Mira’s Last Dance

Engaging as ever, Penric is definitely here to stay. These little novellas are mind traps of the first order. In this one, an early member of the demonic possession, a professional courtesan in her physical life, is set loose to exercise long-learned skills. And Penric, performing a survival-necessitated role play, finds himself, as it were, tugged along. (Pun intended).

We have Penric’s growing attraction for, and absolute fascination with, Nikys, the constantly militant face of her brother, Adelis, and, as is pretty constant in these tales, an intense pursuit is ongoing.

We are confronted with the conflict between Penric’s Demonic inhabitant and his personal drives, also as usual.

The protagonist must contemplate the total loss of his library due to his reported death, and in the final conflict of this fine work, we have to regard that possibility as potentially enabling a resolution, on a personal level, of the intense angst of the finale.

There is no lessening of intensity, no relief from the acutely painful tearing this wonderful author subjects us to. Well worth reading, this book portends further adventures in the world of the Five Gods!!