06-27-2021, 12:16 PM
Penric's Progress by Lois McMaster Bujold
I've always liked Bujold. Her stories are always well crafted. I first encountered her reading the Vorkosigan Saga. But they were a pain in the ass to figure out the main story line or the order of the stories. And as she tells in the introduction of Penric, she doesn't really do linear narrative. She writes a story and then realizes that maybe there should be a story that becomes before that so she writes it. She's not tied to writing her stories in a linear fashion. And she makes no apologies for it.
Penric's Progress is a collection of three novellas she wrote around the main character Penric. In her world of the 5 gods, sorcerers get their powers because of a demon that cohabitates in their bodies. When the sorcerer dies, the demon passes on to an awaiting acolyte. The demons accrue the personalities of the people they 'ride' Penric gets his demon by mistake because he was the only person around when the sorcerer died.
They are fantasy stories but they come across more like police procedurals with Penric aiding the detective trying to solve the murder. In most cases, it's Penric's job to find out what to do with the spirit that didn't go where it was supposed to go.
The stories are fun and to the point. Lots of banter. Quick reads. On to Penric's Travels.
I've always liked Bujold. Her stories are always well crafted. I first encountered her reading the Vorkosigan Saga. But they were a pain in the ass to figure out the main story line or the order of the stories. And as she tells in the introduction of Penric, she doesn't really do linear narrative. She writes a story and then realizes that maybe there should be a story that becomes before that so she writes it. She's not tied to writing her stories in a linear fashion. And she makes no apologies for it.
Penric's Progress is a collection of three novellas she wrote around the main character Penric. In her world of the 5 gods, sorcerers get their powers because of a demon that cohabitates in their bodies. When the sorcerer dies, the demon passes on to an awaiting acolyte. The demons accrue the personalities of the people they 'ride' Penric gets his demon by mistake because he was the only person around when the sorcerer died.
They are fantasy stories but they come across more like police procedurals with Penric aiding the detective trying to solve the murder. In most cases, it's Penric's job to find out what to do with the spirit that didn't go where it was supposed to go.
The stories are fun and to the point. Lots of banter. Quick reads. On to Penric's Travels.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm