Reviews

I was delighted to discover there was another one of these, and saved it up for a week I needed something cozy and entertaining. It was good fun and hit all the notes I was hoping for, but I hope if she decides to do another she brings back some of the great supporting characters she’s written in the earlier novellas.

lynguy1's review against another edition

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4.0

THE ORPHANS OF RASPAY by Lois McMaster Bujold is the seventh book in the Penric and Desdemona series and takes place in the same setting as her World of the Five Gods series. While this fantasy book worked for me as a standalone, it would likely be even better if the series had been read in order. Penric is a temple sorcerer and has a resident demon named Desdemona. When the ship they are traveling in is captured by pirates, they are tossed into the hold of the pirate ship that already holds two children; Lencia and Seuka Corva. Will they be ransomed or will something else happen? Who are the Corva children?

Pen and Des are a somewhat odd duo, but the interactions between them sets a great tone. The characters are definitely someone you can root for and their goals and motivations are well-drawn. Bujold does a great job of world-building and this book is no exception to that. The prose is well-written and entertaining. The plot is suspenseful and generally fast-paced. The ending was action-packed and surprising, but I thought one aspect of it was a little too coincidental. In the epilogue, I expected something completely different would occur so I was surprised at how the book ended.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable book that reminded me once again why I enjoy reading books by one of my favorite authors. I look forward to reading more of this series and recommend it to those that enjoy well-written fantasy.

Many thanks to Subterranean Press and Lois McMaster Bujold for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

kzimm2024's review against another edition

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5.0

Poor Pen- this book had him spewing curses in a way not seen before as he was thwarted time after time. Its was super funny.

And Des was allowed to let loose with her powers of disorder, which made her really happy too. Pen goes from being a peaceful passenger on a ship (although upset at delays he faced) to being captured by pirates. He is dumped into the hold to find 2 young sisters there already (captured by pirates as well) and of course, becomes their protector.

Its a story of hurry up and wait and the fears men have of Sorcerers/Men of Faith. Pen lets the prisoners free in exchange for passage and they leave him behind! I could FEEL the frustration and I had no idea how this story would resolve itself. Slight spoiler: Adelis to the rescue. It was fun to see the destruction he caused and how they paid to get rid of him!

One thing I wish for? The story of Pen and Nikys as newlyweds, married couple and jut the everyday interaction we got to see during their adventurous courtship. It is missing, I miss it. 2 stories left :(

kbhenrickson's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-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

5.0

I especially enjoyed this one. It's very exciting, and the orphans are endearing. I am continually impressed at how Bujold can fill in all of the details for readers new to the series without boring those of us who are binge-reading these one after another. I love how each story also includes a little more detail about the World of the Five Gods (and its religion - which I find endlessly interesting). At the end of this one, I literally laughed out loud when

the island pirates paid a prince's ransom to Adelis to keep Penric from returning to their island.

ladyethyme's review against another edition

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1.0

Unfortunately it reads more like fanfic than anything else, although there are a few humorous points of narration, there is again seems to be absolutely no character growth for Penric.
I find most unfortunate is that the author created this very interesting world, and a character with so much potential, and then simply refuses to explore it at any depth.
He has supernatural powers but somehow doesn't use them for 3/4 of the book, because "reasons".
They mentioned again how a way to kill a sorcerer is to drop him off of a ship and sail away… But that does not make any sense to me at all. Why doesn't he just destroy the ship? It would give him plenty of debris to cling to if nothing else.
Then, at the point of complete dismay and utter hopelessness, he is saved by deus ex machina intervention, which is absolutely ridiculous.
There is a reason that authors do not use this type of plot device much anymore, at least those with a mediocre understanding of plot construction and story development. It leaves the readers disappointed and lacking any real fulfillment of plot.
It also seems she has no problem at all the slavery, as she basically gives the slavers get off free, only having to agree to some nebulous 'deal' or whatever. I'd have burned them all to ash.
And frankly at the end it sounds like she's making more arguments for slavery than against.

amlibera's review against another edition

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4.0

I love these books - Penric is part Lord Peter Wimsey, part Lymond, and part Miles Vorkosigan with a touch of magic to make it more fun. I can't help but wish for the unwritten novel that these stories seem to surround but the pleasure is no less for all that.

iaraya's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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