The Assassins of Thasalon

by

4 stars (1 review)

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.

1 edition

reviewed The Assassins of Thasalon by Lois McMaster Bujold

world building and characters more than suspense

4 stars

The world of the Five Gods, with it's interplay of magic an religion and "alternate Mediterranean" feel is an interesting one. One advantage of the novel format is that the author has the space to develop several interesting characters. On the other hand the protagonist is almost too powerful and lucky (luck here has a religious aspect). The outcome was never very much in doubt.

There have been several intervening novellas that I haven't read yet, but there was only one reference that I didn't get.