In this sequel to the novella “Penric’s Mission”, the injured Penric, a Temple sorcerer and learned divine, tries to guide the betrayed 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.

Fourth novella in the “Penric and Desdemona” series.

“A novella filled with a satisfying blend of strong characters and wry humor.” (re Penric’s Demon)
- Publisher’s Weekly

“Bujold couldn't characterize badly if threatened with a firing squad, and what really keeps one turning the pages is the fascinating cast of characters.” (re PALADIN OF SOULS)
- Booklist

“Compelling characters and richly detailed world building.” (re THE CURSE OF CHALION)
- Library Journal

“Bujold's reworking of a classic romantic situation is distinguished by its setting in a well-crafted world and masterly creation of characters whose fates will keep readers turning the pages.” (re THE HALLOWED HUNT)
- Booklist

about the author:
Lois McMaster Bujold was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children. She began writing with the aim of professional publication in 1982. She wrote three novels in three years; in October of 1985, all three sold to Baen Books, launching her career. Bujold went on to write many other books for Baen, mostly featuring her popular character Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, his family, friends, and enemies. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. Her fantasy from Eos includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife series. In 2020, Bujold received the Damon Knight Grand Master Memorial Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America. www.dendarii.com

From the Author

Author's Note :

A Bujold Reading-Order Guide

The Fantasy Novels

My fantasy novels are not hard to order. Easiest of all is The Spirit Ring , which is a stand-alone, or aquel, as some wag once dubbed books thatfor some obscure reason failed to spawn a subsequent series. Nexteasiest are the four volumes of The Sharing Knife-- in order, Beguilement , Legacy , Passage , and Horizon-- which I broke down and actually numbered, as this is one continuous tale.

What were called the Chalion books after the setting of its first twovolumes, but which now that the geographic scope has widened I'm dubbing the World of the Five Gods, were written to be stand-alones as part of a larger whole. However, the second volume certainly contains spoilersfor the first, so Curse-Paladin is the recommended readingorder. The third is in effect an independent prequel, not sharingcharacters or setting with the other two, so readers of the priorvolumes need to adjust their expectations going in. In any case, thepublication order is:

The Curse of Chalion
Paladin of Souls
The Hallowed Hunt In terms of internal world chronology, The Hallowed Hunt would fall first, the Penric novellas perhaps a hundred and fifty years later, and The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls would follow a century or so after that.

The internal chronological order of the Penric tales is presently:

"Penric's Demon"
"Penric and the Shaman"
"Penric's Fox"
"Masquerade in Lodi"
"Penric's Mission"
"Mira's Last Dance"
"The Prisoner of Limnos"
"The Orphans of Raspay"
"The Physicians of Vilnoc"
The six first-published of these have been collected in two Baen Books paper editions, Penric's Progress , containing Demon, Shaman, and Fox, and Penric's Travels , containing Mission, Mira, and Limnos.
Other Original E-books

The short story collection ProtoZoa contains five very early tales--three (1980s) contemporary fantasy, two science fiction--all previously published but not in this handy format. The novelette "Dreamweaver's Dilemma" may be of interest to Vorkosigancompletists, as it is the first story in which that proto-universebegan, mentioning Beta Colony but before Barrayar was even thought of.

Sidelines:Talks and Essays is just what it says on the tin--a collection of three decades of mynonfiction writings, including convention speeches, essays, travelogues, introductions, and some less formal pieces. I hope it will prove aninteresting companion piece to my fiction.

The Vorkosigan Stories

Many pixels have been expended debating the 'best' order in which to readwhat have come to be known as the Vorkosigan Books (or Saga), theVorkosiverse, the Miles books, and other names. The debate mainlyrevolves around publication order versus internal-chronological order. I favor internal chronological, with a few adjustments.

Shards of Honor and Barrayar. The first two books in the series proper, they detail the adventures of Cordelia Naismith of Beta Colony and Aral Vorkosigan of Barrayar. Shards was my very first novel ever; Barrayar was actually my eighth, but continues the tale the next day after the end of Shards. For readers who want to be sure of beginning at the beginning, or who are very spoiler-sensitive, start with these two.

The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game (with, perhaps, the novella "The Mountains of Mourning" tucked in between.) The Warrior's Apprentice introduces the character who became the series' linchpin, MilesVorkosigan; the first book tells how he created a space mercenary fleetby accident; the second how he fixed his mistakes from the first round.Space opera and military-esque adventure (and a number of other thingsone can best discover for oneself), The Warrior's Apprentice makes another good place to jump into the series for readers who prefer a young male protagonist.

After that: Brothers in Arms should be read before Mirror Dance , and both, ideally, before Memory.

Komarr makes another alternate entry point for the series, picking up Miles's second career at its start. It should be read before A Civil Campaign.

Borders of Infinity , a collection of three of the five currently extant novellas, makes agood Miles Vorkosigan early-adventure sampler platter, I always thought, for readers who don't want to commit themselves to length. (But it maymake more sense if read after The Warrior's Apprentice.) Take care not to confuse the collection-as-a-whole with its title story, "The Borders of Infinity".

Falling Free takes place 200 years earlier in the timeline and does not sharesettings or characters with the main body of the series. Most readersrecommend picking up this story later. It should likely be read before Diplomatic Immunity , however,which revisits the "quaddies", a bioengineered race of free-fall dwellers, in Miles's time.

The novels in the internal-chronological list below appear in italics; thenovellas (officially defined as a story between 17,500 word sand 40,000words) in quote marks.

Falling Free
Shards of Honor
Barrayar
The Warrior's Apprentice
"The Mountains of Mourning"
"Weatherman"
The Vor Game
Cetaganda
Ethan of Athos
Borders of Infinity
"Labyrinth"
"The Borders of Infinity"
Brothers in Arms
Mirror Dance
Memory
Komarr
A Civil Campaign
"Winterfair Gifts"
Diplomatic Immunity
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance
CryoBurn
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen

Caveats:

The novella "Weatherman" is an out-take from the beginning of the novel The Vor Game. If you already have The Vor Game , you likely don't need this.

The original 'novel' Borders of Infinity was a fix-up collection containing the three novellas "The Mountains of Mourning", "Labyrinth", and "The Borders of Infinity", together with aframe to tie the pieces together. Again, beware duplication. The framestory does not stand alone.

Happy reading!

-- Lois McMaster Bujold

From the Inside Flap

With "Mira s Last Dance," multiple-award-winner and bestselling author Lois McMaster Bujold returns to her World of the Five Gods, the setting of her acclaimed novels "The Curse of Chalion," "Paladin of Souls," and "The Hallowed Hunt." Continuing the tale begun in the novellas "Penric s Demon," "Penric and the Shaman," "Penric's Mission," and "Penric s Fox," Bujold s newest installment of Penric and Desdemona s tale is another must-read novella for her legion of fans.In this sequel to the novella "Penric s Mission," the injured Penric, a Temple sorcerer and learned divine, tries to guide the betrayed 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.

About the Author

Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the most honored writers in the fields of science fiction and fantasy, having won five Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. Her second novel, The Warrior's Apprentice , introduced young Miles Vorkosigan, one of the most popular characters in science fiction. In 2011, she was awarded the Skylark Award for her significant contribution to science fiction. The mother of two, she lives in Minneapolis.