Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan are sent on a diplomatic mission to the court of the Cetagandan Empire, Barrayar's former enemy. This sophisticated, genetically advanced but in many ways alien society both fascinates and repels, and when the Cetagandan Empress and her attendant die suddenly, Miles and Ivan find themselves embroiled in intrigues. Ivan's romances and Miles' infatuation with a noble Cetagandan lady further complicate matters in this novel by four-time Hugo Award winner for best novel Lois McMaster Bujold. Publishers Weekly wrote of CETAGANDA: "Set in a vividly realized world where Machiavellian intrigues are played out behind a facade of aristocratic discretion, this novel ... blends high adventure with wry commentary on the seemingly unbridgeable gulf between human ideals and political realities.
