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. Cover illustration by Vincent Chong
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In Long Game, the narrator is a field agent for an ecclesiastical order responsible for exorcising demons and maintaining the fight against Evil. In the course of his career, he has developed a friendship with someone from the other side and occasionally visits him so they can provide each other gossip and definitely tell each other the truth about everything. But when a mysterious young woman ends up crashing their latest meeting, the narrator gets dragged into a muddy situation involving a possibly mythical country, a murder and a deal with demons.
My only experience with K.J. Parker prior to this was some of the stories in the anthology Academic Exercises, which gave me an intro to Parker's cynical, sly humor and tendency to mix philosophy and theology with fantasy elements. The Long Game was exactly what I expected and more from Parker.
I love his snide cleverness even as I get why it isn't everyone's cup of tea. The narration in this story is fairly chaotic and jumps frequently between present events and past meetings between the narrator and his friend. The narrator is honestly not a terribly wonderful person but the appeal is similar to Glokta from First Law. You don't enjoy them because they're good people, but because they're interesting.
I haven't read much Parker so I don't have strong comparisons here, but if you enjoy very cynical, very dry humor and grumbly protagonists who think they're quite clever, this is an enjoyable read. I will certainly be picking up more from Parker in the future.
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