The Fallible Fiend [SEP] series
The Fallible Fiend
The Fallible Fiend is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the third book of his Novarian series. It was first published as a two-part serial in the magazine "Fantastic" for December 1972 and February 1973, and subsequently expanded and revised for book publication. The novel was first published in book form as a paperback by Signet Books in 1973; it was later reprinted by Remploy (1974), Sphere (1978), Del Rey/Ballantine (1981), Baen
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Don D'Ammassa finds ""The Fallible Fiend" ... in much the same vein" as "The Reluctant King" series, with "[m]ost of the humor com[ing] from the efforts by the demon to understand human behavior."
Mike Ashley called the story "a wonderfully nostalgic fantasy in the "Unknown" tradition."
Awards.
In its original serial form the book won the British Fantasy Society's 1973 August Derleth Fantasy Award for best short story.