The Assassins of Thasalon

Penric and Desdemona (Publication order) #10

by Lois McMaster Bujold

An unholy attack upon his brother-in-law General Arisaydia pitches sorcerer Learned Penric and his Temple demon Desdemona headlong into the snake-pit of Cedonian imperial politics. But they will not travel alone. The mission from his god brings Penric some of his strangest new allies yet, and the return of some of his most valued old ones.

This novel-length story takes place two years after the events of “The Physicians of Vilnoc”.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure, High Fantasy

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2021

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

A listing of her interviews is here:

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

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

http://www.dendarii.com/

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

This review is going to have to stand for the entire Penric and Desdemona series, all 11 books of which I have just glommed over a 36 hour period. All the rest are novellas and I've been sick okay, leave me alone.

This series is now firmly ensconsced in my Favourites folder. The purest comfort reading--deeply kind but never sentimental or (shudder) cosy, lots of threat and tension but nevertheless a feeling you're in safe hands with both author and character, a deeply enjoyable, well developed world that you can sink into, and a steely moral spine underlying it all. Tremendous stuff.

[Ben Aaronovitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a terrible thing that I wait with such anticipation and then devour the book practically in one go. As usual, and even though this is novel length, it was over far too quickly. Sob.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wonderful, as all the previous Penric & Desdemona stories have been.

A few thoughts:
This book answered a number of 'what ever happened to' questions from several earlier books. I was happy to meet up again with Lady Tanar and her loyal right-hand man Bosha, who were last seen in The Prisoner of Limnos. They have a major role in this story. There was nice cameos from the girls who were The Orphans of Raspay; and I especially enjoyed Penric's encounter with the general from Mira's Last Dance.
Indeed, Bujold brought the larger story arc that started with Penric’s Mission to such a lovely end that I was seized with the fear that this could be the last Penric book.
If so, It ended on a high note. However, I hope the White God has more plans for his good servant Penric and that Bujold will keep us informed.

ETA 18 July 2022. Just re-read, and my rating as well as my love for the book remains unchanged. This time I read my new hardback edition . Bujold has not abandoned Penric and Desdemona, as I had once feared. I am now anticipating the hardcover edition of the recent story Knot of Shadows.

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last day of 2024 and I had finished all the books I needed to read so I went on a little Penric and Desdemona binge. I managed three books before I really had to get into my January ARCs. This is number one.

The Assassins of Thasalon is the tenth book in the series and it starts with a bang when a sorceress attempts to assassinate Adelis. Luckily Penric is to hand and Desdemona's demonic response time is fast enough to save him. Now they just have to find the stray sorceress and deal with her demon.

This book introduces us to the Saint Iroki who is nearly as outstanding a character as Penric himself. He is just an ordinary man who likes to fish but who has a remarkable relationship with a god. All of Bujold's characters are great but some like this one are superb.

I could happily read about Pen and his demon all day. Well I am doing! Now on to #11 Knot of Shadows

[Olga Godim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard for me to write a review for this particular book, as almost everything I’d like to say about the protagonists – the sorcerer Penric and his demon Desdemona – could be applied to the other stories of the series. I’ve already said it all in my other reviews.
I love Penric and I admire Desdemona, but looking back on all Penric’s perilous adventures, including this one, all the books in the series adhere to a prevalent thread. Penric always gets in trouble because he is helping someone else.
He doesn’t get any troubles of his own. He is not a troublesome man. He is a peaceful man, an inquisitive scholar who wants nothing more than do his research, read as many books as he could find, and spend time with his family.
His god, Bastard, the deity of chaos and chance, has other ideas. Bastard thrusts Penric into multiple calamities, generally to help someone to get out of a complex conundrum, and Penric always rises to the challenge.
He doesn’t solve his problems with brawn. Instead, he solves them with wit and compassion and a judicious application of his demon-assisted magic. Deeply courageous, he doesn’t care if the people he is helping are high-ranking officers or poor bastard children of a whore, as long as they have been wronged, and he could right that wrong.
Political intrigues or monetary riches don’t interest him as long as he and his family have enough to eat and a roof over their heads. He isn’t ambitious, but he is practical and scrupulously honest, and he could be ruthless to his enemies. In short, he is not a warrior but an astute investigator, acting on behalf of his god and the people who need his help.
A perfect man, I would say. I really, truly love Penric. I wish I had one of my own.
And as a writer, I wish I could’ve come up with a character as rounded and compelling as Bujold’s Penric.

[Algernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thasalon politics were a snake-pit that Pen had considered his brother-in-law very well out of. Maybe not far enough ...?

Yes, this book can be read as a stand-alone within the Five Gods World, following the adventures of sorcerer Penric and of his demon Desdemona. But it will also useful to have a little recap of how we got to episode number 10:

Thasalon is the capital city of Cedonia, the empire that dominates this Mediterranean / Renaissance fantasy setting. Penric has visited there briefly in an earlier episode, where he was arrested for spying on arrival and where later he met his future wife Nikys and her brother, General Arisaydia. The General was so successful in his military campaigns at the time and so popular with the troops that the ministers in the capital decided to blind him in order to put him out of the game for power. Penric used his demonic powers and his medicine knowledge to perform a miracle and restored sight to the general, but the trio then wisely chose to run away from Cedonia and seek refuge in a small independent Duchy.

This is where we are at the start of this episode, with Penric, Nikys and the Adelis enjoying a sort of domestic peace taking care of their private lives in a sunny, laid-back environment, when they receive a visit from the assassins named in the title.
Somebody must do something about those pesky ministers in Thasalon who are fighting over the regency of a small child who recently inherited the throne. General Adelis Arisaydia might be well able to deal with the politics and the military matters on his own, but apparently somebody in the capital city has managed to pervert the covenant with the Bastard, patron God of Penric and of other misfits, vagabonds and orphans, and is using the demons of chaos for killing political adversaries.

It’s never a good idea to ask for a God’s intervention in the affairs of mortals, but the Bastard has His own priorities, so Penric leaves his quiet study and his medical treaties to go to Thasalon. He will be accompanied by a captured assassin, a young woman in possession of a very fresh and feral demon, and by a fisherman from a small hill village who may be the laziest Saint of the Bastard in the realm of the Five Gods.

>>><<<>>><<<

The book is the first novel length instalment of the series, but it is no different in the format and in the general plot from the previous adventures. And it reads just as fast as them, too [meaning, much too quickly you are drawn into the story, you enjoy the company of the scientific-minded Penric and of the sarcastic multiple-personality Desdemona, and then you read the word: ‘The End’]

The longer page-count may be necessary to cover the reunion with a lot of characters from previous books, the complexities of Cedonian politics, or the marvels of the capital city Thasalon, but there are very few surprises about plot developments and about the main interest of the author in discussing the ethical implications of sharing your conscience with a creature of chaos. The religious aspects of a pantheon that is both keenly interested in the choices made by their followers and at the same time insistent that the same subjects exercise their free will [and deal with the consequences of their actions], will be debated at length.

I’m trying to beat around the bush a little in my observations about demons and assassinations, because I don’t want to spoil the main attraction of this series, and I’m saying this as a long time fan of Lois McMaster Bujold’s prose and wicked sense of humour. Because, to be perfectly honest, the series spends a lot of time on trivial pursuits and domestic details. There’s always time for a little wedding or some quality time with one’s spouse or children, if they can be fit into the plot. You also know that the hero and his friends will make it through to the next book, and probably learn a valuable lesson along the way, so this series, and to a lesser degree the Vorkosigan books, belongs in the comfort reads / family friendly category of speculative –fiction.

On the other hand, the same books are always devilishly smart, lively and funny with the moral lesson always carefully integrated into the main plot. I truly enjoy the way Bujold can write powerful women characters that don’t need to belittle men or to be saved by white knights in order to be true to their nature. The best scene in the book features such a maiden that can think and act for herself Adelis Arisaydia’s fiance, Lady Tanar, as formidable as the General in her own particular way

Few writers who chose to write about religion in a modern setting manage to impress me with their balanced and insightful commentaries. This has been a recurrent theme since the start of the Penric series, including the earlier Chalion and Sharing Knife books, books that I am now tempted to re-read in the context of the things I learned about the Five Gods here.

“Ask him about fishing,” he advised the archdivine over his shoulder as he made his exit. “I think you’ll find the Blessed can give you much to meditate upon in that humble task.”

The only aspect of the present novel that disappointed me was the rather subdued [verbally] presence of Desdemona, who I felt doesn’t shine quite as brightly here as in previous dialogues. Maybe because the story was a bit too serious for one-liners and snark, maybe because there was too much plot to go through or because Penric is rarely on his own, but I sort of missed her usual running commentary on what goes on around her host.
I hope the news that there is a new novella in the series already published will be a compensation and a promise for a return to form there.

[Economondos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Bujold shows how important the supporting characters are in a book. Penric and Desdemona are wonderful, well-rounded characters, but so are the companions, supporters, and even the foes. from the new apprentice sorcerer and lazy saint to the prospective sister-in-law and her loyal secretary/bodyguard everyone has a real experiences, motivations, and calculations for their actions. They come across as real people.

The pacing, setting, background, premise, plot, and all the other technical parts are so very solid. 4.75/5

[The Captain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

The Penric and Desdemona novellas take place in the World of the Five Gods from the trilogy of that name.  Book one of the trilogy, curse of the chalion, is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read and I really enjoyed the remaining two.  Penric, a sorcerer, and Desdemona, his chaos demon, are a fantastic duo that I ADORE.

In 2020, these novellas were republished in a two-book omnibus set.  The first omnibus contained novellas 1 - 3 in the internal chronological order not publishing order.  The second set had the novellas 4 - 6.  I normally read in publishing order but have to admit that I strongly feel this series should be an exception if ye be new to it.

This was the first full-length novel and is number 10 in internal chronology.  I LOVED all the extra time spent with Penric and Desdemona.  This feels like an ending to a series (though I hope it isn't).  General Arisaydia is threatened with assassination and has to go back to his homeland to deal with the issue.  Penric ends up getting involved despite himself, as usual.

This is not a high stakes adventure as Penric is well-within his powers and literally has the backing of the God.  It is, however, a comforting and lovely read.  Iroki is very much a new favorite.  There are a lot of cameos of prior characters from at least four other novellas.  There were a couple of plot twists I wasn't expecting.  Neither was Penric!  I truly love this series and world and will read as many books as the author care to write in it.  Arrrrr!

[Veronique · Rating 5 out of 5]

5*
Loved it even more on a re-read!

4.5*
Tenth instalment in the Penric and Desdemona series. Not only is it novel-length, which means more of what we all love, but this episode draws together many of the cast encountered throughout Penric’s ‘missions’. The result is just wonderful :O)

[Lis Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two years after The Physicians of Vilnoc, an assassination attempt on Learned Penric's brother-in-law, General Adelis Arisaydia, fails only because Penric is right there with him, and Desdemona, his demon, is paranoid and alert. What's disturbing about this attempt is the method: a sorceress attempts to kill Arisaydia by the use of her demon-given powers.

A Temple-trained sorcerer wouldn't do that; it would cost them both their powers and their standing as a sorcerer, because the White God would immediately take and destroy the demon. A hedge sorcerer wouldn't do it because they wouldn't have the knowledge or the training to try. Who is this assassin, and what is her motive?

There's reason to think that the motive may lie in the deteriorating political situation in Cedonia, where Arisaydia has both enemies, and people who may value him as a potential ally. When Penric sets a trap, using Arisaydia as bait, the capture of the sorceress-assassin reveals a plot that to General Arisaydia and Duke Jurgo might seem almost like normal politics, but to Penric, a Temple sorcerer of the Bastard, is both sacrilegious and horrifyingly cruel.

Arisaydia is soon off, in secret, accompanied by an emissary from Cedonia, to Cedonia, to accept the offer he's received from one side in the conflict, with, more or less, Duke Jurgo's blessing. After appealing to his Order for a Saint, Penric is also off to Cedonia, with some unexpected company, and by a faster route.

We meet old friends as well as new ones. The plot they're off to confront is dangerous, and the deteriorating situation might be further destabilized by them, given who the chief plotters appear to be. Even some of Penric's allies have good reason to have mixed loyalties.

This is the first novel-length Penric story, and we learn more about Penric, his friends and allies, sorcery, and even the theology of the world of the Five Gods. We get some wonderful new characters, too, and the life stories of the regulars continue to move forward.

An excellent addition to the series. Highly recommended.

I bought this book.

[Mikhail · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Waggles hand] On the one hand, even a ho-hum Bujold book exceeds a masterpiece by many a lesser author. That said, I think this is definitely far from Bujold's best work.

I think the main issue is that the heroes are a little too powerful (Penric the master sorcerer, Iroki the saint, etc, all with the backing of a God), and there is never a real sense of challenge or danger. Minister Methani and his allies simply aren't as dangerous as the antagonists of the Curse of Chalion or Hallowed Hunt, and you never really fear that things might go awry. Nor is there a really thorny mystery in here. There's some challenges, but, hmm, you never worry that they might overcome the heroes. The book lacks tension.

The Penric books have always had a little of this problem, in that Penric is usually the most dangerous thing on the page. But the best stories (such as Penric and the Shaman, or the Orphans of Raspay) still manage to lumber him with enough complications and obstacles that watching him overcome them is still tense and exciting.

Despite that, the book is certainly not bad. Bujold is an accomplish master at characterization, setting, language, and I finished the whole book in basically a day. But it lacks the spark of some of her more inspired work. Satisfying but not enthralling, as it were.

[Chip · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Probably decided on 3 vs 4 unfairly, in that I expect more of Bujold. Certainly a fine enough tale, but, as has been the case with most if not all of the later Penric stories, completely lacking in suspense or concern because he (literally) has a god ensuring all will be well. I still read them, but there’s much less depth to them because of that.

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demons and assassination! Now there’s a combination!

I think Demon carrying sorcerer Learned Penric is one of my favourite fantasy heroes.
When Penric’s brother-in-law General Arisaydia is attacked by assassins from Cedonia and demons are involved Penric knows something is very wrong. It seems someone is embezzling demons. Penric contacts his order’s Chapter House and to his surprise is sent a Saint to help investigate the outrage. It seems they will be required to go to the source of the problem, Cedonia. All this as Arisaydia has been asked to return to his country. The same country he’d been hunted from. The same country that desired his death.
Penric and Blessed Iroki, a saint of the white God’s order, find both sorcerers and demons distraught. Many have been coerced into actions that go against the Gods’ rules for Temple Demons.
Once again a rich and unexpected episode in the World of Five Gods pantheon that ratchets up my appreciation for Bujold’s writings.
BTW, according to the Subterranean Press website there are apparently a limited number of signed hardback copies.

A Subterranean Press ARC via NetGalley

[lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books in an unfailingly wonderful series. I loved the wide scope of the plot. And the return of Tanar Xarre and Surakos Bosha!! Still no release of the tension between them though, agh. Delicious but also maddening.

And I love Adelis so much, too. The end of this story was a funny sort of inverse to the end of The Orphans of Raspay. Never fear, Adelis Arisaydia is here! Oh, it’s been handled? You don’t want me to start a civil war anymore? Ok, nvm. I guess I’ll get married, then. While I’m in town, y’know. It’s been on my to do list for ages.

If there’s a weakness here, it’s that Alixtra never grew on me. Her motivations were understandable but she lacked any charm. Iroki, on the other hand, I very much hope to see again.

And p.s., the plot twist that made the plural “assassins” in the title make sense was awesome.

[Di Maitland · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourites of the series so far, though quite a bit longer than the rest. I loved the entire cast of characters, the tender moments, the wry humour, the practical theology, and the (for the series) rare instances of action. Full review to come.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy this series a lot, but I feel it's gotten a little too cozy. I never had a moment's real concern that any lasting harm would befall anyone in Pen's charmed circle of family and friends, and that made this listen a little ho hum for me.

Not exactly a spoiler, but just a reflection on the ending that I guess won't make sense unless you've read it. The way in which all of the rival political factions, when confronted with the truth all agree that it is the truth, and act accordingly even if it doesn't serve their political ends is very out of tune with current times. It added to the sense that the plot was facile. Bujold can do much better.

[susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pen #10!

I'm kind of fascinated by the evolution of this series. LMB is writing Penric #11 and showing no sign of slowing down or wrapping up. It's interesting, writing so much of what is essentially light comfort fantasy reading. I'm usually super here for it all, in any genre, especially in this world, except I think this time the short novel format really took a lot of the shine off of the series for me. Which is a shame, I was looking forward to the longest Penric story to-date. I had hoped the novel length story would help fix the weaknesses, not bring them to light.

The problem for me is... the series, at this point in the timeline, is very low with personal stakes for Pen. Yes, his milquetoast romance and marriage never truly worked for me - Nikys and the family has barely been of narrative importance in the story for the last like, 5 novellas - but it really doesn't work when everything else in the novel is ALSO just of mild investment for our protagonist.

Like, sorry. But Des was barely a presence here other than a few remarks here and there. If I wanted something completely brainless and only 2 hours long, sure, I'm sure I would have let it slide, but in 5 hours I wanted something a little more compelling. I found myself really missing the days of the first few novellas, up to Prisoner of Limnos. That was real, real good comfort reading. And I can't believe we haven't gotten more stories like Mira's Last Dance. The more the series goes on, the more the lack of interest LMB has with writing more about Des is baffling to me!

Still, all the cameos and imperial politics was fun, even if I did lose the thread of some of the plot points (this was another unpacking audiobook, oops). Bujold to me is a master of writing long series, but this is losing the charm that even the later Vorkosigan books had - I'm boggling that the same woman wrote both. I guess I'm finding I want a little more from this series as we get into the double digits, not less.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penric would be perfectly content to stay in Vilnoc translating texts and spending time with his daughter and pregnant wife. But when an assassination attempt targets his brother-in-law and the method is unique, Pen's god sends him and Desdemona to Thasalon to solve the problem.

Pen is traveling with a Saint of his order and the would-be assassin who was spared by his god. The saint is Blessed Iroki who would rather be fishing and the assassin is a young woman named Alixtra who was forced into her new career because of threats against her five-year-old son. Alixtra was given a demon by a Learned in the Bastard's order at the urging of Minister Methani who is one of the minor Emperor's regents. She is completely ignorant about demons and what her responsibilities toward them are. As they travel back to Thasalon, Pen gives her a quick course in the theology of demon handling.

Upon arrival, they seek the assistance of Lady Tanar Xarre and her mother. Tanar is the fiancé of Pen's brother-in-law Adelis. She is wealthy and politically connected but not part of Minister Methani's party. She is also excited to pave the way for her fiancé to return to Thasalon. While Pen is more interested in the theological part of his mission and needs to bring the Saint in contact with the rogue Learned Tronio, he realizes that he is neck deep in the political implications too.

This was another engaging episode in the further adventures of Pen and his demon Desdemona. I really like the relationship between the two of them. I also like Pen as a teacher setting Alixtra on her path of demon-tending.

The plot was engaging and fast-paced. The world building was excellent and the characters all well-written.

[Stephen Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, the first novel in the Penric and Desdemona Series! Really more like two novella in its length and, most important, reasonably-priced priced . In fact, the whole series has that going for it. ( I am looking at you, Murderbot Series) For those who have not discovered the Penric and Desdemona series, it is fantastic. And at the end of this novel there is a short essay on the reading order of Lois McMaster Bujold catalogue. For that alone, buy this book. . I think this is going to be the 2021 summer I read everything Lois McMaster Bujold wrote, thanks to that essay; and in the correct order as stated by the writer herself. If you have found yourself in a reading rut, read this series. If your Goodreads' reading challenges has that dreaded " you are behind 6 books on your reading goal" at the mid way point, use this series to get back to the Plus side!
So, why read this series? First the characters. Penric and his resident demon are a delight. The life journey of Penric is quite a lot of fun. Along the way Penric goes from a future of a pedestrian life as being on the poor side of nobility, to Court Sorcerer and involved in all sorts of adventures, all by a chance meeting. This adventure concerns the internal intrigues of the country his wife and brother in law were exiled from. Nice redemption story.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much of its kind. And I like it’s kind

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

Reading The Assassins of Thasalon, I’m reminded that the full title for this series probably ought to be “Scenes from the Life of Penric and Desdemona,” rather than just Penric and Desdemona.” The series is absolutely about Learned Penric and his demon Desdemona, but it’s not told in order from beginning to end – long may THAT evil day get delayed.

And not that it didn’t begin at the begin in the first book in the series (in both publication order AND internal chronological order!) Penric’s Demon. It’s just that the books after that terrific beginning have been all over the map as far as Penric’s life with Desdemona is concerned. But , while this book is the 10th in both publication and chronological order, the book before it in chronological order, The Physicians of Vilnoc, was the 8th book in publication order, while Masquerade in Lodi, the 9th book in publication order, was actually the 4th book in chronological order.

Confused? So am I, a bit. Although I was more confused by Masquerade in Lodi because it took place so much earlier in Penric’s life.

But the mixing up of internal chronology vs. publication does mean that a reader can pick this series up in pretty much any order after the first book and slide right in. That there are now enough books to make the entire series into a lovely little binge read is icing on that particular cake.

I’m digressing, a bit, but then this series does lead into digression, every bit as much as Penric’s and Desdemona’s internal dialog, along with both of their curious natures and scholarly bents, leads them into frequent digressions and down innumerable intellectual rabbit holes at pretty much every turn.

If you’ve not had the pleasure of traveling with Penric and Desdemona, you might be thinking that they are spouses or lovers but their relationship is both more intimate and less physical than that,

Penric is a Learned Divine of the Fifth God of his world’s pantheon. The god he serves is the Lord Bastard, the “master of all disasters out of season”. In other words, Penric serves this world’s chaos avatar, their version of Loki, or Coyote.

Desdemona is, as the title of that first book implies, Penric’s Demon. She is a chaos spirit who grows in power the longer she remains in the world, attached to an animal or a human. She changes partners when her current host dies, but she retains the memories of her long “life” and all of her previous hosts, which in turn she uses to both teach and assist Penric.

I call Desdemona she, and Penric refers to her as female not because demons have gender per se but because all of Desdemona’s previous hosts have been female – including the animals who were her first hosts. Over the centuries of her existence, Desdemona has come to think of herself as female so Penric does as well. It’s like having an entire host of older sisters living inside his head.

And Penric is going to need every single bit of pretty much everything that he and Desdemona have between them in order to fix everything that is going wrong in the neighboring country of Cedonia before the sixth set of assassins finally succeeds in murdering Pen’s brother-in-law.

It is particularly important that Pen and his rather assorted party reach Thasalon, the capital of Cedonia, and fix what’s gone wrong before said brother-in-law arrives. Because if Pen can’t fix things his way, Adelis will have to take matters into his own hands – with a conquering army at his back.

Escape Rating A: I’ve enjoyed this entire series so far, but like any series that’s 10 books in, some have been merely good – not that THAT isn’t an achievement in and of itself – while others have been great. The Assassins of Thasalon is one of the great ones in the series.

What I loved about this one so much is the way that it mixes theology and politics, rather to the detriment of both the country and many of the characters. It’s also kind of a “fix-it” fic, and I always love those.

It’s been clear since Penric met Nikys and her brother Arisedya back in the third book in the series, Penric’s Mission, that there was something seriously rotten in the state of Cedonia. Five years after Nikys and Adelis fled their homeland to the neighboring country of Orbas for shelter, it’s apparently time to fix at least the worst of what’s wrong.

Penric’s god, the Lord Bastard, makes it clear to Penric that it is his duty to fix things in Cedonia. Because it’s not just dirty politics that they all thought it was at the beginning. Dirty politics may amuse the White God, but they are not his domain. Howsomever, someone in the Bastard’s service has been misusing the gifts that his god gave him, and the Bastard has just ordered Penric to be his hands and work his will upon the whole sorry lot of them.

They may not be sorry yet, but someone is certainly going to be. Hopefully not Penric.

While Penric has his orders, what he doesn’t have is much in the way of instructions. And that’s where the politics come in. And that’s a big part of what I loved about this story.

Adelis is returning home to either serve the country, save the country, conquer the country or all of the above, depending on what he finds when he gets there. And finally marry his betrothed, who has been waiting for him – and plotting and scheming in the BEST style – while she waits.

So there are assassinations, and political skullduggery, threats of invasion and bits of romance wrapped around this story of a world where the gods are REAL and where one god in particular is about to take back his gifts with extreme prejudice.

It’s all in a day’s – or month’s – work for Penric and Desdemona. And it’s a blast – sometimes literally – every step of the way.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a good place to pause for a breather, and save the rest of the series as a treat for later. This is a capstone to the long-running plot arc of the politics of Cedonia and getting Adelis back to his rightful place. A lot of plot arcs get concluded happily and the climax is very satisfying and well done. The only unfortunate thing with the series is that Nikys has basically fallen out of it, except to be someone that Pen misses. I get it, because they have kids now and Nikys isn't really a fighter, but I enjoyed her as a character so it's a shame to not let her get to play a bigger role.

[Adina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penric and Desdemona are lovely, as always. May this series never end :)

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lois McMaster Bujold is always readable and enjoyable to read. She handles plotting deftly, and there's a lot going on here, so that's good.

Example:
An assassin who fails to kill her target (twice!), captured and spared by the White God. Congrats, you're a sorceror now!

The assassin's target being implored to return to his home country and help them out.

Something bad happening in that home country, which means that Penric and a saint of the White God and the assassin have to return and, you know, DO SOMETHING.

Penric and his demon Desdemona are a tiny bit in the background here, in a way. Iroki, the saint of the White God, is an interesting character. You may say all you want to do is be a fisherman, but when a God can speak and act through you, people tend to pay a little more attention.

All these books set in the world of the Five Gods interest me strangely. Most days now I think of myself as a godless heathen, but certain ways of looking at theology and humanity's relation to the divine make sense to me. I get this feeling with these Bujold books. Also with C.S. Lewis sometimes.

Good writing. You should read.

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not enough Nikys, but no other complaints. Lots of twisty Thaslaon politics, great characters, entertaining all the way through.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even a novel-length Penric story is way too short! I’m very thankful to Lois McMaster Bujold for creating characters full of humanity, compassion, humour and wisdom and letting us readers follow their lives and adventures. Every new book in this series is a delight. This is just like sitting down with old friends to exchange tall tales. Please keep them coming :-)

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes:

I enjoyed the first half more than the last. As always, it's nice to dive back into the world of Penric & Desdemona. =)

[Hannah]

Full length Penric and Desdemona novel peace and love on planet earth

[Sam Wescott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally did not check the length when I started this and was shocked that it wasn't a novella! But honestly, I thought it held up really well to the change in length. There wasn't really any drag in pace and I was obsessed with some of our new characters (the saint was an absolute joy) and was so gratified to see some previous characters return (especially one delightfully surly bodyguard).

My only complaint is that Nikos has been in these last few books so little! I love her so much and I hope she isn't going to be relegated to the welcoming wife/mom/hug provider at the end of every adventure. Even if not wanting to be constantly adventuring is an aspect of her character, there's gotta be a way to get her more page time because I miss her and I want to see more of Penric's domestic life (although, the less time with the kids, the better - I know! I'm picky!).

I do also think that seeing Penric have the opportunity to teach really highlighted how far he's come since the first novella and where his talents and creativity have evolved. I do really adore this character so much.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous and engaging little book. Excellent narration.