Review: The Orphans of Raspay

Title: The Orphans of Raspay
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Penric and Desdemona #7
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Novella
Available: Now

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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.

This novella follows about a year after the events of “The Prisoner of Limnos”.

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Review: The Prisoner of Limnos

Title: The Prisoner of Limnos
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Penric and Desdemona #6
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Novella
Available: Now

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In this sequel novella to “Mira’s Last Dance”, Temple sorcerer Penric and the widow Nikys have reached safety in the duchy of Orbas when a secret letter from a friend brings frightening news: Nikys’s mother has been taken hostage by her brother’s enemies at the Cedonian imperial court, and confined in a precarious island sanctuary.

Their own romance still unresolved, Nikys, Penric, and of course Desdemona must infiltrate the hostile country once more, finding along the way that family relationships can be as unexpectedly challenging as any rescue scheme.

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Review: Penric’s Fox

Title: Penric’s Fox
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Penric and Desdemona #3
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Novella
Available: Now

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Some eight months after the events of Penric and the Shaman, Learned Penric, sorcerer and scholar, travels to Easthome, the capital of the Weald. There he again meets his friends Shaman Inglis and Locator Oswyl. When the body of a sorceress is found in the woods, Oswyl draws him into another investigation; they must all work together to uncover a mystery mixing magic, murder and the strange realities of Temple demons.

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Review: Mira’s Last Dance

Title: Mira’s Last Dance
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Penric and Desdemona #5
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Novella
Available: Now

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In this sequel to the novella “Penric’s Mission”, the injured Penric, a Temple sorcerer and learned divine, tries to guide the betrayed General Arisaydia and his widowed sister Nikys across the last hundred miles of hostile Cedonia to safety in the Duchy of Orbas. In the town of Sosie the fugitive party encounters unexpected delays, and even more unexpected opportunities and hazards, as the courtesan Mira of Adria, one of the ten dead women whose imprints make up the personality of the chaos demon Desdemona, comes to the fore with her own special expertise.

Fourth novella in the “Penric and Desdemona” series.

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Review: Penric’s Mission

Title: Penric’s Mission
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Penric and Des #4
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Novella
Available: Now

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In his thirtieth year, Penric fell in love with light…

Learned Penric, a sorcerer and divine of the Bastard’s Order, travels across the sea to sunlit Cedonia on his first covert diplomatic mission, to attempt to secure the services of a disaffected Cedonian general for the Duke of Adria.

However, nothing is as it seems: Penric is betrayed and thrown into a dungeon, and worse follows for the general and his kin. Penric’s narrow escapes and adventures — including his interest in a young widow — are told with Bujold’s remarkable energy, wit and humor. Once again, Bujold has created unforgettable characters and a wondrous, often dangerous world of intrigue and sorcery.

Third novella in the Penric and Desdemona series.

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Review: Penric and the Shaman

Title: Penric and the Shaman
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Penric and Des #2 (World of the Five Gods #1.6)
Genre: Fantasy
Length: Novella
Available: Now

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In this NOVELLA set in The World of the Five Gods and four years after the events in “Penric’s Demon”, Penric is a divine of the Bastard’s Order as well as a sorcerer and scholar, living in the palace where the Princess-Archdivine holds court. His scholarly work is interrupted when the Archdivine agrees to send Penric, in his role as sorcerer, to accompany a “Locator” of the Father’s Order, assigned to capture Inglis, a runaway shaman charged with the murder of his best friend. However, the situation they discover in the mountains is far more complex than expected. Penric’s roles as sorcerer, strategist, and counselor are all called upon before the end.

Bujold delivers an astonishing tale that is not soon forgotten.

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