The Book of Joby

The Book of Joby
Mark J. Ferrari
Tor Books

Joby, a boy with a vivid imagination and dreams of greatness, is about to become the pawn in a game between God and Lucifer ... for the rest of his life, he will be faced with challenges beyond that of most of his peers and family. Unknowing of the causes, his life will be influenced and changed forever...

Combining Arthurian legend with a modern take on the Bible story of Job, The Book of Joby is the fantasy debut of Mark J. Ferrari, a spec fic artist, and is published by Tor.

I particularly liked the way God and Lucifer were presented as characters, and the different -- though still evil -- take on Lucifer, as a creature hating God's creation not because it was too good, but because he felt Man was flawed and evil, unworthy of the love God wouldn't show him. With a recurring wager between the two super-powers, Creation itself hangs in the balance ... can Hell unleashed upon an unsuspecting child for most of his life, turn a good man to evil, as they've done only a few times before? We'd better hope not...

I also loved the way that Mark Ferrari had God and Lucifer "hanging out" in restaurants and cafes across Earth, and a particular scene towards the end of the book, with the angel Raphael trying to speak "cool" and fit in, brought a huge grin to my face. The story of Job was always going to be a good story to work from, but some of the new elements brought in were very clever and original. The Arthurian themes, for example, were tied in really well, and I liked seeing the similarities -- and differences -- between the two legends, with Mark Ferrari doing an excellent job of putting in lots of detail from the legend, but making The Book of Joby his own ... and some of the twists on both legends were both subtle and brilliant.

I do tend to focus on characterisation, but the setting was above par too, with each change of scenery seeming to reflect a change in Joby's feelings or life ... which, was in fact, true and a major basis of the story. Joby's journey to, and eventual fight to protect, Taubolt, the mysterious village where he feels he belongs (and Hell can't enter ... at least for the moment!) was entertaining and imaginative, with yes, yet more twists upon the legend of Arthur, Merlin & the Holy Grail. Mark Ferrari has managed to make the setting almost a characterisation in itself, something that very rarely an author can achieve.

If I were to make one criticism, it would be that the pace of the story slowed a bit in the middle -- but perhaps that's because Ferrari had built the tale up to a breaking point, and I was looking forward to all Hell breaking loose ... literally!

It has occurred to me, that perhaps some people may shy from this book because of its religious nature, but as an atheist with a deep interest in biblical history and the stories of the War in Heaven (ironic, I know), I can say that it isn't trying to make a religious point ... and knowing some Christians who have read this book, it isn't insulting or disrespectful, either. A very good book, basically! Definitely one of the better fantasies I've read this year, and an excellent debut. The Book of Joby is a stand-alone novel, but I look forward to more work from Mark J. Ferrari. Definitely a name to remember, and a novel to buy! 8.5/10.

PS: Mark was also one of the few authors who got to do (part of) his own cover illustration :)

For more info:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
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