Job, A Comedy of Justice
Job: A Comedy of Justice is a novel by
Robert A. Heinlein published in
1984. The title is a reference to the biblical
Book of Job and
James Branch Cabell's book
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
The story examines religion through the eyes of Alex, a Christian political activist who is corrupted by Margrethe, a Danish cruise ship hostess - and loves every minute of it. Enduring a shipwreck, an earthquake, and a series of world-changes brought about by Loki (with Jehovah's permission), Alex and Marga work their way from Mexico back to Kansas as dishwasher and waitress. On the way, they enjoy the Texas hospitality of Satan himself, but as they near their destination, they are separated by the Rapture – pagans don't go to heaven. Finding that eternity as depicted in the Revelation is far from the bliss he had so earnestly anticipated, Alex's journey in search of his lost lady takes him to Hell and beyond...
Heinlein's vivid depiction of a Heaven ruled by snotty angels and a Hell where everyone has a wonderful time--with Mary Magdalene shuttling breezily between both places--is a brilliant, biting satire on American evangelical Christianity.
