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Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) #14
The Adventure of the Demonic Ox
When sorcerer Learned Penric hears of the suspected demonic possession of an ox at his brother-in-law’s bridgebuilding worksite, he thinks it an excellent opportunity to tutor his adopted daughter and student sorceress Otta in one of their Temple identifying and restraining such wild chaos elementals before harm comes to their hosts or surroundings.
What begins as an instructive family outing turns anything but routine when a mountain search becomes a much more frightening adventure for Penric and his charges. What is undergone there by both mentor and students will yield lessons both unexpected and far-reaching.
What begins as an instructive family outing turns anything but routine when a mountain search becomes a much more frightening adventure for Penric and his charges. What is undergone there by both mentor and students will yield lessons both unexpected and far-reaching.
133 pages, ebook
First published July 10, 2025
200 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
About the author
Lois McMaster Bujold
190 books39.3k followersLois 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/
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/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
July 13, 2025
lovely as always. we are so lucky to have Bujold. following Penric from a young dork to a dad dork is such a pleasure. all the characters feel so real.
July 27, 2025
This entry in the series doesn't mainly concentrate on Penric's POV, but those of his children. While this is different and interesting, I think I'd have preferred to see events through Penric's eyes.
I did have some plausibility issues with this novella, having to do with the children's ages and what they are expected to do during the plot*, but although this won't be my favourite Penric book, I still enjoyed it.
* I do realise that this world is one in which children are expected to grow up very fast. But there was a disconnect for me in what Penric requires or allows them to do in the first part of the book, and the way he was reluctant to let them go in the last part. Something just jarred me a little about that.
I did have some plausibility issues with this novella, having to do with the children's ages and what they are expected to do during the plot*, but although this won't be my favourite Penric book, I still enjoyed it.
* I do realise that this world is one in which children are expected to grow up very fast. But there was a disconnect for me in what Penric requires or allows them to do in the first part of the book, and the way he was reluctant to let them go in the last part. Something just jarred me a little about that.
December 28, 2025
Career planning
The Adventure of the Demonic Ox is the 14th book (by publication order) in Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and Desdemona series. Penric is now a respectable pater familias. His household holds three children: daughters Otta (11) and Rina (12) and son Wyn (9). (I'm not sure of any of those ages, but they should all be in the right ballparks.) Wyn and Rina are, I believe, Penric and his wife Nikys's biological children. Otta is a very young sorceress. That means only that she harbors a chaos demon, which she has named Atto. Penric and Nikys adopted her so that she could receive the kind of care and training a sorceress needs. Also, Penric's own demon Desdemona looks on Atto as her own daughter. That story was told in Demon Daughter.
To me, 11, 9, and 12 seem young for career planning, but that, more than anything, is what Demonic Ox is about. To be sure, there is a plot involving an ox that has contracted a demon. More surprising, the careerism comes not at parental impulse, but from the kids themselves. Wyn is working with his uncle Rodoa (Nikys's brother), a master stone-worker currently building a bridge. Wyn is enjoying that, so he has a natural path to an apprenticeship. As a young sorceress, Otta's career options are circumscribed, but attractive.
Most of the story is told from the point of view of Rina, who is not thrilled with her prospects. Penric's family inhabits a conservative agrarian society, where women have few options. (Bret Deveraux reminds me that inhabitants of such social systems "make up a simply majority of all humans who have ever lived", which makes their prevalence in Fantasy a little less annoying.) To be precise, everyone has few options, but women have fewer than men. Any career a woman might consider must take into account the possibility of child-bearing.
Demonic Ox is thus less exciting and action-packed than the average Penric and Desdemona story. It also has less of the Pen/Des banter we fans love. It's a slice of life story from the 5GW.
Blog review.
The Adventure of the Demonic Ox is the 14th book (by publication order) in Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and Desdemona series. Penric is now a respectable pater familias. His household holds three children: daughters Otta (11) and Rina (12) and son Wyn (9). (I'm not sure of any of those ages, but they should all be in the right ballparks.) Wyn and Rina are, I believe, Penric and his wife Nikys's biological children. Otta is a very young sorceress. That means only that she harbors a chaos demon, which she has named Atto. Penric and Nikys adopted her so that she could receive the kind of care and training a sorceress needs. Also, Penric's own demon Desdemona looks on Atto as her own daughter. That story was told in Demon Daughter.
To me, 11, 9, and 12 seem young for career planning, but that, more than anything, is what Demonic Ox is about. To be sure, there is a plot involving an ox that has contracted a demon. More surprising, the careerism comes not at parental impulse, but from the kids themselves. Wyn is working with his uncle Rodoa (Nikys's brother), a master stone-worker currently building a bridge. Wyn is enjoying that, so he has a natural path to an apprenticeship. As a young sorceress, Otta's career options are circumscribed, but attractive.
Most of the story is told from the point of view of Rina, who is not thrilled with her prospects. Penric's family inhabits a conservative agrarian society, where women have few options. (Bret Deveraux reminds me that inhabitants of such social systems "make up a simply majority of all humans who have ever lived", which makes their prevalence in Fantasy a little less annoying.) To be precise, everyone has few options, but women have fewer than men. Any career a woman might consider must take into account the possibility of child-bearing.
Demonic Ox is thus less exciting and action-packed than the average Penric and Desdemona story. It also has less of the Pen/Des banter we fans love. It's a slice of life story from the 5GW.
Blog review.
August 19, 2025
This Penric & Desdemona novella skews heavily towards domestic concerns rather than high adventure, though it does provide much new information about the religious /magic system in Bujolds's World of the Five Gods. The ox itself -- who actually is demonic, in the Five Gods sense -- provides a central point for a nerve-wracking family experience. Most of the reader satisfaction here is likely to come from learning more about how Pen's family is growing up, & how the various demons (no spoiler, but there are now more!) associated with them are being trained.
Bujold does a good job of placing reminders about critical past events, but readers should not come to this one cold. Many plot points assume prior knowledge, or are at least more fun for those with prior knowledge.
Recommended immediately for anyone following this series, of course.
Bujold does a good job of placing reminders about critical past events, but readers should not come to this one cold. Many plot points assume prior knowledge, or are at least more fun for those with prior knowledge.
Recommended immediately for anyone following this series, of course.
July 12, 2025
The danger in writing about a hero with superhuman powers is that one expects him simply to overpower all difficulties and emerge victorious. But with children who are fast growing towards adulthood, Penric will find that he cannot be the one-person fixit all of the time - and maybe, for once, none of the time. Another life lesson for all concerned, and a bonus intro to more family members.
August 23, 2025
I really needed this short slice of life Penric, Desdemona, and family story after slogging through multiple long, slow books as of late. As usual, the audiobook is great.
July 22, 2025
4.5/5
История о том, как быстро растут дети (а количество волшебников вокруг Пенрика все растет)))
История о том, как быстро растут дети (а количество волшебников вокруг Пенрика все растет)))
December 29, 2025
[7/10]
“If you can get him going, he might surprise you. Most anyone will harbor at least some stories that can teach you something new. Or so I’ve always found.”
Yes, Learned Penric has quite a lot of stories to tell and his resident demon Desdemona even more, considering she is a composite of seven previous hosts, all women.
This is a comfort read for me, one of those that I keep for the end of the year in the hope of putting me in a festive mood, reading-wise. Lois McMaster Bujold has mellowed in her recent works, just like her main character Penric, who prefers in his middle years to work on his medical and magical translations in the quietude of his own study, while his extended family provides the moral support he needs.
As a servant of the Bastard God in this World of the Five Gods, Penric is also expected to serve those in need and to deal with emergencies. When an urgent message is delivered at his door by his own son Wyn, Penric grumbles about being interrupted in his studies, but Des rejoices at the chance to escape the boredom.
Penric is summoned to the work camp where his brother-in-law is building a bridge. His son is already working there for the summer and he notices signs of demonic possession in one of the oxen working at the camp. Penric decides to take along his daughter Rina, who is getting restless at home and his adopted daughter Otta, who is host to her own juvenile demon and could benefit from some field training.
This is rather a routine job for a sorcerer of Penric’s talents and training and nothing is supposed to go wrong...
Until everything goes wrong, and the young children are put to the test in ways nobody planned for.
>>><<<>>><<<
This episode might not be the most entertaining in the long series of novellas, but what it might lack in action it makes for in quality writing and careful characterization, in depth of emotion and in gentle learning.
The books are all written as stand-alone, so a new reader could start here and go back and read all the background material on the characters later on. Familiarity with the people involved is by now a big part of my own enjoyment, yet the author is generous in adding something special in each new instalment.
This time, the cherry on the cake is the narration from the perspective of young minds, twelve years old Rina and ten years old Otta, with some support from their older brother Wyn. It feels good and more than a little bittersweet to see the flame being passed on by Penric to a new generation, his parenting skills pitted against the children’s efforts to cut their own path though life.
“They’re all ... squirting away. In all directions. All the children. They’re all escaping, and it’s much too soon.”
What is written in the future and what is the Bastard God holding in stock for Penric and his demon?
I hope Santa / Lois McMaster Bujold has prepared more gifts for us fans of her work. Her skill, her kindness and her imagination are not in any doubt.
“If you can get him going, he might surprise you. Most anyone will harbor at least some stories that can teach you something new. Or so I’ve always found.”
Yes, Learned Penric has quite a lot of stories to tell and his resident demon Desdemona even more, considering she is a composite of seven previous hosts, all women.
This is a comfort read for me, one of those that I keep for the end of the year in the hope of putting me in a festive mood, reading-wise. Lois McMaster Bujold has mellowed in her recent works, just like her main character Penric, who prefers in his middle years to work on his medical and magical translations in the quietude of his own study, while his extended family provides the moral support he needs.
As a servant of the Bastard God in this World of the Five Gods, Penric is also expected to serve those in need and to deal with emergencies. When an urgent message is delivered at his door by his own son Wyn, Penric grumbles about being interrupted in his studies, but Des rejoices at the chance to escape the boredom.
Penric is summoned to the work camp where his brother-in-law is building a bridge. His son is already working there for the summer and he notices signs of demonic possession in one of the oxen working at the camp. Penric decides to take along his daughter Rina, who is getting restless at home and his adopted daughter Otta, who is host to her own juvenile demon and could benefit from some field training.
This is rather a routine job for a sorcerer of Penric’s talents and training and nothing is supposed to go wrong...
Until everything goes wrong, and the young children are put to the test in ways nobody planned for.
>>><<<>>><<<
This episode might not be the most entertaining in the long series of novellas, but what it might lack in action it makes for in quality writing and careful characterization, in depth of emotion and in gentle learning.
The books are all written as stand-alone, so a new reader could start here and go back and read all the background material on the characters later on. Familiarity with the people involved is by now a big part of my own enjoyment, yet the author is generous in adding something special in each new instalment.
This time, the cherry on the cake is the narration from the perspective of young minds, twelve years old Rina and ten years old Otta, with some support from their older brother Wyn. It feels good and more than a little bittersweet to see the flame being passed on by Penric to a new generation, his parenting skills pitted against the children’s efforts to cut their own path though life.
“They’re all ... squirting away. In all directions. All the children. They’re all escaping, and it’s much too soon.”
What is written in the future and what is the Bastard God holding in stock for Penric and his demon?
I hope Santa / Lois McMaster Bujold has prepared more gifts for us fans of her work. Her skill, her kindness and her imagination are not in any doubt.
August 26, 2025
I’m always excited to have a new Penric & Desdemona novel. The perfect between-big-books break from high stakes, this series is always slice-of-life-esque, with just enough “action” to keep it engaging. Coming back to visit with Penric, a charmingly dorky sorcerer, and Desdemona, his loving but sometimes cranky demon, feels like visiting old friends.
I especially like that time is passing in P&D’s world, and every time we check in kids are growing up, babies are being born, and somebody is going to get a new demon.
I’m torn with what happened in this book. It felt like the author was giving us a sentimental look back at the series thus far, and I can’t decide if this was setting up the series to follow interesting new characters, or if this was the authors way of putting everyone on a good path to see the series off into the sunset.
I sincerely hope we’ll have more books with these characters, but if this was the last, it felt like a lovely homage and epilogue, all tied up in a bow. I am hoping for more P&D stories, but if this was the end of the line, it was a fine send off.
I especially like that time is passing in P&D’s world, and every time we check in kids are growing up, babies are being born, and somebody is going to get a new demon.
I’m torn with what happened in this book. It felt like the author was giving us a sentimental look back at the series thus far, and I can’t decide if this was setting up the series to follow interesting new characters, or if this was the authors way of putting everyone on a good path to see the series off into the sunset.
I sincerely hope we’ll have more books with these characters, but if this was the last, it felt like a lovely homage and epilogue, all tied up in a bow. I am hoping for more P&D stories, but if this was the end of the line, it was a fine send off.
July 27, 2025
Taking your daughters to work seemed like a good idea to Penric, at least at the beginning.
From the blurb:
"When sorcerer Learned Penric hears of the suspected demonic possession of an ox at his brother-in-law’s bridgebuilding worksite, he thinks it an excellent opportunity to tutor his adopted daughter and student sorceress Otta in one of their Temple duties: identifying and restraining such wild chaos elementals before harm comes to their hosts or surroundings."
Penric's son is already working for his uncle as a gofer; Penric's daughter Rina (who is fascinated with demons) insists on joining the party. Nikys, Penric's wife, who is pregnant, with a due date fast approaching, decides that staying home is her best option. After all, the worksite is fairly close by, dealing with the ox should be simple--what could wrong? She sends her family on their way with a smile on her face.
The ox is indeed possessed. The nearest saint is several days away. He is immediate sent for, but it will take time for the messenger to reach him and then more time for them to get back. So, Penric and crew settle down to wait. First on the agenda-built a secure corral for the ox, away from the hustle and bustle of the camp. So far so good. Then the ox escapes, and everything changes.
I loved this one for all of the little touches--the cameo appearances of characters from previous books; Penric's lessons with Otta; the bond between Otta and Rina. Blessed Iroki (the saint) is wonderful, as always.
It is always wonderful to catch up with Penric and Desdemona (the star of this story). I loved that Bujold is letting us watch everyone grow older. The ending is both forward-looking and pensive, giving this reader hope for books still to come.
From the blurb:
"When sorcerer Learned Penric hears of the suspected demonic possession of an ox at his brother-in-law’s bridgebuilding worksite, he thinks it an excellent opportunity to tutor his adopted daughter and student sorceress Otta in one of their Temple duties: identifying and restraining such wild chaos elementals before harm comes to their hosts or surroundings."
Penric's son is already working for his uncle as a gofer; Penric's daughter Rina (who is fascinated with demons) insists on joining the party. Nikys, Penric's wife, who is pregnant, with a due date fast approaching, decides that staying home is her best option. After all, the worksite is fairly close by, dealing with the ox should be simple--what could wrong? She sends her family on their way with a smile on her face.
The ox is indeed possessed. The nearest saint is several days away. He is immediate sent for, but it will take time for the messenger to reach him and then more time for them to get back. So, Penric and crew settle down to wait. First on the agenda-built a secure corral for the ox, away from the hustle and bustle of the camp. So far so good. Then the ox escapes, and everything changes.
I loved this one for all of the little touches--the cameo appearances of characters from previous books; Penric's lessons with Otta; the bond between Otta and Rina. Blessed Iroki (the saint) is wonderful, as always.
It is always wonderful to catch up with Penric and Desdemona (the star of this story). I loved that Bujold is letting us watch everyone grow older. The ending is both forward-looking and pensive, giving this reader hope for books still to come.
July 17, 2025
This novella was not as enjoyable as the previous installments of the series. Nothing interesting happened in the plotline, and the characters' emotions were sketchier than usual, at least for this writer. It seemed more a slice of life, a situation, rather than an independent story. Besides, it was not really about the ox. It was actually about Penric's children.
!!! Spoiler alert !!!
And here lies my main objection. The children are young: the daughters Rina and Otta are 12, the son Wyn is 8. Suddenly, in the second part of the story, they all want to select their future careers and start their apprenticeships. And leave home. As soon as possible.
I am a mother myself. I remember my children at that age. I watched the children of my relatives and neighbors grow up. None of them ever wanted anything to do with work at those ages. Not even chores. None wanted to leave the security of home. All they wanted was to play and have fun. School was enough of an inconvenience for them.
Just imagine an 8-year-old. Any 8-year-old. He goes to the second grade at school. Most second graders of my acquaintance change their plans for the future every week. One week, they want to be firefighters. The next - doctors. The next after that - movie stars. Or hairdressers.
I didn't believe the children's fixation on their future jobs. En-mass? All three of them? In the same month? I like reading fantasy. I believe in demons and magic, at least while I read my favorite stories. But I couldn't believe those kids would want to start their professional lives so early. Why would they? They have a good family, a cozy home, a comfortable life with loving parents. Why would they want to change that? The world around them (and around us) is cold, cruel, and uncaring. Why would anyone want to plunge into it before it is absolutely necessary?
It feels false, while the demon Desdemona and her magic feel real. And my disbelief in the children's actions colored my perception of this book.
!!! Spoiler alert !!!
And here lies my main objection. The children are young: the daughters Rina and Otta are 12, the son Wyn is 8. Suddenly, in the second part of the story, they all want to select their future careers and start their apprenticeships. And leave home. As soon as possible.
I am a mother myself. I remember my children at that age. I watched the children of my relatives and neighbors grow up. None of them ever wanted anything to do with work at those ages. Not even chores. None wanted to leave the security of home. All they wanted was to play and have fun. School was enough of an inconvenience for them.
Just imagine an 8-year-old. Any 8-year-old. He goes to the second grade at school. Most second graders of my acquaintance change their plans for the future every week. One week, they want to be firefighters. The next - doctors. The next after that - movie stars. Or hairdressers.
I didn't believe the children's fixation on their future jobs. En-mass? All three of them? In the same month? I like reading fantasy. I believe in demons and magic, at least while I read my favorite stories. But I couldn't believe those kids would want to start their professional lives so early. Why would they? They have a good family, a cozy home, a comfortable life with loving parents. Why would they want to change that? The world around them (and around us) is cold, cruel, and uncaring. Why would anyone want to plunge into it before it is absolutely necessary?
It feels false, while the demon Desdemona and her magic feel real. And my disbelief in the children's actions colored my perception of this book.
July 27, 2025
Another great story in the fabulous Penric and Desdemona Fantasy novella series. Priced at the very reasonable price of $3.99, and self published by the Grandmaster herself, Lois McMaster Bujold, there are many reasons to try this series. The path of the main character from minor nobility to Priest to The Stranger, the 5th god in Bujold's world. He is now a father and the kids question there role in the world. A trip to a see of an ox who is either the victim of a demonic possession or brain worms. The adventure helps the children get a grip on the future.
July 24, 2025
I picked what was going to happen, however predictability did not reduce my enjoyment.
September 9, 2025
A lesser Penric book, but still - I love this series.
(The poor dog did nothing wrong and adults should not have sent the kids on this mission alone.)
(I would read a book of Kittio's adventures.)
(The poor dog did nothing wrong and adults should not have sent the kids on this mission alone.)
(I would read a book of Kittio's adventures.)
July 31, 2025
To begin at the beginning, the idea that the ox might – or might not – be demonic doesn’t mean the same thing that it would in our world. In the World of the Five Gods, it means that the poor, confused ox might be possessed by a demonic spirit that is literally on its way up in the world, possessing larger and larger – and in the case of an ox, MUCH, MUCH larger – animals with more brainpower on its way to becoming a full-fledged demon in the service of the Fifth God, the Lord Bastard, the “master of all disasters out of season.”
If the ox really has been possessed, the whole situation is already a disaster for the poor owner of the beast – as he’ll be out one ox no matter what happens. He’ll get paid, but the ox WAS well behaved and well trained before the incursion of the demon, and all that work will have to be done all over again.
But at that beginning, no one is certain whether or not the poor ox in question truly is demonic. Sorcerer-divine Learned Penric’s son Wyn, currently working off his ninth summer working for his bridge builder uncle has come home to bring his father back to the worksite, because Penric and his own demon, Desdemona, will know in an instant whether the ox has a demon or an disease – and be able to treat whichever is the case.
At first, this ‘adventure’ doesn’t seem like much of one. The ox is fairly placid, as oxes go, in spite of the demon. It turns out that the ox is definitely hosting a demon, but that’s actually easier to deal with than a communicable disease. After all, the demon can only infest one creature at a time while diseases aren’t nearly so…limited.
Penric has been treating the whole thing as a bit of a family outing. The bridge builder is his brother-in-law, he gets to see his young son start on the road to adulthood, and the whole enterprise is an excellent bit of training for his adopted daughter and apprentice, Otta, who already has a demon of her own while his other daughter, Rina, gets a chance to see a bit more of the world as well as serve as Otta’s companion and vice versa.
Of course, it’s when Penric and everyone else THINK that the situation is under control that they relax their guard. Which is just when the Lord Bastard sows his own special brand of chaos and everyone’s lives and hopes and dreams get thrown out of whack.
And all the children have to take a few more steps on the road to adulthood than their parents and guardians are ready for – as it’s up to the kids to save Penric from a catastrophe of his god’s own making.
Escape Rating A-: This is the 14th entry in the Penric and Desdemona series which started up ten years ago as an extremely welcome offshoot of the author’s World of the Five Gods series. What has consistently made this novella series so much fun is that they are not, individually, big stories, but they tell a delightful, often cozy, frequently intimate, story that combines found families, high fantasy, and a profound calling to service by following the life of a character who experiences a huge amount of his world and sees it all with the eye of a compassionate, educated scholar who never stays put in an ivory tower and never gets full of himself.
His demon Desdemona makes sure that Penric never gets full of himself. She has over THREE CENTURIES of wrangling Learned Divines like Penric and she’s not done yet. Nor is she willing to let this one go now that she’s gotten him trained up the way she wants him.
I like Penric a lot. I enjoy following his adventures – especially when they don’t start out as adventures. Often, like this one, they are about family in some way. In this particular case, the ox is the literal deus ex machina – or perhaps that should be deus ex bovis – to tell a story about children setting out on their paths to adulthood and their parents caught between the desire to keep them children a little longer even as those same children get ready to fly free.
And often in directions their parents hadn’t planned or even thought of.
From one perspective, this story is about a whole lot of mini-conspiracies, as Penric’s three children are each trying to figure out how to maneuver their parents into letting them set out on the paths that call to them. From another, it’s about those three children growing up right before their father’s eyes once Penric is gored by that poor, suffering, Chekhov’s Gun of a an ox, and they are forced to band together, far from reach of aid or assistance, to keep their father alive while they wait for help to finally reach them.
From that perspective this is a story about a really bloody path to empty nest syndrome, as Penric’s demon Desdemona does her very literal damndest to keep her friend and companion knitted together long enough to get rescued.
So this one is a story that starts out quietly domestic, takes a hard left turn into a bit of, well, demon-estic, and then comes round right with Penric’s life and world changing – but in exactly the way it’s supposed to be.
In the end, it’s a cozy fantasy and a comfort read set in a fascinating world following along with a cast of truly charming characters. I’ll be delighted to see how the events of this story shake out in the next one, whenever it magically appears!
Originally published at Reading Reality
If the ox really has been possessed, the whole situation is already a disaster for the poor owner of the beast – as he’ll be out one ox no matter what happens. He’ll get paid, but the ox WAS well behaved and well trained before the incursion of the demon, and all that work will have to be done all over again.
But at that beginning, no one is certain whether or not the poor ox in question truly is demonic. Sorcerer-divine Learned Penric’s son Wyn, currently working off his ninth summer working for his bridge builder uncle has come home to bring his father back to the worksite, because Penric and his own demon, Desdemona, will know in an instant whether the ox has a demon or an disease – and be able to treat whichever is the case.
At first, this ‘adventure’ doesn’t seem like much of one. The ox is fairly placid, as oxes go, in spite of the demon. It turns out that the ox is definitely hosting a demon, but that’s actually easier to deal with than a communicable disease. After all, the demon can only infest one creature at a time while diseases aren’t nearly so…limited.
Penric has been treating the whole thing as a bit of a family outing. The bridge builder is his brother-in-law, he gets to see his young son start on the road to adulthood, and the whole enterprise is an excellent bit of training for his adopted daughter and apprentice, Otta, who already has a demon of her own while his other daughter, Rina, gets a chance to see a bit more of the world as well as serve as Otta’s companion and vice versa.
Of course, it’s when Penric and everyone else THINK that the situation is under control that they relax their guard. Which is just when the Lord Bastard sows his own special brand of chaos and everyone’s lives and hopes and dreams get thrown out of whack.
And all the children have to take a few more steps on the road to adulthood than their parents and guardians are ready for – as it’s up to the kids to save Penric from a catastrophe of his god’s own making.
Escape Rating A-: This is the 14th entry in the Penric and Desdemona series which started up ten years ago as an extremely welcome offshoot of the author’s World of the Five Gods series. What has consistently made this novella series so much fun is that they are not, individually, big stories, but they tell a delightful, often cozy, frequently intimate, story that combines found families, high fantasy, and a profound calling to service by following the life of a character who experiences a huge amount of his world and sees it all with the eye of a compassionate, educated scholar who never stays put in an ivory tower and never gets full of himself.
His demon Desdemona makes sure that Penric never gets full of himself. She has over THREE CENTURIES of wrangling Learned Divines like Penric and she’s not done yet. Nor is she willing to let this one go now that she’s gotten him trained up the way she wants him.
I like Penric a lot. I enjoy following his adventures – especially when they don’t start out as adventures. Often, like this one, they are about family in some way. In this particular case, the ox is the literal deus ex machina – or perhaps that should be deus ex bovis – to tell a story about children setting out on their paths to adulthood and their parents caught between the desire to keep them children a little longer even as those same children get ready to fly free.
And often in directions their parents hadn’t planned or even thought of.
From one perspective, this story is about a whole lot of mini-conspiracies, as Penric’s three children are each trying to figure out how to maneuver their parents into letting them set out on the paths that call to them. From another, it’s about those three children growing up right before their father’s eyes once Penric is gored by that poor, suffering, Chekhov’s Gun of a an ox, and they are forced to band together, far from reach of aid or assistance, to keep their father alive while they wait for help to finally reach them.
From that perspective this is a story about a really bloody path to empty nest syndrome, as Penric’s demon Desdemona does her very literal damndest to keep her friend and companion knitted together long enough to get rescued.
So this one is a story that starts out quietly domestic, takes a hard left turn into a bit of, well, demon-estic, and then comes round right with Penric’s life and world changing – but in exactly the way it’s supposed to be.
In the end, it’s a cozy fantasy and a comfort read set in a fascinating world following along with a cast of truly charming characters. I’ll be delighted to see how the events of this story shake out in the next one, whenever it magically appears!
Originally published at Reading Reality
September 18, 2025
Once again a couple years have passed and Penric is now 44. This book is primarily told from the perspectives of his two daughters, Rina and Otta, who are 12 and 11. I don't believe they act their ages, but that's something I'm very used to, so it's only a minor concern for me. Penric's son Wyn is 9 and he also wants to do a lot. His children are very precocious. Penric and Nikys unexpectedly have a fourth child soon to soon to be born as well.
Wyn informs his father that he believes that an ox at his uncle's job site has been possessed by a demon, which as the title indicates, it is. So, the kin Jurald family goes on an outing to investigate, minus the heavily pregnant Nikys. That may not seem like much at all for a plot, and it isn't, but that doesn't matter at all to me.
Unlike the previous book, which was very much an adventure and action oriented, this one decidedly isn't. There's only a single scene of action, though it's an impactful reminder. All the rest is the family going about their lives. Penric's children have already begun thinking about what they want out of life and how to achieve that. They definitely don't lack for initiative or ambition.
This novella, more than any other in other series by far, reminisces on the series as a whole. Penric's adventures are now stories to tell his children and for readers to look back upon. I continue to very much enjoy reading about Penric's life, and for some books, his family's life as well. I always intend to read family sagas, as follow entire lives fascinates me, but I never get around to doing so.
Much is set up in this one for future entries, which I can only hope for as many as possible, but it can also serve as series ending, as has been the case for the recent books. Perhaps the next one will have a considerable time skip and be that shows how all the plans made went. I hope not, since that more likely than not means it'll be series epilogue. Regardless, I eagerly look forward to the next installment.
Wyn informs his father that he believes that an ox at his uncle's job site has been possessed by a demon, which as the title indicates, it is. So, the kin Jurald family goes on an outing to investigate, minus the heavily pregnant Nikys. That may not seem like much at all for a plot, and it isn't, but that doesn't matter at all to me.
Unlike the previous book, which was very much an adventure and action oriented, this one decidedly isn't. There's only a single scene of action, though it's an impactful reminder. All the rest is the family going about their lives. Penric's children have already begun thinking about what they want out of life and how to achieve that. They definitely don't lack for initiative or ambition.
This novella, more than any other in other series by far, reminisces on the series as a whole. Penric's adventures are now stories to tell his children and for readers to look back upon. I continue to very much enjoy reading about Penric's life, and for some books, his family's life as well. I always intend to read family sagas, as follow entire lives fascinates me, but I never get around to doing so.
Much is set up in this one for future entries, which I can only hope for as many as possible, but it can also serve as series ending, as has been the case for the recent books. Perhaps the next one will have a considerable time skip and be that shows how all the plans made went. I hope not, since that more likely than not means it'll be series epilogue. Regardless, I eagerly look forward to the next installment.
July 18, 2025
Wonderful! As always, a satisfying and wholesome read…it does feel like a series ending novella, but hopefully Ms Bujold will continue the series. It would be lovely to revisit key places and characters from the series with Pen’s perspective with the passage of time as well as the childrens.’ It would be nice to hear from Nikys too as we haven’t heard much of her perspective. And when will Adelis and the princess get together? So, at least one or two more adventures please. And would be great to read more of Miles too!
August 12, 2025
Not to be a negative ned but, and I swear I'm no antinatalist, this focus on children finding their callings was a bit blah for me. (That and any other criticism aside, big picture I am happy for the continued production of Penric and Desdemona stories and hope Bujold is able and interested in continuing them for many years!)
Also, while Penric brings up the shaman soul issue, no one seems to fully express the fact that this would likely mean not just training in the Weald, but permanently living there, so as to be in reach of other shamans as needed. Unless they expand geographically as an order/practice, which isn't impossible but has some strong reasons it might be resisted. Which feels like an important part of the decision.
I don't actually have anything against a more peaceful focus. Penric and the Bandit's adventuriness was very good I thought, but I'm down for a story with more of him as a scholar or teacher, navigating temple politics or complexities in disseminating his theories or demonology or medicine. Or giving Nykis more to do, etc. Those could all be quite interesting.
Also, while Penric brings up the shaman soul issue, no one seems to fully express the fact that this would likely mean not just training in the Weald, but permanently living there, so as to be in reach of other shamans as needed. Unless they expand geographically as an order/practice, which isn't impossible but has some strong reasons it might be resisted. Which feels like an important part of the decision.
I don't actually have anything against a more peaceful focus. Penric and the Bandit's adventuriness was very good I thought, but I'm down for a story with more of him as a scholar or teacher, navigating temple politics or complexities in disseminating his theories or demonology or medicine. Or giving Nykis more to do, etc. Those could all be quite interesting.
July 21, 2025
Another excellent Penric and Desdemona novella.
July 12, 2025
Penric and Desdemona are back!
When a normally placid ox seems to go insane at a construction site, Penric’s nine-year-old son, Wyn, recognizes demon possession. It turns out that confining an ox in possession of a chaos demon is a difficult and dangerous task.
When a normally placid ox seems to go insane at a construction site, Penric’s nine-year-old son, Wyn, recognizes demon possession. It turns out that confining an ox in possession of a chaos demon is a difficult and dangerous task.
July 13, 2025
low stakes
It’s nice to occasionally read a fantasy where the plot *doesn’t* revolve around dEfEaTiNg eViL. Not to say the events aren’t important to the people involved, but less…fraught.
Quality writing.
It’s nice to occasionally read a fantasy where the plot *doesn’t* revolve around dEfEaTiNg eViL. Not to say the events aren’t important to the people involved, but less…fraught.
Quality writing.
August 6, 2025
I think this series may have run its course. This book wasn't bad, it just wasn't particularly noteworthy either. It this point any further Penric books are for the competeist only.
November 5, 2025
I need more!
Okay, what I love and dislike about these stories is their length! They are the perfect length to binge one at a time but they leave me wanting more! As with many of these, a lot of time passes between each of the novellas so that you get to see how key figures have grown and developed during the intervening time. The last time we saw Penric’s family was in Demon Daughter when he first meets Otta, who is now one of his children. It’s been about 6 years and Wyn is old enough to apprentice during the summer with his uncle the bridge builder, Otta has been training at the temple and has pretty good control over Atto, and Rina (Florina) has some decisions to make about what she wants to do with her life. We also learn what Kittio has been up to (Alixtra’s son), and he ends up playing a part in what happens to Penric.
Without revealing specific details, this book didn’t quite end up where I thought it was going (all the good), but as with all these books, even if there were some tense moments, we end up with a happy ending for Penric and his loved ones.
I can’t recommend these books enough! They are so much fun and I look forward to the next book (at least I hope there will be a next book).
Okay, what I love and dislike about these stories is their length! They are the perfect length to binge one at a time but they leave me wanting more! As with many of these, a lot of time passes between each of the novellas so that you get to see how key figures have grown and developed during the intervening time. The last time we saw Penric’s family was in Demon Daughter when he first meets Otta, who is now one of his children. It’s been about 6 years and Wyn is old enough to apprentice during the summer with his uncle the bridge builder, Otta has been training at the temple and has pretty good control over Atto, and Rina (Florina) has some decisions to make about what she wants to do with her life. We also learn what Kittio has been up to (Alixtra’s son), and he ends up playing a part in what happens to Penric.
Without revealing specific details, this book didn’t quite end up where I thought it was going (all the good), but as with all these books, even if there were some tense moments, we end up with a happy ending for Penric and his loved ones.
I can’t recommend these books enough! They are so much fun and I look forward to the next book (at least I hope there will be a next book).
August 16, 2025
4.5
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" - my deep sigh of satisfaction after sinking into a new Pen and Des story.
This series is my ultimate comfort read right now. I love this world and these characters so much. "The Adventure of the Demonic Ox" came at exactly the right time for me. I didn't realize that there even was a new Pen and Des novella published in July until I saw a friend post about it on Instagram. The speed with which I then flew to download it would have impressed even Usain Bolt. As soon as I finished "Lonesome Dove" (fantastic but heavy), I read "The Adventure of the Demonic Ox," and it soothed some of the ruffled up bits of my soul.
Description (from Goodreads):
Penric is such a wonderfully decent, humane, thoughtful person. And he is clearly raising his children to be the same. I really enjoyed getting to have sections from the POVs of his daughters Rina and Otta. Their solemn considerations about their future employment were endearing, and they definitely both rose to the occasion during a crisis.
"The Adventure of the Demonic Ox" starts out slowly (for the average reader; I luxuriated in being back in this world), but the middle gets a big boost of adrenaline, and I flew through the final half.
"The Adventure of the Demonic Ox" is not my favorite Penric story, but any Penric story is better than most of the other stuff I read. It just fills my heart....especially getting to see Penric's family grown and mature. I hope we yet get many more Pen and Des books (and I see I haven't even mentioned Des yet in this review, but she was fabulous, as always. The best demon to ever demon.)
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" - my deep sigh of satisfaction after sinking into a new Pen and Des story.
This series is my ultimate comfort read right now. I love this world and these characters so much. "The Adventure of the Demonic Ox" came at exactly the right time for me. I didn't realize that there even was a new Pen and Des novella published in July until I saw a friend post about it on Instagram. The speed with which I then flew to download it would have impressed even Usain Bolt. As soon as I finished "Lonesome Dove" (fantastic but heavy), I read "The Adventure of the Demonic Ox," and it soothed some of the ruffled up bits of my soul.
Description (from Goodreads):
When sorcerer Learned Penric hears of the suspected demonic possession of an ox at his brother-in-law’s bridgebuilding worksite, he thinks it an excellent opportunity to tutor his adopted daughter and student sorceress Otta in one of their Temple duties: identifying and restraining such wild chaos elementals before harm comes to their hosts or surroundings.
What begins as an instructive family outing turns anything but routine when a mountain search becomes a much more frightening adventure for Penric and his charges. What is undergone there by both mentor and students will yield lessons both unexpected and far-reaching.
Penric is such a wonderfully decent, humane, thoughtful person. And he is clearly raising his children to be the same. I really enjoyed getting to have sections from the POVs of his daughters Rina and Otta. Their solemn considerations about their future employment were endearing, and they definitely both rose to the occasion during a crisis.
"The Adventure of the Demonic Ox" starts out slowly (for the average reader; I luxuriated in being back in this world), but the middle gets a big boost of adrenaline, and I flew through the final half.
"The Adventure of the Demonic Ox" is not my favorite Penric story, but any Penric story is better than most of the other stuff I read. It just fills my heart....especially getting to see Penric's family grown and mature. I hope we yet get many more Pen and Des books (and I see I haven't even mentioned Des yet in this review, but she was fabulous, as always. The best demon to ever demon.)
December 31, 2025
Penric is called to a building project because his son (helping his uncle) has quite rightly diagnosed an ox as being possessed of a demon. Things get complicated when the ox goes missing and Pen and his kids (natural and adopted) track it into the mountains. Pen is injured and the kids have to take charge. This one is more about the kids than it is about Penric. Though young, each one is thinking about their future. The point of view is divided between Pen and each of the kids. It’s always nice to get a further glimpse into the life of Penric and his growing family, though (injuries notwithstanding) this is more about Penric’s personal life than momentous events.
September 4, 2025
Another classic Pen tale but the alternate title should be “Pens children are growing up!”
It has the adventures, characters, near death experiences and sly humor I have come to appreciate:
“So be alert for, hm, unwarranted fear or rage,” said Papa, falling into mentorly cadences, though breathier than usual; Kittio took this in with a betraying little side glance at his dog. “Take control of them at once. Any urges to, say, eat grass or fly into a tree you’ll probably be able to sort out yourself.”
lol- eat grass or fly into a tree
Oh Pen :)
Full cast makes an appearance and we are blessed with a new addition ❤️
It has the adventures, characters, near death experiences and sly humor I have come to appreciate:
“So be alert for, hm, unwarranted fear or rage,” said Papa, falling into mentorly cadences, though breathier than usual; Kittio took this in with a betraying little side glance at his dog. “Take control of them at once. Any urges to, say, eat grass or fly into a tree you’ll probably be able to sort out yourself.”
lol- eat grass or fly into a tree
Oh Pen :)
Full cast makes an appearance and we are blessed with a new addition ❤️
November 30, 2025
4.5 stars. Another great entry in the series!
December 8, 2025
Find yourself an author who writes all your favorites with love, sprinkles every story with hope, and imbues it all with wisdom for your life.
November 6, 2025
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this more than expected. Penric watching his kids grow up and make choices about their future was so bittersweet. I wonder what the next novella has in store for us? I can't believe I'm caught up with the releases.
Side note, who's the monster who designed this fever dream of a cover?
I enjoyed this more than expected. Penric watching his kids grow up and make choices about their future was so bittersweet. I wonder what the next novella has in store for us? I can't believe I'm caught up with the releases.
Side note, who's the monster who designed this fever dream of a cover?
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