TALES OF A NEW FANTASY HERO FROM LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD, TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME! Includes Penric’s Mission, Mira’s Last Dance, and The Prisoner of Limnos. Penric does it his way! Follow-up to collection Penric's Progress.Penric’s Mission Learned Penric, a sorcerer and divine of the Bastard’s Order, has faced danger and intrigue many times before. Now, he finds himself on his first covert diplomatic mission. Penric must travel across the sea to Cedonia in an attempt to secure the services of the Cedonian General Arisaydia for the Duke of Adria. But nothing is as it seems. No sooner than he has arrived, Penric finds himself tossed into a dungeon. If Penric is to survive, he’ll have to navigate treacherous politics—and his own feelings for the young widowed sister of the General. Mira’s Last Dance Penric, suffering from injuries attained while escaping from the Cedonian dungeon in which he was imprisoned, must now guide General Arisaydia and his widowed sister, Nikys, across the last hundred miles of hostile Cedonia to safety in the Duchy of Orbas. In the town of Sosie, the fugitive party encounters unexpected delays and even more unexpected opportunities and hazards, as the courtesan Mira of Adria, one of the ten dead women whose imprints make up the personality of the chaos demon Desdemona, comes to the fore with her own special expertise. The Prisoner of Limnos Penric and Nikys have reached safety in the Duchy of Orbas when a secret letter from a friend brings frightening news: Nikys''s mother has been taken hostage by her brother''s enemies at the Cedonian imperial court and confined in a precarious island sanctuary. Now, Nikys, Penric, and Desdemona must infiltrate the hostile country once more, finding along the way that family relationships can be as unexpectedly challenging as any rescue scheme. Praise for the Penric & Desdemona series: “Lord Penric, Pen to his friends and Penric to others, is a fabulous character. He''s got a serious problem; he''s never been trained to handle so he''s doing the best he can. This ruffles the feathers or exasperates the other characters that he comes in contact with throughout the story. There''s tension, danger, humor, and some interesting insights into various human traits.” —SFRevu “Another thoroughly engaging entry in the Penric and Desdemona series. There are some truly interesting new characters, a medical mystery to be solved, lots of great dialogue, and some philosophical issues to think about when you finish the story. What could be better?” —SFRevu “An engaging revisitation of the world of the Five Gods. Another felicitous combination of formerly told tales, again meshing masterfully (mistressfully?)” —Seattle Book Review “[F]illed with a satisfying blend of strong characters and wry humor.” —Publishers Weekly “Fans of fantasy with clever, innocent underdog characters will root for Penric to beat the odds and hope to visit him and his demon again.” —Booklist “Bujold’s fans will be delighted with this latest adventure featuring Penric and his resident demon.” —Booklist “Bujold continues to expand her "Five Gods" world, reviving familiar faces along the way. The fascinating relationship between Penric and Desdemona is especially fun.” —Library Journal “Bujold''s many faithful readers will delight in this engaging blend of mystery and magic.” —Library Journal “Changing points of view make earlier chapters a little challenging, but strong secondary characters and Bujold''s amazing worldbuilding will please readers of this swift-paced series.” —Library Journal “Fast action and dialog create a humorous and satisfying story that shows the intriguing connection between sorcerer and demon.” —Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Library System “Bujold''s nuanced writing vividly shows the unique relationship between Penric and Desdemona and their journey that continues to grow in action-filled ways.” —Library Journal “Bujold''s fans will appreciate this novella, which returns to her World of the Five Gods and beloved maturing characters.” —Library Journal Praise for Lois McMaster Bujold: “The pace is breathless, the characterization thoughtful and emotionally powerful, and the author''s narrative technique and command of language compelling. Highly recommended.”—Booklist “If you love solid space opera rooted in strong character, you can''t go wrong . . . The Warrior''s Apprentice already displays the craft and the heart which would soon make Lois McMaster Bujold one of the most feted talents in SF.”—SF Reviews “Bujold is adept at worldbuilding and provides a witty, character-centered plot, full of exquisite grace notes . . . fans will be thoroughly gripped and likely to finish the book in a single sitting.”—Publishers Weekly on Diplomatic Immunity
