Penric's Demon

I was beyond excited when Bujold announced recently that she was releasing another story in the same universe as The Curse of Chalion. I was even more excited when that book showed up sooner than I could have hoped for. Of course, this ended up being because it was released only as an eBook, which dampened my excitement somewhat. As much as it makes sense to release electronic copies of stories with no physical counterpart, especially for short stories and novellas, I still prefer the physical book. But it gave me an opportunity to check out the new Kindle app on my tablet, which actually has a few features that I like. Notably the "timer" that told me how long it would take to finish a chapter (or in this case the whole story). I also liked being able to change the background color - sepia was easier on my eyes in the late evening.

The story itself was fun. Penric is so innocent and good-hearted (the classic third son) that you can't help but root for him. He's possessed by the demon fairly early on, and their interactions are really nice to read about. It's fun to see him gain power over the demon, not through strength or force of will, but through compassion and understanding. He wins the demon's friendship and loyalty over the course of a few days, and more than anything I want to know what happens next.

Really the worst part of this book is that it was a mere 100 pages long. I'd gladly read a full-length novel of Penric's adventures as his new position finally gives him leverage to study and travel and help people in need. But at least I got something set in the Chalion universe (now officially the World of Five Gods, I believe, as this story doesn't even mention Chalion).

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