James Nicoll Reviews

2025’s The Adventure of the Demonic Ox is the fourteenth work in Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric and Desdemona secondary-universe fantasy series.

As the son of a sorcerer, young Wyn realizes an ailing ox is not, as its owner believes, afflicted by brain worms. The malady is supernatural in nature. The ox is possessed by a demon, a demonic ox.

Which is to say, right up Wyn’s father’s alley.

Penric has enough faith in his son’s insight to see for himself if the ox is possessed or not. As driving an irritable mad ox to Penric is impractical, Penric will have to go to the ox. No great burden. It’s an excuse for a pleasant outing with Wyn, also Penric’s other children, Rina and Otta.

Wyn is correct. The ox has been possessed by a newborn demon. Left to its own devices, the possessed ox faces a short, unpleasant life… during which it presents a significant danger to those around it. Happily, there is a way to reduce the risk.

A Saint of the Bastard will determine if the new demon is good natured or not. If not, then it will be dispatched back to the realm from which it came. If it is, the possessed ox will be purchased by a temple. Its lifespan is still likely to be short — baby demons are hard on their hosts — but more pleasant, plus it will not endanger innocent bystanders. When the ox dies, the demon will be transferred to a more suitable, human, host.

Step one is to get the ox from where it is — a construction site — to where it needs to be if it is to be assessed. Or, as matters actually play out, for events to go horribly wrong, leaving in their wake a dead ox, an unexpectedly possessed new human host, and a Penric too badly injured to move… out in the wilderness.

~oOo~

I am pleased to report that even though humans are armed with magic, this secondary world’s ecology has not been devastated as was that of our real-world 21^st century Europe. For example, there is still a thriving population of wolves, eager to repurpose biological materials that might come to hand. Or fang, I suppose one should say.

Although this is a short work — a novel by the standards of the 1970s, but a novella by modern metrics — Bujold does find time to discuss theology. Specifically, how the origins of the schism between the orthodox Quintarians (who believe in five gods) and the Quadrine (who believe there are only four gods and one demon whom heretics mistakenly think is a god). The break was the result of a feud between theologian brothers, whose true motivation may have been a disputed inheritance¹.

I still don’t understand how one can have doctrinal disagreement in worlds where gods take an active interest. Doesn’t the Bastard care that he’s been relegated to a demon by the Quadrines?

As secondary-universe series go, Penric and Desdemona’s world is comparatively amiable. Which is impressive, given how many existential anxieties Bujold crams into her works, from comparatively mundane concerns such as guiding children towards tolerable lives, to arcane challenges. Such as possessed oxen. Such as the fact that Desdemona is striving mightily to retard Penric’s aging, which could lead him to outlive everyone he loves, and the society with which he is familiar.

I had a clear idea of what I wanted to read when I selected this: skillfully written entertainment. Bujold delivered.

The Adventure of the Demonic Ox is available here (Barnes & Noble), and here (Chapters-Indigo).

The Adventure of the Demonic Ox does not appear to be purchasable directly from publisher Spectrum Literary Agency². Demonic Ox is also not available from Bookshop US, Bookshop UK, or Words Worth Books.

1: The era in question was known for its social and theological discord. USA delenda est.

2: It is depressing how many familiar names represented by Spectrum are those of deceased authors.