Wetdryvac reviewed Penric and the Shaman by Lois McMaster Bujold
Review of 'Penric and the Shaman' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Yep, enjoying the heck out of this series.
Hardcover, 216 pages
English language
Published Feb. 28, 2017 by Subterranean.
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.
Yep, enjoying the heck out of this series.
The second Penric and Desdemona novella; this time Penric (now finished his fast-tracked training and officially working for the princess we briefly met in book 1) is assigned to help Oswyl. Oswyl, colloquially called a "greyjay" is basically that class of holy man who goes around solving murders and judging the guilty in the world of the Five Gods. This time he's tasked with finding a runaway rogue shaman, one accused of murder and who could be a danger to both himself and others if he's out of control. Along the way however, Penric (and therefore Desdemona and Oswyl and possibly others also) are slightly redirected to serve the needs of the Bastard god (the god Penric and Desdemona are sworn to serve). All in all a fun, light-reading fantasy that develops more lore about shamans and how they differ from sorcerors and demons in this world.
After reading Penric and Desdemona just so I could read this my expectations were high. Penric has evolved quite a bit from the awkward young man who has no idea what he stumbled into. He's now a Learned priest and seems to continue to have a good relationship with Desdemona ... he is now a competent sorcerer despite being so young. This could have ended up quite differently - with Penric turning into a Mary Sue. This was averted by adding new POVs to drive the story.
Just like the first this is a quick, fun read. I love the snarky humor that comes through - and it is not always Desdemona speaking.
Favorite quote
"Yours is no better. A god whose harvest of souls includes all those whose last words were 'Ho lads! Hold my ale and watch this!'"
If you like the [b: Penric and Desdemona|25791216|Penric's Demon (Penric …
After reading Penric and Desdemona just so I could read this my expectations were high. Penric has evolved quite a bit from the awkward young man who has no idea what he stumbled into. He's now a Learned priest and seems to continue to have a good relationship with Desdemona ... he is now a competent sorcerer despite being so young. This could have ended up quite differently - with Penric turning into a Mary Sue. This was averted by adding new POVs to drive the story.
Just like the first this is a quick, fun read. I love the snarky humor that comes through - and it is not always Desdemona speaking.
Favorite quote
"Yours is no better. A god whose harvest of souls includes all those whose last words were 'Ho lads! Hold my ale and watch this!'"
If you like the [b: Penric and Desdemona|25791216|Penric's Demon (Penric and Desdemona, #1)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436108514s/25791216.jpg|45642232], a must read. If you haven't read the first, read that one before although this one could be read as a standalone. Concepts are reexplained - although not in too many words as to offend a reader who already knows.