Penric and Desdemona are sent overseas on a mission for the duke. Unfortunately, the duke, and by extension, Penric was setup and the mission is doomed from the start. On the run in a foreign country, Penric and Desdemona will need their combined wit and skill to survive.

I only read the first book in this novella series, so I only knew the basic backstory, with several gaps in the middle. It was enough to jump into this book with. The narrative provided sufficient recaps to summarize whatever major points I'd missed. Basically, it seems like Penric gained some wisdom and experience, but also lost his benefactress and is currently trying to find a new place and purpose for himself. I liked how that affected his character here. He retains his youthful cheerfulness, but you can see that he's matured a lot since the first book.

These novellas are nice short appetizers. They're great for slipping into between other significantly heavier fantasy books. These are light, but good episodic self sufficient novellas that don't really need to be read in chronological order. Desdemona and Penric are an excellent pair. Their friendship, mutual concern for each other, and magic make for a great read.

I accidentally skipped the third Penric novella and read Penric’s Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold, which ends on a semi-cliffhanger that’s continued in volumes five and six, it looks like. I am enjoying this series because Bujold and fascinating worldbuilding; I really love all the implications and explorations of a human sharing a body with an incorporeal being. It’s like Star Trek’s Trill, except with magic powers and no slug!

Penric’s Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold takes the Penric and Desdemona series of novellas to a new level in terms of story complexity, character development, and reader engagement. Where the previous three installments were serviceable enough stories, fun to read, and moved things along in terms of Penric’s progression as a sorcerer, Penric’s Mission allows the character to grow in entirely new ways. Not only does he display a level of confidence I’ve not seen before with his sorcery, but he also builds up enough courage to engage in a bit of romance despite a certain over-protective brother working against him. I received Penric’s Mission via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Bujold did not write the Penric and Desdemona stories in chronological order, though I’ve been reading them as such, ignoring the order in which they were published. Based on information I found on the Chalion Wiki, Penric’s Mission is the fourth novella in the series.

In Penric’s Mission, the titular character finds himself in a far and distant land, working undercover to enlist the aid of a disaffected general. All seems to be going well until Penric is betrayed, thrown into a dungeon, and then sentenced to death. Penric has come a long way since he first met Desdemona, the demon who shares his body in a sort of symbiotic relationship, so he handles this change of fortune with tact and intelligence. Once free, he has the option to flee for his life. Instead, Penric stays on point, putting the mission ahead of his own well-being. It doesn’t hurt one bit that Penric finds himself attracted to the general’s sister. What started as a straightforward mission to secure the aid of a military genius becomes a fight for survival as Penric must face off against his betrayer and the sorcerer who serves him.

Penric’s Mission is a great addition to the Penric and Desdemona series and the first novella to earn a four rocket rating from me. Bujold’s writing style is as captivating as always, but what really sets this book apart from its predecessors is Penric himself, who has matured in terms of both his sorcery and his personality. He still relies on Desdemona’s greater experience and wisdom, but he often shows initiative all on his own now. It’s a refreshing change to his character, one that allows him to grow much more within the span of this one book then I’ve seen previously.

Needless to say, I liked Penric’s Mission and I already have plans to pick up the next book in the series.

Lois McMaster Bujold gives us a high fantasy with low cunning and adventure in Penric's Mission. Penric is commissioned and attempts to rescue General Arisaydia, but is thrown in jail and nearly drowned. Meanwhile the general is blinded for so-called treason and released to his sister. Penric, a demon-ridden sorcorror as well as intriguer, decides to heal and rescue the ex-general with his sister. However, the authorities intervene and the trio have to take to their heels. Of course the trio distrust each other. How will this end? Read and find out.

Just have to love Penric and his crew!

Well that sucks! I was so drawn in to Penric and his happenings that before I knew it I was on the last page. The ending was far too abrupt. I need, indeed must get hold of what happens next!!
Note: I read the sequel (Mira's Last Dance) and am now much happier
Anyway in Mission, Penric enters into a secret diplomatic mission for the Duke of Adri that ends in unmitigated disaster with Penric imprisoned and the future looking grim. Desdemona as usual has a few pithy words to say! A well constructed world that opens up new vistas, with a fitting sense of humor and occasion.
Penric is altogether one of my favorite characters, and here his story just keeps on giving!

A NetGalley ARC

Penric's story continues with this new novella. Some years have passed since we last saw our titular hero and now hee is on a mission in a far away land. It's a covert mission, though, and one which quickly goes foul.

Unlike previous novellas, the story feels like a section of a larger book rather than a self-contained tale. The ending is left surprisingly open, inviting more story and, dare we hope, the potential for a full-length novel on Penric.

The world and writing are as interesting as ever and the story is a pleasure to read. Penric and Des are delightful, especially as Penric is a bit older and more confident in himself. I did wish this was a larger book in order to learn a bit more of the new land we are visiting and the end is a bit unsatisfying. All in all though this is Bujold's typical high quality writing and you really can't go wrong with that.

Review of Penric’s Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold

In the interests of full disclosure, I was sent an ARC of this novella by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. All my reviews, good, bad, or indifferent, are based on my own opinion and from my personal viewpoint. They are also spoiler free.
Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my all-time favorite authors and I will read anything she writes. That being said, she rarely disappoints.
The adventure starts early and continues at a breakneck pace through the end.
Along the way, new characters and a new area are introduced to the World of the Five Gods. Once Madame Nikys Khatai strides boldly onto the stage, she grabs the reins, and never lets loose. Nikys is one of the best characters I have been introduced to in quite some time. She introduces us to sides of Penric and Desdemona we have not yet seen, and has emotional depths yet to be plumbed, I am certain.
A wonderful addition to the Penric tales which explores new territory both geographical and emotional. While it would read reasonably well as a stand-alone story, I recommend you start at the first tale Penric’s Demon and catch up. It will be worth your time.
I give it 5 stars.

Book Review Rating System
1 star Not even worth the $1 at the used bookstore
2 stars Worth the $1
3 stars Worth the time to read
4 stars Good book! Earns bookshelf space
5 stars Great book! Start hunt for more books by this author

Loved this one. Possibly my favorite book from the "Five Gods" world (I also really liked the 2nd Chalion book). This novella was everything I've wanted int he previous Penric books but never really got. There's really interesting characters, an exciting plot, a bit of romance and we get to see Pen and Des using their magic. This one was action packed and kept me up until 1:30am turning pages - it was reminiscent of some of the Vorkosigan books. I was reminded again why I love Bujold so much.

I got this ebook for free from Netgalley - although I'm not sure why it was available there since it isn't a new release. Maybe it's because there was a new Penric novella that came out recently - the 6th novella, but directly related to the story line here.

Penric’s Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These Penric novels are getting very good. Bastard be praised. :)

We've seen Penric grow as a person and a cleric/sorcerer and now he has eleven years of Desdemona inside his flesh. I love how he's struck off on his own (for very persuasive reasons) doing spywork for a Duke.

So of course, it perfectly follows that this should be a tight and fun novella about magically healing a soldier's wounds and beginning a romance with the soldier's sister. I can see it! :) Plus it gets rather exciting but not for the whole romance thing. There's still some other kinds of action going on here. :)

For everyone not in the know, this takes place in the universe of Chalion by the wonderful Bujold, focusing delightfully on the life and inner life of a disciple of the Bastard God. He was unwilling at first, but it is really fascinating to read how a boy learns to make friends with twelve demons who've been skinwalking for over two hundred years in other disciples.

Flash forward a bit and Penric is fine in his own skin. He has a great working relationship with his demons (collectively called Desdemona) and dare I say it, a good friendship. Penric is also insanely powerful, but he generally keeps that to himself. He's rather a quirky and nerdy delight. His idiotic fumbling with women can only get better when the demon starts talking to her. :) I loved it.

No spoilers, but I had a great time! :) It doesn't necessarily need to be read with all the other Penric novellas, but I like a sense of progression. :)

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC!

This novella was the first in the series for me to read. Despite that, it was easy to follow the story without being confused about past events.
Penric and his demon, Desdemona, are on a secret mission that turns out to be not so secret after all. Alone and not sure who to trust, they must decide to finish the mission or abandon it. However, completing the mission comes with its own set of complications.
Desdemona is a delight, the voice of wisdom with a bit of mischief thrown in. Penric is not the typical good mage who can do no wrong, when needs be he does what he must to a certain extent.
The other two characters, Nikys and Adelis, allow the reader an outside glimpse of Penric and Desdemona. Siblings, they are protective of each other and not too sure about trusting Penric in the beginning.
Filled with magic and political intrigue, those who like their fantasy with a bit of mystery and a few laughs will enjoy this.
This book made me want to read the other books in series, to follow Penric on his other adventures. The only thing I did not like too much was the ending, it felt incomplete to me the way it finished.

This E-ARC was provided to me via Netgalley for free in exchange for a honest review.

A Great Fantasy Series

"Penric's Mission" was the first story with Penric and his demon Desdemona, that I have read. I was not aware, that there were others before. This I learned only having read and enjoyed this one. So I can tell you first hand, that this story is a good starting point.
The learned Penric is a sorcerer and that means he builds a team with a demon (Desdemona) that inhabits his body. Both work together and trust each other, they are cooperating for a long time.

In this story Penric is on a secret mission. On behalf of of the Duke of Adria they should convince general Arisaydia of Cedonia to work for the Duke.
But the mission is not as secret as it should be and so Penric is placed in jail, while the general is blinded with acid.
The story tells of their escape, together with Nikys. the twin sister of the general, and of the beginning love between Penric and Nickys.

The story telling is great and there is only one problem. While the current problems get solved some others are still open, when the story ends (read: there is a cliffhanger)
So I was quite happy to see, that the story is continued with "Mira's Last Dance", that's already available for reading.

An excellent read, as one would expect from Lois McMaster Bujold.

5/5

Penric’s Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold is the third Penric novella that I’ve read, after Penric's Demon and Penric and the Shaman. I haven’t read any of the novels set in the same world. I mistakenly thought Penric’s Mission was chronologically third in the Penric series and then was very confused when it was set about ten years after the previous Penric novella I’d read. Turns out it was the third to be published, not the third chronologically. Whoops! Bujold’s non-chronological writing strikes again!

Learned Penric, a sorcerer and divine of the Bastard’s Order, travels across the sea to sunlit Cedonia on his first covert diplomatic mission, to attempt to secure the services of a disaffected Cedonian general for the Duke of Adria. However, nothing is as it seems: Penric is betrayed and thrown into a dungeon, and worse follows for the general and his kin. Penric’s narrow escapes and adventures — including his interest in a young widow — are told with Bujold’s remarkable energy, wit and humor. Once again, Bujold has created unforgettable characters and a wondrous, often dangerous world of intrigue and sorcery. Third novella in the Penric and Desdemona series.

Aside from my confusion as to what number book I was reading, I mostly enjoyed Penric’s Mission. I didn’t love it, though, and it’s probably my least favourite Penric book so far. It felt like it was bridging two parts of Penric’s life, but without much knowledge of the earlier part, I suspect some of the significance was lost on me. Last time I encountered Penric, he was still new. Now, ten years later, not only does he better know what he’s doing, but he’s coming from a bunch of history unfamiliar to me. We get some reminiscences which do explain how Penric got to where he was at the start of the story, but they come later in the story. I felt like more context at the start would have been helpful (and maybe would have existed if I read a chronologically earlier book first).

Penric’s Mission follows Penric while he’s been instructed to recruit a general who had been corresponding with the duke Penric is currently working for. But as soon as Penric arrives in the city, he’s arrested and, it turns out, the general has been arrested too. The questions of who betrayed Penric and why are less pressing than his immediate survival. By the time we find out the answers, they don’t seem that relevant anymore. I didn’t feel there was a very satisfying answer to “why is any of this happening?” especially since we learned Penric’s motivations so late in the story.

None of which is to say I didn’t enjoy the book, just that it could have been more enjoyable. I still fully intend to keep reading Penric stories and I especially hope we can fill in some more of the ten years that got skipped between this novella and the last.

I actually don’t think this novella is a terrible place to start reading Penric, for all that I said above. A new reader coming to it wouldn’t have much less information than I did and is likely to be less frustrated by time jumps they know nothing about. The story does not rely on any prior knowledge to work as a stand-alone. The only reason I’d particularly suggest starting with the earlier books is because I liked them more, but otherwise I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Penric’s Mission to fans of fantasy who are looking for a shorter read.

4 / 5 stars

First published: 2016, self-published (my edition: November 2017, Subterranean Press)
Series: Penric and Desdemona, #3 in publication order of 6ish so far
Format read: eARC (PDF)
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Enjoyable entry into the Penric series, with a fun outsider perspective of Penric's behavior from someone who does not know what's going on. Very reminiscent of other romances that Bujold writes but in a pretty slow-burn kind of way. If you liked Caz & Beatriz or Miles & Ekaterin, you will enjoy this installment. Wish they were longer and a bit meatier.

Learned Penric has been living together with his embedded Shaman Desdemona since more than ten years in the World of Five Gods. They are an established team, know how to work with each other, having survived several adventures - as described in "Penric's Demon" or "Penric and the Shaman" - and probably don't expect many surprises.

This time, Penric travels undercover on behalf of the Duke of Adria to the mediterranean country Cedonia in order to win over famous general Arisaydia. As a personal mission, he develops a relationship to the general's widowed sister Nikys. The undercover part didn't last long, and the whole mission seems to go downhills, develops into a race and rescue mission.

I found the first novella in this series better, maybe because it was more surprising and more full of banters between Pen and Des. But as part of the series, it is worthwhile reading, as it expands the details and backgrounds of spiritual and theological reasoning once again. Also, the relationship gets a new dimension, when Pen starts to fall in love: How would you feel when a couple of elderly women watch and comment on your advances? I just love the complexity of their characters, and besides of that Bujold's story telling is excellent.

You don't need to read the novels in the series or other novellas from Penric, but I recommend reading the first installation "Penric's Demon" for a general introduction to the main character's background, because it would be too confusing otherwise. Note that there is already a followup novella "Mira's Last Dance" which picks up this story and characters exactly where they where left off. That's why I can forgive the small cliffhanger and open ended finish of this novella.

Subterranean publisher does a very fine job of producing dead tree editions of this series. I'd like to have it just to place it in my bookshelf besides my copies of Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls. We only have to wait a year after each publication, to get it in this preferred form. So, if you want to collect the series, it is very worthwhile and constantly expanded.

I received a free ebook copy of this story from NetGalley.

Many other reviewers have offered good synopses, and I won't repeat their efforts here.

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I have not read the previous books in this series, although I did read the much-earlier novels set in this particular fantasy world. I have also read Bujold's entire Vorkosigan saga multiple times, so I very much appreciate this author's skills.

Despite not having read Penric's earlier adventures, it was not at all difficult to figure out that he carries a "demon" who talks to him all the time and gives him powers and abilities that he would not otherwise have. In this story, Penric manages a quite ingenious escape from imprisonment, and then heals a blinded man, mostly while on the run. He also starts to fall in love with the blinded man's sister along the way.

The story was as enjoyable as most of the other Bujold works that I've read, and I will have to make room on my to-be-read list for Penric's earlier adventures.

Lois McMaster Bujold is probably my favorite author. "Penric's Mission" is a fun novella continuing the story of Learned Penric and his daemon Desdmona. Penric goes on a secret mission but is betrayed. He is also thrown into the warm and ample bosom of young widow Nikys Khatai who is intent on rescuing her brother disgraced General Arisaydia.

I received a review copy of "Penric's Mission" by Lois McMaster Bujold (Subterranean) through NetGalley.com.

The third novella in the Penric & Desdemona series features a new challenge for Penric - palace intrigue! And, a romantic interest! We’ve now skipped ahead another handful of years, and Penric has been loaned to the Duke of Adria, who has sent him on a secret mission to hire a Cedonian general. Only, of course, Penric (and Desdemona) have barely set foot in Cedonia when he’s arrested as a spy. Soon Penric discovers he’s in an even bigger mess than he imagined, and Penric being Penric, he decides it’s his responsibility to fix it - sometimes in very hilarious ways (like giving a theology lecture to an attacker who Desdemona half-buried in a landslide).

Bujold excels at tightly-wrapped plots and amazing characterization. Penric and his demon have a fascinating relationship - part best friends and part older sister / younger brother. Adelis, the Cedonian general, and his sister, Nikys, are wonderful additions to the series, and provide an opportunity to give a “Sorcerer 101” course to anyone who’s just picking up these books, but, please, don’t short yourself! Read the other ones first!

Half of the fun of these novellas is watching Penric and Desdemona’s relationship evolve, and at discovering the events that have happened between books. However, due to the abrupt end of the story, I certainly hope Ms. Bujold decides to pick up right where she left off!

Reading Ms. Bujold’s work is always a pleasure. Recommended for anyone who loves well-written fantasy with a fully developed world, humor, and amazing characters.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great short story, most author's have trouble make a short story well fleshed and engaging but not this one!!

Penric and Desdemona try their hand(s?) at diplomacy and are negatively rewarded for their efforts. This sets of a chain of events that is gruesome and terrible. Penric attempts to rectify things for Adelis and his sister Nikys.

"What did it say that Nikys had better luck getting a straight answer from a chaos demon than a man? Nothing new, more's the pity. "Desdemona, what's really going on? Tell me!"

I am totally #TeamDesdemona <3

"He would not have lived long." A pause. "And he would have died in all the lingering agony I could arrange." Pen wondered if that was how a chaos demon said I love you."