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A review by tjwallace04
The Assassins of Thasalon by Lois McMaster Bujold
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
"The Assassins of Thasalon" is a fantastic entry in the Penric and Desdemona series. It is closer to a full-length novel and brings a sweeping plot and interesting new characters to justify the extra pages. It also brought back a few familiar faces from previous books and beautifully wrapped up a plot arc that began with "Penric's Mission," making it almost feel like the end of the series. Fortunately, it is not! I need more Penric and Desdemona.
I loved Alixtra, the unwilling assassin, and Iroki, the lazy saint. And it was delightful to have Bosha and Tanar back on the page. The gods are very present in this volume, which was fascinating. Bujold's description of the experience of being in a god's presence is so well-done. "In a voice not his own, as resonant in this cell as the reverberations in a bass drum, Iroki said, "Take better care of my gift this time, child. You're going to need it." The sense but not the sound of an immense belly laugh, tidal, oceans deep. And then as vast as the presence, somehow vaster, absence. The emptiness left was like a room stripped of its very air. One would weep for the loss if one could only breathe."
Bujold's books look so beautifully at human relationships, the complexities of love and friendship, how we can hurt each other and heal each other. And through it all, we have Penric, who always acts with openness and care for the other, and Desdemona, who supports him with a bit more cynicism and sarcasm. Two of my favorite literary characters - in one neat sorcerous package! :)
I loved Alixtra, the unwilling assassin, and Iroki, the lazy saint. And it was delightful to have Bosha and Tanar back on the page. The gods are very present in this volume, which was fascinating. Bujold's description of the experience of being in a god's presence is so well-done. "In a voice not his own, as resonant in this cell as the reverberations in a bass drum, Iroki said, "Take better care of my gift this time, child. You're going to need it." The sense but not the sound of an immense belly laugh, tidal, oceans deep. And then as vast as the presence, somehow vaster, absence. The emptiness left was like a room stripped of its very air. One would weep for the loss if one could only breathe."
Bujold's books look so beautifully at human relationships, the complexities of love and friendship, how we can hurt each other and heal each other. And through it all, we have Penric, who always acts with openness and care for the other, and Desdemona, who supports him with a bit more cynicism and sarcasm. Two of my favorite literary characters - in one neat sorcerous package! :)