The Book of Joby
The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari, Tor, August 2007
Reviewed by Allycen Quan October 2007
Joby Peterson, at nine, is a bright and effervescent child with a bottomless love for life and the tales of Camelot. He is also the center of a wager between Lucifer and God: if Lucifer can cause Joby to renounce God by the time Joby is forty, God has promised to destroy all of Creation. Lucifer cleverly attempts to crush Joby's morale by plaguing him with self-doubt, anger, and disappointment. When it seems certain that Lucifer will win, Joby finds a place for himself, and a new lease on life, in the hidden beach town that his grandfather called home. Such is the story told in Mark Ferrari's fascinating and luminous debut novel, The Book of Joby.
It's a hefty book, weighing in at 638 pages, but every page is worth it. Arthurian legend is interwoven here with Christianity to dazzling effect; the story will delight those readers interested in either. Prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster as you follow Joby through his lifelong battle with an enemy he doesn't know he's battling against.