Masquerade in Lodi
core novella 2020 World of the Five Gods
Record
| First published | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novella |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.27 (4,947 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 125 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781645240471 |
| Internal chronology | 6 |
Synopsis
On the eve of the Bastard's Day festivities in the city of Lodi, Penric is dispatched to look into reports of a strange man recently pulled from the sea, said to be afflicted with madness. Investigating, Penric discovers that the man's affliction is no ordinary illness but the presence of a wild, untamed demon that has taken hold of him without proper Temple guidance. Before Penric and Desdemona can safely contain it, the volatile demon breaks free and escapes into the crowds gathered for the carnival, forcing Penric into a race through the packed, costumed streets of Lodi to prevent it from causing harm to unsuspecting revelers. The chase tests Penric's skill at managing a demon far less disciplined than his own, against the chaotic backdrop of a city given over to festival.
Where it sits
- Universe: World of the Five Gods
- Series: Penric & Desdemona core; position 9 of 16 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Notes
- From the series record (Penric & Desdemona): 16 novellas (2015-2026); publication order diverges from the author's own stated internal chronological order (recorded via internal chronology). Set roughly 150 years after The Hallowed Hunt and roughly 100 years before the Chalion novels. Classified Core Canon (not Expanded) because the novellas are marketed/sold as their own numbered series, are narratively load-bearing rather than side content, and the Hugo voting body treated them as full constituent parts of the universe when awarding the 2018 Hugo Best Series to the whole World of the Five Gods.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Penric & Desdemona: position 9 of 16: previous The Physicians of Vilnoc (2020) · next The Assassins of Thasalon (2021)
- Internal chronology, within World of the Five Gods: position 6 of 19: previous Testimony of Mute Things (2025) · next Penric's Mission (2016)
Sources
← World of the Five Gods dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.