Should stand alone fine. A few bits have, obviously, more depth if you've read the first lot, but if you can accept that there may be some glossing, you should be up to speed quickly if you just like foxes and want to jump in here. :)

...are shown in this sequel to Penric's Shaman. Starts out with Pen (sorcerer) and Inglis (shaman) enjoying a lazy morning of fishing by a river. Pen finds out making a Great Beast of an earthworm is fraught with imponderables. We see more of the Princess Archdivine, and more interaction between her and Pen. It's fun. It's serious. Pen discovers another scholar who has recently come into a barony. Pen also discovers new skills and more about who he is. You should seriously read this book.

Great characters are once again the best part of this newest Penric story, as we meet some new faces and those met in Penric and the Shamen become better known. While one can easily envy Penric, or Ingles, for their uncanny abilities, this demonstrated the greater hazards they also carry with them. All this, and a fraught murder mystery as well!