 Cover of first edition (hardcover) | |
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Michael Whelan |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books/Del Rey |
Publication date | 1984 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 376 |
| Award | Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1985) |
| ISBN | 0-345-31357-7 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 10507672 |
Job: A Comedy of Justice is a science fiction novel by American writerRobert A. Heinlein published in 1984. The title is a reference to the biblicalBook of Job andJames Branch Cabell's bookJurgen, A Comedy of Justice. It won theLocus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1985[1][2] and was nominated for theNebula Award for Best Novel in 1984,[3] and theHugo Award for Best Novel in 1985.[4]
The story examines religion through the eyes of Alex, a Christian political activist who is corrupted by Margrethe, a DanishNorse cruise ship hostess—and who loves every minute of it. Enduring a shipwreck, an earthquake, and a series ofworld-changes brought about byLoki (withJehovah's permission), Alex and Marga work their way from Mexico back toKansas as dishwasher and waitress.
Whenever they manage to make some stake, an inconveniently timed change into a new alternate reality throws them off their stride (once, the money they earned is left behind in another reality; in another case, the paper money earned in a Mexico which is an empire is worthless in another Mexico which is a republic). These repeated misfortunes, clearly effected by some malevolent entity, make the hero identify with theBiblical Job.
On the way they unknowingly enjoy the Texas hospitality ofSatan himself, but as they near their destination they are separated by theRapture — Margrethe worshipsOdin, andpagans do not go toHeaven. Finding that the reward for his faith, eternity as promised in theBook of Revelation, is worthless without her, Alex journeys through timeless space in search of his lost lady, taking him toHell and beyond.
Heinlein depicts a Heaven ruled by snottyangels and a Hell where everyone has a wonderful, or at least productive, time — withMary Magdalene shuttling breezily between both places.
The novel is linked to Heinlein's short story "They" by the term "the Glaroon", and to his earlier novelThe Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by referring to the Moon colonies "Luna City" and "Tycho Under".
Throughout the novel, Alex briefly describes the history of his own world, and of some of the worlds he visits. In his own world,William Jennings Bryan was elected US President in 1896, the United States avoided war during the 20th century, andGermany is still a monarchy.John F. Kennedy was never President, as revealed when Alex visits a world where Kennedy served two full terms and is unfamiliar with him. Airship travel was never supplanted by airplane travel, and the television was not invented. Other trivial information about Alex's world and the other worlds he visits is revealed as the novel goes along.
David Langford reviewedJob: A Comedy of Justice forWhite Dwarf #61, and stated that "When blasphemy stops being witty and shocking, it tends to become pointless, like graffiti scrawled on church wall. I didn'tdislike this one, but . . . wait for the paperback, eh?"[5]
