Actually two books, the first begins on a Midwestern campus as an aging professor of Scandinavian history announces to a younger historian that he has a son who's a monster. Later the eight-foot tall Freddie, a painfully shy and obese adolescent, gives the historian "Freddie's Book", a tale of 16th century Scandinavia, and the battle over Good and Evil and the Devil. This makes up the second book. An enjoyable and worthy read. ( )

Employs the novel-with-the novel device that he used in "October Light," but to better effect here, because he isn't grinding an axe so much as he was in the previous book. As always he attains moments of genuine loveliness, especially in the scene in which the devil shudders upon viewing the sculpture of St. George. This is, I think, my favorite Gardner novel. ( )