The Devil You Know by K.J. Parker
The world’s greatest philosopher sells his soul to the devil, and the demon managing his case thinks he’s up to something.
New York: Tor.com, 2016. http://publishing.tor.com/thedevilyouknow-kjparker/9780765384478/
I read this novella solely because I stumbled upon its marketing text and fell in love with its premise: the world’s greatest philosopher sells his soul to the devil, and the demon managing his case thinks he’s up to something. It raises the question: how do you out-trick the Father of Lies?
The writing was perfect. It was clear and engrossing. It helped me be absorbed by and enjoy the story. The plot started off a bit slow, but that’s not a complaint: it was interesting and funny. (The humor in this story was handled very well.) I really enjoyed the way the ending came together. Very satisfying. A less skilled writer would have left me feeling cheated.
An altogether fun, interesting read.