He feels more like a chaos agent, or an avatar of chaos, than anything specifically evil. Except for Lord Bastard, “the master of all disasters out of season.” He is the god of demons, of curses, of Murphy’s Law, and definitely of children born out of wedlock. Most of the gods symbolize, among other things, one stage of a person’s life. There are five gods, and everyone pledges themselves to one or another, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t offer prayers to all of them at need. One of the building blocks of the series is the religious set up. I am certain that you don’t have to have read them recently to enjoy Penric’s Demon. I’m not sure you need to have read the whole series to enjoy Penric’s Demon. The other books in the series are Paladin of Souls and The Hallowed Hunt. The World of the Five Gods series was originally called the Chalionseries, after the first book in the series, The Curse of Chalion. As the saying goes, “Time flies like an arrow. And it’s making me feel old to realize that was 15 years ago. I read Bujold’s World of the Five Gods series back when the originally came out in the early years of the 21st century. From that moment on, Penric’s life is irreversibly changed, and his life is in danger from those who envy or fear him. Her avowed god is The Bastard, “master of all disasters out of season”, and with her dying breath she bequeaths her mysterious powers to Penric. As he approaches to help, he discovers that the lady is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. On his way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric comes upon a riding accident with an elderly lady on the ground, her maidservant and guardsmen distraught. Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Penric's demon by lois mcmaster bujold