This is a First Reads for me - I won this as a Giveaway.

Doomsday is coming. Words of wisdom for those of you who have stock in those seasonal calendar kiosks that pop up in malls at Christmas time: "St. Paul was America's largest supplier of calendars; up to now a useful industry. with the imminent end of the world, the calendar market would suffer more than most."

Armageddon approaches. A showdown must ensue between the alien Armageddon (aka Satan, Beelzebub) and J.C., a man with no memory found drifting in a lifeboat in Doomsday Harbor, Long Island. Satan is assisted by his demons: Adolph Hitler, Marilyn Monroe, and Vincent Van Gogh (who seems more lost than demonic). J.C. is joined by his disciples; among them are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

This book takes you on a wild ride where you never can tell what's around the corner. Of course you'll be thinking that good triumphs over evil. Doesn't it? But does it? This book is also irreverent, unhesitatingly bringing in themes such as patricide and animal sacrifice.

It took awhile to draw me into this story - I had no idea where this was going! It picked up for me toward the end as I began to get in the spirit of this satirical novel and was able to adjust my mindset to it. Each time I opened the book and started a new chapter, I'd have to tell myself "this is not your father's Oldsmobile" (or maybe it is, if your father's car had bright red headlights, mirrored windows, and an air-conditioner that exhaled a bit of hot sulpherous smoke from the vents).

Makes me wonder what new scheme the devil is cooking up as he's playing bass at that little jazz club on the corner of Brimstone and Fire. ( )

Devil Jazz is the story of an alien named Armageddon's appearance to the world at large. What people do not know is that he is really Satan in disguise. He is attempting to bring chaos to the world, and uses three minions to help. Adolf Hitler appeals to the youth, Vincent Van Gogh appeals to the starving artists, and Marilyn Monroe uses her "talents" to seduce men.

However, in addition to Satan's arrival, a man with amnesia suddenly becomes viewed as the return of Christ af...more Devil Jazz is the story of an alien named Armageddon's appearance to the world at large. What people do not know is that he is really Satan in disguise. He is attempting to bring chaos to the world, and uses three minions to help. Adolf Hitler appeals to the youth, Vincent Van Gogh appeals to the starving artists, and Marilyn Monroe uses her "talents" to seduce men.

However, in addition to Satan's arrival, a man with amnesia suddenly becomes viewed as the return of Christ after his face appears on a bathroom wall. He realizes that the world is set to end in 7 days and uses his influence on people to try and stop Satan's plans.

This is a very well-written book that will engage you the entire time. Satan's sudden popularity is reminiscent of the book of Revelations in the Bible. This is a showdown between what is right and what is wrong, and definitely worth a read. ( )

“Devil Jazz” begins with the depiction of a young man awaking to find himself floating in a boat with no recollection of his life before that moment, stumbling towards the Doomsday Diner bathroom where the local fishermen say he will find his face etched on the wall, with a mysterious voice in his head warning him that the world will end in seven days. Almost instantly he finds that not only may he be the messiah, but he also has disciples, and although slightly uncomfortable with the idea, he decides to go by “J.C.”

Could this indeed be the Apocalypse, Jesus Christ’s final arrival, the ascension of the blessed and the damnation of the wicked? Craig Forgrave certainly makes us wonder, especially as global devastation ensues and Satan makes his appearance as the benevolent alien, Armageddon. Satan also sends his demonic charges to do his work; Marilyn Monroe, Vincent van Gogh, and Adolf Hitler all set out to corrupt the innocent, the dreamers, and the youth.

While J.C. is compelled to urge the people of the world to repent their sins and be saved, Satan ensures that the population sins to its full extent. “Devil Jazz” seems to begin as a modern day morality tale, and yet is transformed into a social and cultural commentary. It asks us to reconsider what we classify as “good” and “evil,” and to renegotiate our own existence within this specific cultural framework. Is it all good and bad? Is there no gray ambiguity to our existence?

Forgrave has written a clever novel that forces the reader to think, to reevaluate, and to question. “Devil Jazz” is a fun and funny examination of faith, human nature, and the individual identity. ( )