to spec, just the way he liked it. But that all changed on his assignment to the Cay Habitat. Could you just stand there and allow the exploitation of hundred of helpless children merely to enhance the bottom line of a heartless mega-corporation? Leo Graf adopted 1,000 quaddies--now all he had to do was teach them to be free.
Above the planet Rodeo, Leo Graf arrives at the Cay Habitat, hired by a former engineering subordinate who's come up in the galaxy, Bruce Van Atta, to train GalacTech personnel in engineering, or so he thinks. When Leo and Bruce dock, Bruce introduces Leo to Tony, a quaddie welder and joiner. Bruce tells Leo that quaddies are the new generation of super-workers and were bioengineered for this. Tony introduces Leo to his "wife" Claire--another quaddie--and their baby, Andy--also a quaddie. Another quaddie, Silver, is introduced to Leo via Bruce. Bruce tells Leo how quaddies were made using the recently invented uterine replicators made by Beta Colony. Dr. Sondra Yei, the local psychologist, tells Leo how the rest of the humans must watch what they do in front of the quaddies as they're fast learners and not to mention death, since the quaddies are children, really. Leo asks about self defense and Yei threatens to have him removed if he doesn't follow her rules. Meanwhile, Silver is watching a smuggled vid about animals, particularly cats, with Claire and wonders what it'd be like downside. Leo trains Tony and the other quaddie welders about engineering and mentions the faults that can happen if no one is careful. Yei admonishes Claire and Tony for becoming pair bonded as that was not in the plans for the breeding program (it's all detailed in the novel that it seems like a creepy fetish of Bujolds; note: I said, seems like).
After learning that Tony will be shipped off when Claire's supposed to be mated by another quaddie, Tony decides to break him and Claire, with Andy, out and make for Rodeo. Doing so causes a trigger of events that leaves Tony wounded, Claire kept away from Andy, and Leo being chastised for mentioning independent work and money to Tony even though Leo had no idea why Tony had wanted that information. In a heated argument, Leo decks Bruce in front of a GalacTech VIP. After hearing the ugly truth about what'll happen if the Cay Project folds and the quaddies be killed, which seems more likely now that the Betans discovered artificial gravity devices and Bruce demanding that Leo keep this quiet because he's [Bruce's] planning of having them all sterilized, all pregnancies aborted and shipping the quaddies off to an abandoned mine, but Leo devises a plan to make sure that doesn't happen. Yei refuses to help Leo. Leo, in deep thought, plans to move the station to the wormhole in Rodeo's system and let the quaddies flourish there. Leo tells Silver his plan and they finalize it. Leo lies to Bruce and starts "dismantling" Cay Station and tells certain quaddies about their new fate: to move them to the wormhole junction. Silver, Leo, and Zara break Ti the shuttle pilot out of security and tell him the plan. He agrees after some persuasion.
Leo calls Dr. Michenko, who bitches about Bruce's manhandling of the medical side of Tony's downside treatment, and tells him to call Bruce when Claire mentions that no one will let her see Andy. Dr. Curry tries to sterilize Claire and she suborns him. Silver, Ti, Siggy, and Zara take over a Superjumper and send a signal to Claire who relays it to Leo. Leo calls in an accident and nearly every downsider (human) makes it to the conference room. Bruce tries to assert control when the quaddies blow the sealed room off the Cay Habitat. Dr. Michenko and a few others are left behind because they didn't trust the signal and thought it was Bruce's way of killing the quaddies but demand to stay when they learn of Leo's plan because Leo doesn't know the first thing that isn't engineering. Leo accepts and they get to work. Michenko, Ti, Leo, and Silver head down to Rodeo to retrieve Tony and Michenko's wife. Bruce docks with the Rodeo station on the planet and sends a squad out to stop Leo but they arrive too late. In the end, Leo and the remaining humans plus the quaddies jump out of the system and get away, and start to build their own future.
All in all, a quick read if there ever was one and a rather refreshing change of pace from the slow starting Lois McMaster Bujold. Falling Free is a real gem of a book and I would easily recommend it to other science-fiction fans to start the Vorkosigan saga.
Above the planet Rodeo, Leo Graf arrives at the Cay Habitat, hired by a former engineering subordinate who's come up in the galaxy, Bruce Van Atta, to train GalacTech personnel in engineering, or so he thinks. When Leo and Bruce dock, Bruce introduces Leo to Tony, a quaddie welder and joiner. Bruce tells Leo that quaddies are the new generation of super-workers and were bioengineered for this. Tony introduces Leo to his "wife" Claire--another quaddie--and their baby, Andy--also a quaddie. Another quaddie, Silver, is introduced to Leo via Bruce. Bruce tells Leo how quaddies were made using the recently invented uterine replicators made by Beta Colony. Dr. Sondra Yei, the local psychologist, tells Leo how the rest of the humans must watch what they do in front of the quaddies as they're fast learners and not to mention death, since the quaddies are children, really. Leo asks about self defense and Yei threatens to have him removed if he doesn't follow her rules. Meanwhile, Silver is watching a smuggled vid about animals, particularly cats, with Claire and wonders what it'd be like downside. Leo trains Tony and the other quaddie welders about engineering and mentions the faults that can happen if no one is careful. Yei admonishes Claire and Tony for becoming pair bonded as that was not in the plans for the breeding program (it's all detailed in the novel that it seems like a creepy fetish of Bujolds; note: I said, seems like).
After learning that Tony will be shipped off when Claire's supposed to be mated by another quaddie, Tony decides to break him and Claire, with Andy, out and make for Rodeo. Doing so causes a trigger of events that leaves Tony wounded, Claire kept away from Andy, and Leo being chastised for mentioning independent work and money to Tony even though Leo had no idea why Tony had wanted that information. In a heated argument, Leo decks Bruce in front of a GalacTech VIP. After hearing the ugly truth about what'll happen if the Cay Project folds and the quaddies be killed, which seems more likely now that the Betans discovered artificial gravity devices and Bruce demanding that Leo keep this quiet because he's [Bruce's] planning of having them all sterilized, all pregnancies aborted and shipping the quaddies off to an abandoned mine, but Leo devises a plan to make sure that doesn't happen. Yei refuses to help Leo. Leo, in deep thought, plans to move the station to the wormhole in Rodeo's system and let the quaddies flourish there. Leo tells Silver his plan and they finalize it. Leo lies to Bruce and starts "dismantling" Cay Station and tells certain quaddies about their new fate: to move them to the wormhole junction. Silver, Leo, and Zara break Ti the shuttle pilot out of security and tell him the plan. He agrees after some persuasion.
Leo calls Dr. Michenko, who bitches about Bruce's manhandling of the medical side of Tony's downside treatment, and tells him to call Bruce when Claire mentions that no one will let her see Andy. Dr. Curry tries to sterilize Claire and she suborns him. Silver, Ti, Siggy, and Zara take over a Superjumper and send a signal to Claire who relays it to Leo. Leo calls in an accident and nearly every downsider (human) makes it to the conference room. Bruce tries to assert control when the quaddies blow the sealed room off the Cay Habitat. Dr. Michenko and a few others are left behind because they didn't trust the signal and thought it was Bruce's way of killing the quaddies but demand to stay when they learn of Leo's plan because Leo doesn't know the first thing that isn't engineering. Leo accepts and they get to work. Michenko, Ti, Leo, and Silver head down to Rodeo to retrieve Tony and Michenko's wife. Bruce docks with the Rodeo station on the planet and sends a squad out to stop Leo but they arrive too late. In the end, Leo and the remaining humans plus the quaddies jump out of the system and get away, and start to build their own future.
All in all, a quick read if there ever was one and a rather refreshing change of pace from the slow starting Lois McMaster Bujold. Falling Free is a real gem of a book and I would easily recommend it to other science-fiction fans to start the Vorkosigan saga.
