Book Review: Prosper's Demon
“Prosper’s Demon” is a dark fantasy novella by K. J. Parker (Whose real name is Tom Holt) telling the classic story of the eternal battle between the holy and the infernal, except this time, things are not exactly black and white. Taking place in a bleak world with a protagonist who is not entirely heroic, Parker’s work presents the reader with interesting human dilemmas regarding hope and ambition while asking the question of what defines “good” in the battle of good vs. evil.
The plot centers around an unnamed exorcist who recounts his tale about meeting a man named Prosper, who was a genius scholar and artist who intended for his son to be raised as a prodigal philosopher-king who would someday rule with his vast wisdom. This ambitious plan is obstructed by two significant obstacles: both Prosper and his son are possessed by demons. With this, the exorcist must figure out a way to exorcise both demons without suffering the consequences of harming two very significant figures in society.
This is the plot, but the plot is not what drives the book. Instead, it is the exorcist’s narration. Told from a first-person perspective, every word of this book is filled with the sarcastic wit of the exorcist, brought on by his rather grim outlook on people and society as well as the demons (both literally and figuratively) of his past. The exorcist of this tale is by no means a knight in shining armor, but rather a person who was born with an ability and essentially had no choice but to take the next logical step. He exorcises demons due to his profession, not because he necessarily cares for the human victims, and even the act of exorcising a demon is described as a process that is far from painless. His very grey morality makes him an incredibly interesting character to follow, and the wit in his dialogue, courtesy of Parker’s witty prose, provides a very dry sense of humor that fits very well with the bleak world this story takes place in.
Speaking of world, every fantasy work utilizes a grandiose amount of world-building to truly engage the reader and make them feel like part of the world. With “Prosper’s Demon,” Parker utilizes a more subtle way of world-building where places and significant figures are said as passing mentions by the exorcist, giving a sense of authenticity to the world without devoting entire sections of text to describing it. The reader also gets a very good idea of what kind of world this is mainly through the constant demonic possessions as well as the jaded tone of the narration, making the setting seem dark without going overboard with descriptors.
At its core, “Prosper’s Demon” is a story that proposes an interesting idea of hope in a world populated by demons. The conversations the exorcist has with Prosper regarding the purposes of art and beauty are quite engaging and are made more intriguing given the irony that this ambitious man obsessed with ideals and beauty is mainly being guided by the same darkness that haunts the exorcist and the world at large. Ultimately, these are themes in the work in which both the reader and the exorcist must figure out whether these can coexist with everything else going on in this world.
All in all, “Prosper’s Demon” is an engaging story of dark fantasy which deals with themes of human nature and responsibility. Being a novella, it is quite a short read, but the length does not make the story any less thrilling to read. A story of sardonic wit, grim duties, and great suspense, “Prosper’s Demon” is a must-read for anyone interested in bleaker tones and different takes on the traditional “good vs. evil” stories.
