Demons

by Robert Sheckley

This is a fantasy/deal with the devil short story. It was first published in March 1953 in Fantasy Magazine. It was then re-printed in Devils and Demons edited by Marvin Kaye which was published in 1987.

Genres: Humor

10 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 1953

About the author

One of science fiction's great humorists, Sheckley was a prolific short story writer beginning in 1952 with titles including "Specialist", "Pilgrimage to Earth", "Warm", "The Prize of Peril", and "Seventh Victim", collected in volumes from Untouched by Human Hands (1954) to Is That What People Do? (1984) and a five-volume set of Collected Stories (1991). His first novel, Immortality, Inc. (1958), was followed by The Status Civilization (1960), Journey Beyond Tomorrow (1962), Mindswap (1966), and several others. Sheckley served as fiction editor for Omni magazine from January 1980 through September 1981, and was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2001.

Reviews

[Eloy Cryptkeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

"En libros, revistas y películas había visto que cualquier hombre puesto en una situación extraña suele decir: «Pellízquenme; debo estar soñando», o «¡Dios mío, esto no puede ser: estoy loco o borracho!». Arthur no tenía la menor intención de decir cosas tan absurdas como ésas. Por una parte, a aquella enorme criatura roja no le gustaría mucho; por otra sabía que no estaba soñando, ni borracho ni loco. En su vocabulario no había palabras adecuadas para expresarlo, pero él lo sabía. Un sueño era una cosa, y ésta era otra totalmente distinta"

¿Que pasaría si fuera de todo " lo supuesto", 'lo preestablecido"... Lo que para nosotros seria un demonio en apariencia contacta(invoca) a un ser humano común y corriente, un agente de seguros, pensando que este tiene poderes y muy convencido de que le puede conceder un deseo?


Es un poco enredado hacer una sinopsis o intentar explicar la intención de la premisa, pero es un relato para dejarse llevar, muy divertido, sumamente hilarante.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually, this should be cataloged as Demons, The.

The title of this fantasy short story is totally mis-leading. Yes, it does
involve demons. But in a really humorous way.

This short story has an amazingly creative and original plot.

I think that it is one of the cleverest, cutest, and funniest short stories
that I have ever read.

So, for anyone who is interested in such a short story, this would definitely
be the short story for them.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful, clever twist on the old 'bargain with the devil' trope. One of the devices he uses is to choose an unexpected pov, and he is a master at this. 'Demons' is witty, funny, and fun. Audible edition narrated by Stefan Rudnicki.