lagobond's review against another edition
4.0
YES! This is what I have been waiting for, after 3 Penric & Desdemona books here was the one that was a fun, easy, captivating read from beginning to end. Lots of adventure and feeling. And a nice big dose of Bujold's sharp-witted humor. I love it!
kimu's review against another edition
5.0
2021 reread: so many fun & memorable sections to this one.
tjwallace04's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think "Penric's Mission" was my favorite of the Penric and Desdemona books yet! I love how we have seen Penric mature from a hapless, awkward youth to a calm, collected man of power (temple sorcerer!), but his gentle kindness has not changed. Also, we learned in this book that Penric is...hot? 😅 I hadn't really made that connection previously, but I am glad to hear it. 😂
In this entry in the series, Penric and Desdemona (the chaos demon that lives in his brain) visit Cedonia on a secret diplomatic errand, and... absolutely nothing goes as planned. With his head cracked open, Penric is dropped in a dungeon, and his contacts in Cedonia are in equal trouble. Can he escape and help repair the collateral damage caused by his failure? If you know Penric, then you know he will selflessly try.
These books are so fun, and I love Bujold's wry humor. Penric and Desdemona's internal chatter is charming - like a married couple but with a demonic spin! And "Penric's Mission" was probably the most lively plot of the series so far - daring escapes, miraculous healing, and chase sequences, oh my! Plus a whiff of romance and a bit of a cliffhanger ending. I am looking forward to reading the next novella!
In this entry in the series, Penric and Desdemona (the chaos demon that lives in his brain) visit Cedonia on a secret diplomatic errand, and... absolutely nothing goes as planned. With his head cracked open, Penric is dropped in a dungeon, and his contacts in Cedonia are in equal trouble. Can he escape and help repair the collateral damage caused by his failure? If you know Penric, then you know he will selflessly try.
These books are so fun, and I love Bujold's wry humor. Penric and Desdemona's internal chatter is charming - like a married couple but with a demonic spin! And "Penric's Mission" was probably the most lively plot of the series so far - daring escapes, miraculous healing, and chase sequences, oh my! Plus a whiff of romance and a bit of a cliffhanger ending. I am looking forward to reading the next novella!
thinde's review against another edition
4.0
On the surface, this story seems to be a departure from the mild and simple mysteries that Penric has led us through before. There's spying, political intrigue, torture, chases, and most improbably -- romance. But at its heart is still the same kind and generous Penric. That's what keeps me coming back.
bibliophilicwitch's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As always, too short and I will immediately dive into the next until I am out of Hoopla borrows for the month 😅
kiiouex's review against another edition
4.0
this series is becoming an expensive discovery
anyway I like this one in Particular - this book is GROSS let's be clear there is a lot of body horror but it's also hard to look away from y'know
anyway Penric has a great arc in this one, it goes off the rails so fast and never rights itself, I'm expecting the next one is a direct sequel?? but I need to backtrack to Masquerade OOPS
anyway I like this one in Particular - this book is GROSS let's be clear there is a lot of body horror but it's also hard to look away from y'know
anyway Penric has a great arc in this one, it goes off the rails so fast and never rights itself, I'm expecting the next one is a direct sequel?? but I need to backtrack to Masquerade OOPS
relthelittlemerm's review
adventurous
medium-paced
4.5
This has been my favorite of the series so far!
klettie's review against another edition
5.0
I’m back to singing Lois McMaster Bujold’s praises!
While technically separate novellas, Penric’s Mission and Mira’s Last Dance are continuations of the same story and so I lump them together as one fabulous book — so fabulous that they are, put together, my favorite books in the Penric & Desdemona series (so far — perhaps LMB has even more in store for me). While my review below is all about fEeLiNgS, keep in mind that these books are well written and hilarious to boot.
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Check out my blog!
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In case you aren’t up to speed, I recommend you start with Penric’s Demon, then proceed to Penric and the Shaman before hitting Penric’s Mission. These stories build on each other, our understanding of the world of the five gods, and Penric’s character.
Without further ado:
1) The Penric we meet in Penric’s Mission is an actualized version of him where he is self aware and also comfortable in his skin and his abilities. Let’s face it: I have a huge crush on Penric, starting in Penric’s Mission. It is a total delight to read about Penric in this context. He is gentle, thoughtful, and supremely competent. He cannot help but do good, even at his own expense. He is calm, and never brought to anger. We see the character he has developed — has had to develop — to stay in control of Desdemona, and it both strong and yielding. While he could be a Mary Stu, he is not: instead, he has unfulfilled desires and internal conflicts that he must navigate differently because of this grand charge of destiny he has been burdened with (Desdemona) which make his story rich.
2) Penric’s emotional turbulence around his ability to heal is perfect for our moment in history and highly relatable. When the stories start, we learn in pieces that Penric has run away from being a physician sorcerer, and we don’t completely understand why. Hints are doled out piecemeal until we get the full story: I loved reading this account that was so congruous with how so many people are feeling today. Plus it gave Penric a realistic flaw that just made him more lovable.
3) While Penric is a constant through the series, it’s the play with gender that puts these two novellas over the top for me (in a good way). Bujold has, for me, a hugely varied record on gender in her stories. On one hand, she wrote Barrayar, which I thought was a phenomenal treatise on how gender is produced by society. On the other hand, every Miles Vorkosigan book presents a new love interest. Penric, a man, is invested with Desdemona, a demon with various womens’ personalities. We’re told over and over again that typically a female-hosted demon traditionally only invests in women. In Mira’s Last Dance, the relevance of Desdemona’s femininity is highlighted when Mira, a courtesan personality of Desdemona’s, takes over Penric’s body to get our leading trio out of a sticky situation.I loved these dynamics and the complexity of characterization and decision-making they introduced.
4) We skip over Penric’s training — and it’s an excellent omission. Authors don’t get enough credit for what they choose to skip, and I’ll try to rectify that here. By skipping the training phase, Bujold gives us the tension of Penric’s mystery time as a physician mage while also skipping over the training montages. We also get to see Penric all grown up which oddly tells us far more about the intervening period than actually reading what happened would have. Very parsimonious on narrative, and highly effective.
5) Penric doesn’t know what to do next — and he doesn’t have some grand motivating arc that pushes him along. Like all of us. Most books can’t get away with this. Bujold gets away with it in this series so far by basically saying that Penric will go where destiny aka the Bastard calls him. If Penric’s there, he’s supposed to be there. He has no idea where he’s supposed to be, though — so when he’s called on to make decisions about where to go next, he’s vague and often himself confused and more often than not references his precious books which he left at home and doesn’t want his patron to sell. Again, can I say: Relatable! It’s so nice to read about a hero who has no real idea what kind of heroism he is pulling off. It wouldn’t work but for Bujold’s well-executed worldbuilding and prose.
Novellas are having a moment, as I keep saying, and Penric and Desdemona are oddly perfect for this moment in history. They are warm-hearted, light, well-written, and short tales that you can read in one sitting. They will leave you with a smile, but better than that they will leave you feeling (if you are like me) heard.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
While technically separate novellas, Penric’s Mission and Mira’s Last Dance are continuations of the same story and so I lump them together as one fabulous book — so fabulous that they are, put together, my favorite books in the Penric & Desdemona series (so far — perhaps LMB has even more in store for me). While my review below is all about fEeLiNgS, keep in mind that these books are well written and hilarious to boot.
-----
Check out my blog!
-----
In case you aren’t up to speed, I recommend you start with Penric’s Demon, then proceed to Penric and the Shaman before hitting Penric’s Mission. These stories build on each other, our understanding of the world of the five gods, and Penric’s character.
Without further ado:
1) The Penric we meet in Penric’s Mission is an actualized version of him where he is self aware and also comfortable in his skin and his abilities. Let’s face it: I have a huge crush on Penric, starting in Penric’s Mission. It is a total delight to read about Penric in this context. He is gentle, thoughtful, and supremely competent. He cannot help but do good, even at his own expense. He is calm, and never brought to anger. We see the character he has developed — has had to develop — to stay in control of Desdemona, and it both strong and yielding. While he could be a Mary Stu, he is not: instead, he has unfulfilled desires and internal conflicts that he must navigate differently because of this grand charge of destiny he has been burdened with (Desdemona) which make his story rich.
2) Penric’s emotional turbulence around his ability to heal is perfect for our moment in history and highly relatable. When the stories start, we learn in pieces that Penric has run away from being a physician sorcerer, and we don’t completely understand why. Hints are doled out piecemeal until we get the full story:
Spoiler
that Penric’s abilities were so incredible he was given only the most challenging cases, which more often than not he failed to heal. Before we get the full story, we the readers wonder if there was an inciting incident. But there wasn’t, particularly — Penric just suffers extreme professional burnout, to the point that he considers suicide.3) While Penric is a constant through the series, it’s the play with gender that puts these two novellas over the top for me (in a good way). Bujold has, for me, a hugely varied record on gender in her stories. On one hand, she wrote Barrayar, which I thought was a phenomenal treatise on how gender is produced by society. On the other hand, every Miles Vorkosigan book presents a new love interest. Penric, a man, is invested with Desdemona, a demon with various womens’ personalities. We’re told over and over again that typically a female-hosted demon traditionally only invests in women. In Mira’s Last Dance, the relevance of Desdemona’s femininity is highlighted when Mira, a courtesan personality of Desdemona’s, takes over Penric’s body to get our leading trio out of a sticky situation.
Spoiler
Penric is incredibly successful masquerading as a woman — so successful his love interest finds it off-putting, because it shows her just how much Penric isn’t just a “he” but a “them.”4) We skip over Penric’s training — and it’s an excellent omission. Authors don’t get enough credit for what they choose to skip, and I’ll try to rectify that here. By skipping the training phase, Bujold gives us the tension of Penric’s mystery time as a physician mage while also skipping over the training montages. We also get to see Penric all grown up which oddly tells us far more about the intervening period than actually reading what happened would have. Very parsimonious on narrative, and highly effective.
5) Penric doesn’t know what to do next — and he doesn’t have some grand motivating arc that pushes him along. Like all of us. Most books can’t get away with this. Bujold gets away with it in this series so far by basically saying that Penric will go where destiny aka the Bastard calls him. If Penric’s there, he’s supposed to be there. He has no idea where he’s supposed to be, though — so when he’s called on to make decisions about where to go next, he’s vague and often himself confused and more often than not references his precious books which he left at home and doesn’t want his patron to sell. Again, can I say: Relatable! It’s so nice to read about a hero who has no real idea what kind of heroism he is pulling off. It wouldn’t work but for Bujold’s well-executed worldbuilding and prose.
Novellas are having a moment, as I keep saying, and Penric and Desdemona are oddly perfect for this moment in history. They are warm-hearted, light, well-written, and short tales that you can read in one sitting. They will leave you with a smile, but better than that they will leave you feeling (if you are like me) heard.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
assaphmehr's review against another edition
5.0
I've read the first two novellas in this series before, and was looking forward to spending some more time in Penric's unique world.
What to Expect
Penric's Mission is a spy story, taking place a few years after the previous stories and in a different land. It is clear from the start that there was some "interesting" history, though the details are only revealed much later. Makes for a bit of a confusing, yet tantalising, read. The tone is quite different from the previous, though the writing style and characters are no less charming.
What I liked
I love Bujold's writing style. She can spin stories and mysteries, characters and world that feel truly immersive and real. It is clean, clear prose that is evocative and engaging, without the need for high angst or thriller-paced drama.
Her world-building is also top notch, from the magic system and theology (the interesting philosophical implication of the gods and associated religion), to the every-day technology and lifestyles of rich and poor alike.
What to be aware of
These are short novellas, not grand epics. Enjoyable reads, but over quickly. Note that the novellas were published in a different order to the internal chronology: this is book 4 of the series, but some lists may reflect the publication order. This is one instance where it's better to read as per the internal chronology.
Felix's Review
Felix is continually perplexed and intrigued by the concept of spirits that can be possessed and harnessed. For him, that borders of sacrilege, though his can see some similarities in his world. Still, he admits that Penric does a credible job at upholding justice (and, mostly, the law as well), and using his gifts for the general good (he's seen far too many people in power use it for personal gain). He'd also like to point out that Penric's powers are growing rather impressively, as he predicted.
Summary
Very enjoyable fantasy series, which, as it's novellas, I read as a sort of palate cleanser between other works. Whether you sample it sporadically or tear through it, I'm sure you'd enjoy them.
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Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Toags, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of paranormal detective on a background of ancient Rome.
[a:Assaph Mehr|14422472|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596954987p2/14422472.jpg], author of [b:Murder In Absentia|29500700|Murder In Absentia (Felix the Fox, #1)|Assaph Mehr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457914061l/29500700._SY75_.jpg|46845657]: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
What to Expect
Penric's Mission is a spy story, taking place a few years after the previous stories and in a different land. It is clear from the start that there was some "interesting" history, though the details are only revealed much later. Makes for a bit of a confusing, yet tantalising, read. The tone is quite different from the previous, though the writing style and characters are no less charming.
What I liked
I love Bujold's writing style. She can spin stories and mysteries, characters and world that feel truly immersive and real. It is clean, clear prose that is evocative and engaging, without the need for high angst or thriller-paced drama.
Her world-building is also top notch, from the magic system and theology (the interesting philosophical implication of the gods and associated religion), to the every-day technology and lifestyles of rich and poor alike.
What to be aware of
These are short novellas, not grand epics. Enjoyable reads, but over quickly. Note that the novellas were published in a different order to the internal chronology: this is book 4 of the series, but some lists may reflect the publication order. This is one instance where it's better to read as per the internal chronology.
Felix's Review
Felix is continually perplexed and intrigued by the concept of spirits that can be possessed and harnessed. For him, that borders of sacrilege, though his can see some similarities in his world. Still, he admits that Penric does a credible job at upholding justice (and, mostly, the law as well), and using his gifts for the general good (he's seen far too many people in power use it for personal gain). He'd also like to point out that Penric's powers are growing rather impressively, as he predicted.
Summary
Very enjoyable fantasy series, which, as it's novellas, I read as a sort of palate cleanser between other works. Whether you sample it sporadically or tear through it, I'm sure you'd enjoy them.
--
Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck is that Felix fellow? Glad you asked! He's the protagonist of the Toags, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of paranormal detective on a background of ancient Rome.
[a:Assaph Mehr|14422472|Assaph Mehr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596954987p2/14422472.jpg], author of [b:Murder In Absentia|29500700|Murder In Absentia (Felix the Fox, #1)|Assaph Mehr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457914061l/29500700._SY75_.jpg|46845657]: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.