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ladyethyme's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Child death
auora1484's review
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
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
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
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
xjennoe's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
lynnr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
jonathanpalfrey's review
3.0
It’s always a pleasure to see this series continuing on its way, although what we have here is an intriguing but sombre tale, dealing with at least four sad deaths and how they’re related to each other. Penric is a naturally cheerful fellow, but this story is not fun for any of the characters—except perhaps for the two old sailors we meet near the end.
The World of the Five Gods, in which these adventures are all set, has its own peculiar and rather interesting theology, and each story seems to be written because the author wants to explore some new facet of this theology. In this case, we take a look at the theological and practical implications of death magic—a subject that was dealt with quite extensively in [b:The Curse of Chalion|61886|The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods, #1)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322571773l/61886._SY75_.jpg|1129349], but time has gone by, and now here’s a new angle on it that you may find interesting.
I think the story introduces no new major characters, and we see relatively little of the characters we already know; but there are some new minor characters who display sparks of life.
It all takes place in Vilnoc, the seaside town in Orbas in which Penric, Nikys, and their (now) two young children have been living for some years by now.
This is the story in which Penric explores a sewer. I admit that I’ve never entered a sewer myself, but I can easily think of various authors who have sent their heroes into sewers. For example, Terry Pratchett in [b:Men at Arms|400354|Men at Arms (Discworld, #15; City Watch, #2)|Terry Pratchett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388215150l/400354._SY75_.jpg|819071], Lindsey Davis in [b:Three Hands in the Fountain|972535|Three Hands in the Fountain (Marcus Didius Falco, #9)|Lindsey Davis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311022066l/972535._SX50_.jpg|1716188], and Ben Aaronovitch in [b:Whispers Under Ground|10814687|Whispers Under Ground (Rivers of London, #3)|Ben Aaronovitch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349807829l/10814687._SY75_.jpg|14864236]. Perhaps it was inevitable that Penric would be put through this rite of passage sooner or later.
The World of the Five Gods, in which these adventures are all set, has its own peculiar and rather interesting theology, and each story seems to be written because the author wants to explore some new facet of this theology. In this case, we take a look at the theological and practical implications of death magic—a subject that was dealt with quite extensively in [b:The Curse of Chalion|61886|The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods, #1)|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322571773l/61886._SY75_.jpg|1129349], but time has gone by, and now here’s a new angle on it that you may find interesting.
I think the story introduces no new major characters, and we see relatively little of the characters we already know; but there are some new minor characters who display sparks of life.
It all takes place in Vilnoc, the seaside town in Orbas in which Penric, Nikys, and their (now) two young children have been living for some years by now.
This is the story in which Penric explores a sewer. I admit that I’ve never entered a sewer myself, but I can easily think of various authors who have sent their heroes into sewers. For example, Terry Pratchett in [b:Men at Arms|400354|Men at Arms (Discworld, #15; City Watch, #2)|Terry Pratchett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388215150l/400354._SY75_.jpg|819071], Lindsey Davis in [b:Three Hands in the Fountain|972535|Three Hands in the Fountain (Marcus Didius Falco, #9)|Lindsey Davis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311022066l/972535._SX50_.jpg|1716188], and Ben Aaronovitch in [b:Whispers Under Ground|10814687|Whispers Under Ground (Rivers of London, #3)|Ben Aaronovitch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349807829l/10814687._SY75_.jpg|14864236]. Perhaps it was inevitable that Penric would be put through this rite of passage sooner or later.