This is a series of books I have enjoyed very much. There are about 10 of them (some of them are packaged together in recent publications) detailing the career (and precursors) of one Miles Vorkosigan. I guess you would call it Space Opera on the whole, but the different books vary quite a bit in tone - some are more what I'd call romances, others are more like detective stories, and still others are straightforward adventures. The writer, Lois McMaster Bujold, is quite an accomplished storyteller. The characters are complex, the dialog amuses, the plots are often agreeably surprising. She is a more-than-competent writer.
Th universe in which they occur is a multi-planet 'wormhole nexus' which includes Earth. Miles himself is from the planet Barrayar, a rather backward place which, due to a 'wormhole collapse' had until fairly recently been cut off from the rest of space.
Bujold says that she was inspired by the Hornblower books - liked the idea of basing a series of stories on the growth of one person, and the world (or in this case universe) in which he lived.
I have avoided spoilers in this post because I realize many may not have read the books. The first two stories in the series are about Miles' mother and father - they can be found in a single volume called Cordelia's Honor. (The individual novellas are Shards of Honor and Barrayar.)
Has anyone read them, or is anyone interested in giving them a try?