Book Review: Demon Daughter & Penric and the Bandit by Lois McMaster Bujold

Demon Daughter & Penric and the Bandit
Author: Lois McMaster Bjuold
Series: Penric and Desdemona series
Publication: DD (Spectrum Literary Agency, January 7, 2024); PB (Spectrum Literary Agency, June 30, 2024)

Description: Demon Daughter: A six-year-old shiplost girl draws the kin Jurald family of Vilnoc into complex dilemmas, and sorcerer Learned Penric and his Temple demon Desdemona into conflict—with each other. It will take all of Penric’s wits, his wife Nikys’s wisdom, and the hand of the fifth god’s strangest saint to untangle the threads of their future.

My Thoughts: When Penric is called in to handle a demon who is setting fires in a small seaside village, he discovers a six-year-old girl who has a brand-new demon. Penric knows that he should bring the girl to the local saint and have the demon removed, but he takes the child home first.

Penric brings young Otta to live with his family and try to teach her some things about her relationship with her demon so that she will no longer be a danger to those around her. As she is learning the language and learning to control her demon, she becomes friends with Penric's daughter Rina who is just a year older than Otta and who has always wanted a demon of her own. 

But Penric is conflicted and so is his demon Des. He has never heard of a child so young being able to successfully manage a demon. For most people, there are years of training before they are entrusted with a demon. Penric feels that the best thing to do would be to take Otta to Iroki who is a saint and whose task is to remove dangerous demons. Des is correct in saying that removing a demon is just another word for destroying it. 

This was an engaging novella filled with lots of dilemmas. Bujold's ability to bring characters to life is evident here. 

Penric and the Bandit: Strange company…

When Rozakajin, road-weary bandit and army deserter, spots a hapless blond young man in a country inn with an intriguing treasure map, he thinks he’s scouted an easy and lucrative victim. Attaching himself to odd traveler Penric seems simple enough, but when Roz’s old enemies catch up from behind, his plans take a turn for the much worse. When Pen’s claim that I never travel alone proves true in ways Roz never imagined, his world becomes more frightening still—but also much wider than he’d ever dared to dream.

My Thoughts: Penric is on a journey to locate an old, abandoned monastery which might have rare manuscripts - a real treasure. One evening he meets a man named Roz who is a bandit running from his old life and who hasn't yet chosen a new life. 

Roz is intrigued by the idea of treasure, because whatever comes next for him, ample funds would be necessary. Unfortunately for Roz, his old life in the form of the bandit troop he is running away from isn't as far behind him as he would wish.

When they catch up to Roz, he sees the only option to save his life is to have them follow him to Penric's treasure which he offers to give them. After all, they are dangerous men. 

Fortunately, Penric and his demon Desdemona are more than equal to the task of dealing with a bandit troop though it costs him. He's not the mild-mannered clerk that he appears to be. 

I enjoyed this story which was not only a treasure hunt but a journey of great change for Roz who has his universe expanded after being with Penric. 

Both of these novellas were excellent. Bujold's writing always entertains and is always thought-provoking. 

I bought these in January and July, 2024. You can buy your copy of Demon Daughter here and Penric and the Bandit here.