Testimony of Mute Things

ByLois McMaster Bujold

Release Date: 2025-10-23
Genre: Fantasy

Score: 5

From 83 Ratings

Description

A contentious Temple conclave brings sorcerer Learned Penric and his demon Desdemona, in support of his superior Princess-Archdivine Llewen of Martensbridge, to the disputed Carpagamon border town of Occo. There, the uncanny pair will tangle with dangerous new intrigues and old histories, that will test their magical skills, their wits, and their hearts. The internal chronological order of the Penric & Desdemona tales is presently: “Penric’s Demon” “Penric and the Shaman” “Penric’s Fox” “Testimony of Mute Things” “Masquerade in Lodi” “Penric’s Mission” “Mira’s Last Dance” “The Prisoner of Limnos” “The Orphans of Raspay” “The Physicians of Vilnoc” “The Assassins of Thasalon” “Knot of Shadows” “Demon Daughter” “Penric and the Bandit” “The Adventure of the Demonic Ox” “A superb craftsman and stylist, Ms. Bujold is well on her way to becoming one of the great voices of speculative fiction.” - Rave Reviews “Bujold has a gift.” - Chicago Sun Times “Best-selling author Bujold follows her Hugo-nominated “Penric and the Shaman” (2017) with another adventure featuring the sorcerer Penric and his resident 200-year-old chaos demon, Desdemona. ... Series fans will be delighted with this tale, which begs for continuation.” - Booklist on “Penric's Mission” "Bujold follows 'Penric's Demon' with another brief tale set in her World of the Five Gods, this time combining supernatural sleuthing with finely drawn characters and a panoply of emotions... This is a wonderful expansion of her World of the Five Gods." - Publisher's Weekly *Starred Review* on "Penric and the Shaman" "Series fans and fantasy readers who seek well-drawn characters will love this tale." - Publisher's Weekly on "Mira's Last Dance" "Bujold's delightful latest tale of Penric ... is another winner in Bujold's already strong series." - Publisher's Weekly *Starred Review* on "The Prisoner of Limnos" "A deft and accomplished novella, fans of Penric and Desedemona will find much to enjoy..." -Locus Magazine on "The Adventure of the Demonic Ox"

Reviews

Wonderful
5
By PR 3672
This story made me shift gears to Pen’s past. I even waited to the end to find if my memory placed this book in the proper spot. Now I need to re-read the whole series! To end with the next story!
Much bittersweet.
5
By Archangel Beth
It's more the B plot, but an old friend of Des's precious sorceress shows up. That's the bittersweet.

The rest is in the vein of a Sherlockian kind of mystery, where Sherlock's preternatural observation is approximated, to some degree, in Desdemona's eldritch senses.

I feel a bit sorry for the snake on the cover. Poor thing.
An early entry in the saga of Penric and Desdemona
5
By xaxnar
Penric and Desdemona travel with the archdivine Princess Llewyn to a conclave of church leaders in Carpagamo. What promises to be a complex set of negotiations to divide up church dioceses following border shifts in a recent war takes an unexpected turn when a woman from one of the churches is murdered. Penric and Desdemona get caught up in trying to determine who killed her and why.

Along the way there is an encounter with an old friend of Desdemona’s previous rider Ruchia, a young boy in need of Penric’s ministry, and the sorts of things a chaos demon and the White God specialize in.

This is a tale that fills a gap in Penric’s saga to date. It’s set several years after becoming a novice sorceror, He has now become an accomplished aide to the Princess, an accepted member of her retinue, and is beginning his studies in medicine.

It’s an entertaining addition to the series, well worth the read.