The Long Game
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The always unpredictable K. J. Parker has written some of the most original and compelling fantasy fiction of recent decades. In his latest novella, The Long Game, Parker has turned once again to the comic side of his multi-faceted talent, and the result is one of the most purely entertaining creations of a distinguished career. The unnamed narrator of The Long Game is an Adept, a member of an Ecclesiastical order charged, among other things, with opposing a race of immaterial demons, creatures capable of possessing and controlling human minds. Complicating the narrator's life is the fact that, over time, he has developed a cordial "relationship" with one of the demons. Complicating matters further is the unexpected arrival of Amalasomtha, a young woman with impossible abilities who claims to have come from the remote--perhaps mythical--country of Idalia. She also claims that, for reasons she does not entirely understand, she has been tasked with capturing one such demon and returning with it to Idalia. The truth, it turns out, is considerably more complex. Amalasomtha's arrival sets in motion a chain of events encompassing murder, magic, deception, and an array of unintended consequences. By the story's end, this consistently witty account of demonic possession, hidden agendas and Ecclesiastical politics has taken us to some unexpected places and given us a glimpse of a larger story still, the "long game" that lies at the heart of all human history. The Long Game is funny, provocative, extravagantly imagined, and good for the soul. This is K. J. Parker at the top of his considerable form. What more needs to be said?
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This is my first book by this author and it wasn't even on my radar until I saw it on netgalley. I just thought the premise looked interesting and wanted to give it a try.
I'm not sure I knew what was happening here for quite a while after I started reading. The writing style of the unnamed narrator talking to us was unique; the tone of the writing was quite humorous but it also felt like the author was trying too hard sometimes or being a bit condescending. There was also too much infordumping happening and I couldn't grasp a lot of the information because it's too short of a novella to understand everything.
What I did end up liking was the kind of friendship that had developed between the narrator and the demon over the years and how they both keep trying to help each other but put up a pretense that they are reluctant to do so. I also thought the whole discussion about “The Long Game” was fascinating - how is a war between good and evil, even if there are no true winners and losers, everyone is obligated to keep the fight going because that's how it's supposed to be. I feel like I'm not explaining it well but it was a cool discussion towards the end of the book and that's what made me close this novella with not too much of a disappointment.
In conclusion, I don't know what I was expecting from this book but it just wasn't my kind of story or narration. Maybe if you've read the author's previous works and liked the style, or just enjoy flippant and tongue-in-cheek kind of writing, this might be your cup of tea. So while I did end up feeling ok about it and it left me thinking a bit, there were also a couple of moments where I felt uncomfortable and I'm not sure how to articulate that. Overall, it just wasn't for me and I probably won't find it too memorable.
