This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Who would have considered God could have a sense of humor! Such a captivating book! If churches could make their message this interesting, they'd be packed every Sunday! ( )

Excellent!

The Book of Joby is essentially a coming-of-age story, but it's also a fairy tale and a fantasy story and a bit of religious satire all at once. God and Lucifer have made a bet over whether Lucifer can sway one child to his side within forty years. This child is Joby, who idolizes King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and endeavors to be brave and chivalrous just like them. Of course, Lucifer is going to do everything he can to make Joby hateful, so Joby's life is slowly torn to shreds.

The story is sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes jubilant. The religious characters (God, Lucifer, the angels and demons) are often hilarious, using loopholes and modern means to defeat each other. You will love this book. ( )

http://www.amazon.com/review/R27Y6FK4... ( )

http://fantasycafe.blogspot.com/2008/... ( )

The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari was a wonderful book. I give it 100 stars.

It featured that good old wager between the Devil and God, this time on the soul of Joby Peterson. I was at first reluctant to read it because it's a huge book and I was not looking forward to dragging it all over creation, but I became so hooked on it that I found myself reading it while walking down the street.

I could not put it down. Thursday night I read until 3:30 am. I only put it down because I had to get up to go to work and would have been useless without at least two hours of sleep. I snuck (I recently discovered that the proper way of saying that is sneaked, you what I say? I don't give a f.) paragraphs in at work whenever possible and I finally finished it at 7 pm yesterday, at which time I went to bed ( I was exhausted.)

The book follows Joby Peterson from the age to 9 (when the bet was made) until the age of 40 (when the bet ends) and recounts all the horrible things that happen to him thanks to Lucifer. He goes from having the perfect life to losing everything, his family, his confidence and his promising future.

Reading this book was an amazing experience, Mark Ferrari is a wonderful writer who knows how to perfectly capture the feelings of love and despair.

He had a way of capturing the beauty of the town of Taubolt (where Joby goes on vacation) that made me feel that it was a real place.

This isn't just a fantasy adventure, it is the story of a life and it is filled with all the minor and major moments in such a life, most of the demons fought are inner ones, but it only made this story better.