Reviews

The Assassins of Thasalon by Lois McMaster Bujold

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jesshale's review against another edition

4.0

A slightly uneven addition to the series. I found the second half quite strong, with political intrigue and the protagonists being proactive with a side of whodunit, plus a satisfying denouement to the story. I also enjoyed going back to Lady Tanar and Bosha.

Unfortunately, the first part of the story dragged. There was a lot of urgent-travel-between-countries-in-disguise, which brought to mind Penric’s Mission, Mira’s Last Dance, AND The Prisoner of Limnos. There was also a lot of explaining how demons work, which seems redundant ten stories in. I was also a tad confused by what seemed to be a heavy emphasis on Penric’s anxiety about the mission being his last or that he was leaving home for the last time when... it wasn’t. On the contrary, it was a perfectly uneventful homecoming that was almost an anticlimax after the satisfaction of how the main plot wound up.

_ellen_'s review

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

kalanadi's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hteph's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring reflective relaxing 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

4.5

elaineg's review against another edition

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3.0

This could easily have been a novella and better for it. A large chunk of the book is exposition, Pen telling his new apprentice all the things that the reader already knows about sorcery, none of which teaching she ever uses in the story. The (literal) deus ex machina ending is then followed by another lengthy exposition.

At the same time a story that is half theology and theory leaves one huge issue completely unexamined - the villain (who is killed offscreen) is rejected by all the gods and damned for his sacrilege.