Demon Daughter

In the port city of Vilnoc, a lost child becomes the center of something far more complicated than a simple rescue—drawing sorcerer Penric, his demon Desdemona, and his wife Nikys into a tangle of competing obligations, unexpected dangers, and questions about what family and belonging truly mean. What makes this novella quietly gripping is the tension it introduces between Penric and Desdemona themselves, two beings who have shared a body and a bond for years. Watching that partnership strain under pressure gives the story an emotional weight that outpaces its modest length.

Bujold writes these novellas with a precision that rewards close attention—every scene does double or triple duty, advancing plot while deepening character and world. The prose is warm but never soft, the humor dry but never distancing. Readers who have followed Penric from the beginning will find familiar pleasures here alongside something genuinely new, while newcomers can orient themselves quickly. At 153 pages, Demon Daughter moves with the confidence of a much longer book, never rushing, never padding—just delivering exactly what it needs to.