Miles Vorkosigan is young and intelligent, but deformed and undersized, thanks to a failed assassination attempt on his mother a few months before his birth. He has the added pressure of being the son of the legendary Lord Admiral Aral Vorkosigan - one of the great military strategists of the Barrayaran Empire.

After graduating from Barrayaran Service Academy, Miles enters military service - first on an isolated frozen island under a corrupt commander, where he is falsely accused of treason. After clearing his name, he is given a security assignment far from Barrayar, where he is again framed - this time for murder. While trying to escape, he runs into the Emperor Gregor - only slightly older than Miles - who has run away to escape his responsibilities. Together, Miles and Gregor must prevent Cavilo - a femme fatal, who will kill, betray, and/or seduce anyone to gain power. She seeks to throw the empire into chaos and make herself empress. Amazingly, she has aligned herself with Miles's old corrupt commanding officer. Miles seeks the help of the Dendarii mercenaries with whom he worked under the alias of Admiral Naismith in The Warrior's Apprentice

The Vor Game advances the story of young Miles, who is an unlikely hero, thanks to his physical handicaps. Bujold establishes Miles's issues with following authority, which gets him into trouble; but also with his headstrong ways, which sometimes gets him out of trouble. We also get our first look into what makes Emperor Gregor tick.

Bujold does a very good job of mixing action, political intrigue, and character development into her stories. There are a few too many coincidences, as Miles keeps running into people from his past while at the far edge of the galaxy; but one can forgive this because the story is engaging, and the coincidences help to move it forward.