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The Book of Joby
The Book of Joby is an epic fantasy complete in one volume.Lucifer and the Creator have entered, yet again, into a wager they've made many times before, but this time, the existence of creation itself is balanced on the outcome. Born in California during the twilight years of a weary millennium, nine year old Joby Peterson dreams of blazing like a bonfire against the gathering darkness of his times, like a knight of the Round Table. Instead, he is subjected to a life of crippling self-doubt and relentless mediocrity inflicted by an enemy he did nothing to earn and cannot begin to comprehend.Though imperiled themselves, the angels are forbidden to intervene. Left to struggle with their own loyalties and the question of obedience, they watch Lucifer work virtually unhindered to turn Joby's heart of gold into ash and stone while God sits by, seemingly unconcerned. And so when he is grown to manhood, Joby's once luminous love of life seems altogether lost, and Lucifer's victory assured. What hope remains lies hidden in the beauty, warmth, and innocence of a forgotten seaside village whose odd inhabitants seem to defy the modern world's most inflexible assumptions, and in the hearts of Joby's long lost youthful love and her emotionally wounded son. But the ravenous forces of destruction that follow Joby into this concealed paradise plan to use these same things to bring him and his world to ruin.As the final struggle unfolds, one question occupies every mind in heaven and in hell. Which will prove stronger, love or rage?The Book of Joby is an instant classic of contemporary fantasy.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
639 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
January 6, 2008
An illustrator turned writer's first novel and a very good one. God and Lucifer make a wager over a young boy's life (Joby). Laced heavily with Christian and Arthurian themes, this is an intelligent novel. Not that you need to be intelligent to read it (the book is extremely accessable), but the ideas are mature and more developed than I'd expected. Not your typical cheesy fantasy novel at all. Its not a Christian novel, but if you've been trying the Jesus lifestyle, you'll wonder when you read this one because the author demonstrates a surprising understanding of basic apologetics and struggles concerning christ centered spirituality. This is a very long book, as it moves chronologically through 31 years of the main character's life. Interview with the auther: http://aidanmoher.com/blog/?p=67
From a Christian reader's perspective, some of the ideas in this book should not be applied haphazardly. But they are not all entirely off. What conclusive principles can we draw about suffering and how we must live our lives? Very few. This book intrigues me because it attempts just that and leaves me puzzled as to how to react.
In the vein of literature based off the book of Job, I would also recommend The Man Who Was THursday by GK CHesterton
From a Christian reader's perspective, some of the ideas in this book should not be applied haphazardly. But they are not all entirely off. What conclusive principles can we draw about suffering and how we must live our lives? Very few. This book intrigues me because it attempts just that and leaves me puzzled as to how to react.
In the vein of literature based off the book of Job, I would also recommend The Man Who Was THursday by GK CHesterton
April 24, 2008
What an entertaining read! The basic premise of the book is that God and the Devil make a wager ("the same stupid bet") at which a little boy named Joby is the center. This time, however, the stakes are higher. Ferrarri tells Joby's story from about age 9 until 40. It is a long book. Yet, while not a particularly difficult read, it is one of my favorites. The reason I gave it four stars and not five is that the ending was a little uneven for me; there was such a dramatic and emotional trajectory for most of the book that I'm not sure if there would be an ending I'd have felt was ultimately satisfying. Suffice it to say, I loved the book enough to read it a second time only 2 months later.
Ferrari's intentions with this book were also what drew me to read it. He writes on the FAQ's on his website that he found most of the sci-fi/fantasy novels he loved were "usually housed in veneers of some other culture's mythology. In most cases neither the writers nor their American audiences seemed likely to have much visceral understanding of, if even academic familiarity with, the Norse, or Celtic, or Asian mythologies being alluded to. It seemed to me that a lot of potential richness and meaning was being lost by housing our own myths and folktales in skins so devoid of more layered depth to their readers." Thus, he chose to use Christianity and Arthurian legend as his lens. Make no mistake, this is not a fundamentalist text! Unless you have some preconceived aversion to Christianity (or, alternatively, are utterly obsessed with it), this book is not a comment on what you should believe, but only uses the foundations of our current Western culture as its basis.
Finally, this is not really a "fantasy" book. I've recommend it to friends and family who really dislike that genre, and they have all loved it and couldn't put it down. Overall, this book is a fantastic, entertaining read that I highly recommend.
Ferrari's intentions with this book were also what drew me to read it. He writes on the FAQ's on his website that he found most of the sci-fi/fantasy novels he loved were "usually housed in veneers of some other culture's mythology. In most cases neither the writers nor their American audiences seemed likely to have much visceral understanding of, if even academic familiarity with, the Norse, or Celtic, or Asian mythologies being alluded to. It seemed to me that a lot of potential richness and meaning was being lost by housing our own myths and folktales in skins so devoid of more layered depth to their readers." Thus, he chose to use Christianity and Arthurian legend as his lens. Make no mistake, this is not a fundamentalist text! Unless you have some preconceived aversion to Christianity (or, alternatively, are utterly obsessed with it), this book is not a comment on what you should believe, but only uses the foundations of our current Western culture as its basis.
Finally, this is not really a "fantasy" book. I've recommend it to friends and family who really dislike that genre, and they have all loved it and couldn't put it down. Overall, this book is a fantastic, entertaining read that I highly recommend.
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March 19, 2010I've had my sights set on this one for quite some time. The premise seemed like something I would absolutely adore. It just took me way too long to get past the half-way mark. Once Joby grows up, I found the whole thing just kinda stalled altogether. I kept getting restless, putting the book down to read something else. After awhile I realized the desire to finish just wasn't there. So I officially cry uncle. I'm out. I didn't hate this book (so no one star), and I'm feeling too ambivalent to give it more stars than that since I didn't finish it. I just lost interest.
One thing that probably put me off here immediately - I hated the Lucifer character - spoiled, petulant, spiteful, churlish ... just a douche really. I like my Satan with a lot more self-control and dignity - a villain worthy of Shakespeare, not some over-the-top drama King screaming bloody murder and stomping his feet when things don't go his way. He should be a worthy opponent - not some souped-up bully.
One thing that probably put me off here immediately - I hated the Lucifer character - spoiled, petulant, spiteful, churlish ... just a douche really. I like my Satan with a lot more self-control and dignity - a villain worthy of Shakespeare, not some over-the-top drama King screaming bloody murder and stomping his feet when things don't go his way. He should be a worthy opponent - not some souped-up bully.
February 10, 2013
Now ... this was a surprise. At first, when I picked "The Book of Joby" up and started to read I made the assumption that it was .. religious. It was to my great delight that I discovered, after putting it down and picking it up again, that it's no more religious than it is magical. I saw the light, and was pleased.
Mark J. Ferrari's debut novel rocks. This beautifully written, character-driven novel weaves a story about one young boy, who grows into a confused and dismayed man, at the nexus of a bet between the Creator and Lucifer, with nothing less than a reboot of creation at stake.
Poor Joby does not even realize that he's been chosen as God's champion; God and his angels are forbidden to help him unless he asks specifically, while Lucifer and his theater of demons are free to play havoc with his life. If bad things have happened to you, believe me, after reading this book, you might be tempted to look for the demon on your shoulder.
Into this story is woven a tapestry of characters and references that are so much a part of my own growing up that I couldn't help but be drawn into the story. I must now, for example, go back and re-read "The Once and Future King".
The only reason this book did not quite reach the 5*s is because there are a few places in the over 700 places where the story droops ... I just couldn't help but feel that it would have benefited from being shorter. Having said that, I enjoyed the read immensely, and will look forward to more from Ferrari in the future.
Mark J. Ferrari's debut novel rocks. This beautifully written, character-driven novel weaves a story about one young boy, who grows into a confused and dismayed man, at the nexus of a bet between the Creator and Lucifer, with nothing less than a reboot of creation at stake.
Poor Joby does not even realize that he's been chosen as God's champion; God and his angels are forbidden to help him unless he asks specifically, while Lucifer and his theater of demons are free to play havoc with his life. If bad things have happened to you, believe me, after reading this book, you might be tempted to look for the demon on your shoulder.
Into this story is woven a tapestry of characters and references that are so much a part of my own growing up that I couldn't help but be drawn into the story. I must now, for example, go back and re-read "The Once and Future King".
The only reason this book did not quite reach the 5*s is because there are a few places in the over 700 places where the story droops ... I just couldn't help but feel that it would have benefited from being shorter. Having said that, I enjoyed the read immensely, and will look forward to more from Ferrari in the future.
November 15, 2012
Loved this book! This story brought Job from the Bible to life for me! I was able to relate and connect and found the story relatively accurate to the story in the Bible.
I recomend this to new Christians who are trying to read the Bible but just haven't been able to stick to it. This story will help you connect and relate and create a fire inside of you to read the Bible to see if this story is true.
I recomend this to new Christians who are trying to read the Bible but just haven't been able to stick to it. This story will help you connect and relate and create a fire inside of you to read the Bible to see if this story is true.
November 25, 2015
Beyond the premise, I thought this book would not hit people over the head with much more religious imagery. But it does and it's done so poorly.
God and Lucifer make another pact over Joby's ability to fulfill his duty as a part-time child in the real world and a knight in Camelot. The format was weird. The book is basically: the devil sets a trap, Joby avoids it - rinse, repeat.
I didn't like this book and it was not memorable.
God and Lucifer make another pact over Joby's ability to fulfill his duty as a part-time child in the real world and a knight in Camelot. The format was weird. The book is basically: the devil sets a trap, Joby avoids it - rinse, repeat.
I didn't like this book and it was not memorable.
July 12, 2010
As a literature major in college, I am intensely passionate about reading. As a liberal agnostic, I don't generally find preachy books to be good. Thankfully, the Book of Joby was NOT preachy.
This was one of the best novels I have ever read...and I have read many, many novels. I found myself weeping overly at parts, and at other parts, laughing uncontrollably. It was an intensely emotion- and thought-provoking novel.
God and Lucifer make a wager they've made before, and now, all of existence is at stake. Reading that sort of thing on the back of a fantasy novel, of all things, couldn't make it sound more unappealing. However, after reading the first chapter (the prologue), I checked the novel out, took it home, and read it in awe.
This book was filled with what I like to call "quiet moments"; meaning...instead of being filled with one major event after another, it spent its entire duration (600+ pages worth) in roughly three major areas, and half a dozen minor areas. In those areas, the novel focused on moments between a few people here and there, and all of those moments were meaningful.
The language was accessable, but certainly not for neophyte readers. It requires a decently good understanding of the English language.
All in all, The Book of Joby was extraordinary...the sort of book we should all happen upon every once in a while.
This was one of the best novels I have ever read...and I have read many, many novels. I found myself weeping overly at parts, and at other parts, laughing uncontrollably. It was an intensely emotion- and thought-provoking novel.
God and Lucifer make a wager they've made before, and now, all of existence is at stake. Reading that sort of thing on the back of a fantasy novel, of all things, couldn't make it sound more unappealing. However, after reading the first chapter (the prologue), I checked the novel out, took it home, and read it in awe.
This book was filled with what I like to call "quiet moments"; meaning...instead of being filled with one major event after another, it spent its entire duration (600+ pages worth) in roughly three major areas, and half a dozen minor areas. In those areas, the novel focused on moments between a few people here and there, and all of those moments were meaningful.
The language was accessable, but certainly not for neophyte readers. It requires a decently good understanding of the English language.
All in all, The Book of Joby was extraordinary...the sort of book we should all happen upon every once in a while.
April 24, 2020
In the present day or so (sometime around the year AD-pre-cell-phone), the Devil makes a similar bet with God that he made regarding Job in the Old Testament, but this new wager regarding Joby Peterson doesn’t seem to have an endpoint. Right off the bat I’m not certain under what conditions Satan wins, and under what conditions God wins. Joby is a little boy. Fourth grade. He has no faith in God yet, so he has nothing to turn away from. What is Satan’s goal? To prove that he can be turned into a bad kid? What degree of new badness means he wins the bet, and against what is this measured?
In chapter 4 the Devil outright states: “To win this wager, he must turn willingly from the Creator to us!” This makes no sense. Joby is not on God’s side. He is not part of any organized religion. He can’t turn from God because he doesn’t believe in God. He believes in King Arthur as a childhood world he inhabits and gets other kids involved in, but that is not the same as believing in a Creator. It seems to be using Arthurian legend as a surrogate for belief in God, and Joby has a choice whether to align with God (Arthur himself, as seen in his one and only dream on the subject) or align with the Devil (posing as Merlin). Joby doesn’t even know this Arthurian fantasy parallels God and Satan, so this wager makes no sense because there is no clear choice to be made.
But let’s assume the goal is to turn Joby “bad.” By what means does the Devil plan to turn Joby into a bad kid? By throwing ordinary life at Joby.
Bullies. Apparently, fighting back against bullies is bad--standing up for oneself is a bad thing the Devil and his minions goad Joby into doing, but how is this bad? Isn’t letting people walk all over you bad? How is a capacity for rage a potential liability for the Devil to exploit after learning Joby will fight if someone hits his girl, Laura?
For some reason, the Devil surrounds himself with idiots for minions. He has control over all the souls in Hell; surely there are more competent people to recruit. Every time something goes wrong, the Devil throws a tantrum. He’s not menacing or conniving or even deceitful. This interpretation of Lucifer is impossible to believe as a serious threat to humanity. By the fourth chapter I just started imagining Genghis Rex from Dinosaucers in his place, and it worked perfectly. (FIIIIIIIND THEEEEEEM!)
The Devil throws parental disputes at him. Joby becomes clumsy and starts breaking things. The brakes on his bike don’t work when he needs them, but upon inspection are perfectly fine. The Devil and his minions succeed in breaking up the marriage.
Is this all? Is this the best the Devil can do? That’s really all that happens. No meteors falling and killing everyone he loves. No tornadoes destroying his town and leaving Joby the sole survivor. Ordinary, everyday life. You don’t need the Devil for that; it’s just what happens as one enters puberty and realizes the world is not perfect.
I recognize this resonates with certain groups (“oh, my life would be perfect had the devil not interfered!”), but Joby is a special case. God and Satan have a bet, and Lucifer has taken personal interest in ruining his life to prove a point of some sort. The same cannot be said for every human being on the planet. The book states Satan does not have time to mess around with other people, though it doesn’t elaborate on what else he’s got going on. Everything he does to Joby is all just normal stuff that happens in life. The Devil can’t be responsible for all of it, and if he is, he must not be taking this wager seriously if doing to Joby what he already does to everyone else on a routine basis is all he can think to do.
About Joby’s father, Frank... He’s obsessed with his son growing up to be a man. I mean, paranoid beyond reason that his son will grow up to be less than masculine. It’s all he seems to think about, whether or not this thing or that thing Joby is doing will help him become manly. I’m curious where this comes from, but we never learn. Instead he tells Joby:
“Son, you’re not a little boy anymore, so let’s lay it on the table. You like a girl with this,” he pointed to his chest, “or this,” he pointed to his crotch, “not with this,” he pointed to his forehead. “Is that clear?”
Wow. No, dad, it’s not clear. What the fuck are you trying to say? I know the reader is supposed to understand the Devil and his minions are making this happen, but Frank was like this long before the forces of Hell set out to ruin this family, so this is just a shitty thing to tell a 13-year-old. Satan’s minions didn’t do anything but bring out what was already there. His father is terrified his son is becoming a queer and blames his mother for turning him into a girl. They have this argument right in front of him. Maybe it’s a good thing his parents separate. Frank was an asshole to begin with. The Devil didn’t cause anything to happen that wouldn’t have happened on its own.
Oh, and as an aside, this book has a lot of adverbs, he muttered contemptuously, exclaimed quietly, asked shyly. Curious writing choices abound, such as: “The crowd of kids between them parted like milk before a chopping maul.” Um, what? I get it’s the author’s first novel, but where was the editor pointing these things out?
Just before he graduates High School, Joby does find God and forgets Arthurian fantasy. This should make things simpler, but now the Catholic priest is unknowingly working for Satan’s hoard, and he’s telling Joby exactly the kinds of things I was told when I was a kid growing up in a Christian household. Beg God to forgive you for whacking off. Protect the purity of your thoughts lest the spirit of God leave you. Is that how the Devil wins this wager? By getting Joby into religion so Satan’s way seems more sane by comparison? Given that God tells Joby nothing, if Satan is going to tempt Joby away from such things, I’m all for it.
So Satan’s minions use Laura to tempt Joby into sleeping with her. Ok, she practically guilts him into it, which toes the line of consent, but again it’s the forces of hell making her do it. (No it isn’t. She’s just like this.) Joby feels terrible about it, confesses to a demon-in-disguise friend and former bully, who takes him out to drink. Joby refuses to get in his truck, and then his friend gets killed that night by driving drunk (though Lucifer merely staged it to look that way). How does Joby react? By blaming himself. He believes God punished his friend for Joby’s sins of premarital sex and underage drinking. Religion turned him into this, not the Devil.
Ordinary life. That’s all Lucifer is doing to Joby. Normal things any person would experience. The Devil is coordinating all of them, apparently—half the people Joby knows are demons in disguise, but somehow this is supposed to steer Joby toward Satan? It’s confusing how any of this is meant to ruin Joby, and given how religion is messing up his head, I have to assume Satan has better plans for him.
Joby has no clear instructions for how to defeat the Devil. In his childhood dream, God (posing as Arthur) gives Joby no direction for how to defeat evil, or even what his trials will be. Lucifer/Merlin gives Joby actual information and even tells him what he will be facing. Why is God so vague but Satan so specific? If I serve a god, I would expect him or her to make their will clear.
The terms of this wager require God to be silent (as if God makes His will clear normally), but that shouldn’t stop Him from correcting this priest filling Joby’s head with guilt. Satan apparently wanted this priest to instruct Joby in the ways of faith, not the first guy they met. What’s the difference? The first priest at this church gives vague instructions to “feed your soul” and “enjoy life.” This second priest fills Joby with guilt and tells him he must be perfect and absolute in his faith. This is just normal religious teaching. It’s not evil stuff. It’s not clever. It’s not special. It’s not even wrong by Biblical texts, but since Satan is using it to ruin Joby, are readers to interpret religion itself is not God’s will? Again, God is vague, Satan is specific. If God’s priests really are misinforming people about what God wants, why hasn’t God corrected all of them?
Lucifer, posing as Merlin, may have told Joby he had to be perfect, but once Joby moves beyond the Arthurian fantasy and embraces real faith, Church teaches him guilt. Religion does a better job fucking Joby up than the Devil ever could.
After part one ends, roughly one-third of the way through, very little of note happens. As an adult, Joby doesn’t do so well. He gets depressed, fails college, gets fired from various jobs, ends up living in a cockroach-infested project. What exactly is the devil doing to him? Nothing happens that anyone could blame on the prince of darkness. It’s just normal life. Again, is this really all Lucifer can think to do to Joby?
I ended up skipping entire pages of Joby’s side of the story because so little happens when he flees to a small, California coastal town he remembers from childhood, hoping to find refuge and a place to get his life back on track. He meets locals. He does odd jobs. He teaches at the local school. He goes to church again. That’s it. Much more interesting is the devil and his minions trying to reach him there, in this place God has hidden from view. A place where his childhood friends, Laura and Ben, somehow end up as well. A place that has a certain holy relic that once interested Arthur and his knights...
There is some good here. The author has the courage to give God some backstory and establish God has not always been the same and has grown and changed. He explains why He let Lucifer live after that failed coup, and even why He seems to be silent now. He gives God a reason to create and to be mostly absent from His creation. These are bold storytelling decisions in a Christian fantasy and a refreshing break from Lucifer’s incompetence. Too bad it only lasts one section of one chapter, and for the rest of the book God is portrayed as a hair-splitting lawyer-like character dissecting the letter of the law. Casting the Creator of the universe as a slippery lawyer who argues technicalities cancels out what little empathy I felt for Him.
The book is about Lucifer ruining this boy’s life, and I am simply unimpressed by what Satan does to Joby over the course of 30-odd years. His efforts to break him are not special, clever, or even effective. This is stuff everyone on the planet goes through, and millions have it so much worse and yet still turn out fine. If Satan wants to win a wager in which he has a chance to take control of creation itself, he should be doing something more than ordinary, first-world problems and general disappointment in how adulthood doesn’t live up to the hopes of childhood. The Arthurian themes don’t affect the story much, despite being laid on thick as lard in part one. Lucifer and his minions don’t corrupt anyone or ruin any lives. They just bring out the negative parts of their personalities that were already there. Nobody is all that likable, not even the Creator. The book is a 750-page slog all to witness Joby reach the right decision for a pitiful reason.
(and one more disappointment: the cover features a dragon spewing fire, but there isn’t a single dragon in the book.)
In chapter 4 the Devil outright states: “To win this wager, he must turn willingly from the Creator to us!” This makes no sense. Joby is not on God’s side. He is not part of any organized religion. He can’t turn from God because he doesn’t believe in God. He believes in King Arthur as a childhood world he inhabits and gets other kids involved in, but that is not the same as believing in a Creator. It seems to be using Arthurian legend as a surrogate for belief in God, and Joby has a choice whether to align with God (Arthur himself, as seen in his one and only dream on the subject) or align with the Devil (posing as Merlin). Joby doesn’t even know this Arthurian fantasy parallels God and Satan, so this wager makes no sense because there is no clear choice to be made.
But let’s assume the goal is to turn Joby “bad.” By what means does the Devil plan to turn Joby into a bad kid? By throwing ordinary life at Joby.
Bullies. Apparently, fighting back against bullies is bad--standing up for oneself is a bad thing the Devil and his minions goad Joby into doing, but how is this bad? Isn’t letting people walk all over you bad? How is a capacity for rage a potential liability for the Devil to exploit after learning Joby will fight if someone hits his girl, Laura?
For some reason, the Devil surrounds himself with idiots for minions. He has control over all the souls in Hell; surely there are more competent people to recruit. Every time something goes wrong, the Devil throws a tantrum. He’s not menacing or conniving or even deceitful. This interpretation of Lucifer is impossible to believe as a serious threat to humanity. By the fourth chapter I just started imagining Genghis Rex from Dinosaucers in his place, and it worked perfectly. (FIIIIIIIND THEEEEEEM!)
The Devil throws parental disputes at him. Joby becomes clumsy and starts breaking things. The brakes on his bike don’t work when he needs them, but upon inspection are perfectly fine. The Devil and his minions succeed in breaking up the marriage.
Is this all? Is this the best the Devil can do? That’s really all that happens. No meteors falling and killing everyone he loves. No tornadoes destroying his town and leaving Joby the sole survivor. Ordinary, everyday life. You don’t need the Devil for that; it’s just what happens as one enters puberty and realizes the world is not perfect.
I recognize this resonates with certain groups (“oh, my life would be perfect had the devil not interfered!”), but Joby is a special case. God and Satan have a bet, and Lucifer has taken personal interest in ruining his life to prove a point of some sort. The same cannot be said for every human being on the planet. The book states Satan does not have time to mess around with other people, though it doesn’t elaborate on what else he’s got going on. Everything he does to Joby is all just normal stuff that happens in life. The Devil can’t be responsible for all of it, and if he is, he must not be taking this wager seriously if doing to Joby what he already does to everyone else on a routine basis is all he can think to do.
About Joby’s father, Frank... He’s obsessed with his son growing up to be a man. I mean, paranoid beyond reason that his son will grow up to be less than masculine. It’s all he seems to think about, whether or not this thing or that thing Joby is doing will help him become manly. I’m curious where this comes from, but we never learn. Instead he tells Joby:
“Son, you’re not a little boy anymore, so let’s lay it on the table. You like a girl with this,” he pointed to his chest, “or this,” he pointed to his crotch, “not with this,” he pointed to his forehead. “Is that clear?”
Wow. No, dad, it’s not clear. What the fuck are you trying to say? I know the reader is supposed to understand the Devil and his minions are making this happen, but Frank was like this long before the forces of Hell set out to ruin this family, so this is just a shitty thing to tell a 13-year-old. Satan’s minions didn’t do anything but bring out what was already there. His father is terrified his son is becoming a queer and blames his mother for turning him into a girl. They have this argument right in front of him. Maybe it’s a good thing his parents separate. Frank was an asshole to begin with. The Devil didn’t cause anything to happen that wouldn’t have happened on its own.
Oh, and as an aside, this book has a lot of adverbs, he muttered contemptuously, exclaimed quietly, asked shyly. Curious writing choices abound, such as: “The crowd of kids between them parted like milk before a chopping maul.” Um, what? I get it’s the author’s first novel, but where was the editor pointing these things out?
Just before he graduates High School, Joby does find God and forgets Arthurian fantasy. This should make things simpler, but now the Catholic priest is unknowingly working for Satan’s hoard, and he’s telling Joby exactly the kinds of things I was told when I was a kid growing up in a Christian household. Beg God to forgive you for whacking off. Protect the purity of your thoughts lest the spirit of God leave you. Is that how the Devil wins this wager? By getting Joby into religion so Satan’s way seems more sane by comparison? Given that God tells Joby nothing, if Satan is going to tempt Joby away from such things, I’m all for it.
So Satan’s minions use Laura to tempt Joby into sleeping with her. Ok, she practically guilts him into it, which toes the line of consent, but again it’s the forces of hell making her do it. (No it isn’t. She’s just like this.) Joby feels terrible about it, confesses to a demon-in-disguise friend and former bully, who takes him out to drink. Joby refuses to get in his truck, and then his friend gets killed that night by driving drunk (though Lucifer merely staged it to look that way). How does Joby react? By blaming himself. He believes God punished his friend for Joby’s sins of premarital sex and underage drinking. Religion turned him into this, not the Devil.
Ordinary life. That’s all Lucifer is doing to Joby. Normal things any person would experience. The Devil is coordinating all of them, apparently—half the people Joby knows are demons in disguise, but somehow this is supposed to steer Joby toward Satan? It’s confusing how any of this is meant to ruin Joby, and given how religion is messing up his head, I have to assume Satan has better plans for him.
Joby has no clear instructions for how to defeat the Devil. In his childhood dream, God (posing as Arthur) gives Joby no direction for how to defeat evil, or even what his trials will be. Lucifer/Merlin gives Joby actual information and even tells him what he will be facing. Why is God so vague but Satan so specific? If I serve a god, I would expect him or her to make their will clear.
The terms of this wager require God to be silent (as if God makes His will clear normally), but that shouldn’t stop Him from correcting this priest filling Joby’s head with guilt. Satan apparently wanted this priest to instruct Joby in the ways of faith, not the first guy they met. What’s the difference? The first priest at this church gives vague instructions to “feed your soul” and “enjoy life.” This second priest fills Joby with guilt and tells him he must be perfect and absolute in his faith. This is just normal religious teaching. It’s not evil stuff. It’s not clever. It’s not special. It’s not even wrong by Biblical texts, but since Satan is using it to ruin Joby, are readers to interpret religion itself is not God’s will? Again, God is vague, Satan is specific. If God’s priests really are misinforming people about what God wants, why hasn’t God corrected all of them?
Lucifer, posing as Merlin, may have told Joby he had to be perfect, but once Joby moves beyond the Arthurian fantasy and embraces real faith, Church teaches him guilt. Religion does a better job fucking Joby up than the Devil ever could.
After part one ends, roughly one-third of the way through, very little of note happens. As an adult, Joby doesn’t do so well. He gets depressed, fails college, gets fired from various jobs, ends up living in a cockroach-infested project. What exactly is the devil doing to him? Nothing happens that anyone could blame on the prince of darkness. It’s just normal life. Again, is this really all Lucifer can think to do to Joby?
I ended up skipping entire pages of Joby’s side of the story because so little happens when he flees to a small, California coastal town he remembers from childhood, hoping to find refuge and a place to get his life back on track. He meets locals. He does odd jobs. He teaches at the local school. He goes to church again. That’s it. Much more interesting is the devil and his minions trying to reach him there, in this place God has hidden from view. A place where his childhood friends, Laura and Ben, somehow end up as well. A place that has a certain holy relic that once interested Arthur and his knights...
There is some good here. The author has the courage to give God some backstory and establish God has not always been the same and has grown and changed. He explains why He let Lucifer live after that failed coup, and even why He seems to be silent now. He gives God a reason to create and to be mostly absent from His creation. These are bold storytelling decisions in a Christian fantasy and a refreshing break from Lucifer’s incompetence. Too bad it only lasts one section of one chapter, and for the rest of the book God is portrayed as a hair-splitting lawyer-like character dissecting the letter of the law. Casting the Creator of the universe as a slippery lawyer who argues technicalities cancels out what little empathy I felt for Him.
The book is about Lucifer ruining this boy’s life, and I am simply unimpressed by what Satan does to Joby over the course of 30-odd years. His efforts to break him are not special, clever, or even effective. This is stuff everyone on the planet goes through, and millions have it so much worse and yet still turn out fine. If Satan wants to win a wager in which he has a chance to take control of creation itself, he should be doing something more than ordinary, first-world problems and general disappointment in how adulthood doesn’t live up to the hopes of childhood. The Arthurian themes don’t affect the story much, despite being laid on thick as lard in part one. Lucifer and his minions don’t corrupt anyone or ruin any lives. They just bring out the negative parts of their personalities that were already there. Nobody is all that likable, not even the Creator. The book is a 750-page slog all to witness Joby reach the right decision for a pitiful reason.
(and one more disappointment: the cover features a dragon spewing fire, but there isn’t a single dragon in the book.)
February 4, 2009
yes,
I read this.
I cried.
The writing was terrible.
Imagination useless.
again,
I cried.
was reminded of something...
O! how poorly written,
O! how poorly realized.
Every time I hear M. Ward's Post-War,
I think of Joby.
what am I to do,
the moon was full.
I think.
I read this.
I cried.
The writing was terrible.
Imagination useless.
again,
I cried.
was reminded of something...
O! how poorly written,
O! how poorly realized.
Every time I hear M. Ward's Post-War,
I think of Joby.
what am I to do,
the moon was full.
I think.
July 5, 2013
I love this book. I love, love, love this book. Why haven't you read this book yet??? Stop whatever you are doing and read this book right now! I'm not going to lie, I'm really upset that you're still reading this review and not reading the book like I told you that you should. This is one of my all-time, most-favorite books of all time. Okay, so that was a bit redundant, but I feel like I can't recommend this book enough.
I suppose, it should come with a few warnings though. The first warning is that it's really long. When I first read it, I did so with an old-fashioned, paper and print book and the font was small, the spacing was minimal and the pages themselves were larger than normal. And the page count came in, I believe, over 1000 pages. I am on record as not liking writers who can't get their story across in a reasonable number of pages and this would seem like it should be one of those books, but it's not. Here's why: This book is split up into three parts and in many ways, those three parts are like separate books in a series. However, those separate parts don't have endings. The story simply goes on. They are obvious closure points, but the story itself goes on and to have closed them off, only to continue in the next book would have been cruel. So, even though this book is very long, I actually commend Ferrari for choosing to make it all one book instead of breaking it up. It's a story told in three acts that could have been split up, but as they are all part of the same play, he chose to make it all-inclusive.
The second warning I'll give you is that this book has Judeo-Christian themes involved in it and actually, I'd go so far as to call it a Christian book. HOWEVER, I also think it's an all-inclusive book because this book is far from the right-wing, conservative Christian point of view. In fact, that POV is blatantly fought against. This is a brand of Christianity that preaches love, acceptance and inclusion. For that reason, I think that people of any faith, or no faith at all, can enjoy the larger story.
What is that story? Well, if you're familiar with the Book of Job in the Old Testament then you'll have an idea of the main premise of The Book of Joby. The cast of characters includes God, a few arch angels, the devil and his demon faithful. Those characters provide the framework for the very human story and characters who you can't help but fall in love with and feel for in the most palpable of ways. The characters in this book are simply outstanding. They are developed well, they are dimensional and full and interesting. The plotting is excellent. The story is amazing. The messages are pure and true and resounding. The pace...I won't lie. I don't believe the pace of this book is meant to be downhill, until the end. This is an intricately built story and things you read on page one will matter on the final page. You're not meant to devour this book without fully digesting it. That said, it's not slowly paced either. The story and the characters are so compelling that they pull you along. This is a tough book to put down. Even when you start reaching points, halfway through the book, where you feel like things SHOULD start moving downhill toward a conclusion, they don't. They keep moving on and building up and building up. That's on purpose too. But, while in the hands of a lesser author you might start screaming and pulling your hair out and throwing the book against the wall, in Ferrari's hands, you feel like you can trust him and where he's going with his story.
I first read this book years ago and I loved it. I just completed a re-read and it certainly holds up and makes for an amazing re-read as well. This time around, I found that I enjoyed it even more--catching things I'd missed the first time through. However, a major reason, I think, I enjoyed it even more this time around is that I read it on my Kindle. Without the issues of small fonts and tight spacing, the book was a much better read for me (admittedly, I'm kind of a stickler for those things which is why I now prefer e-books). So, my final piece of advice on this book is that if you can, I advise reading it on an e-reader of some sort. But, I'll also tell you that for all it's aesthetic and readability issues in print, it was still one of the most worthwhile books I'd ever read, so don't deprive yourself based on that.
Read this book. Read it now. It's brilliant. Easily, firmly and forever entrenched in my Top 5 Books of All-Time.
I suppose, it should come with a few warnings though. The first warning is that it's really long. When I first read it, I did so with an old-fashioned, paper and print book and the font was small, the spacing was minimal and the pages themselves were larger than normal. And the page count came in, I believe, over 1000 pages. I am on record as not liking writers who can't get their story across in a reasonable number of pages and this would seem like it should be one of those books, but it's not. Here's why: This book is split up into three parts and in many ways, those three parts are like separate books in a series. However, those separate parts don't have endings. The story simply goes on. They are obvious closure points, but the story itself goes on and to have closed them off, only to continue in the next book would have been cruel. So, even though this book is very long, I actually commend Ferrari for choosing to make it all one book instead of breaking it up. It's a story told in three acts that could have been split up, but as they are all part of the same play, he chose to make it all-inclusive.
The second warning I'll give you is that this book has Judeo-Christian themes involved in it and actually, I'd go so far as to call it a Christian book. HOWEVER, I also think it's an all-inclusive book because this book is far from the right-wing, conservative Christian point of view. In fact, that POV is blatantly fought against. This is a brand of Christianity that preaches love, acceptance and inclusion. For that reason, I think that people of any faith, or no faith at all, can enjoy the larger story.
What is that story? Well, if you're familiar with the Book of Job in the Old Testament then you'll have an idea of the main premise of The Book of Joby. The cast of characters includes God, a few arch angels, the devil and his demon faithful. Those characters provide the framework for the very human story and characters who you can't help but fall in love with and feel for in the most palpable of ways. The characters in this book are simply outstanding. They are developed well, they are dimensional and full and interesting. The plotting is excellent. The story is amazing. The messages are pure and true and resounding. The pace...I won't lie. I don't believe the pace of this book is meant to be downhill, until the end. This is an intricately built story and things you read on page one will matter on the final page. You're not meant to devour this book without fully digesting it. That said, it's not slowly paced either. The story and the characters are so compelling that they pull you along. This is a tough book to put down. Even when you start reaching points, halfway through the book, where you feel like things SHOULD start moving downhill toward a conclusion, they don't. They keep moving on and building up and building up. That's on purpose too. But, while in the hands of a lesser author you might start screaming and pulling your hair out and throwing the book against the wall, in Ferrari's hands, you feel like you can trust him and where he's going with his story.
I first read this book years ago and I loved it. I just completed a re-read and it certainly holds up and makes for an amazing re-read as well. This time around, I found that I enjoyed it even more--catching things I'd missed the first time through. However, a major reason, I think, I enjoyed it even more this time around is that I read it on my Kindle. Without the issues of small fonts and tight spacing, the book was a much better read for me (admittedly, I'm kind of a stickler for those things which is why I now prefer e-books). So, my final piece of advice on this book is that if you can, I advise reading it on an e-reader of some sort. But, I'll also tell you that for all it's aesthetic and readability issues in print, it was still one of the most worthwhile books I'd ever read, so don't deprive yourself based on that.
Read this book. Read it now. It's brilliant. Easily, firmly and forever entrenched in my Top 5 Books of All-Time.
November 20, 2011
I love Arthurian lore....always have, it started in High school when I read all of theseThe Crystal Cave and then went onto theseTaliesin. And then I had a really cool english teacher in whose classroom we would just watch movies and then have tests, there I fell in love with Camelot.When you combine Arthur, Gwen AND Lancelot in a book, along with God Lucifer "the wager" of Job, demons and Angels.....well ya never know just what you might get.
When God and Lucifer bet it all ( yet again ) on the shoulders of a Ten year old boy...look out.The author was very creative throwing in lil twists and turns everywhere, and I truly enjoyed reading this book. There were times that I wanted to scream at Joby to stop being such a whiner, but hey.......when you have all the powers of hell formed against you, I guess you have a right to whine, just a little bit. After a bit I did finally have compassion for Joby. When you go from being Golden Child.....to being the biggest loser and then back to Hero I suppose it can take it's toll. There were parts of this book that got me a bit choked up and misty eyed, and there were parts that made me laugh. The characters were very easy to get into and even some of the demons were believable. I believe the premise was very well thought out and even dealing with spiritual/religious undertones never got overly preachy. Sadly I can not find anything else written by this Author other than a book on humpback whales......I suppose I can wait.
When God and Lucifer bet it all ( yet again ) on the shoulders of a Ten year old boy...look out.The author was very creative throwing in lil twists and turns everywhere, and I truly enjoyed reading this book. There were times that I wanted to scream at Joby to stop being such a whiner, but hey.......when you have all the powers of hell formed against you, I guess you have a right to whine, just a little bit. After a bit I did finally have compassion for Joby. When you go from being Golden Child.....to being the biggest loser and then back to Hero I suppose it can take it's toll. There were parts of this book that got me a bit choked up and misty eyed, and there were parts that made me laugh. The characters were very easy to get into and even some of the demons were believable. I believe the premise was very well thought out and even dealing with spiritual/religious undertones never got overly preachy. Sadly I can not find anything else written by this Author other than a book on humpback whales......I suppose I can wait.
July 30, 2008
King Arthur meets the Book of Job - in a nine year old boy. By the author formerly known as the artist Mark Ferrari. (In case you don't know, the premise of the Book of Job is that Satan challenges God that the apparently pious Job, if stripped of his prosperity and his children, would turn against God.)
It's a very well-written book. The Arthurian connection is fun, the characters are believable and engaging, and I enjoyed both the Creator character and the bickering, backstabbing, and ineptness of the demons afflicting Joby. Sprinkled throughout the book are descriptions like glittering jewels, scenes painted in such rich language that you can tell the author was an artist. Though weighing in at 630 pages (hardcover edition), it didn't feel long to me, and the last 200 pages flew by as I got caught up in the climax.
Now to the difficult part. The Book of Joby, like the Christian Old Testament book, has a lot of suffering in it. That's the point - suffering that is completely undeserved, no less. I had a hard time with it; I tend to avoid exposure to human suffering - not because I want to pretend it doesn't exist, but because I'm all too aware of its existence and being confronted by it makes me horribly depressed. It's possible, even given all this, that I'd have found the book more worthwhile had there been more of a payoff, but I have trouble finding the resolution worth all the suffering and loss.
If you lack my problem with suffering, then I definitely recommend The Book of Joby.
It's a very well-written book. The Arthurian connection is fun, the characters are believable and engaging, and I enjoyed both the Creator character and the bickering, backstabbing, and ineptness of the demons afflicting Joby. Sprinkled throughout the book are descriptions like glittering jewels, scenes painted in such rich language that you can tell the author was an artist. Though weighing in at 630 pages (hardcover edition), it didn't feel long to me, and the last 200 pages flew by as I got caught up in the climax.
Now to the difficult part. The Book of Joby, like the Christian Old Testament book, has a lot of suffering in it. That's the point - suffering that is completely undeserved, no less. I had a hard time with it; I tend to avoid exposure to human suffering - not because I want to pretend it doesn't exist, but because I'm all too aware of its existence and being confronted by it makes me horribly depressed. It's possible, even given all this, that I'd have found the book more worthwhile had there been more of a payoff, but I have trouble finding the resolution worth all the suffering and loss.
If you lack my problem with suffering, then I definitely recommend The Book of Joby.
June 3, 2013
After spending so much time with it and feeling so invested in the main character's tribulations, I really hate to give this book less than 4 stars. But in the end, I found its flaws outweighed its flashes of occasional brilliance and inventiveness. Overlong, and in dire need of a strong editor to help this talented first-time author tighten the plotlines and rid the dialog of some of its stiltedness. I sometimes had to wonder what decade the characters were supposed to be living in - even the ones that were fully mortal and not displaced in time from their origins - just based on their turns of phrase or attitudes. I did not know the background of the author before I read the book, only after. Now that I do, I can only hope that if he manages to sell the film rights to a good sci-fi film studio, the story is taken up by a screenwriter/director who can shake it of its self-seriousness (i.e., not anybody named M. Night anything, for instance ...) It could have been a great book; it could still be a great film, and that may be its destiny.
February 28, 2016
Forget the hundred monkey and their typewriters. A senile ferret on crack could, whilst having apoplectic fits on a keyboard, come up with more compelling material than this.
But that would be cruelty to animals; PETA would be after you if you did that. Too bad there's no such thing as cruelty to readers because this book is rank abuse. Someone seriously needs to douse Mr. Ferrari with printer ink.
But that would be cruelty to animals; PETA would be after you if you did that. Too bad there's no such thing as cruelty to readers because this book is rank abuse. Someone seriously needs to douse Mr. Ferrari with printer ink.
February 19, 2024
A novel that combines God, Lucifer, archangels, AND King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable? Sounds intriguing! And Mr. Ferrari mostly pulls it off.
The novel opens with God, Gabriel, and Lucifer discussing a wager; a wager that Lucifer has made with God many times before. Terms are agreed upon and God looks for a candidate. We then meet Joby Peterson, a happy, intelligent, imaginative nine-year-old boy who is enthralled with the story of King Arthur and his knights. Unbeknownst to any mortal, God chooses Joby to be his champion against Lucifer.
Lucifer decides to win his wager by using a series of seemingly small setbacks and roadblocks, causing Joby's life to end up far from where his initial promise and dreams should have brought him. Due to the terms of the wager, God cannot help him, nor can any other immortal beings unless Joby asks them directly.
Will Joby ask for help? Will he be able to find peace, love, and his purpose in life? Will God let Lucifer win? (After all, God is big on free will.) Will Mr. Ferrari "cheat" so the reader will have the ending they want for Joby?
I found the novel starts out fairly slowly, but the pace picks up once Joby reaches his 30's. There's a large cast of secondary characters, but I found it fairly easy to keep them all separate. Best of all, IMHO, this is a stand-alone novel and NOT the beginning of a series!
The novel opens with God, Gabriel, and Lucifer discussing a wager; a wager that Lucifer has made with God many times before. Terms are agreed upon and God looks for a candidate. We then meet Joby Peterson, a happy, intelligent, imaginative nine-year-old boy who is enthralled with the story of King Arthur and his knights. Unbeknownst to any mortal, God chooses Joby to be his champion against Lucifer.
Lucifer decides to win his wager by using a series of seemingly small setbacks and roadblocks, causing Joby's life to end up far from where his initial promise and dreams should have brought him. Due to the terms of the wager, God cannot help him, nor can any other immortal beings unless Joby asks them directly.
Will Joby ask for help? Will he be able to find peace, love, and his purpose in life? Will God let Lucifer win? (After all, God is big on free will.) Will Mr. Ferrari "cheat" so the reader will have the ending they want for Joby?
I found the novel starts out fairly slowly, but the pace picks up once Joby reaches his 30's. There's a large cast of secondary characters, but I found it fairly easy to keep them all separate. Best of all, IMHO, this is a stand-alone novel and NOT the beginning of a series!
June 28, 2020
omg very interesting read. Okay my two main points is this book is not a quick read bruh it’s 600 pages and it takes you through a boys life. But the view it shows you and the questions it bring to light are very cool. I loveee the ending!!!!
ok here’s the spoilers:
In the wager god commands his angels and those of heaven descent to not help joby unless he asks and he can’t as well. But all the angels do anyway and think they are condemned to hell for going against god like turning into a fallen angel. God tells them they can turn human and when they die they could come to heaven as normal but they have to wait for the ruling till the wager is over. Soo at the end Lucifer thinks he’s won because 2 angels and Merlin have gone against Gods command. And God remarks to lucifer at the begging of our wager you told me all of my creation was inheritently corrupt. But this has shown that even with my commandment love and faith has prevailed. My angels are not condemned i made my first command against my will but love overcame and only those who go against my will are condemned how could i be upset for them loving what i love. i do not abandon anyone who has not very clearly wished me to.
On top of that! Joby starts working as a counselor and a man named Raphael comes in saying his former occupation was angel... A fallen angel back fo god 🙏🏻
ok here’s the spoilers:
In the wager god commands his angels and those of heaven descent to not help joby unless he asks and he can’t as well. But all the angels do anyway and think they are condemned to hell for going against god like turning into a fallen angel. God tells them they can turn human and when they die they could come to heaven as normal but they have to wait for the ruling till the wager is over. Soo at the end Lucifer thinks he’s won because 2 angels and Merlin have gone against Gods command. And God remarks to lucifer at the begging of our wager you told me all of my creation was inheritently corrupt. But this has shown that even with my commandment love and faith has prevailed. My angels are not condemned i made my first command against my will but love overcame and only those who go against my will are condemned how could i be upset for them loving what i love. i do not abandon anyone who has not very clearly wished me to.
On top of that! Joby starts working as a counselor and a man named Raphael comes in saying his former occupation was angel... A fallen angel back fo god 🙏🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2025
read it as a off the whim type pick. not my favorite but it’s okay if you’re into fantasy. it really did drag on and wasn’t as packed as i like fantasy books. put me in a slump but that’s just me. if you like fantasy check it out, but it’s not a quick read.
August 28, 2009
This book, despite it being a little long, is a really great read. There's a hefty dose of Arthurian legend and Biblical principles, as well as modern controversial beliefs. What's great about this book is how it all boils down to what I believe is the basic tenet of life:being good.
The book spans the life of Joby Peterson, the unknowing participant in a bet between God and Lucifer. As a child, Joby idolizes Arthur and the Roundtable and aspires to be just like him. As he grows, Lucifer's influence on his life erases the hope and optimism that he possessed, and Joby finds himself lost. However, just because Joby gave up on himself didn't mean that everyone else gave up on him. With a cast of angels, wizards, children, and old friends, Joby's life is ripped apart and put back together many, many times. You celebrate and cry with Joby as his circumstances change again and again.
The scope of this book is pretty epic. There are unsubtle symbols of Arthurian legend, like the Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot love triangle and the Grail, but the Biblical references are really the star. The book explores the idea of why God created a world with free will, what that really means, and, with a good deal of humor, how the world was created. It's a perfect blend of faith, science, and common sense. Ferrari's portrait of God is one of an accessible one. I like his God. And, if i was imagining his version of God speaking in a Morgan Freeman voice...welll, I'm sure He would be flattered.
The book spans the life of Joby Peterson, the unknowing participant in a bet between God and Lucifer. As a child, Joby idolizes Arthur and the Roundtable and aspires to be just like him. As he grows, Lucifer's influence on his life erases the hope and optimism that he possessed, and Joby finds himself lost. However, just because Joby gave up on himself didn't mean that everyone else gave up on him. With a cast of angels, wizards, children, and old friends, Joby's life is ripped apart and put back together many, many times. You celebrate and cry with Joby as his circumstances change again and again.
The scope of this book is pretty epic. There are unsubtle symbols of Arthurian legend, like the Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot love triangle and the Grail, but the Biblical references are really the star. The book explores the idea of why God created a world with free will, what that really means, and, with a good deal of humor, how the world was created. It's a perfect blend of faith, science, and common sense. Ferrari's portrait of God is one of an accessible one. I like his God. And, if i was imagining his version of God speaking in a Morgan Freeman voice...welll, I'm sure He would be flattered.
January 8, 2011
This wasn't the epic fantasy that I was expecting, as the jacket copy stated. The age-old wager between God and Lucifer begins again, this time with a young boy named Joby. The book is a detailed chronicle of Joby's life, and the hardships he faces. That's about it.
I felt like I was being banged on the head over and over again with the idea that all people face hardships - not all brought about by the Devil - but that God is always there for us if we just ask for Him and his heavenly helpers. After about 200 pages, this got old. I get it, I get that we'll all experience trials and tests of our wills, but we should persevere and blah, blah, blah. Too preachy for my taste, and not enough interesting action, just fairly routine things that happen to people over the course of their lives, with a few chapters featuring the nefarious actions of the Devil's demons.
All in all, I found this tome hard to get through, but I plodded through to the end. I came to to conclusion that nearly anyone's life story could be called "The Book of ____" and would act as an acceptable replacement for this novel.
I felt like I was being banged on the head over and over again with the idea that all people face hardships - not all brought about by the Devil - but that God is always there for us if we just ask for Him and his heavenly helpers. After about 200 pages, this got old. I get it, I get that we'll all experience trials and tests of our wills, but we should persevere and blah, blah, blah. Too preachy for my taste, and not enough interesting action, just fairly routine things that happen to people over the course of their lives, with a few chapters featuring the nefarious actions of the Devil's demons.
All in all, I found this tome hard to get through, but I plodded through to the end. I came to to conclusion that nearly anyone's life story could be called "The Book of ____" and would act as an acceptable replacement for this novel.
June 4, 2009
This was sooo much fun. The premise was promising (God and Lucifer making a wager which could lead to the destruction of the entire creation), the execution brilliant: We experience the trials and tribulations of a normal child (later teenager, and grown man) who is the subject of a tug-of-war between Good and Evil.
Joby is one of the most likeable, sympathetic characters I've ever encountered - I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning, and feeling wretchedly sorry for him when things went belly-up for him again, and again, and again. For me, it's a mark of how well developed the characters are that the one quibble I had with this book wasn't with the author, but with God and Lucifer themselves for inflicting such pain on this boy!
A fabulous read. Painful in places, but ultimately leaves you with a warm glow and happy smile.
Joby is one of the most likeable, sympathetic characters I've ever encountered - I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning, and feeling wretchedly sorry for him when things went belly-up for him again, and again, and again. For me, it's a mark of how well developed the characters are that the one quibble I had with this book wasn't with the author, but with God and Lucifer themselves for inflicting such pain on this boy!
A fabulous read. Painful in places, but ultimately leaves you with a warm glow and happy smile.
January 7, 2014
Wow. What a ride. This is a book just bursting with every element of what an epic fantasy should be.
First of all, this was a long book, but that didn't daunt me. If you feel intimidated by its length, just imagine it as a trilogy all bound together in one book.
There were so many layers to this book that I've no doubt I'll need to reread it. Yes, it mirrors the book of Job, but not in a "conservative fundamental" way, which hooked me right from the prologue. The author also draws heavily on the legends of King Arthur, which makes me want to seek out those tales before rereading.
I don't want to say much else in order to avoid spoilers, so just go read it already. :)
First of all, this was a long book, but that didn't daunt me. If you feel intimidated by its length, just imagine it as a trilogy all bound together in one book.
There were so many layers to this book that I've no doubt I'll need to reread it. Yes, it mirrors the book of Job, but not in a "conservative fundamental" way, which hooked me right from the prologue. The author also draws heavily on the legends of King Arthur, which makes me want to seek out those tales before rereading.
I don't want to say much else in order to avoid spoilers, so just go read it already. :)
December 3, 2014
This is honestly one of the best pieces of Young Adult fantasy that you can get your hands on. I feel like many YA fantasy novels are either cliche, trite, badly written or just plain un-relateable and this book is none of that. I haven't read this for many many years, now, but it sticks with me to this day and I plan to give it a re-read, eventually.
A lot of the other reviews cover just about everything about this book, but I would just like to add one thing. This is not a "Christian" book. This book is for anyone who is of an abrahamic faith, agnostic or is interested in reading a book with arthurian and/or biblical mythology in a fantasy setting.
A lot of the other reviews cover just about everything about this book, but I would just like to add one thing. This is not a "Christian" book. This book is for anyone who is of an abrahamic faith, agnostic or is interested in reading a book with arthurian and/or biblical mythology in a fantasy setting.
November 28, 2008
I totally enjoyed this book. It was quite entertaining, not the typical book I would pick up to read, but sure glad I did! The story begins with the age old wager between God and Lucifer. The object of their wager is a young boy named Joby. It has angels, demons, magic, love, mild violence and fantasy. I would rate it 4.5 stars if I could. This is one I will read again just to be sure I did not miss anything the first time.
January 12, 2015
What an incredible and epic first novel Mark Ferrari has written. An imaginative modern retelling of the story of Job from the Bible sprinkled with some of the magic that was Camelot. The starting point of this fantasy is a wager between God and Lucifer with the world as we know it at stake. A must read!
March 3, 2008
This book preplexed me,delighted me and offeded me. It will raises some interesting questions. Take you to another world and cause you to wonder just where the writer is coming from. If you really enjoyed this book I would Highly recomend Stephen Lawhead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2015
Absolutely delightful in the end.
Throughout the majority I couldn't decide whether this is the world I often feel like I live in or the one I wish I did. In the end, I still don't know. I am very glad I read it, though.
Throughout the majority I couldn't decide whether this is the world I often feel like I live in or the one I wish I did. In the end, I still don't know. I am very glad I read it, though.
January 13, 2018
I thought maybe it was a Christian author, but it's definitely more fantasy than Christian fiction, but a great take on the story of Job anyway.
Lucifer and the Creator have entered, yet again, into a wager they've made many times before, but this time, the existence of creation itself is balanced on the outcome. Born in California during the twilight years of a weary millennium, nine year old Joby Peterson dreams of blazing like a bonfire against the gathering darkness of his times, like a knight of the Round Table. Instead, he is subjected to a life of crippling self-doubt and relentless mediocrity inflicted by an enemy he did nothing to earn and cannot begin to comprehend.
Though imperiled themselves, the angels are forbidden to intervene. Left to struggle with their own loyalties and the question of obedience, they watch Lucifer work virtually unhindered to turn Joby's heart of gold into ash and stone while God sits by, seemingly unconcerned.
And so when he is grown to manhood, Joby's once luminous love of life seems altogether lost, and Lucifer's victory assured. What hope remains lies hidden in the beauty, warmth, and innocence of a forgotten seaside village whose odd inhabitants seem to defy the modern world's most inflexible assumptions, and in the hearts of Joby's long lost youthful love and her emotionally wounded son. But the ravenous forces of destruction that follow Joby into this concealed paradise plan to use these same things to bring him and his world to ruin.
As the final struggle unfolds, one question occupies every mind in heaven and in hell. Which will prove stronger, love or rage?
Lucifer and the Creator have entered, yet again, into a wager they've made many times before, but this time, the existence of creation itself is balanced on the outcome. Born in California during the twilight years of a weary millennium, nine year old Joby Peterson dreams of blazing like a bonfire against the gathering darkness of his times, like a knight of the Round Table. Instead, he is subjected to a life of crippling self-doubt and relentless mediocrity inflicted by an enemy he did nothing to earn and cannot begin to comprehend.
Though imperiled themselves, the angels are forbidden to intervene. Left to struggle with their own loyalties and the question of obedience, they watch Lucifer work virtually unhindered to turn Joby's heart of gold into ash and stone while God sits by, seemingly unconcerned.
And so when he is grown to manhood, Joby's once luminous love of life seems altogether lost, and Lucifer's victory assured. What hope remains lies hidden in the beauty, warmth, and innocence of a forgotten seaside village whose odd inhabitants seem to defy the modern world's most inflexible assumptions, and in the hearts of Joby's long lost youthful love and her emotionally wounded son. But the ravenous forces of destruction that follow Joby into this concealed paradise plan to use these same things to bring him and his world to ruin.
As the final struggle unfolds, one question occupies every mind in heaven and in hell. Which will prove stronger, love or rage?
May 2, 2013
Overall impression when I finished: Pleasantly surprised but not overly wowed.
I briefly read an interview with the author. To quote from it, Mr. Ferrari said, “…the book is not, in fact, about Christianity to begin with, only set in it.” That surprised me!
He sums up his themes as thus: (1) “The assumption most of us in America are taught from the cradle on that there is some reliable cause and effect relationship between what we do and what we get... As we grow up, however, this reassuring assumption is betrayed again and again as we discover that the world rarely behaves so neatly.” (2) “When some unthinkably terrible thing is about to happen, we’ve learned to anticipate rescue via some heroically clever and utterly unexpected solution just when all seems lost. This hope is also betrayed again and again as we grow up in the actual world.” (3) “What does justice mean? How far would you go to make the world operate as you think it should?”
Looking at everything from a Christian point of view, there were some things that I felt were missed… namely Jesus. Three different angels show up. Lucifer shows up, obviously. God is there. But, while Jesus is mentioned when Joby attended Catholic church, Jesus never shows up. I know he was not involved in the wager, but why involve so many other themes in Christianity and miss the main component to Christianity? As the author states above, this is not meant to be a book about Christianity, but it felt like it lacked a bit of intellectual stamina due to this absence. Ferrari was very respectful of Christian themes and theology, but I can’t help but feel he did not know what to do with Jesus and so simply excluded Him.
Another thing I felt disappointed in was (and yes, I know, not a Christian book), Taubolt is this town where the descendants of angels are living. Yet no one ever seems to pray. If there’s a problem, no one says, “Hey great-great-great-great-great….(etc) Grandfather, can I get some guidance here?” They are “of the blood” of angels. Yet they never seem to express any sort of faith in God. This really bothered me as the story wore on. It seemed to contradict the whole concept of the safe haven they were living in as well as Eden they eventually discover. I don’t need the book to be preachy, but no one prayed! Come on, Michael, what are you doing as their guide?
The ending? There was such a dramatic and emotional trajectory for most of the book that I'm not sure if there would have been an ending I'd have felt was satisfying, but it ended very quickly after 600+ pages of experiencing Joby’s turbulent life. I wanted a more peaceful feeling at the end. I don’t mind where Ferrari left it, but I just wanted some more joy for Joby before we said goodbye. Ferrari never quite off-set all the painful things that he experienced and we as readers experienced. I could draw conclusions that this in itself alludes to Jesus’ story in that we have very few stories after his suffering and horrific death, but after reading Ferrari’s intentions with his writing, I’m pretty sure he was not making this comparison. So what can we draw from that which ultimately saves Joby? Love should lead you. While it may be out of your hands, you need to have a little faith and trust. I appreciated that the story ended with God and Gabriel enjoying Creation (as the book began).
The character of Joby and his situations are relatable in certain instances. When have we not felt guilt, self-doubt, self-loathing even? Should we be checking our backs for demons whispering in our ears as well? I think Ferrari eloquently explored Joby’s life in a way that was touching and personal (but not uncomfortably so). I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning and feeling mournful for him when things went belly-up again, and again, and again. It’s a long read, but it keeps you reading. Ferrari has a beautiful voice in this story and creates clear pictures for the reader. I thought his use of language was engaging and effortless at the same time.
One piece of modern society that was overall avoided in this book is social media. There is not a definitive time period that Ferrari sets, but I’m assuming it’s in this century. Social media is a huge piece that Lucifer could have explored to torment Joby even more. The absence of this tool was an interesting choice by the writer. Overall, he does keep Joby in the small-town framework throughout most of the pieces of his life we experience. So while I can understand this omission, I think Lucifer would have definitely gone down the avenue and used it to its very potent potential.
I love the mythology in this story. I enjoyed how it all goes back to that first humanoid given consciousness, interestingly not by God in Ferrari’s book, but by Lucifer, and subsequently weaves through history to explain Mt. Olympus and the crew that congregated up there (and why) up to modern times. I felt the scenes including God were some of the most interesting and were extremely thought-provoking. God is usually not given a personality in books. I enjoyed the way Ferrari wrote about Him. Ferrari's portrait of God is one of an accessible God. It worked. I find a lot of truth to this picture. I also really enjoyed the Camelot tie-in. Ferrari expertly weaves the two different pieces of history together. I do not know lots about Arthurian legend, but I really enjoyed its role in this story.
I think one of my favorite parts was the idea of why God created a world with free will, what that really means, and, with a good sprinkle of humor, how the world discovered genuine love. It's a perfect blend of faith, science, and common sense. I’m glad I read the book. And when I closed the book, while I was not completely floored by the ending, I think the story as a whole was enjoyable and engrossing.
I briefly read an interview with the author. To quote from it, Mr. Ferrari said, “…the book is not, in fact, about Christianity to begin with, only set in it.” That surprised me!
He sums up his themes as thus: (1) “The assumption most of us in America are taught from the cradle on that there is some reliable cause and effect relationship between what we do and what we get... As we grow up, however, this reassuring assumption is betrayed again and again as we discover that the world rarely behaves so neatly.” (2) “When some unthinkably terrible thing is about to happen, we’ve learned to anticipate rescue via some heroically clever and utterly unexpected solution just when all seems lost. This hope is also betrayed again and again as we grow up in the actual world.” (3) “What does justice mean? How far would you go to make the world operate as you think it should?”
Looking at everything from a Christian point of view, there were some things that I felt were missed… namely Jesus. Three different angels show up. Lucifer shows up, obviously. God is there. But, while Jesus is mentioned when Joby attended Catholic church, Jesus never shows up. I know he was not involved in the wager, but why involve so many other themes in Christianity and miss the main component to Christianity? As the author states above, this is not meant to be a book about Christianity, but it felt like it lacked a bit of intellectual stamina due to this absence. Ferrari was very respectful of Christian themes and theology, but I can’t help but feel he did not know what to do with Jesus and so simply excluded Him.
Another thing I felt disappointed in was (and yes, I know, not a Christian book), Taubolt is this town where the descendants of angels are living. Yet no one ever seems to pray. If there’s a problem, no one says, “Hey great-great-great-great-great….(etc) Grandfather, can I get some guidance here?” They are “of the blood” of angels. Yet they never seem to express any sort of faith in God. This really bothered me as the story wore on. It seemed to contradict the whole concept of the safe haven they were living in as well as Eden they eventually discover. I don’t need the book to be preachy, but no one prayed! Come on, Michael, what are you doing as their guide?
The ending? There was such a dramatic and emotional trajectory for most of the book that I'm not sure if there would have been an ending I'd have felt was satisfying, but it ended very quickly after 600+ pages of experiencing Joby’s turbulent life. I wanted a more peaceful feeling at the end. I don’t mind where Ferrari left it, but I just wanted some more joy for Joby before we said goodbye. Ferrari never quite off-set all the painful things that he experienced and we as readers experienced. I could draw conclusions that this in itself alludes to Jesus’ story in that we have very few stories after his suffering and horrific death, but after reading Ferrari’s intentions with his writing, I’m pretty sure he was not making this comparison. So what can we draw from that which ultimately saves Joby? Love should lead you. While it may be out of your hands, you need to have a little faith and trust. I appreciated that the story ended with God and Gabriel enjoying Creation (as the book began).
The character of Joby and his situations are relatable in certain instances. When have we not felt guilt, self-doubt, self-loathing even? Should we be checking our backs for demons whispering in our ears as well? I think Ferrari eloquently explored Joby’s life in a way that was touching and personal (but not uncomfortably so). I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning and feeling mournful for him when things went belly-up again, and again, and again. It’s a long read, but it keeps you reading. Ferrari has a beautiful voice in this story and creates clear pictures for the reader. I thought his use of language was engaging and effortless at the same time.
One piece of modern society that was overall avoided in this book is social media. There is not a definitive time period that Ferrari sets, but I’m assuming it’s in this century. Social media is a huge piece that Lucifer could have explored to torment Joby even more. The absence of this tool was an interesting choice by the writer. Overall, he does keep Joby in the small-town framework throughout most of the pieces of his life we experience. So while I can understand this omission, I think Lucifer would have definitely gone down the avenue and used it to its very potent potential.
I love the mythology in this story. I enjoyed how it all goes back to that first humanoid given consciousness, interestingly not by God in Ferrari’s book, but by Lucifer, and subsequently weaves through history to explain Mt. Olympus and the crew that congregated up there (and why) up to modern times. I felt the scenes including God were some of the most interesting and were extremely thought-provoking. God is usually not given a personality in books. I enjoyed the way Ferrari wrote about Him. Ferrari's portrait of God is one of an accessible God. It worked. I find a lot of truth to this picture. I also really enjoyed the Camelot tie-in. Ferrari expertly weaves the two different pieces of history together. I do not know lots about Arthurian legend, but I really enjoyed its role in this story.
I think one of my favorite parts was the idea of why God created a world with free will, what that really means, and, with a good sprinkle of humor, how the world discovered genuine love. It's a perfect blend of faith, science, and common sense. I’m glad I read the book. And when I closed the book, while I was not completely floored by the ending, I think the story as a whole was enjoyable and engrossing.
July 6, 2024
I gave this story 5 stars because I had trouble setting it down and could absolutely be convinced to read it again soon. I borrowed it from the library this time, but I’ll likely purchase it soon.
As an ex-Christian wanting to avoid being preached at I was a bit hesitant to dive in but the cover of the book and the description of the story made me opt to give it a go. This was a fantastic story which I am confident that both Christian and non-Christian readers will be able to thoroughly enjoy. While this story is certainly a fantasy tale, it does not include the traditional elements of mythical world building, existential quests, and moral reckoning that accompanies many fantasy novels. Rather, it is an entertaining and surprisingly thoughtful retelling of the story of Job mixed with a bit of King Arthur.
As an ex-Christian wanting to avoid being preached at I was a bit hesitant to dive in but the cover of the book and the description of the story made me opt to give it a go. This was a fantastic story which I am confident that both Christian and non-Christian readers will be able to thoroughly enjoy. While this story is certainly a fantasy tale, it does not include the traditional elements of mythical world building, existential quests, and moral reckoning that accompanies many fantasy novels. Rather, it is an entertaining and surprisingly thoughtful retelling of the story of Job mixed with a bit of King Arthur.
October 23, 2018
This is one of the 5 books I would take with me on a desert island. The content is very clear from the pitch, but the atmosphere in the book needs to be experienced. CS Lewis with ”The Great Divorce”, George MacDonald with ”The Princess and the Goblin” are similar in spirit. What is the most fascinating (for those who believe there is another world than the visible one, with its own life, living above us, next to us, with us) is that the author manages to give consistency to this permanent dialogue between worlds and to the characters from the other world (God, Archangels, Merlin, devils, etc.). The story of Joby is heartmelting and a fine metaphor of our own lives: a feeling that we struggle against tragic destiny with our bare hands, unaware of all the help available from above.
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