Lightning Review

Audiobook: Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold

B+

Penric’s Demon

by Lois McMaster Bujold

I read this novella about two years ago, had fond memories of it, and then spotted the audio version. Adding it to my library on a whim yielded four hours of deep relaxation in Beltway traffic (not an easy feat), on my patio while cross stitching (pretty easy) and while cooking (always good).

The plot is simple and complicated: Penric is a good-hearted dude on his way to his betrothal when he stops because a woman is dying in the road. Turns out the woman is a sorcerer, and when he asks how he can help her, she accepts his help and presto! The demon that lives in her jumps to Penric upon her death. This causes no shortage of logistical, theological, familial, and political problems because having a demon makes one a powerful sorcerer in this world, and Penric has exactly zero training in that department.

It’s a novella, so the story moves along rapidly as people plot against Penric because they want his demon. Meanwhile, Penric has to figure out what to do with the demon, who contains 13 different identities, the left over lifetimes of the people within whom the demon has lived. The demon has its own personalities, and each person has added languages, skills, experience, and memories, all of which the demon carries forward to Penric.

The best reason to read this story is Penric and the demon, whom he names Desdemona. Desdemona is kind of a Guile hero, quiet, savvy, powerful and watchful, but used to being, well, used for her powers, while Penric is what TV Tropes would probably call “Good is Not Dumb.” The two of them together are terrific, as Penric is determined to treat Desdemona as a being with feelings and preferences, and Desdemona has no idea what to make of that. Their relationship and the demon/human relationships in this world are a subtle examination of parasitic symbiosis versus mutual support, and Penric and Desdemona’s conversations are my favorite part. So much development and character evolution happen in a handful of lines between them, and I savored and sometimes replayed scenes a few times each.

The narration by Grover Gardner is extremely good: dry and witty then earnest and heartfelt, with excellent vocal nuances for Penric, Desdemona, and the other characters. It helps that Gardner has McMaster Bujold’s writing to narrate. The next book in the series, Penric and the Shaman, jumps ahead a few years, and I am starting that immediately. I have cross stitching to finish and traffic to sit in, and they’re coming with me.

SB Sarah

On his way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric comes upon a riding accident with an elderly lady on the ground, her maidservant and guardsmen distraught. As he approaches to help, he discovers that the lady 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”, and with her dying breath she bequeaths her mysterious powers to Penric. From that moment on, Penric’s life is irreversibly changed, and his life is in danger from those who envy or fear him.

Set in the fantasy world of the author’s acclaimed novels THE CURSE OF CHALION, PALADIN OF SOULS and THE HALLOWED HUNT, this novella has the depth of characterization and emotional complexity that distinguishes all Bujold’s work.

Novella, Science Fiction/Fantasy
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  1. ReneeG says:

    Huge fan of LMB’s writing, including the Penric novellas (and the World of Five Gods in general). Her heroines are fabulous and intelligent, and I really love her heros as well.

    Penric does get a flesh and blood romance later on in the series, but his relationship with Desdemona and his sister-souls is absolutely wonderful and funny as they discover how to work together and help him solve the problems he encounters along the way. The world-building is fantastic (as usual!) and made me want to spend more time with Penric and the gals.

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