Penric's Fox

Lois McMaster Bujold always delivers! Another great story in the the saga of Penric, the sorcerer, and Desdemona, his chaos demon. The only downside was that it wasn't available on Audible, as I prefer audiobooks, forcing me to listen to it from the Kindle app and less than satisfactory electronic voice.

Another well conceived world peopled by protagonists one can not help but want to know better. One advantage of "losing" sight of her work for too many years is that I can just go buy the next book in the series-which I am going to do right now.

Not Bujold's best work, or even her best Penric, but still absolutely delightful, with characters, scenes and dialogue that have a nuance and playfulness that LMB uses so precisely that it is seamless. Four stars on Bujold would be five for most other writers.

Highly predictable book, still it's OK. After carefully reading 1/3 of the book, stop expecting any surprises. Whatsmore, something really interesting (the fate of the demon and it's carrier) will not be shown.

Lois McMaster Bujold is a consummate author, with solid, interesting plot lines and characters, interwoven with a great sense of humor. Her tales of Penric and Desdemona are so much fun to read! And always leave me looking forward to her next tale.

Penric the Sorcerer and Inglis the Shaman are recruited by Locator (think Police Inspector) Oswyl to help him out with a murder investigation. A temple sorceress has been found dead, and the demon who gave her powers is missing. Sorcerers being notoriously hard to kill and demons being agents of chaos let loose into the world, these are worrying events.

Chronologically the third novella in Bujold's Penric and Desdemona series, Penric's Fox focuses more on the World of the Five Gods than it does on the characters, and I think a person who's read the rest of the Chalion books will have a better idea of the significance of what's happening here than one who doesn't. It's interesting to note how the world has gone from having barely any shamans in The Hallowed Hunt to establishing a Shaman training academy, and Bujold handles the story of murder and revenge with her customary inclination towards justice and compassion.

This particular Penric & Desdemona novella jumps back to a little less than a year after my personal favorite of his novellas, Penric and the Shaman, so I was overjoyed to see Oswyl (the detective) and Inglis (the shaman) again. It was a bit jarring to go from much more – uh – Learned *snicker* Penric of Mira’s Last Dance to this more innocent and somewhat more bumbling version. And as always, Ms. Bujold approaches a new tangle in the World of the Five Gods with lots of wit and intelligence. I suppose you could read this as a standalone, as I think there’s enough background given to get the gist of the story, but just do yourself a favor and read from the beginning. If you’re a fan of smart, witty fantasy, you’ll be hooked.

"Penric wondered if their Beasts had been matched to their persons in advance, or if the young shamans had taken on aspects of their possessions after acquiring them. Aspirants worked in the menagerie for some time before being paired with their powers, Inglis had mentioned, so perhaps it was more a matter of the two compatible spirits finding each other. Like a person and their god.
Or their demon, Des put in, slyly.
So what does that reveal about me?
You possess the Bastard’s own luck?
Eee. And then wondered how literally true that might be."

This is essentially a basic murder mystery, but the Bujoldian tangle is that the murdered woman was a sorceress. While it’s Oswyl’s job to investigate her murder, Penric is roped in to deal with all the little demonic details, like, oh, the small matter of where did the demon go after her host’s death? Nothing makes sense, initially. Learned Magal, while a grown woman, was a fairly new sorceress, was well liked by pretty much everyone, and had no reason to be where she was found murdered. But as they investigate more, the pieces start to fit together, and let’s just say it’s a good thing that Penric is on the scene! Besides the mystery, we also get a to meet more shamans, and get more insight into Penric’s relationship with the Princess-Archdivine, and a bunch of cute foxes. Plus, more Oswyl, whom I simply adore. I swear, I would read an entire series of just him solving cases!

As usual with Ms. Bujold’s work, highly recommended!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In the sequel to Penric and the Shaman, Penric and Desdemona team up with Inglis and Oswyl to figure out why a sorceress has been struck down in the depths of the woods and by whom. Penric and the others must find a fox that has escaped with the sorceress’s demon before woodsmen slaughter it in an ill-timed campaign to clear the woods of foxes.

Why would someone dare to kill a sorceress knowing her demon would try to jump to someone nearby? Or was there canniness to the fatal arrow that forced the demon to enter a lower beast? Bujold carves a path through her constructed world, meshing magic, demons, and the murder of a well-regarded woman in this newest Penric mystery.

The Penric novellas are less manic than Bujold’s other series. They’re often a seemingly bucolic ramble through whatever wilderness of human intrigue Bujold is mapping for us. That said, the world-building is rich, the characters complex, and the magic and mysteries fascinating. As usual, Bujold reveals much about the human condition, with all its strengths and frailties, while keeping us entertained and focused on her sleight of hand.

My only con for this book is that Bujold keeps convincing me to pay for these novellas, which are rather small installments, compared to her Vorkosigan novels. I suppose the blame is on me for my addiction, but I would dearly love to see all the Penric novels in an omnibus or two for newcomers to the series.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Spoiler-ific review

Lois McMaster Bujold flexes her literary muscles once again in this masterful display of short form prose. ‘Penric’s Fox’ is a mystery story not dissimilar from a Golden Age of Mystery mystery story, a la Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Focusing on a non-magical plot, this book triumphs where ‘Penric and the Shaman’ coasted. With clearly understandable motives by both heroes and villains, we are able to fully comprehend what is going on in this plot.

Bujold is probably one of the best fantasy authors alive writing the English language. Having recently made the jump from long form novels to short form novellas, her initial short work was not quite up to par when compared to her previously produced materials. ‘The Curse of Chalion’ and ‘Paladin of Souls,’ in my opinion, were some of the best fantasy books ever printed and ‘The Hallowed Hunt’ was no slouch either. ‘Penric’s Fox,’ set in the same setting as those books, compares positively despite its short length. With strong plotting and a focus on characterization, the ‘Penric’ series has become a serial series I am looking forward to more and more with each release.

Now for some constructive criticism. Beware minor spoilers ahead! For all the fact that this was a competent mystery novella, it lacked surprise. There were no twists in the plot which are not heavily forecasted, and neither were there any red herrings which one would expect in a mystery novel. Am I picky because I read a lot of mystery books? Probably. But I think this novella could’ve been improved by making the ending not quite so predictable. Part of the fun of a mystery novel is the suspense of the unknown, which this book was light in.

Stay sunny!

Eight months have passed since the events in Penric and the Shaman, and Learned Penric is in Easthome, where in between his duties to the Princess-Archdivine, he's visiting with his friends, Shaman Inglis and Locator Oswyl. Unfortunately, their planned day of fishing is interrupted when a sorceress's body is found in the woods. As awful as the death itself is, the question of who killed her is matched by an equally appalling question: What has happened to her demon?

Penric continues to grow, as a sorcerer and as a divine, and continues to break new ground in ways his superiors don't necessarily expect. There's a lot to explore in this world of sorcerers, shamans, and gods who from time to time take an active hand in the world. Unlike many fantasy worlds, this one has a religion that isn't just a cheap knockoff of Christianity, whether portrayed positively or negatively. Bujold has put thought, work, and probably research into constructing a convincingly different religion, and doesn't treat believers as gullible fools.

I'm looking forward to reading his later adventures.

I'm going with internal chronological order, as Bujold recommends, rather than publication order. Which you do is a matter of personal preference and, except for the first two, shouldn't involve many spoilers.

I bought this book.

I got this book for free on Netgalley for the purpose of review.

Spoiler-ific review

Lois McMaster Bujold flexes her literary muscles once again in this masterful display of short form prose. 'Penric's Fox' is a mystery story not dissimilar from a Golden Age of Mystery mystery story, a la Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Focusing on a non-magical plot, this book triumphs where 'Penric and the Shaman' coasted. With clearly understandable motives by both heroes and villains, we are able to fully comprehend what is going on in this plot.

Bujold is probably one of the best fantasy authors alive writing the English language. Having recently made the jump from long form novels to short form novellas, her initial short work was not quite up to par when compared to her previously produced materials. 'The Curse of Chalion' and 'Paladin of Souls,' in my opinion, were some of the best fantasy books ever printed and 'The Hallowed Hunt' was no slouch either. 'Penric's Fox,' set in the same setting as those books, compares positively despite its short length. With strong plotting and a focus on characterization, the 'Penric' series has become a serial series I am looking forward to more and more with each release.

Now for some constructive criticism. Beware minor spoilers ahead! For all the fact that this was a competent mystery novella, it lacked surprise. There were no twists in the plot which are not heavily forecasted, and neither were there any red herrings which one would expect in a mystery novel. Am I picky because I read a lot of mystery books? Probably. But I think this novella could've been improved by making the ending not quite so predictable. Part of the fun of a mystery novel is the suspense of the unknown, which this book was light in.

Stay sunny!

This yet-another (not that I'm complaining) Penric novella chronologically takes place a little bit of time after Penric and the Shaman. Similar to the Shaman story, this one also is a bit of a whodunnit though with a limited set of clues and possible suspects.

For me this is the best novella in the series, primarily because it all takes place in a very concentrated area and moves at a slow, almost languid pace. I've never felt Penric is a big action hero and prefer the slower pace, almost "slice of life" quality in this one.

The more I read of the Penric series the more I like it. It has a pleasant feel to it and has a feel of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Ms. Bujold is accomplished an author enough not needing to prove anything anymore and writes with confidence and poise. There's no exposition, no bizarre plot twists or excessive edginess - at this point of her career she can write for herself and this is a good thing.

This yet-another (not that I'm complaining) Penric novella chronologically takes place a little bit of time after Penric and the Shaman. Similar to the Shaman story, this one also is a bit of a whodunnit though with a limited set of clues and possible suspects.

For me this is the best novella in the series, primarily because it all takes place in a very concentrated area and moves at a slow, almost languid pace. I've never felt Penric is a big action hero and prefer the slower pace, almost "slice of life" quality in this one.

The more I read of the Penric series the more I like it. It has a pleasant feel to it and has a feel of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Ms. Bujold is accomplished an author enough not needing to prove anything anymore and writes with confidence and poise. There's no exposition, no bizarre plot twists or excessive edginess - at this point of her career she can write for herself and this is a good thing.

This book continues with the characters introduced in the second book. This time it is a murder mystery in which Penric, the shaman, and the locator combine to solve using their unique talents.

The acquisition of shamanistic abilities by Penric probably risks him turning into a Mary Sue. I would have thought having Desdermona would have been a sufficient source of power.

I thought the author's foray into a murder mystery was done well.

In my opinion not quite on par with the other stories, though that may be related to the fact that it's been a while since I read Penric #2, so I wasn't as familiar with some of the characters as I might have been if I'd read them back to back.

Still, it's always good to spend more time with Pen and Des, seeing how they develop and grow together over time. I also enjoyed seeing more of Inglis and Oswyl as well as meeting new characters.

Overall there were enough moments that had me grinning out loud. :)

Another lovely short story in the Penric's saga. This one chronologically fits in as the third story of the now six available. Thus to follow the story, the later Penric stories are not needed. That said, go and read them anyway, because all of them are very good reads, and the now 6 of them give a wonderful view of the World of the Five Gods in a time period between that of 'The Hallowed Hunt' and the two "Chalion' books.