When a mysterious plague breaks out in the army fort guarding Vilnoc, the port capital of the duchy of Orbas, Temple sorcerer Penric and his demon Desdemona are called upon by General Arisaydia to resurrect Penric’s medical skills and solve its lethal riddle. In the grueling days that follow, Pen will find that even his magic is not enough to meet the challenges without help from dedicated new colleagues—and the god of mischance.

The Physicians of Vilnoc follows about a year after the events of The Orphans of Raspay. The ninth fantasy in Bujold’s Penric and Desdemona series returns to the World of the Five Gods where temple sorcerer Penric and chaos demon Desdemona, who cohabitate Penric’s body, deal with a plague heretofore unknown in the Duchy of Orbas. In past outings, Penric’s and Desdemona’s wit have helped them out of many scrapes, but here they must rely on dogged, wearying persistence.