Penric's Fox

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.

I’ve loved Lois McMaster Bujold’s World of the Five Gods ever since I picked up a copy of The Curse of Chalion. This novella follows the adventures of a sorcerer-scholar (Penric) and his resident chaos demon (Desdemona) as they encounter a murder mystery. In this world, chaos demons bestow various powers upon their hosts and carry the personalities of those hosts as they shift from one to the other when each host dies. The mystery centers of the death of a sorceress and the absence of any trace of her demon, since no other human was nearby at the time of her passing. Where has the demon gone? Throw in a handful of utterly charming shamans, as well as other nicely depicted secondary characters, and the result is a delightful novella, just the right length to both savor the world and move the plot along nicely. When’s the next one coming out?