isweedan's review against another edition
3.0
A curious combination of current interests - nomadic people of the steppes and ... plague.
mousie_books's review against another edition
3.0
Spoiler
General Arisaydia calls upon Penric, his brother-in-law, to help out as a plague breaks out at the army fort. As cases increase, Penric is spread increasingly thin unable ration his care or deal with the emotional fallout of triage. The Bastard sends a clue to the plague's cause in the form of an infected horsefly (blue witch), which bites Penric. With the rampant slaughter of flies and horses, they are finally able to get the plague under control.Penric now has an infant daughter, Florina.
Penric arranges for the potential transfer of a young demon to Rede, the army physician.
badmc's review against another edition
informative
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? It's complicated
3.0
Penric is called to deal with a disease nobody knows about. Will he prevail upon old trauma, and find the cause?
Delightful as always, Bujold brings characterization about with so little words. I would like more Penric-Desdemona interactions, and the short length is always a minus for me.
Delightful as always, Bujold brings characterization about with so little words. I would like more Penric-Desdemona interactions, and the short length is always a minus for me.
plottrysts's review against another edition
5.0
[a:Lois McMaster Bujold|16094|Lois McMaster Bujold|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1623465132p2/16094.jpg] is a master of her craft. The Physicians of Vilnoc is another entry in her Penric & Desdemona series. In this installment, Pen's brother-in-law calls upon him and Des to assist with an unknown illness sweeping the military barracks.
Reading this book a year in to the COVID-19 pandemic (hopefully the tail end!) brought home the issues faced by our hero. He leaves home, expecting to be back within a day or two, but is immediately separated from his family for an extended period of time. He is exhausted by treating increasing numbers of patients, and at the same time feels that he isn't providing enough care. Since he and his fellow practitioners (a medical officer in the army and, later, a novice sorcerer) are not only treating the disease but attempting to discover its origins, the pressure they face is intense. Although written before our real-life pandemic, the novella addresses many of the same difficulties we are facing now, making this an incredibly prescient and poignant book.
As always, the banter between Pen and Des is a highlight. It's also great to read about characters for whom compassion and intelligence are some of the most highly-valued traits.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novella.
Reading this book a year in to the COVID-19 pandemic (hopefully the tail end!) brought home the issues faced by our hero. He leaves home, expecting to be back within a day or two, but is immediately separated from his family for an extended period of time. He is exhausted by treating increasing numbers of patients, and at the same time feels that he isn't providing enough care. Since he and his fellow practitioners (a medical officer in the army and, later, a novice sorcerer) are not only treating the disease but attempting to discover its origins, the pressure they face is intense. Although written before our real-life pandemic, the novella addresses many of the same difficulties we are facing now, making this an incredibly prescient and poignant book.
As always, the banter between Pen and Des is a highlight. It's also great to read about characters for whom compassion and intelligence are some of the most highly-valued traits.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novella.
gracecrandall's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
books4days's review against another edition
3.0
This novella focuses on Penric's medical knowledge, and we learn more firsthand about why healing isn't his calling. It's a bit dark, and hard to read about someone working themselves to the edge of exhaustion over and over, but still good. I liked the introduction of Dubro and Rede as well.
eol's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
texile's review against another edition
5.0
Timely in a psychologically helpful way, at least for me.
tita_noir's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this one as much as the last two. Started and ended very strong, but he middle lagged a bit. Still this is such a good series overall, I am loving these adventures.