Penric’s Demon

Bujold (Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen) returns to her World of the Five Gods universe with a novella filled with a satisfying blend of strong characters and wry humor. Lord Penric kin Jurald is a younger son of a minor noble house whose life is radically altered on his way to his betrothal. On the road to Greenwell Town, he volunteers his assistance to a dying Temple Divine (a kind of priestess). As the Divine passes away, Desdemona, the demon dwelling within her, leaps into Penric. With the unexpected acquisition of a demon, Pen becomes a sorcerer and now must travel to Martensbridge, where the Divine’s order is located, to make an account of what occurred and, if possible, come to terms with the demon within. The demon has had 12 previous hosts, making it powerful and a very desired commodity. Bujold creates a good-hearted, if somewhat naive, 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. (July)