Reviewed by Quirky Cat on
Prosper’s Demon is the latest novella from the mind of K.J. Parker, and it is a beautifully twisted mess of horror and superstition. This is a world in which demons and a select few mortals face off, again and again.
Demons are real. And they can do all of the things whispered about in horror stories. And yet there are few – very few – humans with the ability to see them. Better yet, they have the ability to eject these demons from their unwilling human hosts - at a cost.
“I have an idea you aren’t going to like me very much. That may prove to be the only thing we’ll have in common, so let’s make the most of it.”
Prosper’s Demon was a chilling experience, and well worth the read. This disturbing tale is full of demons and terrors, alongside the best and worst that humanity has to offer. The juxtaposition was alarming at times, but done in the cleverest of ways.
There was a lot to love about this novella. First, there’s the narrator – who is never actually given a name. The lack of name adds to his unreliability, as well as further distancing him from humanity itself. Such a clever and elegant trick. But one that took the writing so far.
The complex relationship between demons and the humans that can see them is fascinating. It’s also disturbing, in ways that send off those internal alarm bells. You know exactly what I mean by that – those people that you just instinctively know never to trust.
Prosper’s Demon was beautifully written, full of lush detail and character development, all the while showing a twisted war played out by a broken mind. It’s chilling and captivating all at once. And I very much wish that I could have kept on reading. But that is the price we pay for reading novellas, isn’t it? If so, then it was well worth the price.
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Reading updates
- Started reading
- 6 January, 2020: Finished reading
- 6 January, 2020: Reviewed