The Physicians of Vilnoc
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-21 08:51:39
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Lois McMaster Bujold
- ISBN：1645240215
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
When a mysterious plague breaks out in the army fort guarding Vilnoc， the port capital of the duchy of Orbas， Temple sorcerer Penric and his demon Desdemona are called upon by General Arisaydia to resurrect Penric’s medical skills and solve its lethal riddle。 In the grueling days that follow， Pen will find that even his magic is not enough to meet the challenges without help from dedicated new colleagues—and the god of mischance。
“The Physicians of Vilnoc” is the eighth Penric & Desdemona novella， following about a year after the events of “The Orphans of Raspay”。
“The Physicians of Vilnoc” is the eighth Penric & Desdemona novella， following about a year after the events of “The Orphans of Raspay”。
Reviews
Krayfish1
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Still too soon to enjoy books about plagues。 It's not bad， though。 Still too soon to enjoy books about plagues。 It's not bad， though。 。。。more
Jane Irish Nelson
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Very topical。 When an epidemic breaks out at the local fort， the commander （Pen's brother-in-law） summons Pen （and his demon， Desdemona） to help。 Both the try to determine to source of the disease， and also to help heal the ailing。 Very well told， with believable， interesting characters。 Highly recommended。 Very topical。 When an epidemic breaks out at the local fort， the commander （Pen's brother-in-law） summons Pen （and his demon， Desdemona） to help。 Both the try to determine to source of the disease， and also to help heal the ailing。 Very well told， with believable， interesting characters。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Be aware that this book is about a mysterious， deadly plague sweeping through the local community。 I could still read and enjoy it for all the reasons I always love Pen and Des tales -- the delightful relationship between them， the wry sense of humor， the engaging supporting characters。 But there were moments that hit a little too close to home， after the last year and a half。 Those moments took me out of the story more than I like in something I'm reading for escape。Still， the underlying journe Be aware that this book is about a mysterious， deadly plague sweeping through the local community。 I could still read and enjoy it for all the reasons I always love Pen and Des tales -- the delightful relationship between them， the wry sense of humor， the engaging supporting characters。 But there were moments that hit a little too close to home， after the last year and a half。 Those moments took me out of the story more than I like in something I'm reading for escape。Still， the underlying journey was as charming as ever。 I particularly loved the tiny glimpse we get into Des' relationship with Pen's wife Nikys， and the ways Des offers him insights into Nikys' perspective as a wife and mother。 。。。more
Peyton
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On the one hand， listening to an audiobook about a mysterious and deadly plague maybe isn't the best idea during a pandemic， but on the other， I love this series and wanted to read this anyway！ Once again， Penric and Desdemona shine in their conversations with each other and others。 I just love to read about how competent they are。 When Penric figures out the cause of the illness， I was elated！ Great installment to this series。 On the one hand， listening to an audiobook about a mysterious and deadly plague maybe isn't the best idea during a pandemic， but on the other， I love this series and wanted to read this anyway！ Once again， Penric and Desdemona shine in their conversations with each other and others。 I just love to read about how competent they are。 When Penric figures out the cause of the illness， I was elated！ Great installment to this series。 。。。more
Andii
，
I've really enjoyed the whole series and the episodic approach of a series of short novels each set at maybe 2 years on from the last works well。 In all of them I have enjoyed the crime mystery elements， the main characters' development and the thinking through of the central 'truc'。 I've also found myself highlighting some of the theoilogical bits， as -with some translation- they provide nice insight。 I've really enjoyed the whole series and the episodic approach of a series of short novels each set at maybe 2 years on from the last works well。 In all of them I have enjoyed the crime mystery elements， the main characters' development and the thinking through of the central 'truc'。 I've also found myself highlighting some of the theoilogical bits， as -with some translation- they provide nice insight。 。。。more
Di Maitland
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This was enjoyable enough but no where near as dramatic as I was expecting。 "Don't let him get in over his head， Des。" "I'll do my best， love。" The most exciting thing to happen in this book happens on the first page。 I therefore don't feel I'm spoiling things to say PENRIC HAS A DAUGHTER！ This makes me SO happy。 As does the fact that Des， or 2/12ths of Des， dotes on her as much as Penric does。Given Penric's tough history with medicine， I had expected this book to be a heartbreaker， with Penri This was enjoyable enough but no where near as dramatic as I was expecting。 "Don't let him get in over his head， Des。" "I'll do my best， love。" The most exciting thing to happen in this book happens on the first page。 I therefore don't feel I'm spoiling things to say PENRIC HAS A DAUGHTER！ This makes me SO happy。 As does the fact that Des， or 2/12ths of Des， dotes on her as much as Penric does。Given Penric's tough history with medicine， I had expected this book to be a heartbreaker， with Penric spiralling into depression and misery and drastic action required to pull him back out of it。 I was rather looking forward to the drama。 Sadly， Bujold did not supply。 Aside from a very little strain towards the end， it all felt pretty tame。 At least we met some new sorcerers and spent a little more time with Adelis。 Silver linings。I know its sacrilege to say， but I'm starting to feel I need a little more from these books。 Gentle and sedate is lovely， for a while， but I need the action to pick up just a little more， or the interpersonal relationships to warm a degree or two。 I'm definitely not going to stop reading， and I'll always love Penric and Desdemona， but I think the sparkling shine has worn off。 。。。more
Erik
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I love a good medical mystery， and this one is laid out beautifully。Could I love this series any more？ Have I recommended it enough？
Laura （Kyahgirl）
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4。5/5; 5 stars。I just love this series。 LMB is such a talented writer of fantasy。 I think it comes down to the amazing characters she creates。 Its not necessary to have read any of the other books in the World of the Five Gods but it definitely helps with understanding the context of demons and the people they ride。This one was particularly good with unknown plague and sense of racing against the clock。 Grover Gardner is excellent as always。
Kate K。 F。
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This is slightly unusual addition to this series as the setting is mainly a few hospitals in one town but the character work is wonderful。 Penric as a physician is an important aspect of his character that's been mentioned in asides so it was nice to see more of that。 A major warning from 2020 and 2021， this book involves a mysterious illness that isn't figured out until partway through the story and focuses on a few very tired physicians doing their best。 A wonderful book but one that hits diff This is slightly unusual addition to this series as the setting is mainly a few hospitals in one town but the character work is wonderful。 Penric as a physician is an important aspect of his character that's been mentioned in asides so it was nice to see more of that。 A major warning from 2020 and 2021， this book involves a mysterious illness that isn't figured out until partway through the story and focuses on a few very tired physicians doing their best。 A wonderful book but one that hits differently in the era of COVID。 。。。more
Booksingarden
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Awesome。 Love all of the Pen and Des books。
James Odell
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I have already read this delightful book in kindle format， but when I heard it was available in hardback I could not resist buying it。 The story is set in Bujold's fantasy world of the Five Gods。 Penric is a powerful sorcerer， but he hates using Healing Magic。 He is good， but it is not his true vocation。 Then the general， his brother in law， begs him to help as a personal favour。 Penric agrees， but this time he is facing an enemy that he cannot see。 A fever is killing the men at an army fort。 He I have already read this delightful book in kindle format， but when I heard it was available in hardback I could not resist buying it。 The story is set in Bujold's fantasy world of the Five Gods。 Penric is a powerful sorcerer， but he hates using Healing Magic。 He is good， but it is not his true vocation。 Then the general， his brother in law， begs him to help as a personal favour。 Penric agrees， but this time he is facing an enemy that he cannot see。 A fever is killing the men at an army fort。 He can use his magic to slow the process of the disease， one patient at a time， but more and more men keep arriving at the hospital。 He is fighting a losing battle。 He gathers companions around him， but it is not enough。 The sickness could spread to the town where his wife and child are staying。Desperate， he begs his god to show him how the disease is spreading。Bujold is an excellent storyteller。 Most of the characters are familiar from earlier stories in this series， but she introduces us to several new ones， including an interesting new demon。 。。。more
Katie
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I love Bujold， and I love the humor and humanity in this series。 I was glad to see Bujold pick up Penric’s feelings about being a physician again， even though reading about a mysterious epidemic wasn’t really what I was looking for in early 2021。
Ray Curto
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I have read several of the Penric/Desdemona novellas written by Lois McMaster Bujold and have enjoyed them。The Physicians of Vilnoc is well-written and engaging story but I have a few minor issues with the story。 I would have preferred if Desdemona was featured a bit more in this story as well as Penric's wife。 The biggest issue I have with the story which is about a disease that is highly contagious。 I think I would have enjoyed the story more if there was not a pandemic。 I would like to thank I have read several of the Penric/Desdemona novellas written by Lois McMaster Bujold and have enjoyed them。The Physicians of Vilnoc is well-written and engaging story but I have a few minor issues with the story。 I would have preferred if Desdemona was featured a bit more in this story as well as Penric's wife。 The biggest issue I have with the story which is about a disease that is highly contagious。 I think I would have enjoyed the story more if there was not a pandemic。 I would like to thank Ms。 McMaster Bujold， Subterranean Press， and Netgalley for the free ARC that I read for this honest review。 。。。more
Stuart
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The obligatory plague novel， I suppose we'll get a lot of these moving forward。 The obligatory plague novel， I suppose we'll get a lot of these moving forward。 。。。more
Kris Sellgren
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This is an excellent addition to Bujold’s series of fantasy novellas about Penric and his demon， Desdemona。 Pen and Des are asked by the local fort to use their magic to treat a contagious illness among soldiers。 The urgency of saving lives， the frustration of failing to save lives in the face of increasing cases， and Pen’s growing exhaustion flavor an interesting medical mystery of how the disease is transmitted。 Once Pen and other physicians figure that out， they can get on top of the disease This is an excellent addition to Bujold’s series of fantasy novellas about Penric and his demon， Desdemona。 Pen and Des are asked by the local fort to use their magic to treat a contagious illness among soldiers。 The urgency of saving lives， the frustration of failing to save lives in the face of increasing cases， and Pen’s growing exhaustion flavor an interesting medical mystery of how the disease is transmitted。 Once Pen and other physicians figure that out， they can get on top of the disease and treat it at its source。 As usual Bujold’s characterization is outstanding。 The medieval setting means that Pen has only a vague idea of germ theory， but he is smart enough to understand different means of disease transmission。 Pen’s deity plays a key role in the mystery’s solution。 The tension in this story propels it to being one of the best in this series。 。。。more
Claire Mangelsdorf
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*audiobook （Grover Gardner）
Ben
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Another very satisfying taleIf you have been following this series of tales about Penric， you will find this one of the better ones so far （although very hard to pick）。 If not then you need to pick up the series and discover a very nice， well written （and presented） story about an interesting man and his demon。Get， read， enjoy！
The Captain
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Ahoy there me mateys！ I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 So here be me honest musings 。 。 。The Penric and Desdemona novellas take place in the World of the Five Gods from the trilogy of that name。 Book one of the trilogy， curse of the chalion， is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read and I really enjoyed the remaining two。 Penric， a sorcerer， and Desdemona， his chaos demon， are a fantastic duo that I ADORE。In 2020， these novellas were repub Ahoy there me mateys！ I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 So here be me honest musings 。 。 。The Penric and Desdemona novellas take place in the World of the Five Gods from the trilogy of that name。 Book one of the trilogy， curse of the chalion， is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read and I really enjoyed the remaining two。 Penric， a sorcerer， and Desdemona， his chaos demon， are a fantastic duo that I ADORE。In 2020， these novellas were republished in a two-book omnibus set。 The first omnibus contained novellas 1 - 3 in the internal chronological order not publishing order。 The second set had the novellas 4 - 6。 I normally read in publishing order but have to admit that I strongly feel this series should be an exception if ye be new to it。This novella is number 8 and it contains slight spoilers for other books though it can be read as a standalone。 This story follows Penric and Desdemona as a local garrison falls ill with a mysterious illness。 Aye， it be a plague novel。 But don't let that get ye down。 As always， it is a joy to read about Penric。 Though this book has sad parts， ultimately it is a comforting type of fantasy。 Bad things happen， even magic can't solve everything， and yet working towards the greater good is always worthwhile。 This book does not have an action filled plot like some of the others but was satisfying。 I loved the two newer characters and I loved the ending。 I am biased because I will read every book put out in this series。 But try some of them。 Ye might join me。 Arrrrr！ 。。。more
eyes。2c
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A deadly mystery！Newly minted father Penric is not happy to be taken away from the wonder of his delightful baby daughter， Florina。 When something unusual happens he’s resigned to the demand。 A mystery illness spreading amongst the personnel at the army fort in Vilnoc has Temple sorcerer Penric with his demon Desdemona called to investigate at the request of his brother-in-law， General Arisaydia。 Penric finds himself in the midst of a plague， working alongside the army doctor， needing all his me A deadly mystery！Newly minted father Penric is not happy to be taken away from the wonder of his delightful baby daughter， Florina。 When something unusual happens he’s resigned to the demand。 A mystery illness spreading amongst the personnel at the army fort in Vilnoc has Temple sorcerer Penric with his demon Desdemona called to investigate at the request of his brother-in-law， General Arisaydia。 Penric finds himself in the midst of a plague， working alongside the army doctor， needing all his medical skills to combat the deadly foe。 His calls for help from the Temple for extra sorcerer physicians leads to an interesting result。 The cause of the plague is hidden in mystery， although when revealed it’s no surprise。 （The whole quickly transmitted disease， a story down through the ages， runs a bit close to the bone given the current situation ！） Penric moves forward from the formidable and solid foundation that grounds him to face a different challenge。 Another great addition to the Penric canon。A Subterranean Press ARC via NetGalley 。。。more
Veronica
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Look， if you're this deep into the Penric series， I assume you like Penric and Desdemona enough to read about them doing pretty much anything。 Is there any thrilling character development in this installment？ No。 Do you want to ride along while Penric and Desdemona solve another mystery？ Buckle up。 This is definitely fantasy plague lit， which folks may or may not be in the mood for at this moment in history， but if you like Briar's Book by Tamora Pierce or Owlsight by Mercedes Lackey， I think yo Look， if you're this deep into the Penric series， I assume you like Penric and Desdemona enough to read about them doing pretty much anything。 Is there any thrilling character development in this installment？ No。 Do you want to ride along while Penric and Desdemona solve another mystery？ Buckle up。 This is definitely fantasy plague lit， which folks may or may not be in the mood for at this moment in history， but if you like Briar's Book by Tamora Pierce or Owlsight by Mercedes Lackey， I think you'll enjoy The Physicians of Vilnoc。 。。。more
PlotTrysts
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Lois McMaster Bujold is a master of her craft。 The Physicians of Vilnoc is another entry in her Penric & Desdemona series。 In this installment， Pen's brother-in-law calls upon him and Des to assist with an unknown illness sweeping the military barracks。Reading this book a year in to the COVID-19 pandemic （hopefully the tail end！） brought home the issues faced by our hero。 He leaves home， expecting to be back within a day or two， but is immediately separated from his family for an extended period Lois McMaster Bujold is a master of her craft。 The Physicians of Vilnoc is another entry in her Penric & Desdemona series。 In this installment， Pen's brother-in-law calls upon him and Des to assist with an unknown illness sweeping the military barracks。Reading this book a year in to the COVID-19 pandemic （hopefully the tail end！） brought home the issues faced by our hero。 He leaves home， expecting to be back within a day or two， but is immediately separated from his family for an extended period of time。 He is exhausted by treating increasing numbers of patients， and at the same time feels that he isn't providing enough care。 Since he and his fellow practitioners （a medical officer in the army and， later， a novice sorcerer） are not only treating the disease but attempting to discover its origins， the pressure they face is intense。 Although written before our real-life pandemic， the novella addresses many of the same difficulties we are facing now， making this an incredibly prescient and poignant book。As always， the banter between Pen and Des is a highlight。 It's also great to read about characters for whom compassion and intelligence are some of the most highly-valued traits。This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novella。 。。。more
Markus Pietilä
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3，5/5？
Krista
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Another solid， interesting， story of adventure with a mystery and lots of dry humor。 Love Pen， he is so sweet as a father- the phrasing of how he accredited Nikys with making him a father in reality， awww。Disease travelling in the blood， spread by insects （don't want to give away too many spoilers）， is very on point with today。 Great story！ Another solid， interesting， story of adventure with a mystery and lots of dry humor。 Love Pen， he is so sweet as a father- the phrasing of how he accredited Nikys with making him a father in reality， awww。Disease travelling in the blood， spread by insects （don't want to give away too many spoilers）， is very on point with today。 Great story！ 。。。more
Robert Sullivan
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I've read and greatly enjoyed Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan stories， but this is the first of her Penric and Desdemona fantasy books I've gotten to， and it's quite good。 While having read the earlier stories might deepen one's appreciation of the book， I can attest that it works just fine as a stand-alone or entry point to the series。Penric's world is complex， well-woven， and believable。 The characters are sympathetic and complicated human beings （and demons）。 Bujold's writing is crisp I've read and greatly enjoyed Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan stories， but this is the first of her Penric and Desdemona fantasy books I've gotten to， and it's quite good。 While having read the earlier stories might deepen one's appreciation of the book， I can attest that it works just fine as a stand-alone or entry point to the series。Penric's world is complex， well-woven， and believable。 The characters are sympathetic and complicated human beings （and demons）。 Bujold's writing is crisp， and her dialogue is lifelike。 While no swashes get buckled， the story is engrossing and moves quickly。 Apparently Bujold wrote this before the pandemic， but Penric's plague still hits pretty close to home。 。。。more
Joshua
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Can't get enough of Bujold and the world of the five gods。 Can't get enough of Bujold and the world of the five gods。 。。。more
Evan Dragic
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A solid series entryI continue to enjoy the adventure of Pen and Des。 This one felt short but was engaging。 Looking forwards to more novellas！
John Loyd
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Adelis comes to Penric not to visit his niece or sister but because an illness has broken out at the fort。 Many men are getting a bruising sickness。 Pen with help from his demon might be able to help a few men get better， but not an army。 Can he get help with those already sick？ Can he find out what is causing it， and stop the transmission？From the prior novellas in the series we know that Pen tried and gave up being a physician。 Not because he couldn't do it， but because he couldn't stop， and i Adelis comes to Penric not to visit his niece or sister but because an illness has broken out at the fort。 Many men are getting a bruising sickness。 Pen with help from his demon might be able to help a few men get better， but not an army。 Can he get help with those already sick？ Can he find out what is causing it， and stop the transmission？From the prior novellas in the series we know that Pen tried and gave up being a physician。 Not because he couldn't do it， but because he couldn't stop， and it wore on him。 Not only that， only the worst cases were funneled to him。 He had no easy victories and many agonizing cases where his help was futile。 Here we got a reinforcement of that sentiment。 The premise of fighting a contagion could be a bit on the tedious side， but Bujold has smooth writing as always。 A couple personal details， e。g。 Pen and Nikys have a baby， new to us characters such as Rede who is now the surviving doctor at the fort， and a satisfying ending。 4。8 stars。 。。。more
Sarah Newman
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Always a delight。
Geoff
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AS usual a very professional writer and a lovely main character/s。 However， the topic of plague was not my favourite choice。
Online Eccentric Librarian
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More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/In the eighth （publication order） Penric novella we continue the story from book 7。 Penric has settled into steady life in Vilnoc with his now-wife Nikys and their newborn。 Nikys' exiled brother， Arisaydia leads the local military outpost and arrives at Penric's door telling of a new plague going through his men at the fort， requiring Penric to pick up his medical skills both mundane and magical。This novella was relea More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/In the eighth （publication order） Penric novella we continue the story from book 7。 Penric has settled into steady life in Vilnoc with his now-wife Nikys and their newborn。 Nikys' exiled brother， Arisaydia leads the local military outpost and arrives at Penric's door telling of a new plague going through his men at the fort， requiring Penric to pick up his medical skills both mundane and magical。This novella was released in May 2020， which is either a lucky or unlucky time to release a novella about a contagious disease。 I read this a year into the covid pandemic and could approach it as a simple story - it might have been a bit too timely a year ago though。The story itself is a medical mystery - our hero tries to figure out how to heal the infected， what is the spreading mechanism and what is the source。 We get a new sorcerer and some new support staff but overall the story is contained and doesn't much push the main Penric saga forward。 I did enjoy the story as I have all the other Penric novels - even if at times the desperation of trying to stop the spread felt like it was hitting a bit too close to home。 I usually characterize the Penric novels as very pleasant reads and the writing is still top notch and the characters likeable; the topic this time though kinda prevents it from working as escapism。For fans of the earlier entries - you can't go wrong here。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Physicians of Vilnoc
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Physicians of Vilnoc&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft