The Bastard uses Penric to answer prayers

Set in the World of the Five Gods, I really enjoy this series of Penric and his mostly helpful demon Desdemona, who is a collective of the 12 women he has previously inhabited. Des allows Penric to do magic, so he is considered a sorcerer which comes with amazing pros and deadly cons. He is a Quintarian, serving the fifth god, the Bastard.

Set 13 years after being inhabited by Desdemona, in this story Penric’s ship is overrun by pirates and he is single-minded in trying to escape and go home to his wife Nikys. Trouble is, he’s compelled to help two young sisters find their father. Of course, he doesn’t find out why until the very end.
My takeaway on this book is don’t let YOUR mind paralyze you with fear. Keep moving forward; keep trying to find a way to get out of a bad situation to get home. If you can help someone on the way, even better.
Gardner is an exceptional narrator.

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Pen and the Pirates...Des and the Daughters

A lovely story of Penric's adventures, continually being thwarted by all that goes on. The two sisters (daughters to someone) are an excellent addition to the plot. This is one of the best of the series. Well-plotted, well-narrated. Excellent writing and world-building.

Some interesting concepts

Some interesting concepts explored on both a political and personal level. Loved Desdemona and I am jealous.

Pirates and adventure

This story is set in the world of the five gods 13 years after Penric joined with Desdemona. Lois McMaster Bujold does it again, mixing action, adventure, and humor. Orphans and pirates. The only detractor from these novellas is that the stories are over way too fast. Grover Gardner's narration was wonderful.

Satisfying story

I really enjjoyed revisiting the world of Penric. The story was not predictable. I had more than a few laugh out loud moments in the last chapters.

Another fine adventure for Pen and Des

Penric and his constant companion, inside his body, the demon Desdemona have been around for some time. In a previous story there was some discussion of how the pair could take care of a pirate attack. However, when the attack takes place, at night just as a storm is ending, they have no warning. It seems that there are other victims of pirates in need of help. Two young girls, whose mother has recently died who were previously captured by the pirates during their search for their father.

Lots of troubles and an eventual happy ending in this 7th installment in the adventures of Penric and Desdemona. The novella can stand alone, but I do find that reading or listening to the series in internal chronological order, starting with Penric's Demon makes the experience richer. As does eventual reading the three full length novels set in the same World of the Five Gods, but in different localities and time periods.

Bujold has produced a thought provoking and enjoyable fantasy universe.