The Book of Joby

The Book of Joby is an epic fantasy complete in one volume.

Lucifer and the Creator have entered, yet again, into a wager they've made many times before, but this time, the existence of creation itself is balanced on the outcome. Born in California during the twilight years of a weary millennium, nine year old Joby Peterson dreams of blazing like a bonfire against the gathering darkness of his times, like a knight of the Round Table. Instead, he is subjected to a life of crippling self-doubt and relentless mediocrity inflicted by an enemy he did nothing to earn and cannot begin to comprehend.

Though imperiled themselves, the angels are forbidden to intervene. Left to struggle with their own loyalties and the question of obedience, they watch Lucifer work virtually unhindered to turn Joby's heart of gold into ash and stone while God sits by, seemingly unconcerned. 

And so when he is grown to manhood, Joby's once luminous love of life seems altogether lost, and Lucifer's victory assured. What hope remains lies hidden in the beauty, warmth, and innocence of a forgotten seaside village whose odd inhabitants seem to defy the modern world's most inflexible assumptions, and in the hearts of Joby's long lost youthful love and her emotionally wounded son. But the ravenous forces of destruction that follow Joby into this concealed paradise plan to use these same things to bring him and his world to ruin.

As the final struggle unfolds, one question occupies every mind in heaven and in hell. Which will prove stronger, love or rage?

 

The Book of Joby is an instant classic of contemporary fantasy.

From Publishers WeeklyFerrari's rather grim debut blends Arthurian legend into the age-old tale of a bet between God and Lucifer. Nine-year-old Joby Peterson has a fairly ordinary childhood until he becomes the focus of the same stupid bet that Lucifer has suggested thousands of times before: if Lucifer can make Joby renounce God, he gets to destroy the earth and remake it his way. God isn't allowed to interfere, but fortunately, his allies, from angels to Merlin, have fewer strictures. Joby grows up miserable and constantly accused of being gay and not man enough when he refuses to physically fight those who goad him. He finds brief respite in the quiet coastal town of Taubolt, the Camelot of his childhood dreams, but soon Joby must leave his haven and return to the struggle for his soul and the fate of the world. This dark fantasy for Left Behind fans achieves its narrow transcendence only at the cost of many pages and many lives. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From BooklistStarred Review The prologue of Ferrari's first novel sweeps us into a monumental modern-day fantasy of good versus evil when Lucifer proposes a wager that he has made many times over the millennia—the same stupid bet, according to God. If he wins this time, God will have to destroy his Creation, and they will start over with what Lucifer considers an orderly, "virtuous" universe without free will. God will name a champion, who Lucifer will try to subvert by putting him to the test in the hope that he will choose, of his own free will, to follow Lucifer. Also, the Creator must "forbid all immortal beings in His service from intervening unless directly asked to do so by the candidate." God's champion is unsuspecting, 9-year-old Joby, a bright, imaginative boy with a loving heart. And so, the Arthurian legend is replayed over a span of 30-plus years and through incarnations of Arthur (Joby), Guinevere, Galahad, and Modred. The original Merlin plays a prominent role, as does the chalice known as the Holy Grail. The story is mesmerizing, Joby's angst is palpable, the love of God overwhelming, and the malevolence of Lucifer and his minions terrifying. A decidedly unorthodox twist on the personalities of God and the devil that offers much to ponder as well as enjoy. Estes, Sally