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Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) #7
The Orphans of Raspay: A Penric and Desdemona Novella in the World of the Five Gods
When the ship in which they are traveling is captured by Carpagamon island raiders, Temple sorcerer Penric and his resident demon Desdemona find their life complicated by two young orphans, Lencia and Seuka Corva, 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.
Audio CD
First published July 17, 2019
About the author
Lois McMaster Bujold
181 books39.6k 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 - 29 of 436 reviews
July 29, 2019
These novellas continue to brighten my life. My only regret being that they are so brief - but I am the last person who is allowed to complain about that :)
July 8, 2024
Book seven in this wonderful series, but worry not because there are still six more in print, all ready for me to read!
In this book Penric travels far from home, by accident, and having told no one he was going anywhere. He meets a number of pirates, takes charge of two small girls, and is captured on an island with no way off. He and Desdemona have far too much fun dealing with their foe and are rescued by an unexpected source.
Totally good fun. Loved it. Can't wait to start the next one.
In this book Penric travels far from home, by accident, and having told no one he was going anywhere. He meets a number of pirates, takes charge of two small girls, and is captured on an island with no way off. He and Desdemona have far too much fun dealing with their foe and are rescued by an unexpected source.
Totally good fun. Loved it. Can't wait to start the next one.
June 3, 2020
THE ORPHANS OF RASPAY by Lois McMaster Bujold is the seventh book in the Penric and Desdemona series and takes place in the same setting as her World of the Five Gods series. While this fantasy book worked for me as a standalone, it would likely be even better if the series had been read in order. Penric is a temple sorcerer and has a resident demon named Desdemona. When the ship they are traveling in is captured by pirates, they are tossed into the hold of the pirate ship that already holds two children; Lencia and Seuka Corva. Will they be ransomed or will something else happen? Who are the Corva children?
Pen and Des are a somewhat odd duo, but the interactions between them sets a great tone. The characters are definitely someone you can root for and their goals and motivations are well-drawn. Bujold does a great job of world-building and this book is no exception to that. The prose is well-written and entertaining. The plot is suspenseful and generally fast-paced. The ending was action-packed and surprising, but I thought one aspect of it was a little too coincidental. In the epilogue, I expected something completely different would occur so I was surprised at how the book ended.
Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable book that reminded me once again why I enjoy reading books by one of my favorite authors. I look forward to reading more of this series and recommend it to those that enjoy well-written fantasy.
Many thanks to Subterranean Press and Lois McMaster Bujold for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Pen and Des are a somewhat odd duo, but the interactions between them sets a great tone. The characters are definitely someone you can root for and their goals and motivations are well-drawn. Bujold does a great job of world-building and this book is no exception to that. The prose is well-written and entertaining. The plot is suspenseful and generally fast-paced. The ending was action-packed and surprising, but I thought one aspect of it was a little too coincidental. In the epilogue, I expected something completely different would occur so I was surprised at how the book ended.
Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable book that reminded me once again why I enjoy reading books by one of my favorite authors. I look forward to reading more of this series and recommend it to those that enjoy well-written fantasy.
Many thanks to Subterranean Press and Lois McMaster Bujold for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
January 26, 2026
Penric! Desmonda! Pirates! What more needs to be said?
Oh, alright, I’ll elaborate.
This Penric novella is a little different. Penric and Desmonda are under sail, traveling to someplace or another. Demons don’t do well with water, however, so their impressive set of powers has been diminished to almost mortal-like constraints. Unlike other books in the series, it feels like there’s a lot more violence, even if some of it is off-screen or threatened. The pirates are the utterly reprehensible sort, dealing in slavery as much as stolen goods. In fact, their home port has become a bit of a slave market, though this is portrayed as fairly normal in this part of the world. This leads to a greater sense of mortal peril than most of the novellas I've read in the series. It also feels incongruous that the whole slavery bit gets introduced to the world this way when the ones I’ve read to date are basically the sanitized, traditional fantasy version of the Renaissance. At any rate, if you don’t look too hard, it’s decent–albeit simplistic.
Oh, alright, I’ll elaborate.
This Penric novella is a little different. Penric and Desmonda are under sail, traveling to someplace or another. Demons don’t do well with water, however, so their impressive set of powers has been diminished to almost mortal-like constraints. Unlike other books in the series, it feels like there’s a lot more violence, even if some of it is off-screen or threatened. The pirates are the utterly reprehensible sort, dealing in slavery as much as stolen goods. In fact, their home port has become a bit of a slave market, though this is portrayed as fairly normal in this part of the world. This leads to a greater sense of mortal peril than most of the novellas I've read in the series. It also feels incongruous that the whole slavery bit gets introduced to the world this way when the ones I’ve read to date are basically the sanitized, traditional fantasy version of the Renaissance. At any rate, if you don’t look too hard, it’s decent–albeit simplistic.
December 15, 2021
[bonus star for the Holiday Season]
Just once, Pen thought glumly, he’d like to get an answer to prayers, instead of being delivered as one.
‘And were are we going now?’ If his bodiless demon had possessed any eyes but his own, Pen thought they’d be crinkled in amusement.
Pen is short for Learned Penric, a temple sorcerer for the Order of the Bastard, one of the five major Gods that rule over the land where this series of novellas take place. A sorcerer is a human who plays host to a demon from the chaos dimensions and who is able to perform various magical tasks if he controls this inner demon. In Penric’s case, the demon is a composite personality of the previous hosts, some ten ladies of exotic backgrounds and two animals in the initial transitions. Penric has named the resulting amalgam Desdemona, or Des, and he holds numerous silent conversations with her inside his head, usually when things in the outside world go pear-shaped. This is not an infrequent occasion, as trouble is a constant companion during Penric’s travels on assignment from his Temple or from his lord, the Duke or Orbas.
Currently, Penric is returning by ship from such a mission, looking forward to reuniting with his lovely wife Nykis. [Which detail makes it obvious readers are advised to check the previous three stories before this one, where all the juicy details of their relationship are spelled out].
Penric’s God, protector of orphans and prostitutes and lost souls, has different plans for his accolite. Since the almighty Gods of this universe are constrained to use human vessels in order to interact with the physical world, the Bastard sends some pirates to attack the ship where Penric sleeps peacefully.
The reason Penric feels aggravated at his God’s inopportune intervention becomes clear once the captive ‘scribe’ [being revealed as demon-possessed means instant death through most of the realm of the Five Gods] is transferred to the pirate ship’s hold, where he lays eyes on two little girls captured in a previous attack. The Bastard apparently wishes for Penric to become their protector.
Lencia and Seuka Corva, illegitimate children of a wealthy merchant, are a curious mix of shyness and remarkable strength of character. They were on their way to rejoin their father after the tragic death of their mother from an incurable disease. The pirates plan to sell them into slavery once they reach their home port, a small town on an island that is disputed territory between two warring kingdoms. Thus Penric, who could easily escape with some help from his demon Desdemona, lays low and tries to think of a way to liberate the two orphans.
>>><<<>>><<<
This episode marks a strong comeback in the series, playing to its strengths in characterization, humorous wordplay between man and demon, serious consideration of the nature of religion and of how it can be translated into day to day concerns. The spectacular and explosive finale is an added bonus to the faithful reader of these novellas, the cherry on the tort of entertainment so to speak.
Pen studied his trail of chaos. ‘We aren’t going to be welcome back in Lanti, are we?’
‘Shouldn’t think it, no,’ agreed Des.
‘That’s fine. I didn’t like the town anyway.’
Ultimately, the adventure parts of the story are OK, but the truly memorable scenes are the ones where aid and comfort is given by strangers with no personal agenda, the meek who could truthfully claim to be touched by a God.
Beloved, god touched, great-souled ... a saint, even? The true sort, who moved through the world as silently as fishes, unnoticed by carnal eyes that focused only on outward domination and display. Never on a small woman in a small town, being kind. Soul by soul.
I have three more episodes lined up, but suddenly this doesn’t seem enough. I hope the author plans to continue writing about the Pen / Des adventures.
Just once, Pen thought glumly, he’d like to get an answer to prayers, instead of being delivered as one.
‘And were are we going now?’ If his bodiless demon had possessed any eyes but his own, Pen thought they’d be crinkled in amusement.
Pen is short for Learned Penric, a temple sorcerer for the Order of the Bastard, one of the five major Gods that rule over the land where this series of novellas take place. A sorcerer is a human who plays host to a demon from the chaos dimensions and who is able to perform various magical tasks if he controls this inner demon. In Penric’s case, the demon is a composite personality of the previous hosts, some ten ladies of exotic backgrounds and two animals in the initial transitions. Penric has named the resulting amalgam Desdemona, or Des, and he holds numerous silent conversations with her inside his head, usually when things in the outside world go pear-shaped. This is not an infrequent occasion, as trouble is a constant companion during Penric’s travels on assignment from his Temple or from his lord, the Duke or Orbas.
Currently, Penric is returning by ship from such a mission, looking forward to reuniting with his lovely wife Nykis. [Which detail makes it obvious readers are advised to check the previous three stories before this one, where all the juicy details of their relationship are spelled out].
Penric’s God, protector of orphans and prostitutes and lost souls, has different plans for his accolite. Since the almighty Gods of this universe are constrained to use human vessels in order to interact with the physical world, the Bastard sends some pirates to attack the ship where Penric sleeps peacefully.
The reason Penric feels aggravated at his God’s inopportune intervention becomes clear once the captive ‘scribe’ [being revealed as demon-possessed means instant death through most of the realm of the Five Gods] is transferred to the pirate ship’s hold, where he lays eyes on two little girls captured in a previous attack. The Bastard apparently wishes for Penric to become their protector.
Lencia and Seuka Corva, illegitimate children of a wealthy merchant, are a curious mix of shyness and remarkable strength of character. They were on their way to rejoin their father after the tragic death of their mother from an incurable disease. The pirates plan to sell them into slavery once they reach their home port, a small town on an island that is disputed territory between two warring kingdoms. Thus Penric, who could easily escape with some help from his demon Desdemona, lays low and tries to think of a way to liberate the two orphans.
>>><<<>>><<<
This episode marks a strong comeback in the series, playing to its strengths in characterization, humorous wordplay between man and demon, serious consideration of the nature of religion and of how it can be translated into day to day concerns. The spectacular and explosive finale is an added bonus to the faithful reader of these novellas, the cherry on the tort of entertainment so to speak.
Pen studied his trail of chaos. ‘We aren’t going to be welcome back in Lanti, are we?’
‘Shouldn’t think it, no,’ agreed Des.
‘That’s fine. I didn’t like the town anyway.’
Ultimately, the adventure parts of the story are OK, but the truly memorable scenes are the ones where aid and comfort is given by strangers with no personal agenda, the meek who could truthfully claim to be touched by a God.
Beloved, god touched, great-souled ... a saint, even? The true sort, who moved through the world as silently as fishes, unnoticed by carnal eyes that focused only on outward domination and display. Never on a small woman in a small town, being kind. Soul by soul.
I have three more episodes lined up, but suddenly this doesn’t seem enough. I hope the author plans to continue writing about the Pen / Des adventures.
July 19, 2019
What a delight--a new Penric novella!! 4.5 stars
Poor Penric is on the business trip from Hell. All he wants to do is get home to his dear wife Nikys and rest.
However, nothing goes as planned. The ship Penric is on is hijacked by pirates, he finds himself as protector of two young girls (the orphans of the title) and then all of his various escape schemes come to nothing. It was almost as if his god wanted him to be just a little bit more patient.
The girls are a delight, Penric (and Desdemona) are ill-humored and frustrated, but never go over the edge. The dramatic climax is great and the epilogue is a wonderfully meditative piece on family and faith. Great addition to the collection.
Happy book sigh...
Poor Penric is on the business trip from Hell. All he wants to do is get home to his dear wife Nikys and rest.
However, nothing goes as planned. The ship Penric is on is hijacked by pirates, he finds himself as protector of two young girls (the orphans of the title) and then all of his various escape schemes come to nothing. It was almost as if his god wanted him to be just a little bit more patient.
The girls are a delight, Penric (and Desdemona) are ill-humored and frustrated, but never go over the edge. The dramatic climax is great and the epilogue is a wonderfully meditative piece on family and faith. Great addition to the collection.
Happy book sigh...
July 24, 2019
A very standard Bujold adventure. This one doesn't innovate much, and the most interesting character is the orphans' mother, who doesn't even appear in the book. But it was lots of fun and a reliable page-turner, which turns out to be exactly what I wanted!
November 20, 2022
Liz Bourke's review: https://www.tor.com/2019/08/20/sleeps...
She pretty much nailed it:
"Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric novellas are pretty much guaranteed to bring me joy. The latest one is called The Orphans of Raspay, and it’s set about a year after the events of The Prisoner of Limnos. . . .
A deeply engaging, enjoyable novella, The Orphans of Raspay makes for a fine continuation to Penric and Desdemona’s adventures, replete with humour and excitement. And setting things on fire. Penric is quite good at setting things on fire."
Recommended reading. A worthy addition to the Penric & Desdemona saga. A very pleasant way to spend an afternoon!
She pretty much nailed it:
"Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric novellas are pretty much guaranteed to bring me joy. The latest one is called The Orphans of Raspay, and it’s set about a year after the events of The Prisoner of Limnos. . . .
A deeply engaging, enjoyable novella, The Orphans of Raspay makes for a fine continuation to Penric and Desdemona’s adventures, replete with humour and excitement. And setting things on fire. Penric is quite good at setting things on fire."
Recommended reading. A worthy addition to the Penric & Desdemona saga. A very pleasant way to spend an afternoon!
December 15, 2023
Cute, classic Penric.
June 26, 2020
So far, it is my least favorite of the Penric and Desdemona series, although I haven’t read the latest one, The Physicians of Vilnoc, yet. It is not a bad story – Bujold doesn’t write bad – but it has a profound flaw. Penric and Desdemona finally face a problem they can’t fix. They fight. They try hard. They persevere. But they can’t win in this situation. It is simply not possible. The author backed her hero into a corner from which there is no exit. He is trapped, and she didn’t have a choice but to bring in a big and powerful ‘godmother’ to the rescue.
I dislike such solutions to a hero’s problems in any work of fiction. I want a hero to find a way out himself, to be rewarded for his suffering and struggling by a well-deserved victory. Sadly, it didn’t happen in this story. I didn’t expect such a cop-out from Bujold. She can do better.
On the other hand, Penric is his usual charming self, clever, resourceful, and kind. And his resident demon Desdemona is a bloodthirsty delight, as always. So overall, not too shabby.
I’d like to finish this review with a quote which struck me as being true not only in Pen’s imaginary world but in our real one as well:
I dislike such solutions to a hero’s problems in any work of fiction. I want a hero to find a way out himself, to be rewarded for his suffering and struggling by a well-deserved victory. Sadly, it didn’t happen in this story. I didn’t expect such a cop-out from Bujold. She can do better.
On the other hand, Penric is his usual charming self, clever, resourceful, and kind. And his resident demon Desdemona is a bloodthirsty delight, as always. So overall, not too shabby.
I’d like to finish this review with a quote which struck me as being true not only in Pen’s imaginary world but in our real one as well:
“Pen wasn’t sure if staring fiercely at people until they believed him was a skill of divines or of dissemblers, or if there was a difference.”
September 6, 2021
This was a fun book for seeing Penric and Desdemona let loose. The first three-quarters is enjoyable but the last quarter is a real hoot. I didn't expect the ending either, though I wasn't far off.
The Bastard has a plan. This plan includes Penric being captured by pirates. Needless to say, Penric's not having a good day. Soon enough, the pirates aren't having a good day either (and everyone else has buggered off). Fortunately, Pen's new charges, two young sisters, seem to be having a whale of a watching their new pet evil sorcerer let loose his frustration. I had quite a lot of fun watching it too.
By the three-quarter mark, I had almost expected Penric to lash a pair of dolphins and get dragged back to Orbas (he was certainly keen on the idea). Sadly, he didn't; I won't spoil for you what did happen but it was, if not as satisfying, then a close second. I laughed out loud when the payment was mentioned.
I had thought that Penric would adopt the girls himself, solving the dilemma of the childless marriage. I then realised they'd only been married a year and by god I needed to give them a moment. The final set up was more realistic, more adult, and just what I've come to expect from Bujold.
'"So you think the demon-god will answer your prayers, Sea-eyes?" Sadly, no. I think the demon-god employs me to answer them for Him. Lazy Bastard.'
The Bastard has a plan. This plan includes Penric being captured by pirates. Needless to say, Penric's not having a good day. Soon enough, the pirates aren't having a good day either (and everyone else has buggered off). Fortunately, Pen's new charges, two young sisters, seem to be having a whale of a watching their new pet evil sorcerer let loose his frustration. I had quite a lot of fun watching it too.
"Is that chaos all your doing?" "More or less." Penric rubbed his tired, smoke-stung, itching eys=es. "It's been a bad day." "I see that. [...] And Do I also find you well, Madame Desdemona?" "Yes, indeed [...] I'm having a delightful outing."
By the three-quarter mark, I had almost expected Penric to lash a pair of dolphins and get dragged back to Orbas (he was certainly keen on the idea). Sadly, he didn't; I won't spoil for you what did happen but it was, if not as satisfying, then a close second. I laughed out loud when the payment was mentioned.
I had thought that Penric would adopt the girls himself, solving the dilemma of the childless marriage. I then realised they'd only been married a year and by god I needed to give them a moment. The final set up was more realistic, more adult, and just what I've come to expect from Bujold.
'Lord god Bastard, I dedicate this day to you. I hope you are suitably amused. In fact, you can have this whole detestable week.'
August 18, 2019
It’s hard not to like Penric stories! I didn’t find this quite as compelling as the other stories, however Desdemona’s glee was fun
June 3, 2025
Bujold continues to enjoy throwing Penric into Situations, often ones where he seems to be doing the Bastard god's will in the world of humans but with no specific directives. But when Penric's ship is captures by pirates (claimed by the Bastard) and he is thrown into the hold with a pair of orphans (claimed by the Bastard), who are daughters of a sex worker (claimed by the Bastard), Penric can take the broad hint that his task here is to rescue them. But he must at the same time rescue himself!
September 3, 2019
Penric, now married to Nikys and attached to the Duke of Orbas when he's not needed for other duties, would much prefer to stay home in the Duke's capital with his wife. Instead, he continues to be sent off on missions that turn out to be more complicated and dangerous than they should have been. On their way home from the latest, the ship he and his demon, Desdemona, are on is captured by pirates, tossed into a hold on the pirates' own ship where they find two orphan sisters, and carried back to the pirates' island base.
The girls, Lencia and Seuka Corva, were attempting to travel to reach their father after the death of their mother when their ship was captured by these pirates. The obvious fate of all three, when they reach the island that has become a pirate company town, is to be sold as slaves. Penric presents himself as a scribe in service to the the Bastard's order, and the girls as his nieces, and says the Order will ransom them. The last thing he wants the pirates to know is that he's a Temple Sorcerer, because that will make him clearly too much trouble. Of course, this clever plan and the next couple of plans don't work out as smoothly as he hoped.
We continue to learn more about Penric, Desdemona, and Desdemona's previous riders, along with the world of the Five Gods. Lencia and Seuka are about ten and eight, but also smart and, when pushed, resourceful and tough. They also prove to have a more interesting backstory than Penric initially realized. Penric and the girls encounter both good people and bad on the pirates' island; before the two powers that normally take turns seizing control of it both got busy with other problems at the same time, it was a fairly normal community. Those people are mostly still there, making money providing all the same goods and services they've always produced to the pirates. One of the complications Penric encounters is that even the good people, though, don't want to anger the Pirates' Guild.
Then there's the complication that it is an island. No matter how good at stealth Penric is, there's no way they can walk away, and sailors consider sorcerers to be bad luck to have on board, a concern that certainly can't be dispelled by the fact that Penric's ship was captured by pirates.
It's another really enjoyable novella set in the world of the Five Gods. Highly recommended.
I bought this book.
The girls, Lencia and Seuka Corva, were attempting to travel to reach their father after the death of their mother when their ship was captured by these pirates. The obvious fate of all three, when they reach the island that has become a pirate company town, is to be sold as slaves. Penric presents himself as a scribe in service to the the Bastard's order, and the girls as his nieces, and says the Order will ransom them. The last thing he wants the pirates to know is that he's a Temple Sorcerer, because that will make him clearly too much trouble. Of course, this clever plan and the next couple of plans don't work out as smoothly as he hoped.
We continue to learn more about Penric, Desdemona, and Desdemona's previous riders, along with the world of the Five Gods. Lencia and Seuka are about ten and eight, but also smart and, when pushed, resourceful and tough. They also prove to have a more interesting backstory than Penric initially realized. Penric and the girls encounter both good people and bad on the pirates' island; before the two powers that normally take turns seizing control of it both got busy with other problems at the same time, it was a fairly normal community. Those people are mostly still there, making money providing all the same goods and services they've always produced to the pirates. One of the complications Penric encounters is that even the good people, though, don't want to anger the Pirates' Guild.
Then there's the complication that it is an island. No matter how good at stealth Penric is, there's no way they can walk away, and sailors consider sorcerers to be bad luck to have on board, a concern that certainly can't be dispelled by the fact that Penric's ship was captured by pirates.
It's another really enjoyable novella set in the world of the Five Gods. Highly recommended.
I bought this book.
July 29, 2019
Any and all Bujold books are buy on sight, but I almost missed this one as it seemed to come out without much fanfare, which is a pity because it's an excellent addition to the list of Penric novellas, set in Bujold's world of the Five Gods, though before Curse of Chalion (still my favourite book!). Following the events in The Prisoner of Limnos, Penric and his resident demon, Desdemona, are now married to Nickys, but in this outing are on their own. They've been sent on some mission (it's not important) but they never get there because the ship they are on is captured by pirates. Pen is thrown into the pirate ship's hold where he meets two more captives, young sisters, Lencia and Seuka Corva, who are trying to find their father. Being the thoroughly honourable chap that he is, he immediately takes responsibility for them and we follow their trials and tribulations as pirate hostages and Pen's ill-fated attempts to escape the pirate island. This is one time when being a temple divine with a demon at his beck and call isn't going to help him because sailors are superstitious. He needs a ship to escape, but they would rather throw him overboard than take him to safety. Unfortunately his plan to pose as a mild-mannered scribe quickly falls apart when he has to use Desdemona's talents to survive and protect the children.
.
I read this in one gulp. Bujold is one of my favourite writers and Penric is an excellent character, especially with Desdemona chipping in with demonic wisdom. Highly recommended.
.
I read this in one gulp. Bujold is one of my favourite writers and Penric is an excellent character, especially with Desdemona chipping in with demonic wisdom. Highly recommended.
Read
December 1, 20253.5 stars
December 11, 2024
Дездемоне наконец-то дали вволю порезвиться 😂
September 27, 2022
Reliable as always. Engaging, light, and if you've been following the series, meaningful also. Penric and Desdemona run into pirates, then into a corner, then into a chaos-ful (in the best way) showdown. Underlying the plot is character development and progression in the overall arc. To read between stuff, and in order of series *.
[* Series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/1831...]
[* Series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/1831...]
February 4, 2020
This is the seventh novel in the Penric/Desdemona series and in many ways my favorite - largely due to the rambunctious way in which Penric and Desdemona demolish the pirate’s port on the island of Lantihera.
Taking a step back for those new to the series, these books detail the adventures of the young (and eventually not-so-young) dedicant and scholar Penric kin Jurald. Penric was “blessed” at age 19 with a chaos demon (Desdemona or Des) who incorporates the prior-life memories of ten women (twelve including the lioness and the mare). As such, he is a sorcerer (because he has a chaos demon), he is a member of the Bastard God’s order (again because he has a chaos demon), and he is a skilled physician (because several of his prior-life memories are physicians). From time to time, he also displays other skills which are legacies of the prior-life memories of his chaos demon. At a high level, the unusual relationship between Penric and Desdemona (from Penric’s perspective, somewhat like having ten sisters inhabiting his head all at once!) provides fodder for clever and imaginative stories.
This particular story begins when pirates capture the ship Penric is sailing on. He and several other captives (including two young girls) are taken to the pirate's port (on the island of Lantihera) to be held hostage for ransom. Penric and the children escape their confinement and attempt to find passage off the island and back to safety. Repeatedly. Each time, their departure is foiled by one thing or another, and each time Penric and Desdemona cause MORE damage to the port. Eventually, Penric’s brother-in-law (Adelis) shows up with a fleet to capture the port (and rescue Penric) but finds that the job is largely complete, as the port is already heavily damaged and Penric and the two children have rescued themselves by meeting Adelis in a rowboat. By this point, the pirates are so frightened of Penric that they pay an “anti-ransom” to Adelis just to make sure that Penric will leave.
As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the “Comedy of Errors” that occurs when Penric attempts to escape and ends up destroying the port in the process. There are actually three rounds of this, making it great fun.
ROUND 1: After they are captured by the pirates, Des runs a line of rot through the hull of the ship that captured them, sabotages the mast, and causes a fire in the galley. When the ship finally succumbs and sinks, it takes out about a quarter of the docking capacity. Penric and his young charges escape their confinement through Des disabling their guards in a variety of creative ways. They make their way to the slave barracks where Des disables MORE guards, and they free the slaves (using various Des-like tricks to unlock locks, unbolt manacles, and otherwise cause chaos). The plan is that the released slaves will retake their ship, and take Penric and the children with them to safety. However, although the released slaves do take back their ship, they have learned that Penric is a sorcerer, and sail away leaving him and the children behind.
ROUND 2: Penric and the children hide in the Temple. The Temple guardian finds them (another) ship and crew to take them to safety. The Guild figures out they are leaving, and shows up to stop their departure. SO, Penric and Des snap bowstrings, eliminate pikes, and disable the Guild soldiers – and now their SECOND crew runs off because Penric is a sorcerer.
ROUND 3: Penric and Des cause a distraction by setting fire to the customs shed, the warehouse, and by releasing the newest set of prisoners. The (twice revised, now) plan is to row out to a slave galley, free the slaves locked in the hold, and get a ride home with the newly freed slaves. To get to the galley, Penric and the children find a rowboat and row out through the harbor. Along the way, Des takes out another few boats with rot, and starts another fire or two (or more). HOWEVER, the galley is empty of slaves, there is just a small caretaker crew of pirates, meaning that Des has (yet again) to disable them and take control of the galley (with no crew, however).
Penric’s heartfelt prayer at this point: “Lord god Bastard, I dedicate this day to you. I hope you are suitably amused. In fact, you can have this whole detestable week…” pretty much sums up the situation. (Adelis shows up at about this point, by the way).
Taking a step back for those new to the series, these books detail the adventures of the young (and eventually not-so-young) dedicant and scholar Penric kin Jurald. Penric was “blessed” at age 19 with a chaos demon (Desdemona or Des) who incorporates the prior-life memories of ten women (twelve including the lioness and the mare). As such, he is a sorcerer (because he has a chaos demon), he is a member of the Bastard God’s order (again because he has a chaos demon), and he is a skilled physician (because several of his prior-life memories are physicians). From time to time, he also displays other skills which are legacies of the prior-life memories of his chaos demon. At a high level, the unusual relationship between Penric and Desdemona (from Penric’s perspective, somewhat like having ten sisters inhabiting his head all at once!) provides fodder for clever and imaginative stories.
This particular story begins when pirates capture the ship Penric is sailing on. He and several other captives (including two young girls) are taken to the pirate's port (on the island of Lantihera) to be held hostage for ransom. Penric and the children escape their confinement and attempt to find passage off the island and back to safety. Repeatedly. Each time, their departure is foiled by one thing or another, and each time Penric and Desdemona cause MORE damage to the port. Eventually, Penric’s brother-in-law (Adelis) shows up with a fleet to capture the port (and rescue Penric) but finds that the job is largely complete, as the port is already heavily damaged and Penric and the two children have rescued themselves by meeting Adelis in a rowboat. By this point, the pirates are so frightened of Penric that they pay an “anti-ransom” to Adelis just to make sure that Penric will leave.
As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the “Comedy of Errors” that occurs when Penric attempts to escape and ends up destroying the port in the process. There are actually three rounds of this, making it great fun.
ROUND 1: After they are captured by the pirates, Des runs a line of rot through the hull of the ship that captured them, sabotages the mast, and causes a fire in the galley. When the ship finally succumbs and sinks, it takes out about a quarter of the docking capacity. Penric and his young charges escape their confinement through Des disabling their guards in a variety of creative ways. They make their way to the slave barracks where Des disables MORE guards, and they free the slaves (using various Des-like tricks to unlock locks, unbolt manacles, and otherwise cause chaos). The plan is that the released slaves will retake their ship, and take Penric and the children with them to safety. However, although the released slaves do take back their ship, they have learned that Penric is a sorcerer, and sail away leaving him and the children behind.
ROUND 2: Penric and the children hide in the Temple. The Temple guardian finds them (another) ship and crew to take them to safety. The Guild figures out they are leaving, and shows up to stop their departure. SO, Penric and Des snap bowstrings, eliminate pikes, and disable the Guild soldiers – and now their SECOND crew runs off because Penric is a sorcerer.
ROUND 3: Penric and Des cause a distraction by setting fire to the customs shed, the warehouse, and by releasing the newest set of prisoners. The (twice revised, now) plan is to row out to a slave galley, free the slaves locked in the hold, and get a ride home with the newly freed slaves. To get to the galley, Penric and the children find a rowboat and row out through the harbor. Along the way, Des takes out another few boats with rot, and starts another fire or two (or more). HOWEVER, the galley is empty of slaves, there is just a small caretaker crew of pirates, meaning that Des has (yet again) to disable them and take control of the galley (with no crew, however).
Penric’s heartfelt prayer at this point: “Lord god Bastard, I dedicate this day to you. I hope you are suitably amused. In fact, you can have this whole detestable week…” pretty much sums up the situation. (Adelis shows up at about this point, by the way).
July 20, 2019
Poor Pen. I'm surprised he didn't spontaneously combust at some point during this misadventure. So many mishaps, so many annoying people, and all he wants to do is get back home.
However, annoyed Pen is usually when he and Des are at their best, so this was a quick, fun and thoroughly enjoyable addition to the Pen and Des tales. The orphans are cute but smart, without descending into moppishness, Pen and Des get a chance to shine with magic and trickery, and it's clear the White God has his mischievous thumbprint all over this one.
While you will definitely get a lot more out of all of this if you've read all the other books before, I do think new people could jump in here and get a taste of what this series is all about. True, it's not as in-depth or thought-provoking as some of the other tales, but it is fun, often farcical and perfect for a bit of light fantasy reading. I do love these surprise releases.
However, annoyed Pen is usually when he and Des are at their best, so this was a quick, fun and thoroughly enjoyable addition to the Pen and Des tales. The orphans are cute but smart, without descending into moppishness, Pen and Des get a chance to shine with magic and trickery, and it's clear the White God has his mischievous thumbprint all over this one.
While you will definitely get a lot more out of all of this if you've read all the other books before, I do think new people could jump in here and get a taste of what this series is all about. True, it's not as in-depth or thought-provoking as some of the other tales, but it is fun, often farcical and perfect for a bit of light fantasy reading. I do love these surprise releases.
August 6, 2019
As far as I'm concerned LMB can keep writing Penric and Desdemona novellas for as long as she likes and I'll enjoy them all. I can get through one in a lunch break and they are an extremely lovely lunch break.
October 14, 2023
Did not enjoy this installment as much as the rest of them. I do not like pirates, so what? Kill me.
January 6, 2025
apart from being deeply stressful this book was delightful.
June 17, 2021
I have been consuming my backlog of unread Penric and Desdemona novellas like popcorn get to the full length novel that as just released.
This one was the most recent one I just finished and I loved it. Maybe outside of the first one which was such a delightful surprise, this one is my favorite.
I loved seeing Penric trapped on a pirate Island trying to get off the damned island with two little girls before they are sold into a brothel. At each thwarted attempt his frustration grows (the results are often quite amusing to see how he gets thwarted).
Until finally he is done. Just DONE! He is like 'fuck all y'all I am just gon' burn shit down.' Of course this is a Lois McMaster Bujold and her prose is so much more elegant than that. LOL.
Good book . Also I always enjoy Grover Gardner's narration of her works.
This one was the most recent one I just finished and I loved it. Maybe outside of the first one which was such a delightful surprise, this one is my favorite.
I loved seeing Penric trapped on a pirate Island trying to get off the damned island with two little girls before they are sold into a brothel. At each thwarted attempt his frustration grows (the results are often quite amusing to see how he gets thwarted).
Until finally he is done. Just DONE! He is like 'fuck all y'all I am just gon' burn shit down.' Of course this is a Lois McMaster Bujold and her prose is so much more elegant than that. LOL.
Good book . Also I always enjoy Grover Gardner's narration of her works.
October 25, 2025
October 24, 2025:
Adjusting this to 4.5 stars:
I listened to this, but I read along to parts of it, and I think I did like it even better that way. But I do also think that one of the reasons I may have liked it more this time was because I've been reading these in internal chronological order in a short period of time and I've become invested with what happens to Penric and Des from book to book. While it was sad that Nikys doesn't show up until the end, Penric does refer to her several times throughout, allowing us to learn what has been happening in their lives since he helped her rescue her mother. I also love the two orphans and the methods by which Penric slowly gains their trust. To the point where at one point when the girls tell him he better return to them, he says, "I thought I was the evil sorcerer." Lencia shot back, "Yes, but you're our evil sorcerer." I absolutely loved that line! I highly recommend these books!
June 13, 2021:
There were parts I really liked about this and parts that made me wish I had read it rather than listened to it. Grover Gardner is absolutely perfect for the Vorkosigan books, but for these novellas, I sometimes lose track of what he is talking about. I'm not sure what it is about his voice that makes me love him for the Vorkosigan books, but not for these novellas. I adore Penric and Desdemona as characters and this story was pretty interesting as they become involved with helping a pair of orphans. I think I may have to go back and read all of these novellas.
Adjusting this to 4.5 stars:
I listened to this, but I read along to parts of it, and I think I did like it even better that way. But I do also think that one of the reasons I may have liked it more this time was because I've been reading these in internal chronological order in a short period of time and I've become invested with what happens to Penric and Des from book to book. While it was sad that Nikys doesn't show up until the end, Penric does refer to her several times throughout, allowing us to learn what has been happening in their lives since he helped her rescue her mother. I also love the two orphans and the methods by which Penric slowly gains their trust. To the point where at one point when the girls tell him he better return to them, he says, "I thought I was the evil sorcerer." Lencia shot back, "Yes, but you're our evil sorcerer." I absolutely loved that line! I highly recommend these books!
June 13, 2021:
There were parts I really liked about this and parts that made me wish I had read it rather than listened to it. Grover Gardner is absolutely perfect for the Vorkosigan books, but for these novellas, I sometimes lose track of what he is talking about. I'm not sure what it is about his voice that makes me love him for the Vorkosigan books, but not for these novellas. I adore Penric and Desdemona as characters and this story was pretty interesting as they become involved with helping a pair of orphans. I think I may have to go back and read all of these novellas.
July 19, 2019
This is the seventh Penric and Desdemona novella; the ship on which Penric and Desdemona are travelling is captured by pirates, and complications ensue.
It's a nice little story - just the sort of thing you want to read at the end of a long day. The characters are familiar, and we get a little hint of the progress of Pen's life (this takes place about a year after The Prisoner of Limnos), which will make followers of the series happy. It's not wildly exciting or suspenseful, but Bujold is such a good storyteller that she can spin a couple of hours of entertainment out of not much at all.
This is not really a book for people who haven't read previous stories in the series - although the action would make sense, certain aspects of the characters (e.g. Desdemona!) are pretty much unique so if you don't already have the background you'll be left wondering what's going on.
It's a nice little story - just the sort of thing you want to read at the end of a long day. The characters are familiar, and we get a little hint of the progress of Pen's life (this takes place about a year after The Prisoner of Limnos), which will make followers of the series happy. It's not wildly exciting or suspenseful, but Bujold is such a good storyteller that she can spin a couple of hours of entertainment out of not much at all.
This is not really a book for people who haven't read previous stories in the series - although the action would make sense, certain aspects of the characters (e.g. Desdemona!) are pretty much unique so if you don't already have the background you'll be left wondering what's going on.
July 22, 2019
Penric is on his way home from a mission for the Duke when his ship is captured by pirates and he is taken prisoner. Thrown in with two young girls, he takes them under his protection as they try to avoid a future as slaves and escape the pirate-controlled town.
I always enjoy spending time with Penric and Desdemona, but this isn't the strongest of their stories. I'm feeling the itch to re-read because I have to have missed something; there's no way a Bujold novella should leave me wanting to describe it as "formulaic".
* Penric is pulled into an adventure as the answer to somebody else's prayers
* Penric uses his abilities to disable his foes by tweaking their nerves (and Desdemona gleefully helps cause mayhem with fire/rot)
* I was pretty sure there was going to be a happy ending, so there wasn't much tension as I read ... I was just watching to see how it came out.
* Nothing earned a startled/delighted laugh =(
I always enjoy spending time with Penric and Desdemona, but this isn't the strongest of their stories. I'm feeling the itch to re-read because I have to have missed something; there's no way a Bujold novella should leave me wanting to describe it as "formulaic".
* Penric is pulled into an adventure as the answer to somebody else's prayers
* Penric uses his abilities to disable his foes by tweaking their nerves (and Desdemona gleefully helps cause mayhem with fire/rot)
* I was pretty sure there was going to be a happy ending, so there wasn't much tension as I read ... I was just watching to see how it came out.
* Nothing earned a startled/delighted laugh =(
July 23, 2019
A new Bujold is always cause for celebration!
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