Penric and the Shaman by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The best thing about the Five Gods world is the gods. There’s a way Bujold has of making them a very present concern for her characters that reminds of me of animism, or the religions of the ancient world, the mystery cults and whatnot. And yet you can’t imagine that this world could possibly have folk stories where the gods get tricked, or fall in love with mortals; they’re far too powerful, serious and alien for that. They use human beings as tools, and they care about the disposition of human souls, but they really, really do not have to.
The shamanic magic is pretty cool, too.
I like Bujold better when she has room to stretch her wings in full novel form. I want to live in this world for a while, but a novella just doesn’t give enough space for that.
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