A Finalist for the Locus Award!
In K. J. Parker's new whip-smart dark fantasy, a group of scholars must do the impossible for a ruthless king. The cost of refusal, of course, is death.
History isn't truth, it's propaganda.
Seeking war with his neighbor, the tyrannical ruler of Aelia convenes several of his kingdom's professors for a chat. First Citizen Gyges only just invaded Aelia a few years back and, naturally, his public image cant take the hit of another unjustified assault.
His totally sane solution? Simple, really. These scholars must construct a fake ancient city from scratch to verify Gygess apocryphal claims.
Now these academics must put their heads together to make history. Because if they don't, they'll lose their headsaltogether.
Having worked in journalism, numismatics and the law, K. J. Parker now writes for a precarious living. He is the author of
Devices and Desires,
Evil for Evil,
The Devil You Know, and other novels, and has won the World Fantasy Award twice. Parker also writes under the name Tom Holt.
A Finalist for the Locus Award!
Praise forProsper's Demon:
As if Deadpool had slipped into the body of the Witcher Geralt. The New York Times
Rich with spiky ideas and with Parkers inimitable and always entertaining voice. Locus
A fresh take on the well-trod demonic possession trope&[that] will draw in fans of dark speculative fiction, especially admirers of Martha Wells and Grady Hendrix. Library Journal
Additional Praise for K. J. Parker
Parker maintains a cool and detached atmosphere, giving the work the feel of a stately court dance and not a blood-racing tarantella. Publishers Weekly, starred review onThe Hammer
The duos sparring is clever enough that Parker cheerfully stays one step ahead of the reader until the last moment, makiló