Prosper’s Demon by K.J. Parker
The rundown:
The unnamed narrator is an exorcist. A quite accomplished one, too, with absolutely zero qualms about what he does for a living, even when it sometimes has rather nasty side effects. And why should it bother him? Demons, who feel ten times the pain as their host during an extraction, don’t die, but humans do. Fair is fair, after all. The exorcist discovers that Prosper of Schanz, a great man of science, is raising a child to become the world’s first philosopher-king. Prosper of Schanz also happens to be demonically possessed.
The review:
Prosper’s Demon is a tightly told, fresh take on the good versus evil debate that is equal parts hilarious and horrifying. Imagine if Deadpool were in the Witcher Geralt’s world, and you’ve got a pretty accurate idea of what to expect. You may begin to feel as if the story is going nowhere - or perhaps, as if you know exactly where it’s going - courtesy of the narrator’s winding, philosophical musings, only for the exorcist to blow your assumptions out of the water with a truly unexpected plot twist that, in retrospect, makes perfect sense. With sharp, sardonic writing, Parker manages to make a book about a truly morally questionable exorcist just so damn fun.
Goes well with:
Go ahead and check out the rest of Parker’s backlist for more of his unique style of dark, sardonic, delightfully amoral fantasy. I particularly enjoyed Pulling the Wings Off Angels, Parker’s newest release.