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A review by jonathanpalfrey
Knot of Shadows by Lois McMaster Bujold
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.