A thoughtful and immersive read that blends emotion with strong world-building. The pacing was uneven at times, but the characters kept me engaged.

A great reintroduction to a character I have been reading for quite some time. Penric and his demon of disorder Desdemona encounter a bandit Roz fleeing his previous life and crimes and they try to figure out if he truly wants to change his life and they try to help him on this journey. It's a lovely novella. It feels like catching up with an old friend after not seeing them for a few years.

Interesting. Both are making judgements as they travel together. Treasure is not what one expects. How will it end?

Another great read from Lois McMaster Bujold in the Penric series. I always look forward to these, and can't wait to see how the series continues. Love the characters, and the stories and pacing are great too. #PenricandtheBandit #NetGalley

Los McMaster Bujold's Penric series is a delight and Penric and the Bandit is no exception. While venturing into the countryside in search of lost relics, Penric becomes entangled with first, a bandit, and then rather more than one. While Penric looks like easy pickings, he is always more than her seems, thanks to both native intelligence and the powerful presence of Desdamona, his conjoined demon. This is a nice story about redemption (a common Bujold theme) with adventure and clever dialogue along the way. I liked that the viewpoint is shared between the bandit and Penric, which makes for a more interesting story; it is always fun to see outsider try to mentally grapple with Penric and Desdamona. The novelette/novella is a great length for these Penric gems and I hope the series continues.

Thanks to the excellent Subterranean Press and NetGalley for an Earl in exchange for a fair review.