Scan barcode
kimbeey13's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lorebug's review against another edition
5.0
bujold's writing style is pure comfort and warmth. i am already too attached to penric and desdemona.
iaraya's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cathepsut's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Young Lord Penric and his family are travelling. They come across another travelling party in distress. An elderly lady is dying. Penric goes to help and as the lady dies in his arms, her demon passes on to Penric. Turns out that she was a Divine of the Temple of the Bastard. And Penric has aquired a demon that carries the personalities and voices of the 10 or 12 ladies it has ridden preciously. What is a male teenager to do?
Pretty amusing. I had fun listening to this novella. Grover Gardner did a good job narrating this and gave Desdemona a convincing voice.
Nominated for a Hugo in 2016, this series for now comprises of 12 novellas. I am pretty sure that I will continue at some point. I have not read anything else by Bujold set in this world.
matt4hire's review against another edition
4.0
Penric’s a kid on the road, off to see the girl he’s supposed to marry, when he stops to help an old woman who’s collapsed…and ends up bonded to a demon.
This is my first Lois McMaster Bujold, but it definitely won’t be my last. The two leads are both deceptively interesting (they both seem simple at first), and the writing’s highly accessible. The plot isn’t much, but it’s a novella and it’s the first of like a dozen, so that’s fine. Definitely going to keep going with these.
This is my first Lois McMaster Bujold, but it definitely won’t be my last. The two leads are both deceptively interesting (they both seem simple at first), and the writing’s highly accessible. The plot isn’t much, but it’s a novella and it’s the first of like a dozen, so that’s fine. Definitely going to keep going with these.
bookswithbets's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jonathanpalfrey's review
5.0
This novella is a pleasant fantasy tale that serves to introduce Penric and his world: he meets his demon and starts getting accustomed to her presence. There isn’t time for much else to happen, but the process is in itself quite interesting and amusing; and it’s nice to revisit after you’ve read the sequels. The later novellas in this series have plots that become gradually more complex, but I particularly enjoy the details of this one, even though the overall story is quite simple.
The world seems at first to be the standard fantasy setting: a fictionalized version of our world, with invented geography, peoples, and languages, and a vaguely mediæval level of technology.
The fantasy elements of this world—the gods, demons, and magic—are approximately familiar from other fantasy stories, but the details are novel and seem carefully worked out. So this is after all Bujold’s own world, distinct from all others, and there are things to be learned about it.
Characterization is quite good throughout. There’s a varied cast of characters (especially in the later stories), and the characters are likeable when they’re intended to be.
I’ve reread this a lot, not because the story is particularly fascinating, but simply because it’s so pleasant and amusing to read, and the little details are well conceived.
The world seems at first to be the standard fantasy setting: a fictionalized version of our world, with invented geography, peoples, and languages, and a vaguely mediæval level of technology.
The fantasy elements of this world—the gods, demons, and magic—are approximately familiar from other fantasy stories, but the details are novel and seem carefully worked out. So this is after all Bujold’s own world, distinct from all others, and there are things to be learned about it.
Characterization is quite good throughout. There’s a varied cast of characters (especially in the later stories), and the characters are likeable when they’re intended to be.
I’ve reread this a lot, not because the story is particularly fascinating, but simply because it’s so pleasant and amusing to read, and the little details are well conceived.
stevenyenzer's review
3.0
I’ve only read Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga before this, and I really enjoyed this first sampling.
tani's review
5.0
I'm not a huge fan of novellas - shorter works in general really. A lot of my reading enjoyment comes from a connection with the characters, and usually I can't do that as well with a shorter work. This is one of the exceptions, of course. I started this, thinking I would read it on my lunch breaks at work. Instead, I ended up going home and finishing it.
Penric is a terribly sweet character, and I loved the look at demons that this story gave us. I really enjoyed seeing Penric's unique take on things, and I got really attached to him, and to Desdemona.
My only regret is that I don't get to see more of them! Fingers crossed that this will change someday. ;)
Penric is a terribly sweet character, and I loved the look at demons that this story gave us. I really enjoyed seeing Penric's unique take on things, and I got really attached to him, and to Desdemona.
My only regret is that I don't get to see more of them! Fingers crossed that this will change someday. ;)