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Start giftingPenric’s Demon
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Learn moreOn his way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric comes upon a riding accident with an elderly lady on the ground, her maidservant and guardsmen distraught. As he approaches to help, he discovers that the lady is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her avowed god is the Bastard, “master of all disasters out of season,” and with her dying breath she bequeaths her mysterious powers to Penric. From that moment on, Penric’s life is irreversibly changed, and his life is in danger from those who envy or fear him.
Set in the fantasy world of the author’s acclaimed novels The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, and The Hallowed Hunt, this novella has the depth of characterization and emotional complexity that distinguishes Bujold’s work.
Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the most honored writers in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. In 2019 she was named a Damon Knight Grand Master by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, one of science fiction’s highest honors. She has won seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. In 2011 she was awarded the Skylark Award for her significant contribution to science fiction. Hugo awards for Best Series were received by the Vorkosigan Saga in 2017, and the World of the Five Gods in 2018.
Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.
Reviews
“Bujold again captivates with rich characterizations, fascinating world-building, and tense conflict. This story is novella length, and the greatest disappointment a reader may have in it is that it is too short and ends a bit abruptly; this by no means detracts from the worthiness of the story. Fans of the Chalion tales will again be drawn in by the intrigue of the religious dynamics, the fantasy aspects of the ‘magic,’ and the complexity of character that Bujold is so masterful at creating.”
“Bujold returns to her World of the Five Gods universe with a novella filled with a satisfying blend of strong characters and wry humor…Bujold creates a goodhearted, if somewhat naïve, fellow in Penric and a fascinating, multivoiced character in Desdemona. The banter between the two and the bizarre situation that Penric finds himself in add levity to this fantasy road story.”
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