That would be a book called Job – not the one from the Bible. It is a fiction book written by an excellent writer named Robert A. Heinlein. But don’t hold your breath for biblical revelations or anything…here’s my wee little review:
Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Heinlein’s take on the biblical story of Job is a little less biblically based and a lot more fantastically oriented. That said, it is quite an interesting story, with a double share of twists and turns, and throughout it all you’re rather unsure exactly where Heinlein is going.
The more religious minded might be rather offended at Heinlein’s theological inversion of good and bad. I think this would be a tragedy, because the wide range of religions interwoven here it seems quite obvious this is not his version of the way things might be, but just a very creative exploration of “what if…?” What if you were just an unlucky pawn in a game between two really powerful players? What if they turned out to not be the most powerful? What if they were themselves not to high on the cosmic food chain? Where would that put you?
Heinlein has never been lacking the creativity department, and in places I think he pretty much let it run wild in this book. All said, the theology is blatantly non-scriptural, and in places, anti-christian. It is quite an interesting read, just don’t pick it up with the wrong expectations of what you’re getting into.
