Reviews

Knot of shadows by Lois McMaster Bujold

kbhenrickson's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

katieinca's review against another edition

3.0

Quieter and sadder than most of these novellas, which isn't criminal or anything. I enjoyed it and will always happily pay for a new book from this author. But it wasn't my favorite, both because of the subject matter and partly I think it just lacked some of the usual sparkle. I was glad Penric at least got to stay in his hometown for once.

kzimm2024's review against another edition

4.0

Nice little mystery in this novella. We get to follow Penric in another strange twist about death magic.

It follows the occasion of 3 souls, mixed up in different bodies. The power of pain and despair- the call for justice. This one was a bit darker but Penric and Des even it out. It was nice to see his family again.

ladyethyme's review against another edition

2.0

It was OK… mildly entertaining, not particularly deep or interesting mystery. Plus frankly, it kind of makes the god of autumn out to be an ignorant, stupid and insensitive being… Apparently is a God but doesn't know that the soul of some poor terrified four-year-old kid is scared of dogs? And in being so stupid, literally puts the child's soul at risk for being annihilated.

iaraya's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Child death

auora1484's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

kleonard's review against another edition

5.0

This newest installment in the Penric and Desdemona series of novellas is a treat. I always like returning to Bujold's World of the Five Gods, where Learned Penric and his demon Des are asked to take on all sorts of issues. This time, the story is a sad one, involving denials of justice, death magic, and the death of a child. The tone is meditative and somber, and yet the mystery elements are a pleasure to read. Newcomers can probably read this without prior knowledge of the characters, but ideally readers will have read some of the previous books in the series.

themanfromdelmonte's review against another edition

3.0

This isn’t a book, it’s barely a novella. It’s more like a chapter out of a longer book and it’s a bit flat given that it comes from the pen of the author of the Vorkosigan novels.

luxveritatis's review against another edition

emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

unofficialcate's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0