11-2-25 — Christina Critiques - Books

PROSPER’S DEMON

By: KJ Parker

Release: 1/28/20

Page count: 112

KU: No      Hoopla:

Synopsis: What do you do when you have a gift so few have? You do demon extraction - but remember there are rules and the same demons over and over.

First line: “I have an idea you aren’t going to like me very much.”

Favorite line: “Now, conceding that Prospero was at least 40 percent full of stuff that makes roses grow…”

“Sometimes I’m so stupid, I’m amazed I manage to breathe.” (Christina’s note: This felt like a personal attack.)

Thoughts: What a creative and insane premise for a novella - thank God there is a sequel! This is so full of questionable faith, demons, and so much more. The narrator must pull a demon out of a human but it will cause both, the demon and the human, pain and worse it will take away Prospero’s muse. Can he work in tandem with the demon? That’s the question we have to decide for ourselves before the ending. And it’s one hell of one.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: INSIDE MAN, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

Find it here: https://a.co/d/5RtlDRR

INSIDE MAN

By: KJ Parker

Release: 6/15/21

Page count: 144

KU: No      Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: What happens when you were part of the rebellion in Heaven and were cast down to Hell? Work light duty as a demon because of your fragile mental state but even that may be a bit too overextending.

First line: “Better the devil you know, so all me to introduce myself: I’m the devil.”

Favorite line: “Some people might call it demonic possession, but to me, it’s just being considerate.”

Thoughts: Demons just make me happy for some reason… I mean READING about demons, obviously. True to Parker’s writing, there are so many twists. The only problem I had was it was a bit hard to follow at times especially near the end. But!, it doesn’t take too much away from the story.

Rating: 4/5

Other recommendations: PROSPER’S DEMON, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

Find it here: https://a.co/d/9IPdowT

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

By: KJ Parker

Release: 3/1/16

Page count: 124

KU: No     Hoopla: Yes - but only on audio

Synopsis: An old alchemist decides to sell his soul to the devil but with certain rules and a very specific demon assistant.

First line: “I don’t do evil when I’m not on duty, just as prostitutes tend not to have sex on their days off.”

Favorite line: “Query: if I’d had less brains and more money, would I have been happier? Answer: if a circle had four straight sides, wouldn’t it be a square?”

Thoughts: I cannot get enough of Parker! (As you can tell with the two previous reviews). The wit and philosophy in each novella just keeps getting better and better! A demon with nothing but suspicion and tasked to spend 20 years with a selfish alchemist that tries to outsmart the HR department of Hell? Say less, friend.

It’s, at its core, a story of unlikely acceptance, gullibility, friendship and how it’s never too late to learn to actually see the people around you.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: MAKING HISTORY

Find it here: https://a.co/d/1hWpGZE

DAEDALUS IS DEAD

By: Seamus Sullivan

Release: 9/30/25

Page count: 176

KU: No     Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Daedalus, as the narrator, takes the reader from the beginning of his becoming a slave to Minos to him being sent to Hell.

First line: “The walls proceed in straight lines and meet at right angles.”

Favorite line: “You will never see your son again.”

Thoughts: Disclaimer - this novella will cause full on body sobs.

I was not prepared for this novella and even worse, it’s Sullivan’s debut! You may think you know the story of Icarus, Daedalus, Ariadne, the Minotaur, and Persephone but you have never read them like this. Sullivan shows the flawed nature of man, grief of a parent, how easily differences are cast out, and the blinders we can put on when mistakes are made. This is #2 for 2025 for me and honestly, I’m tempted to bump MAKING HISTORY.

I do want to comment on the price - $12.99 for the kindle version. I know it’s a lot and I’m thoughtful of that but it is worth every penny and then some. (Even in this economy.) I finished this on 10/24/25 and I’m writing this on 11/1/25. Why does that matter? I have not been able to read another book since and if you know me, you know that’s not a common problem. But it will put you in a book hangover so be ready for it.

Rating: 6/5

Other recommendations: N/A

Find it here: https://a.co/d/59wd2oQ

HELLMOUTH

By: Giles Kristian

Release: 2/19/21

Page count: 65

KU: Yes     Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Galien is off with a group of misfits to find a heretic that the church needs alive.

First line: “A man is painting, dipping his fine-bristled brush into a mixture of egg, water and red ochre and stroking it across the surface of an iron breastplate.”

Favorite line: “Then the man opens his mouth and maggots tumble out, writhing and wriggling in the gory pool below him.”

Thoughts: Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. I’m so obsessed with medieval horror because of this novelette (novella?). HELLMOUTH is fucking brutal in only sixty-five pages and somehow it is one of the most disturbing of the year. The unknown girl mixed with the unknown hole to Hell (possibly). No thank you. An absolute must read for medieval fans or fans of horror period. Actually, anyone with an iron stomach should read it.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: LANCELOT

Find it here: https://a.co/d/aImgHSd