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"Follow Penric on his journey from noble young lord to sorcerer and scholar in the Bastard's Order. Three fantasy novellas by multiple award winning author Lois McMaster Bujold, together for the first time! Penric's Demon On the way to his betrothal young Lord Penric happens upon a riding accident and stops to help. But the victim is no ordinary woman. She is is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her avowed god is The Bastard, "master of all disasters out of season." As she lies dying, she passes her strange powers to Penric . . . and changes the course of his life forever. Penric and the Shaman Now a divine of the Bastard's Order as well as a sorcerer and scholar, Penric finds his scholarly work interrupted when he is called upon to accompany a "Locator" of the Father's Order, assigned to capture Inglis, a runaway shaman charged with the murder of his best friend. But Penric finds that the mission is anything but easy and that his new skills will be pushed to the breaking point. Penric's Fox When Penric-sorcerer, scholar, and divine in the Bastard's Order-travels to Easthome, the capital of the Weald, he once again finds himself embroiled in a mystery. The body of a sorceress has been found in the woods, and it is up to Penric and his friends, Shaman Inglis and Locator Oswyl, to unravel a mystery mixing magic, murder, and the strange realities of Temple demons"--… (more)
User reviews
Intriguing, magical adventure where Bujold uses the magical action with great finesse. Captivating characters especially Penric. While Pen has other aspirations, he believes his life's journey lies in marriage and living in the shadow of an elder brother's holding. The Gods and fate have other plans in the form of an elemental chaos demon of great antiquity.
The novels are sequels that form the start to a delightful tale of adventure and mystery. If you enjoyed the Curse of Chalion, you will likely find these stories every bit as well-written and thoughtfully-plotted.
I like the easygoing style, and the gentle lessons in ethics, morals, and manners worked into the narratives. Penric is,
Everyone has fun and excitement along the way.
One major facet of Bujold's works in all her different worlds is the inclusion in nearly every story of some sort of puzzle that the protagonist must solve.
Sometimes it's incidental to the main plot, and sometimes it IS the plot.
That feature appeals to me a lot, as it gives the reader something to do other than just turn pages.
SUMMARY of the series rationale:
Penric was NOT the intended recipient of the demon released by the death of its prior "rider" -- at least, not intended by the sorcerer, but perhaps by the God whose creature it is.
Penric, being untrained and unready, breaks all manner of conventions and "rules" including the naming of his demon, whose previous 12 riders were all female.
NOTES on the SERIES
which I recommend reading in chronological order for the best experience, starting with The Hallowed Hunt.
From the author's notes: In the internal world chronology, "The Hallowed Hunt" (#01) comes first; the Penric novellas perhaps a hundred and fifty years later; "The Curse of Chalion" (#11) and it's sequel "Paladin of Souls" (#12) a century of so afterwards.
NOTE: My numbering here and in the Comments field is the full World of Five Gods chronological order, including the novels and novellas.
The chronological order of Penric's tales (as of 2021, ebooks only unless noted) are:
Penric's Demon (#02), Penric and the Shaman (#03), Penric's Fox (#04)(collected as "Penric's Progress";
Masquerade in Lodi (#05);
Penric's Mission (#06), Mira's Last Dance #07), The Prisoner of Limnos (#08)(collected as "Penric's Travels";
The Orphans of Raspay (#09); The Physicians of Vilnoc (#10).