It has been two and a half years since I last visited the universe of Miles Vorkosigan. Other books called to me and drew me in after I finished "Memory", but I still feel a fondness for Miles - the son of a Baron of the galactic empire of the far future, who overcame sever birth defects to lead a life of adventure.

This month, I resumed Miles's story with Komarr.

Serious injuries sustained in the previous book (Memory) have forced Miles to retire from active military duty and become an Imperial Auditor. But life as an Auditor is far from boring. Miles travels to the colony planet of Komarr to investigate the destruction of a terraforming satellite. Komarr is significant to the galaxy due to the number of nearby wormholes, which make interstellar travel possible. It is also significant to Miles as the Miles's father was falsely accused of ordering the massacre or innocent civilians here a generation ago.

Here Miles discovers that money is diverted from the terraforming operation; he is captured twice; he investigates the deaths of two government officials; and he uncovers a plot against the empire.

And, as so often happens in Lois McMaster Bujold's novels, Miles is distracted by the beautiful Ekaterin. This potential romance stands out as the author fleshes out the character of Ekaterin very well. In fact, some of the story is told from her point of view - a rarity in a Miles story.

Komarr has all the elements that make Bujold's novels enjoyable - a resourceful but flawed hero; a mystery to solve; and more than one human interest story.

I look forward to continuing my journey through this universe.