Penric's Labors

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) #9, 7-8

by Lois McMaster Bujold

THREE PENRIC AND DESDEMONA NOVELLAS IN THE WORLD OF THE FIVE GODS BY GRAND MASTER LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD. INCLUDES “MASQUERADE IN LODI,” “THE ORPHANS OF RASPAY,” AND “THE PHYSICIANS OF VILNOC.”

Penric and Desdemona are back in three novellas from Grand Master Lois McMaster Bujold.

Masquerade in

Bastard’s Eve is a night of celebration for most residents in the canal city of Lodi—but not for sorcerer Learned Penric and his Temple demon Desdemona, who find themselves caught up in the affairs of a shiplost madman, a dangerous ascendant demon, and a very unexpected saint of the fifth god.

The Orphans of

When the ship in which they are traveling is captured by Carpagamon island raiders, Penric and Desdemona find their life complicated by two young orphans, Lencia and Seuka Corva, who are far from home and searching for their missing father. Pen and Des will need all their combined talents of mind and magic to unravel the mysteries of the sisters and escape from the pirate stronghold.

The Physicians of

When a mysterious plague breaks out in the army fort guarding Vilnoc, the port capital of the duchy of Orbas, Penric and Desdemona are called upon by General Arisaydia to resurrect Penric’s medical skills and solve its lethal riddle. In the grueling days that follow, Pen will find that even his magic is not enough to meet the challenges without help from dedicated new colleagues—and the god of mischance.

Also ncludes a new introduction, "outroduction," and suggested reading order by Lois McMaster Bujold!

Praise for the Penric & Desdemona

“Lord Penric, Pen to his friends and Penric to others, is a fabulous character. He's got a serious problem; he's never been trained to handle so he's doing the best he can. This ruffles the feathers or exasperates the other characters that he comes in contact with throughout the story. There's tension, danger, humor, and some interesting insights into various human traits.” — SFRevu

“Another thoroughly engaging entry in the Penric and Desdemona series. There are some truly interesting new characters, a medical mystery to be solved, lots of great dialogue, and some philosophical issues to think about when you finish the story. What could be better?” — SFRevu

“An engaging revisitation of the world of the Five Gods. Another felicitous combination of formerly told tales, again meshing masterfully (mistressfully?)” —Seattle Book Review

“[F]illed with a satisfying blend of strong characters and wry humor.” — Publishers Weekly

“Fans of fantasy with clever, innocent underdog characters will root for Penric to beat the odds and hope to visit him and his demon again.” — Booklist

“Bujold’s fans will be delighted with this latest adventure featuring Penric and his resident demon.” — Booklist

“Bujold continues to expand her "Five Gods" world, reviving familiar faces along the way. The fascinating relationship between Penric and Desdemona is especially fun.” — Library Journal

“Bujold's many faithful readers will delight in this engaging blend of mystery and magic.” — Library Journal

“Changing points of view make earlier chapters a little challenging, but strong secondary characters and Bujold's amazing worldbuilding will please readers of this swift-paced series.” — Library Journal

“Fast action and dialog create a humorous and satisfying story that shows the intriguing connection between sorcerer and demon.” —Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Library System

“Bujold's nuanced writing vividly shows the unique relationship between Penric and Desdemona and their journey that continues to grow in action-filled ways.” — Library Journal

“Bujold's fans will appreciate this novella, which returns to her World of the Five Gods and beloved maturing characters.” — Library Journal

Praise for Lois McMaster
“The pace is breathless, the characterization thoughtful and emotionally powerful, and the author's narrative technique and command of language compelling. Highly recommended.” — Booklist

“If you love solid space opera rooted in strong character, you can't go wrong . . . The Warrior's Apprentice already displays the craft and the heart which would soon make Lois McMaster Bujold one of the most feted talents in SF.” — SF Reviews

“Bujold is adept at worldbuilding and provides a witty, character-centered plot, full of exquisite grace notes . . . fans will be thoroughly gripped and likely to finish the book in a single sitting.” — Publishers Weekly on Diplomatic Immunity

Genres: Fantasy, Novella, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Religion, Humor, Magic

496 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Lois McMaster Bujold was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children.

Her fantasy from HarperCollins includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife tetralogy; her science fiction from Baen Books features the perennially bestselling Vorkosigan Saga. Her work has been translated into over twenty languages.

Questions regarding foreign rights, film/tv subrights, and other business matters should be directed to Spectrum Literary Agency, spectrumliteraryagency.com

A listing of her awards and nominations may be seen here:

http://www.sfadb.com/Lois_McMaster_Bu...

A listing of her interviews is here:

http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...

An older fan-run site devoted to her work, The Bujold Nexus, is here:

http://www.dendarii.com/

Reviews

[Economondos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three novellas, Masquerade in Lodi, The Orphans of Raspay, and The Physicians of Vilnoc in one volume. Together they make a really good novel-length read. Bujold continues to give us wonderful stories of Penric and Desdemona - sorcerer and demon. In these Penric could easily be classed as a saint by common definition in our world, even if barred from that appellation in his own.

The stories are all quite different in plot, secondary characters, and settings - but alike in Penric giving of himself (and Desdemona) until it hurts. The adventures, struggles, triumphs, and occasional humor make for a great read. 4.5/5

[Evan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am normally not a fan of either ebooks or the novella, hence my purchase of these hardcover ( signed by the author ) omnibus editions. If any author is going to change my mind on the subject, it would be this one though.

This is the first of the three novels that I would actually describe as a ‘ collection’ of stories that didn’t have an obvious unifying theme other than the main character.

Penric’s Progress gave us an origin story and the developing relationship between Pen and Desdemona. ( one I have argued is very hard to define but is definitely a love match, if not a strictly romantic one.)

Penric’s Travels follows his romance with Nikys. A careful and slow courtship against the backdrop of political intrigue and daring prison breaks.

With Penric’s Labors it is harder to see the unifying principal, but it is hinted at in the title. Here we see him sorting out his calling as a divine and what that work means.

I am both gratified and left wanting more by Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric series. It isn’t just the warm fuzzy feeling I get when settling down with the demonic pairing of Des and Pen. It is her ability to sketch out compelling, three dimensional characters in this maddeningly short form that keeps me coming back. I want more Oswyl, more Chio, more Lady Tanar.

Here is hoping there are more Five Worlds stories coming, because I want to know how those other characters turn out. This is a rich world Lois is mining for us and I am invested in what happens to all of them now, not just Penric.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was bored reading this book. Too many descriptions of costumes and how they convey status in the society. Too much OCD gesturing. Too many side stories about Penric's translating skills. I'd hoped the last of the three novellas, The Physicians of Vilnoc, might reveal a medieval culture's attempt at epidemiology and plague quarantine, but who needs systematic study when you've got a god on your side. It might have helped the author to read about Dr. Joseph Kinyoun's investigation into how the bubonic plague spread in San Francisco in 1900. It also might have helped to read about how African and Middle Eastern cultures successfully dealt with plagues, including Ebola, which is a hemorrhagic fever. Actual animal husbandry, sewage disposal, and medicine would have made the read much more interesting.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay, more Penric!

These are good too. Bujold has a gift for humor, the kind that makes you laugh hysterically all by yourself in a chair and then read good bits aloud to anyone else in the room, whether they’re old enough for Penric or not.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these when they came out on my kindle (several times), but in case something dire happens to my kindle, it's nice to have paper as backup.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masquerade in Lodi. How does Bujold make us love these characters so quickly? (Answer: she's a very gifted writer of people.) This story starts off slow and it a long MacGuffin hunt beyond that, but there's a bit of a mystery, some nice mythology/ecology about demons and most importantly Chio and Ree, two delightful characters that I'd love to see more of, except we've likely moved out of their area of influence with the later (earlier) stories [5/5].

The Orphans of Raspay. The main joy of Bujold's work is certainly her characters. And we get some joyous new ones here, not just Pen and Des, but also the eponymous Orphans of Raspay. But the Pen & Des books are also very intriguing for Bujold's pontifications of the theology of her created world, and in some ways this novella entirely, yet subtlety, focuses on that topic, as we ask why might Des have been called into this situation. The Pen & Des stories continue to delight. [5/5].

The Physicians of Vilnoc. Penric is engaged in a constant cycle of trying to cure a disease, and as readers we're trapped in that cycle too. It's actually not the most engaging of stories as a result, but Bujold still makes it enjoyable with her characters, including (as usual) an interesting new arrival [4/5].

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry in the series, really 3 entries as this book in comprised of 3 novellas, Masquerade at Lodi, The Orphans of Raspay, and The Physicians of Vilnoc. Although Bujold wrote these with the intention that they could be read in any order, I don't think the best place to start is here. If you haven't read any of these yet, I think it's best to begin at the beginning.

I find I'm liking Penric as a hero more and more as the series goes on. He's just a nice guy trying to the best he can and help the most people possible. He's respectful of others, but isn't a saint (both literally and figuratively) - if people make him angry enough, he has no problem making full use of his sorcerous powers. As I get older, I find myself more drawn to heroes of this ilk; ones who actively try to avoid harm, bloodshed, and damage as much as possible, even though it would be totally within their power - and often, as Bujold makes clear repeatedly - much, much easier, to accomplish their goals with violence. It takes more strength to hold yourself back from doing the damage you know you could do than it does to give in to your emotions and just let loose; therefore, those characters that manage to do so should be given more respect as well. Penric, at one point, bemoans the fact that his god often sends him as the answer to others' prayers, rather than answering his own, and it's true. I never really thought of this series as the story of what you might get when you pray for help, but it is. Turns out answered prayers don't always look like you expect, and those stories are fun rides.

In terms of the 3 novellas, I'd give Masquerade in Lodi and The Physicians of Vilnoc 4 stars, and The Orphans of Raspay 5. Masquerade is a fun "side quest" from Penric's younger days. It was neat to see the results of an ascendant demon, which the books so often warn us about, but the story itself felt lighter and less-relevant than some of the other books. Orphans I liked best because it raised the stakes by setting Penric the task of protecting two children while escaping from their pirate captors. It reminded me a lot of my other favorite, of Penric's Mission, in that Penric, who could probably escape the situation easily on his own, deals with a more challenging threat because he's trying to protect others. Plus, you get to see Penric finally lose his temper, and the impact of what a motivated chaos demon can do when let off the leash, so to speak. I was worried about Physicians of Vilnoc because one, I can't stand stories of illness/hospitals/doctors, even more so after the pandemic, and two, I was worried it would be extra depressing because of Penric's past emotional trauma from his time as a physician. However, it read more like a mystery story as Penric and the other healers struggle to determine the cause of the illness that has struck the area.

Overall, 3 more excellent stories in this unique little series that I am glad to have discovered. 4 more to go!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three novellas in the life of Penric, a temple-trained divine and sorcerer of the Bastard, and his demon, whom he named Desdemona. Another demon, pirates, and an unknown disease.
In Masquerade in Lodi, Penric has taken up his first post after leaving Martensbridge. Lodi is similar to Venice, settled on several islands, with lots of bridges and boats. A thought-to-be-crazy young man found by sailors out at sea and brought to the local sailors' hospice has actually contracted a demon, and it's insane, and it's in charge. When the demon-beset young man gets out, Penric must find him and bring him to the local saint of the Bastard for proper disposal.
After the stories in Penric's Travels, Penric is settled in Vilnoc with his wife, mother-in-law, an brother-in-law, except when sent on errands by the local duke. En route home by sea from the latest, his ship is attacked by pirates, Penric is taken prisoner and joins two young orphan girls from Raspay. They and other captured prisoners are taken to an island mostly ruled by pirates, to be sold as slaves. Penric has to figure out how to get himself and his young charges (orphans fall under the aegis of the Bastard) safely off the island and home to Vilnoc. Problems, of course, but Desdemona gets to play in this one.
In the third story, The Physicians of Vilnoc, Penric is asked by his brother-in-law General Adelis Arisaydia to figure out a dire illness that has struck several of his soldiers. Their physicians don't recognize it, but physician-trained Penric and his demon Desdemona, whose previous riders had included trained physicians, might know something different. But it's something new, at least in this area. Interesting learning how a chaos demon can manage to do uphill magic.
Love the stories, the characters, the world. Lois does a good job of making the stories relevant even to newcomers, but they're best if you've read the previous two volumes: Penric's Progress and Penric's Travels.

[Dlora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so impressed with author Lois McMaster Bujold’s ability to create such a diverse set of adventures for Penric and Desdemona. In this compilation, the first novella, "Masquerade in Lodi" finds Penric in the Venice-like Lodi, chasing a rogue demon who is insane and has absconded with his human person/body. The next novella, "The Orphans of Raspay," is an adventure story in which Penric has been captured by pirates. He might have been better able to save himself except he was literally dumped into a prison brig onto two orphans from Raspay who have also been captured by the pirates. Trying to also keep them safe taxes his abilities. I couldn’t figure out how he was going to get them all off the pirate island to safety even with his demonic powers. Next in "The Physicians of Vilnoc," Penric is called upon to use his physician talents when a plague hits General Arisaydia’s command. The medical details, the demon magics to help, and the overload and despair of failed attempts to heal everyone (which are the very things that made Penric with Desdemona’s urging give up becoming a physician in the first place) are powerfully drawn. "That's why medicine can't be my calling . . . The demand is endless, and I've learned I am not. Only the gods could deal with all the world's pain, all at once, all the time." And all of Penric's adventures are mixed up balancing his competing callings, responsibilities, and inclinations as a temple divine, a skilled physician, a powerful sorcerer, and yet also just a regular person with a family and a demon he loves. I am really moved by the intelligence and wisdom of these books and the great mix of humor and depth of thought.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of 3 novellas in the Bujold's Penric & Desdemona series. They're a bit of mixed bag story wise.

Masquerade in Lodi - 5 stars. It's a fun read about a sailor with a demon getting loose in a Venice-equivalent city during a Mardi Gras kind of festival. It's a kind of romp with a bit of murder-mystery on the side

The Orphans of Raspay - 4 stars. A pirate story wherein Penric's ship is beset by pirates and he's tossed in with some orphans and put on the block to be sold into slavery. A well told story with some good character development.

The Physicians of Vilnoc - 2 stars. A plague breaks out in a local fort commanded by Pen's brother-in-law. He's called in to try and determine if it's a 'uncanny' sort of illness and then gets roped into to diagnosing and treating the sick folk because he can. I felt the story really dragged on, with a lot of the story just describing the characters just going back and forth being tired.

Overall a decent collection of stories

[Andree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I preferred this to Penric's Travels and less so than Penric's Progress. I do think I like the stories from when Penric is younger best, in a way. As evidenced by the fact that the Masquerade at Lodi was my favourite novella of this collection. That one is fun. Maybe it's not that I necessarily like the stories where Penric is younger best, so much as I like the ones that are fun. The one where he gets kidnapped by pirates, for example, and has to protect himself and two young girls from being sold into slavery, wasn't fun. The third novella is about a plague. It I found more interesting - there's more quiet friendship in it.

I do like the writing and the general tone. Just some of these are hit and miss. Which I suppose is to be expected with any series. I do continue to really like novella-lengths. So the collections work. Though I think I need to track down the novellas individually now...

The world continues very interesting. I like it.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike the previous two volumes, I did not actually read the three novellas in this form. I read them as a mixture of Subterranean Press printed novellas and an ebook. But as a collection of three they work very well. The choice to include Masquerade in Lodi here, even though chronologically it comes before volume 2, made a lot of sense. There were lot's of references to that story and it added to the flow. These stories were very Penric centered and all in a very short time-scale. This really was a great collection.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful trio of stories. I particularly appreciate the portrayal of pirates as the bad guys; I'm with the writer on disliking the romanticized perception of murderous enslaving sea-bandits. Also a pleasure to see Penric's family circle grow, and the understanding of his powers and capabilities strengthened. I'm fully in sympathy with an earnest character who wants to do the right thing and tends to wear himself out over it; add a sardonic, opinionated two-hundred-year-old lady on top of that and it fits my tastes almost perfectly.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm delighted to be able to read another collection of stories about Penric and Des and their assorted circle. I was especially delighted that Nikys was finally able to attain a longtime dream of hers.

Penric continues to be one of my favorite fantasy heros out there. It is admirable to resist the call of violence even when it would make a task enormously easier.

My biggest complaint is that The Physicians of Vilnoc ended up being much lighter than I would have imagined given both Penric's history and historical methods of dealing with pandemics.

[Philip Mantler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third of three books, each of which contain three novellas. It helps to have read the first two books so as to have the context for the world of the five gods. But even if you have not read either of the other two books, it is still an entertaining read. As you read, pretty much any of, Bujold's books there are some interesting undercurrents relating to culture, politics, and religion. These add significant depth and colour to a fulsome reading of the books. This book continues this trend and certainly provides some excellent material to mull over after you are finished reading.

[Veronique · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

Penric and Desdemona’s third collection of novellas was a pleasure to re-read. I am enjoying these a lot more, savouring them.

As always, there is a lot of humour - imagine Pen & Des in a Masquerade or let loose on pirates - but not at the cost of the deeper, deeply emotional, threads. Again, the pirates but these are the realistic slavers kind and not the romanticised ones. We also get a plague and the burnout suffered by healers in those circumstances. Pen’s kindness and down-to-earth attitude shine throughout.

Definitely one of my all-time favourite series.

[L & J Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a series of three novellas following the exploits of Penric, a Quintarian priest of the Bastard's order and the demon, Desdemona, who he carries. Like all of Bujold's other novels, this one is well written and has elements of humor and some pathos. The book can be read as a standlone, but if you have not read her other books in the series, this book will likely make you want to go back and enjoy her earlier stories of Penric's exploits.

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masquerade in Lodi - 4/5 Mystery novella about a chase through a city-wide party

Orphans of Raspay - 4/5 Adventure and escape from slavery. Little gets Penric mad, but when it does, snarky Pen is a delightful Pen

Physicians of Vilnoc - 4/5 Brilliantly-written novella about a contagion going deeper into Penric's short ill-fated stint as a trainee physician, which took place off-screen after Penric's Fox

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite author never disappoints - as ever, her books are funny and smart, with rich worldbuilding. That being said, this might be the less strong collection of short stories of the series -- Masquerade is a bit slow plot-wise (lots of running around looking for the escapee, though I did like the saint very much), Orphans was my fave of the three and the most compelling, and I did quite like Physicians.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love pretty much everything Bujold has written. Penric is such a delightful character. This collection has Maquerade at Lodi, Orphans of Raspay and Physicians of Vilnoc. Orphans is my favourite but they are all good and worth rereading.

[Jennifer Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the other Penric and Desdemona books, you will like this collection of three novellas as well. As always, Penric and Desdemona are appealing protagonists, and Penric is refreshingly flawed yet also simply a good person. A fun and engaging book.

[Amroc99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly it was an enjoyable read of three short stories. Once again Bujold shows she's a wonderful storyteller.

Oddly, Goodreads has the pagecount wrong for this. It should be 460 (of actual story, I don't include the fore and afterward sections).

[Ron Nurmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole Penric series are somewhat linked novellas. I the development of the characters interesting. I have enjoyed reading Bujold's books and this fantasy series is well done.

[Harry Kloss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice addition to the Penric series. Stories a rogue demons, nefarious pirates, and diseases are a fun, fast read.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. All good stories

[Katie Whitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the protagonist, the world and the stories!

[John Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid trio of adventures for Pen and Des, with a wild night in a Venice analogue, a pirate republic that bites off more than it can chew, and the excitement of epidemiology.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review here:

https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...

As usual, these are entertaining and well written.

[e · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad to see this hardback publication of more Penric and Desdemona stories! Since this version has a map of the areas Penric traverses, and we have an old map of the Ibran Peninsula, I merged the two together to give a better visual (where the map had similar geography). I hope you don't mind, Lois McMaster Bujold!



( larger version of map here )