by K.J. Parker
Published on January 28, 2020 by Tor.com
ISBN: 9781250260512
Format: Paperback
Pages: 112
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
In a botched demonic extraction, they say the demon feels it ten times worse than the man. But they don’t die, and we do. Equilibrium.
The unnamed and morally questionable narrator is an exorcist with great follow-through and few doubts. His methods aren’t delicate but they’re undeniably effective: he’ll get the demon out — he just doesn’t particularly care what happens to the person.
Prosper of Schanz is a man of science, determined to raise the world’s first philosopher-king, reared according to the purest principles. Too bad he’s demonically possessed.
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I’ve found the best way to enjoy a book is going in with no expectations, and that’ exactly what I did with Prosper’s Demon. This witty, wicked little book was exactly what I didn’t know I needed, offering up a serving of snarky commentary on a world that could almost be our own if it weren’t for the fact that demons abound. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Our narrator, as the synopsis says, is both lacking in name and an exorcist of demons. He’s not always the most reliable voice and his choices are often on the questionable side but he’s almost a good person. It depends on the day. This ambiguous moral compass is exactly what sucked me into the story because you’re in his head. You’re experiencing the world as he does when he does, the decisions to be made, the tough choices where there are no good choices, only the lesser of two evils.
There were sort of two stories going on despite the short length of the novella. We have the narrator, the exorcist, traveling around and evicting demons from human hosts who is faced with the choice of defeating evil now to hinder the Greater Plan marginally in the future. And then there’s his relationship/vendetta against one demon in particular. Somehow both stories combine into this overarching examination of belief vs science, good vs evil, and reality vs art.
To be honest, I expected Prosper’s Demon to be… darker. After all, we’re dealing with demons and exorcism and just look at the cover! Doesn’t it suggest something less light and fluffy? But turns out looks are deceiving because though there are darker undertones to the commentary as a whole, the actual story presentation is lighter. Conversational.
Even the narrator, who makes the claim that we as the reader won’t be a fan of him, is intriguing. Yes, he does some questionable things and blurs the line between good and evil to the point that it no longer exists, but there was that little bit of goodness. He thinks about doing the right thing even when that’s not always what happens, and it’s enough of a redemption to hook me as a reader.
I don’t have much else to say about Prosper’s Demon. If you like your protagonists with a twisted sense of humor and demons who aren’t your typical demons, and some backhanded commentary on greater world questions, I think you’re really going to enjoy this short book. I couldn’t get enough and almost wish it was longer (though that would likely take away from its charm).
Make sure to have Prosper’s Demon on your reading radar!
About Austine
I'm a 20-something research proposal developer with a background in the life sciences and education. Reviewer of books since 2011, amateur photographer by day, and aspiring author by night. I believe animals (and books) are better than people.
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