God vs. Devil

The Book of Joby
Mark J. Ferrari

638 pages, published 2007


In this rewrite of the Book of Job, God and the Devil replay an age old bet regarding the morality and inherent goodness of mankind; the wager: mankind itself. Poor Joby is taken as the object of this bet, his life constantly interfered with and tortured over by the Lucifer and his minions. Intertwined with the long-loved stories of Arthur and Camelot, it is a beautifully fantastic novel, studying just how much one human soul can withstand .

It wasn’t until I got half way through this huge six-hundred page book that I realised that this was Ferrari’s first book. I can’t remember the last time I read a first book that I enjoyed so thoroughly. The characters were relatable, his plot original, and his stance on hard and true impressions creative. Anyone who can make out God to be a kindly old man who likes jokes in poor taste, allows him to swear, actually applauds Lucifer for having the guts to defy him and STILL manages to write this character in a respectful fashion deserves applaud! On top of that his phrasing was lovely, absolutely beautiful in parts, and though long, I never felt it to drag. A wonderful book, a must-read! 5/5

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