Penric’s Mission

Another good story in the Penric and Desdemona series.In this one Penric gets in serious trouble when he goes on a diplomatic mission. We get intrigue & deception, at least one really-nasty character, some possible divine help, and several narrow escapes. Also, Penric develops a possible love interest – which can be a problem for a man inhabited by a female demon!Good story and Grover Gardner's narration is excellent. Solid four stars.Those thinking of reading this series should note that this story is the third in publication order but the fourth in the chronology of events. I suggest reading [b:Penric's Fox 35895883 Penric's Fox (Penric and Desdemona, #5) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501618535l/35895883.SX50.jpg 57415059] before reading this one.

Penric is now 30 years old, and has rather strangely been sent on a diplomatic mission from Adria (where he's now based) to Cedonia. The mission goes horribly wrong, through no fault of his, and he's much exercised to recover from the disaster.While doing so, he meets Cedonian General Adelis Arisaydia (the man he was sent to contact) and his half-sister Nikys, who are fated to remain part of his life for much longer than he initially expected.This is a story both exciting and rather charming, in which we see Penric coping inventively with a variety of challenging experiences. Adelis and Nikys are the main new characters introduced; only a few other named characters appear, briefly, and none of the old characters from previous stories, because the story takes place in Cedonia.The next novella in the series, [b:Mira's Last Dance 34348998 Mira's Last Dance (Penric and Desdemona, #4) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487582553l/34348998.SY75.jpg 55425075], is a direct sequel to this one, continuing the story.If this story has a disadvantage, it's that none of the main characters are at their best in it—Adelis in particular, for reasons that become obvious.