Very Short Book Review: Penric and Desdemona in "The Corpse Isn't Dead"

Knot of Shadows (A Penric& Desdemona Novella in the World of the Five Gods) by Lois McMaster Bujold (Subterranean)

Knot of Shadows (A Penric& Desdemona Novella in the World of the Five Gods) by LoisMcMaster Bujold is not your ordinary murder mystery, but anything involving Templesorcerer Penric and his chaos demon, Desdemona, is bound to be anything butordinary. In this case, they’re called in to investigate when a drowning victimturns out to be not quite dead. The animated corpse houses two souls, sunderedfrom the care of their gods, the result of vile and highly illegal death magic.But is the corpse the victim or the perpetrator, a person so desperate toavenge a wrong that they are willing to sacrifice their own soul?

As usual for these novellas, the story is intricatelycrafted, and full of snappy dialog, vivid characters, and profound emotions. Ihope we’ll see many more of them.