You know, despite the fact that you can really tell that it's a first book, especially after reading some of her others, I adore Shards of Honor so very much. For me, mainly because I love Cordelia and Aral to bits (and I while Miles is great, he didn't do it for me as a character the way his parents did) there isn't a book I enjoy as much until you get to 'a civil campaign.'

But I see why you have problems with the ending. The two characters were so well-balalanced SOMETHING had to snap, externally.

Oh, and this is a nitpick, but Aral was the Butcher of KOMARR. I do think that the fact that is WASN'T her people was PART of why she could listen so willingly to his side of the story. Had they been Betans, it probably would have taken a bit more work.