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A review by madmooney
Inside Man by K.J. Parker
5.0
I have to say, I find myself becoming more and more charmed by the fantastical/theological world that K.J Parker (AKA [a:Tom Holt|9766|Tom Holt|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1246502762p2/9766.jpg]) is slowly weaving together. Much like [a:Terry Pratchett|1654|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg]'s Discworld series, it is completely fantastical, but with blatant, hard connection points to our own history.
This is my 2nd KJ Parker set in "Parkerland" (an unfortunate term I found online to describe his universe), with [b:Pulling the Wings Off Angels|59808627|Pulling the Wings Off Angels|K.J. Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654655907l/59808627._SY75_.jpg|94199556] being my first, and I am definetly here for the ride.
[b:Inside Man|55246108|Inside Man|K.J. Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603383058l/55246108._SY75_.jpg|85876126] provides the account of an unnamed demon, one who has been relegated to the 'easy' work assignment of providing distractions to interrupt the continuous praying and chants of Monks of the Third Horn Monastery. The idea is that the monks are praying for the deceased (who provided large sums of money prior to their deaths) in order maintain their Heavenly afterlife, and that any interruption gives them brief glimpses of hell that make the deceased appreciate paradise all the more.
While not the most evil of demonic assignments, it is provided thus as our main character is 'broken', after suffering some serious spiritual damage...so he has basically been given a desk job. The unnamed demon gets pulled into some sort of conspiracy that is being perpetuated by 'both sides' - and that is all I will say plot-wise.
Inside Man reminds me much of [b:Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|12067|Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|Terry Pratchett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1615552073l/12067._SY75_.jpg|4110990], especially in the idea that after thousands of years 'angels' and 'demons' become more of corporate rivals rather than universal enemies.
I use our world's terms of angels/demons, but really in the book they are all servants of "The Plan", orders of both sides who 'work on different sides of the pyramid' to support the top. The only difference is that one side that lost the Great Argument does less preferable jobs to support "The Plan".
This title is supposedly the 2nd in a duology, with [b:Prosper's Demon|50905325|Prosper's Demon|K.J. Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565123933l/50905325._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72621511] being the 1st. I am currently reading Prosper's and I do not think anything was missed here- so I would say that these two books complement each other, rather than having sequential plots.
One added thing:
it is in this title that we discover the fate of Saloninus from [b:Pulling the Wings Off Angels|59808627|Pulling the Wings Off Angels|K.J. Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654655907l/59808627._SY75_.jpg|94199556]:
This is my 2nd KJ Parker set in "Parkerland" (an unfortunate term I found online to describe his universe), with [b:Pulling the Wings Off Angels|59808627|Pulling the Wings Off Angels|K.J. Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654655907l/59808627._SY75_.jpg|94199556] being my first, and I am definetly here for the ride.
[b:Inside Man|55246108|Inside Man|K.J. Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603383058l/55246108._SY75_.jpg|85876126] provides the account of an unnamed demon, one who has been relegated to the 'easy' work assignment of providing distractions to interrupt the continuous praying and chants of Monks of the Third Horn Monastery. The idea is that the monks are praying for the deceased (who provided large sums of money prior to their deaths) in order maintain their Heavenly afterlife, and that any interruption gives them brief glimpses of hell that make the deceased appreciate paradise all the more.
While not the most evil of demonic assignments, it is provided thus as our main character is 'broken', after suffering some serious spiritual damage...so he has basically been given a desk job. The unnamed demon gets pulled into some sort of conspiracy that is being perpetuated by 'both sides' - and that is all I will say plot-wise.
Inside Man reminds me much of [b:Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|12067|Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|Terry Pratchett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1615552073l/12067._SY75_.jpg|4110990], especially in the idea that after thousands of years 'angels' and 'demons' become more of corporate rivals rather than universal enemies.
I use our world's terms of angels/demons, but really in the book they are all servants of "The Plan", orders of both sides who 'work on different sides of the pyramid' to support the top. The only difference is that one side that lost the Great Argument does less preferable jobs to support "The Plan".
This title is supposedly the 2nd in a duology, with [b:Prosper's Demon|50905325|Prosper's Demon|K.J. Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565123933l/50905325._SX50_SY75_.jpg|72621511] being the 1st. I am currently reading Prosper's and I do not think anything was missed here- so I would say that these two books complement each other, rather than having sequential plots.
One added thing:
Spoiler
it is in this title that we discover the fate of Saloninus from [b:Pulling the Wings Off Angels|59808627|Pulling the Wings Off Angels|K.J. Parker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654655907l/59808627._SY75_.jpg|94199556]:
"As it so happens, I met Saloninus once, not lot after his death. Once he'd got his bearings and realized where he was and what had happened to him, and who I was, he gave me an enormous grin.
"You were wrong," I told him. April fool."
He laughed. "Oh, that's all right", he said, "I was pretty sure I was wrong. Nice to have that confirmed though."