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The Proposition
What happens when the perpetual liar meets the devil and is made an offer he cannot refuse?
46 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2014
91 people want to read
About the author
Vardan Partamyan
13 books80 followersTelling stories has been my lifelong passion, a thread woven through my life from early childhood. The merging and molding of tales, drawing inspiration from various sources to create something fresh and unexpected, has been a constant source of fascination for me.
This enduring intrigue with crafting new worlds and breathing life into characters has evolved but remains unaltered at its core. In my writing, I am drawn to the creation of strange new landscapes, guiding flawed yet, hopefully, relatable characters through transformative journeys wherever the road may lead or end.
To date, I have authored thirteen novels and numerous short stories, each self-published on Amazon. My explorations span across genres including science fiction, adventure, detective mysteries, dark comedy, and satire. Often, my works emerge as a fusion of these genres, mirroring the intricate blend that characterizes our lives.
I extend an invitation to you, urging you to accompany me in exploring uncharted territories through my words. Together, we will navigate unfamiliar worlds, uncover concealed truths, and savor the journey along the way. The literary footsteps of Alfred Bester, Raymond Chandler, Harry Harrison, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ian Fleming have influenced my path and continue to resonate in my creative journey.
As a reader, I invite you to join me on a shared Odyssey, as we delve into the depths of the unknown. And so, our Odyssey begins!
This enduring intrigue with crafting new worlds and breathing life into characters has evolved but remains unaltered at its core. In my writing, I am drawn to the creation of strange new landscapes, guiding flawed yet, hopefully, relatable characters through transformative journeys wherever the road may lead or end.
To date, I have authored thirteen novels and numerous short stories, each self-published on Amazon. My explorations span across genres including science fiction, adventure, detective mysteries, dark comedy, and satire. Often, my works emerge as a fusion of these genres, mirroring the intricate blend that characterizes our lives.
I extend an invitation to you, urging you to accompany me in exploring uncharted territories through my words. Together, we will navigate unfamiliar worlds, uncover concealed truths, and savor the journey along the way. The literary footsteps of Alfred Bester, Raymond Chandler, Harry Harrison, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ian Fleming have influenced my path and continue to resonate in my creative journey.
As a reader, I invite you to join me on a shared Odyssey, as we delve into the depths of the unknown. And so, our Odyssey begins!
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 1, 2015
Mr Louis Cifer is a perpetual liar. He’s made a proposition by Beelzebub. If he can complete the seemingly simple task of racing across town to reach the harbour without being caught, he will earn a wish. As with all offers from the Prince of Darkness (not Ozzy Osbourne, the real one), all is not as it seems, and this simple race winds up including a tour through Mr Cifer’s nine personalised hells.
The Proposition is filled with vivid imagery, fun characters, and banter galore. My favourite was the one-eyed, one-eared cat, a terribly wretched thing, but hilariously funny. It even gets some killer lines of dialogue at the end which are a hoot.
Although it’s a bit rough round the edges, this novella will take you an a wickedly imaginative ride filled with quirky black comedy and some interesting social commentary. Some of Vardan Partamyan’s one-liners are positively brilliant.
[Spoiler respectfully deleted], but otherwise lots of laughs and good fun.
I received a free copy for an honest non-reciprocal review.
The Proposition is filled with vivid imagery, fun characters, and banter galore. My favourite was the one-eyed, one-eared cat, a terribly wretched thing, but hilariously funny. It even gets some killer lines of dialogue at the end which are a hoot.
Although it’s a bit rough round the edges, this novella will take you an a wickedly imaginative ride filled with quirky black comedy and some interesting social commentary. Some of Vardan Partamyan’s one-liners are positively brilliant.
[Spoiler respectfully deleted], but otherwise lots of laughs and good fun.
I received a free copy for an honest non-reciprocal review.
August 14, 2016
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for an honest review.
I've had the pleasure of experiencing this author's work before and its clear this story is in dialogue with the other one I read since the same characters from the other book make a brief cameo. But I'm not quite certain which book comes first or if they're meant to be read in any particular order. What I will say is that this book is a delightful read and written with vigor and pomp. Without a doubt, this is certainly my favorite work by this author.
The cleverness and wit is only outdone by the prose. With his very careful use of language, Mr. Partamyan proves to be a proficient wordsmith. His work is both contemporary and literary without all the pretentiousness of many similar attempts. In fact, I would compare reading his work as looking at a fine oil painting. I couldn't help but think that this tale is a kind of literary ode to Hector Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique. It's a humorous and nightmarish tale full of laughs and the macabre.
In the Proposition, the Devil offers a man the chance to have any wish he desires come true, so long as he is willing to submit the Devil's terms. Having nothing to lose, the man accepts this Faustian offer and becomes the Devil's entertainment. What follows is a series of encounters between the man and the Devil that leads to some unexpected, but intriguing misadventures.
This book is full of a lot of symbolism and cultural references, alll meant to take an introspective look at life and the world. Although some of the subject matter is serious, the delivery is tongue-in-cheek. Despite the danger he is in, the protagonists shows no hesitation to make parody of himself, his situation, or the devil himself. This leads to many humours moments throughout the story. The final twist at the end of the story catches us by surprise and is masterfully done.
Overall, this is an excellent tale and great for anyone who wants to read something outside of the box. A solid 4 stars.
I've had the pleasure of experiencing this author's work before and its clear this story is in dialogue with the other one I read since the same characters from the other book make a brief cameo. But I'm not quite certain which book comes first or if they're meant to be read in any particular order. What I will say is that this book is a delightful read and written with vigor and pomp. Without a doubt, this is certainly my favorite work by this author.
The cleverness and wit is only outdone by the prose. With his very careful use of language, Mr. Partamyan proves to be a proficient wordsmith. His work is both contemporary and literary without all the pretentiousness of many similar attempts. In fact, I would compare reading his work as looking at a fine oil painting. I couldn't help but think that this tale is a kind of literary ode to Hector Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique. It's a humorous and nightmarish tale full of laughs and the macabre.
In the Proposition, the Devil offers a man the chance to have any wish he desires come true, so long as he is willing to submit the Devil's terms. Having nothing to lose, the man accepts this Faustian offer and becomes the Devil's entertainment. What follows is a series of encounters between the man and the Devil that leads to some unexpected, but intriguing misadventures.
This book is full of a lot of symbolism and cultural references, alll meant to take an introspective look at life and the world. Although some of the subject matter is serious, the delivery is tongue-in-cheek. Despite the danger he is in, the protagonists shows no hesitation to make parody of himself, his situation, or the devil himself. This leads to many humours moments throughout the story. The final twist at the end of the story catches us by surprise and is masterfully done.
Overall, this is an excellent tale and great for anyone who wants to read something outside of the box. A solid 4 stars.
May 24, 2014
The Proposition by Vardan Partamyan is a fantasy novella about Louis Cifer, a down-and-out habitual liar who makes a deal with the devil.
Louis is having a typical day, sitting on the sidewalk and staring at his reflection in a cracked television screen. His indifferent one-eyed cat, who is worse for wear from a lifetime of losing catfights, accompanies the homeless man.
Baalzebub steps up, and propositions the derelict with a run to the harbor. If Louis wins the race, the Devil will grant him one wish. Like any deal with the Devil, be sure to negotiate carefully. Louis’s run through personalized circles of hell are nothing compared to the evil twist waiting for him at the harbor.
The Proposition is a wickedly funny take on a traditional tale. Louis is a wit that shows no awe for The Lord of Darkness. The homeless man’s circles of hell are surreal places. Some of his hells are populated with people who make you shake your head at their folly. Despite his irrelevancy, Louis shows wisdom in resisting his hells’ temptations. The outcome at the harbor was unexpected and set up throughout the story with a deft hand.
The Proposition is a fun romp through hell, and a recommended read for fans who like besting the Devil at his own game. Be forewarned. The clever story has subtle puns and hilarious innuendoes. I read it twice to catch them all.
Louis is having a typical day, sitting on the sidewalk and staring at his reflection in a cracked television screen. His indifferent one-eyed cat, who is worse for wear from a lifetime of losing catfights, accompanies the homeless man.
Baalzebub steps up, and propositions the derelict with a run to the harbor. If Louis wins the race, the Devil will grant him one wish. Like any deal with the Devil, be sure to negotiate carefully. Louis’s run through personalized circles of hell are nothing compared to the evil twist waiting for him at the harbor.
The Proposition is a wickedly funny take on a traditional tale. Louis is a wit that shows no awe for The Lord of Darkness. The homeless man’s circles of hell are surreal places. Some of his hells are populated with people who make you shake your head at their folly. Despite his irrelevancy, Louis shows wisdom in resisting his hells’ temptations. The outcome at the harbor was unexpected and set up throughout the story with a deft hand.
The Proposition is a fun romp through hell, and a recommended read for fans who like besting the Devil at his own game. Be forewarned. The clever story has subtle puns and hilarious innuendoes. I read it twice to catch them all.
May 15, 2014
This is an enthralling, sardonically funny tale of man versus the Devil as a down and out, long term liar is given the chance to be granted a wish by the Devil. All he has to do is race him to the habour, some five miles or so away and he wins. If he loses, the Devil gets his eternal soul. As Louis ventures through his nine levels of personal hell, the constant monologue of description of his feelings and thoughts are at times laugh out loud material. In fact, I was attracting some very strange looks on the bus as I sat reading my kindle.
At 47 pages of Kindle viewing, it is a story that you will fid yourself unable to put down and easily readable in one sitting, which is what I did.
Thoroughly recommendable to all readers who like the supernatural with a twist that caught me unawares, I will definitely be looking into other books that this author has written.
I received a review copy of this book for my honest, non-reciprical review.
At 47 pages of Kindle viewing, it is a story that you will fid yourself unable to put down and easily readable in one sitting, which is what I did.
Thoroughly recommendable to all readers who like the supernatural with a twist that caught me unawares, I will definitely be looking into other books that this author has written.
I received a review copy of this book for my honest, non-reciprical review.
September 2, 2016
A very good short story.
In this short story Vardan Partamyan writes with a biting wit and a harsh view of the everyday world we live in. It is rather like gazing down the beam of a searchlight directed into someone's living room, where everything is brightly lit (including the things that most people politely look past) and dramatically emphasized by black contrasting shadows. Not yet having read anything else by him I don't know at this point whether this is Partamyan or the voice of the protagonist. If the latter, then this must get five stars. I found the opening couple of paragraphs a little laboured, but once past that it was quite gripping. The protagonist experiences a surreal odyssey, and the story has a good twist in the tail.
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an objective, non-reciprocal review.
In this short story Vardan Partamyan writes with a biting wit and a harsh view of the everyday world we live in. It is rather like gazing down the beam of a searchlight directed into someone's living room, where everything is brightly lit (including the things that most people politely look past) and dramatically emphasized by black contrasting shadows. Not yet having read anything else by him I don't know at this point whether this is Partamyan or the voice of the protagonist. If the latter, then this must get five stars. I found the opening couple of paragraphs a little laboured, but once past that it was quite gripping. The protagonist experiences a surreal odyssey, and the story has a good twist in the tail.
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an objective, non-reciprocal review.
March 30, 2014
I hadn't planned on reading this in one sitting, but it had me laughing and it moved so quickly that I was past the 80% mark before I knew it. No sense putting it down at that point.
This is the first book by Vardan Partamyan that I've read, and the one thing that impressed me was his sense of humor. The sarcasm, the outright ridiculousness, and the observations on regular life all fit together perfectly with what makes me smile.
In a nutshell, Louis Cifer is approached by Baalzebub (a.k.a. Mr. Boob) with a proposition. Of course the deal ends with the "if you lose, you're mine forever" thing. All deals with the devil seem to follow that pattern, after all. Here is where Partamyan's sense of humor really began to pull me in: "I shudder to think of the implications." I shuddered to show that I was thinking of the implications.
Mr. Boob informs the main character, Louis Cifer, that he will have to pass through the nine circles of personal hell. Cifer's reaction: “So I am to get married?” The horror in my voice was absolutely genuine.
One of the circles of personal hell featured an industrial rock band "shrieking from the stage in the language of poetry, war and cutting edge consumer electronics user manuals – German."
A public transportation ride featured glossy posters with social awareness campaign slogans such as “quit smoking and die of something else.”
Yes, this is the type of tongue-in-cheek humor that gets me laughing. And the ending? I had no clue of the direction it was going to take, but was pleased at the twist.
There was a handful of editing misses (punctuation, mostly), typos, a few incorrect words (“reaped” instead of “ripped”), and some misplaced modifiers that provided a giggle where none was intended. I almost bumped the rating down to three stars for that, but decided the overall reading experience had not been wrecked by them.
Someday when I tackle my huge obligatory TBR list, I'll have no reservations about picking up another of Mr. Partamyan's books.
This is the first book by Vardan Partamyan that I've read, and the one thing that impressed me was his sense of humor. The sarcasm, the outright ridiculousness, and the observations on regular life all fit together perfectly with what makes me smile.
In a nutshell, Louis Cifer is approached by Baalzebub (a.k.a. Mr. Boob) with a proposition. Of course the deal ends with the "if you lose, you're mine forever" thing. All deals with the devil seem to follow that pattern, after all. Here is where Partamyan's sense of humor really began to pull me in: "I shudder to think of the implications." I shuddered to show that I was thinking of the implications.
Mr. Boob informs the main character, Louis Cifer, that he will have to pass through the nine circles of personal hell. Cifer's reaction: “So I am to get married?” The horror in my voice was absolutely genuine.
One of the circles of personal hell featured an industrial rock band "shrieking from the stage in the language of poetry, war and cutting edge consumer electronics user manuals – German."
A public transportation ride featured glossy posters with social awareness campaign slogans such as “quit smoking and die of something else.”
Yes, this is the type of tongue-in-cheek humor that gets me laughing. And the ending? I had no clue of the direction it was going to take, but was pleased at the twist.
There was a handful of editing misses (punctuation, mostly), typos, a few incorrect words (“reaped” instead of “ripped”), and some misplaced modifiers that provided a giggle where none was intended. I almost bumped the rating down to three stars for that, but decided the overall reading experience had not been wrecked by them.
Someday when I tackle my huge obligatory TBR list, I'll have no reservations about picking up another of Mr. Partamyan's books.
August 8, 2017
I always thought short stories didn’t serve the punch or display the power of a full length novel because it had such little time to convey all of its ideas and make us construct a proper imaginary world. After reading a few of Mr. Vardan Partamyan’s short stories though I have come to realize I was wrong about short stories and whether it is a full length novel or a short story what matters is the writer who makes it irresistible and a very memorable story.
The proposition is a short story which describes a proposition by the devil himself to a homeless pathetic liar who has no idea how he is going to survive a day leave alone his entire meaningless sad life. With nothing to lose the homeless man decides to take up the devil’s proposition and goes through a number of bizarre tests that involve so much sarcasm that you will find yourself smiling all the way. Some of the sarcasm is so well constructed and intelligent that you can’t stop admiring it.
There are bits where I wished I had thought of the lines myself so I could have used them someday.
Simply said this short story is a perfect entertaining and slightly pondering read which also ends with a proper entertaining conclusion unlike many stories that just build up so well and throw us from the top to die a disappointing death. This little story will keep you entertained no matter how many times you read and is also quite tiny and a quick read. Go for it!!
The proposition is a short story which describes a proposition by the devil himself to a homeless pathetic liar who has no idea how he is going to survive a day leave alone his entire meaningless sad life. With nothing to lose the homeless man decides to take up the devil’s proposition and goes through a number of bizarre tests that involve so much sarcasm that you will find yourself smiling all the way. Some of the sarcasm is so well constructed and intelligent that you can’t stop admiring it.
There are bits where I wished I had thought of the lines myself so I could have used them someday.
Simply said this short story is a perfect entertaining and slightly pondering read which also ends with a proper entertaining conclusion unlike many stories that just build up so well and throw us from the top to die a disappointing death. This little story will keep you entertained no matter how many times you read and is also quite tiny and a quick read. Go for it!!
March 20, 2014
Take a deep breath before starting this book because you will be reading it in one go!
You are about to challenge your imagination, and to face the unexpected till the last paragraph of the book!
When I started reading it and got to know the characters I thought I've figured the story out! But it turns out we REALLY never know what's going to happen.
And of course you will enjoy a book with a soundtrack as sarcastically fun as the book itself!
You are about to challenge your imagination, and to face the unexpected till the last paragraph of the book!
When I started reading it and got to know the characters I thought I've figured the story out! But it turns out we REALLY never know what's going to happen.
And of course you will enjoy a book with a soundtrack as sarcastically fun as the book itself!
October 3, 2014
An admitted liar is at his rock bottom worst when he gets approached by an elegant man with a proposal. If he succeeds, he will get his wish. But if he fails, he will lose his soul.
An excellent twist on the tale of gambling with the Devil. I especially enjoyed the taunting. I also enjoyed the references to other works by the author (The Old Man and the Flower and the White Wolf).
A short story that you should give a chance. It is devilishly good fun.
An excellent twist on the tale of gambling with the Devil. I especially enjoyed the taunting. I also enjoyed the references to other works by the author (The Old Man and the Flower and the White Wolf).
A short story that you should give a chance. It is devilishly good fun.
April 1, 2014
This book was a quick read and a good listen to why telling lies is a bad thing especially not to lie to the Devil. Told in what I believe is enjoyable unique humor by Vardan. Another good story well told I thought. Not sure if this book is for every reader, but definitely a goodie! I look forward to more from this author.
May 30, 2014
One of Partamyan's best works so far. I have read it in an hour. The sense of sarcastic humor is a killer! It is one of the reasons I love his works so much. I laughed so much on Mr Cifer's jokes on Mr Boob. I am looking forward to more such crazy heroes or maybe more stories with this character? Hope we will find out soon.
January 14, 2015
This was a great quick reading very much reminding me Terry Pratchett. I think the author has considerably grown in his writing. Both the language and the construction of stories and novels are becoming so much more professional. And the humor is so delicate! The descriptions impressive! Bravo, Vardan! Looking forward to read the next book!
June 18, 2016
First, "please, allow me to introduce myself''...
I'm in the lucky list of the readers of "The Proposition".
Written with a sharp humor, intelligent turnings and full of remarkable ideas, it captures you from the first sentence. Your little inner Devil will, for 100%, enjoy every single conversation between the book's Devil and Lucifer.
P.S. One of my favorite books!
I'm in the lucky list of the readers of "The Proposition".
Written with a sharp humor, intelligent turnings and full of remarkable ideas, it captures you from the first sentence. Your little inner Devil will, for 100%, enjoy every single conversation between the book's Devil and Lucifer.
P.S. One of my favorite books!
March 20, 2014
In The Proposition, I unleashed the blackest side of my humor and invite you to take a sarcasm soaked ride through Louis Cifer's nine personalized circles of hell for a great boon...courtesy of Baalzebub - the great and terribly stylish!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews