Canon Compliance and Creative Analysis in Vorkosigan Saga Fan Fiction
This chapter examines different types of fan fiction based on the science fiction Vorkosigan novels by Lois McMaster Bujold. It explores the ways in which the source texts, or ‘canon’, are used as touchstone and tool not only to tell the stories that fan writers want to tell, but also to interpret specific characters and dynamics in the text, to interrogate the political and personal implications of the worlds of the books, and to explore how original characters can offer deeper insight into the characters and societies. The chapter examines canon-consistent stories, original characters, and slash fiction, to argue that the central focus remains the close reading and analysis of Bujold’s universe and characters, albeit in imaginative and exploratory ways.