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God Bless Mr. Devil: A Novel
After long hours of hard work and sleepless nights, Satan has the world by the tail and things are looking good. Until an eight-year-old girl comes up with the idea that praying for the Devil’s salvation will rid the world of evil. Of course, everything goes to hell from there. While the Devil attempts to shut this little brat kid up, her sincere compassion for his welfare begins to take its toll on his emotions. In the end, Satan faces a serious Lose everything he has ever worked for, or bring down the child he now loves. The solution? There is only one; Hell must survive.
253 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2000
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 3, 2011
I met this author in Clarksville, TN back in the year 2000. Mom had to buy her GED study book, and we couldn’t afford to buy this man’s novel (probably the greatest insult for him). I did buy it for mom sometime later, but she never read it. Stuff that deals with the devil just isn’t her thing.
So I read it. And you know what? It’s a really cool idea! What if we prayed for the Devil? What would happen if everyone in the world prayed for Satan? Maybe the world would be a better place, and leave it to an 8-year-old girl named Katie to think of it! And I like the twist of the preacher working for the Devil without even knowing it.
The first 3/4 of this book is very well-done. But something happened at the end. Right when Katie dies, and her last words are a prayer for mercy on Satan, the story felt like it was heading for a poignant ending. Hell had to be saved, after all, and Katie had to die for that to happen. It all made perfect sense right up until…all of a sudden Katie comes back to life, and Satan is now a changed man!
But—but—what about saving hell? What about the beast he transforms into? What about the implication that because he’s now being forced to kill something he loves again, he finds new energy. New power rises up in him. What happened when he calls God on that direct line? All the clues pointed to some sort of poignant ending where Satan’s fury is reborn thanks to God using Katie to reopen old wounds and hurt him again.
I thought it was all a plan from God to ensure Satan stayed tormented, and now Satan’s anger towards God is renewed and it ushers in a new era of evil. …and faith in God’s power. For without real, malicious evil to combat against, people won’t have any faith in God.
Instead, it’s a squeaky-clean, happy ending. Yeah, it’s cool and all that Satan is changed because of prayer…but the clues at the end pointed the other way. Andrew Davis had a fantastic idea, and it’s an enjoyable read, but the conclusion doesn’t fit the clues.
So I read it. And you know what? It’s a really cool idea! What if we prayed for the Devil? What would happen if everyone in the world prayed for Satan? Maybe the world would be a better place, and leave it to an 8-year-old girl named Katie to think of it! And I like the twist of the preacher working for the Devil without even knowing it.
The first 3/4 of this book is very well-done. But something happened at the end. Right when Katie dies, and her last words are a prayer for mercy on Satan, the story felt like it was heading for a poignant ending. Hell had to be saved, after all, and Katie had to die for that to happen. It all made perfect sense right up until…all of a sudden Katie comes back to life, and Satan is now a changed man!
But—but—what about saving hell? What about the beast he transforms into? What about the implication that because he’s now being forced to kill something he loves again, he finds new energy. New power rises up in him. What happened when he calls God on that direct line? All the clues pointed to some sort of poignant ending where Satan’s fury is reborn thanks to God using Katie to reopen old wounds and hurt him again.
I thought it was all a plan from God to ensure Satan stayed tormented, and now Satan’s anger towards God is renewed and it ushers in a new era of evil. …and faith in God’s power. For without real, malicious evil to combat against, people won’t have any faith in God.
Instead, it’s a squeaky-clean, happy ending. Yeah, it’s cool and all that Satan is changed because of prayer…but the clues at the end pointed the other way. Andrew Davis had a fantastic idea, and it’s an enjoyable read, but the conclusion doesn’t fit the clues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2009
Read this in a BookCrossing Bookring
A lovely story- refreshing and hopeful- some aspects a bit predictable, but I wanted to keep reading to see how the author got to the expected end. It did make me stop and ponder some philosophical questions and theoretical beliefs. All in all, I was quite pleased that Katie was the kind of girl she was and that her family had the great sense to support her and to name their dog one of the all-time great dog names!
The author always signs his books in red ink, and said (at the time I'd gotten a copy) that no one had figured out why. Of course, I had to email him my theory.
Anyhow, I did hear back from the author, who was very kind and told me I had indeed guessed right on the reason he signs his books in red ink.
Author reply:
Hello, Amy.
Andrew Davis, here, author of God Bless Mr. Devil.
I was standing in Satan's lair watching him work, when he showed me his diary.
In the course of that, he showed me where he started writing in blood and told me why.
It was one of those profound moments when the characters are telling the story and they show you something that reveals a major element of their lives. That's when I made the decision to sign in blood, because it was a turning point in Satan's life that I never knew about.
Thank you for you kind words, and I wish you the best that life has to offer.
Andrew
A lovely story- refreshing and hopeful- some aspects a bit predictable, but I wanted to keep reading to see how the author got to the expected end. It did make me stop and ponder some philosophical questions and theoretical beliefs. All in all, I was quite pleased that Katie was the kind of girl she was and that her family had the great sense to support her and to name their dog one of the all-time great dog names!
The author always signs his books in red ink, and said (at the time I'd gotten a copy) that no one had figured out why. Of course, I had to email him my theory.
Anyhow, I did hear back from the author, who was very kind and told me I had indeed guessed right on the reason he signs his books in red ink.
Author reply:
Hello, Amy.
Andrew Davis, here, author of God Bless Mr. Devil.
I was standing in Satan's lair watching him work, when he showed me his diary.
In the course of that, he showed me where he started writing in blood and told me why.
It was one of those profound moments when the characters are telling the story and they show you something that reveals a major element of their lives. That's when I made the decision to sign in blood, because it was a turning point in Satan's life that I never knew about.
Thank you for you kind words, and I wish you the best that life has to offer.
Andrew
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