Penric & Desdemona, Part 6
by Lois McMaster Bujold
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted July 23, 2025
Edits and Addendum on October 27, 2025
The Adventure of the Demonic Ox / Testimony of Mute Things
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Along with one novel, The Adventure of the Demonic Ox is the thirteenth novella in the Penric & Desdemona series. [Links to previous reviews below.] It has been a year since the previous story, but two years in the life of Penric and his family. His wife Nikys is pregnant again, their third child to join daughter Rina (Florina) and son Wyn (Llewyn), along with their adopted daughter Otta, who was introduced two stories back in Demon's Daughter, and it has been five years since those events. It is only available as an e-book now, for either Kindle, Kobo, or Nook, but not Bookshop so far. Bujold has been releasing the e-books herself, but it is possible there will be a future hardcover release from Subterranean Press as has happened with the others. I will update if there are any changes in availability.
Penric has continued his studies of history, and of the work of previous sorcerers. His main goal is to translate as many books as possible, have them printed and dispersed as widely as possible. Due to previous problems he had experienced, he had tried to remain outside the medical applications of sorcery, even though he does teach at a physician's academy in Dogrita each summer. His daughter Rina, age twelve, has proved to be a helpful scribe in his work, but she has a few ideas for her future beyond that. Since Otta is still a student of sorcery, Penric is wary of her being able to always control her chaos demon. She has moved out of the house so as not to pose any problems for Nikys' pregnancy. Wyn has a summer job working with his uncle Ikos Rodoa (first seen in The Prisoner of Limnos), son of Nikys' mother Idrene before she became concubine to Nikys' father. Ikos is an engineer, currently working on replacing an old wooden bridge with one of stone. One day Penric's quiet study time is interrupted by Wyn bringing the news of an ox who he suspects has been inhabited by a demon.
Alas, my long hoped for Nikys-centric story still hasn't happened, but I have also wondered why previous characters have not recurred as often as expected. Several do in this story, including Kittio, son of Alixtra, a sorceress (and former assassin), first encountered in The Assassins of Thasalon. Kittio is a groom at one of the temples, not only caring for horses and carts, but also the animals used in funeral rites. He accompanies Penric and Wyn back to the bridge site, and their party also includes Otta, since Pen thinks it would be good experience for her and her own demon, as well as Rina, mainly as a companion for Otta, who is one year younger. I have mentioned several times that I was sure Pen was a very good teacher, and not just for sorcery, but also because of his encouragement of reading and study in general, even though Wyn preferred the practical applications of the engineering skills he was learning from his uncle. But he had paid enough attention to his father as regards demons and sorcery, and Pen confirms his diagnosis of a demon inside the ox. Pen suspects the demon had previously been in a bird, since the ox's weird behavior appeared to indicate he was trying to fly. They segregate the ox from other livestock, building another pen in a far corner of a field rented from local farmers. Before Pen has a chance for a closer examination of the animal, Kittio reports the ox has broken out of its pen and has run away.
Pen uses the time during their search to encourage Otta's use of her demon's Sight, as well as describing his process to the others. Wyn is not with them, having been dispatched to Pef to seek the help of the Saint Iroki, seen in two previous stories. They eventually find the ox high in the hills, but Kittio's mastiff attacks, and in the ensuing melee to get the dog away from the ox, Pen is gored by the ox's long horn. This is Pen's story of course, so we know he will survive, but that doesn't mean the situation is not dire. Desdemona frantically works from within to heal him, and in her anger she strikes out and kills the ox. As we know from previous stories, whenever a demon possessed person (or animal) dies, the demon jumps to the nearest available body. I won't say who it is this time, but the demon is small and young, and it will take a while for their influence to be felt by their new rider. Penric is the eleventh person that has ridden Desdemona, all the previous being women, with her first two incarnations being within animals. One thing I speculated at the beginning of his tale is that Des, or maybe her rider at the time, the Learned Ruschia, had chosen Penric specifically for Desdemona's new rider. Nothing of that was ever confirmed, but it has become clear that Des cares a lot for Pen, and he for her too. As awkward as it has been for him, Des has also become good friends with Nikys and Idrene, and she thinks of herself as a surrogate mother to Otta, or at least to her demon Atto. I have no idea how many more stories Bujold intends to write in this sequence, but I would not be surprised if Des chooses to die herself at the time Pen does. But she will do whatever it takes to keep him alive in the meantime.
Rina and Otta feel helpless, but at least Otta can use the Sight to observe how Des is working to save Pen. Kittio, and his dog, are sent back to Ikos's camp for workers to bring a litter to carry Pen. In the interim, Otta and Rina have to contend with wolves that come to attack them, or maybe just feast on the dead ox, and when Des and Atto use their powers to kill the wolves, vultures are the next problem. Pen is conscious, though not always lucid, but does his best to instruct Otta on what to do, and Rina absorbs all he says for her own edification. Always a diligent teacher, Pen is, no matter the circumstances. He realizes it may be his last opportunity to impart his wisdom. Rina and Otta have conversations away from him, and what they discuss turn into propositions for their future once they are all back in Vilnoc. Back home, where Nikys' third child has arrived, another girl, named Idrene Desdemona, to be called Mona. So, one more demon rider to teach, a sorceress who wants to learn medicine, and a girl not content just being a scribe. Rina has longed to have her own demon, and since she missed out this time, she wants to learn Wealdean, and travel to Easthome to perhaps become a shaman, to learn from her father's old friend Ingris kin Wolfcliff (from the second story, Penric and the Shaman). This story was more about the development of other characters beyond Penric and Desdemona, more about their growth and education, over and above any sorcery involved. I hope that continues in later stories. Whatever happens, however many stories Bujold chooses to write, I will read them. Perhaps I can add another one to this page next year, if not sooner. [EDIT: Sooner it is.].
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Posted October 27, 2025
I started reading and reviewing the Penric stories in February 2023, about eight years late, but since all but one are novellas I managed the first eleven that year, one a month. There were a couple more last year, and now two this year. Testimony of Mute Things is the second to be out of chronological order. It is the fifteenth story overall, my reviews on six different pages so far. The first three pages conformed to the omnibus volumes released by Baen Books, which included three each. But Testimony belongs in the fourth position, following "Penric's Fox," and before "Masquerade in Lodi," which is the other story published out of order. One of these days, if and when Bujold decides she won't, or can't, write anymore, I may go back and rearrange the order on a few pages. But for now, other than Masquerade and Testimony, the others are in both publication order, and in the order of Penric's life experiences.
In the first three stories Pen worked in Martensbridge, the capital city of his home country of the Cantons. He was the court sorcerer to Princess-Archdivine Llewen kin Stagthorne, but by the fourth he was elsewhere, Llewen having passed away at that point. Testimony has him still in her service, as they travel from Martensbridge to Occo, which lies adjacent to the borders of the Cantons, Adria, and Carpagamo. Several recent wars had shifted the borders back and forth, and now Llewen is to preside over a tribunal to determine another realignment, not only for political and military reasons, but also which country the abbeys/monastaries/schools of the Five Gods in Occo would owe fealty. In one of the other stories it became apparent the various factions of the Gods were as much politically administrative as they were religious, and with politics comes the matter of money and power. Another country was involved too, Saone, but since that is to the east, with both the Cantons and Carpagamo in between it and Adria, I am not sure how and why they were involved. The last map I have seen does not show the town of Occo.
Pen expected to mainly be an assistant secretary to Llewen during the tribunal, as well as interpreter, but something else comes up where his talents were useful. At one of the first gatherings before the conclave, a woman approaches him to plead for a private audience with Llewen. She would not confide in Pen as to what she wished to discuss, but it was already late and Llewen was occupied with other duties, so Pen tells her to return in the morning. But by morning word comes that the woman had died during the night, supposedly due to apoplexy, a stroke. Llewen sends Penric for his, and Desdemona's, analysis, thinking their supernatural Sight would either confirm that or come to a different conclusion. Examining the body, Pen says death was by snake bite, and the position of the wound leads him to conclude the snake had been in her chamberpot, which had a lid, but the snake was no longer there. The snake, an asp, is found under a wardrobe, Des kills it, and Pen concludes someone else had placed the snake in the chamberpot. Thus the death was a murder. Was the motive for her murder connected to what she wished to discuss with the Princess-Archdivine?
While Llewen oversees the conclave, over several days, Penric meets with magistrates and others, particularly other women who lived at the same boarding house. The deceased was a temple divine, and also a clerk for the Occo treasurer's office. What did she wish to discuss with Llewen? Did it concern the political realignment, or was it more closely associated with Occan finances? Many people were not aware of the capabilities of a sorcerer, what their demon could bring to their senses and observational skills. Without revealing what and how he is doing it, Pen identifies several likely suspects based on their actions and speech, both what they do and say, and what they don't say, how they react to questions even if they think they are being circumspect. Needless to say, Penric does get to the truth, through his sorcerer skills as well as his intellect, but also coincidence, being in the right place at the right time. As in all the other stories, Penric impresses all, gaining friends and allies, even if we never see them again. In addition to his talents as regards legal and criminal matters, he is able to see into the hearts and minds of others, and thus is able to aid a young orphan to find a better path than they had been on.
Since Bujold has been releasing these on her own, not through a publication house, I haven't heard about them until she has uploaded them to the various e-book distributors. Earlier today I replied on her blog, inquiring if she was aware Bookshop is now offering e-books. I would prefer to buy from them, but I settled for Kobo this time, as I did for the previous story. I again need to repeat that I have enjoyed everything of hers I have read to one extent or another. All are recommended, and I can't imagine that won't be the case with the next one too, whenever we might be lucky enough to read it.
Related Links:
Go back to the start of the series with Penric & Desdemona, Part 1: The first 3 novellas
Then Part 2: Novellas 4-6
Part 3: Novellas 7-9
Part 4: the novel The Assassins of Thasalon
Part 5: Novellas 10-12
A list of all my Bujold reviews
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