Job: A Comedy of Justice

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a man thrown through the grip of religion and love as he tries to 'save' the woman he recently fell in love with so they can be eternally happy in Heaven. I loved the characters, story, ironic and humorous touches, and couldn't help but feel sorrowed to see it end(yes, I wished that another tale could have been started. Very few novels have ever gotten me to want even more after it was all over, more with these characters, more of the humor and story plots that made this story so great. For once, I felt sorry to see it end.) I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I have, and if you do like it, I strongly recommend Brother to Dragons by Charles Sheiffield, if you can find it. Its out of print, which really sux since I need another copy. Anyways, both of these 2 books are my all time favorates.

Throughout my experience in reading Heinlein I have discovered his bizaar views on religion. His views on women and sex. This book was very exciting and there weren't very many boring or slow reading parts. The thing that captured me the most from this book was Heinlein's Views of Heaven Vs Hell. If you have not read this book yet, you must do so.

Job starts off really promising... a dare, a mysterious happening, a beautiful woman... but by mid-way through the book it is treading ground it treaded a quarter of the way through without actually doing anything new. Guess what, Alec, you're in another world! A few pages later-- hey, I'm in another world!

When that game gets tiring to Heinlein, and about 100 pages too late, he decides to use the book as a religious statement.

No religion has capitalized on artistic mediums the way Christianity has. The reason many Christian products (be it books, music, or gift items) feels repulsive to people is because most of the items were created with the agenda of "bringing people to Christ." Unfortunately, most Christians don't realize that the agenda severely compromises the honesty of art.

This conflict between agenda and art isn't exclusive to Christianity. If I had a dime for every time I've heard a complaint about a musician who was pushing "liberal" political opinions I'd be rich. (I find it important to mention here that just because a book or CD is coming from a particular perspective or market, that doesn't automatically mean it is pushing an agenda or is artistically inferior. There have been some great "Christian" cds, books, etc, and some great "political" cds, books, etc. The definite trend, however, is toward artistic compromise.)

(On the other hand, it is entirely possible that I have my own blind spots that render the above argument completely moot!)

Now, the way that this applies to Job, the book at hand, is that it pushes its agenda of anti-Christianity. I don't care about Heinlein's opinions... or him sharing his opinions with others. All I care about is if the book is negatively impacted. And it is.

The religious aspects of Job are... boring. There are often cited passages that even with my fairly minimal level of Biblical knowledge I can tell are taken out of context or twisted... though it is common for them to be so in circles that actively try and disprove religion. (A tedious task considering there is no way to test for a god. Equally tedious is people trying to PROVE there is a god. It is a tired argument the second it starts, with nary a winner to be found.) Our main character is your average by-the-letter Christian (fairly fundamentalist by my standard)... nothing surprising there. Nothing new or original as far as a fictionalized concept of heaven. I've read similar depictions. Nothing new or original in the depiction of hell. It's all very bland.

I might be overzealous in calling this an agenda-driven book. It's just as likely that the stuff is bland because Heinlein was too lazy to actually get creative. But the bottom line is that it IS bland.

Then there are the loose plot strands. I won't really get into them because I've written too much already (I need to remember that this is simply an the store review and not an end-of-term paper!) but these flaws are also present.

Which is disappointing since the book DID start off so promising. Ah well. Most people here disagree and that is fine. I'm glad they could find some literary value in a book I personally found frustrating on many levels.

There are few books that I enjoy rereading every few years, but this is one. I think it's because of the mystery and the grand adventure through parallel worlds. Believe it or not, when I first read this book, I was not aware of the Biblical significance of the title. Now that I know about the Biblical book of Job, the book's theme becomes more apparent. Don't you love the way Heinlein starts his books -- right in the middle of the action?

A great book that seems to show us that your religion doesnt matter but it is how well you act while still on this little planet. It also seems to show us that we should never stop striving for what we really want in life, even when a god or two gets in our way. Truly a very great book. I would recommend it to anyone!

It was 2AM and I just couldn't get to sleep, so I walked over to my book shelves and picked up Job, which has been sitting there unread for quite a while. After reading intently for a couple hours I finally got to sleep. The next day I went to work for a couple hours as well as going out with friends on two seperate occasions, all the while reading Job when I had a spare moment. By 1AM the very next morning I had read all 400 or so pages. So if you haven't guessed already I highly recommend this book. Of course I had a very different outlook on religion when I read this, so I don't know if I'd feel any differently about it now, I guess I'll have to give it another read.

One of my alltime favourites. Funny (who would have thought the angels are angry about having to organise plumbing in heaven?), thoughtful, showing no respect for religious dogmas or prejudices, it's a must for any fan of the alternate worlds sub-genre. Probably the best of Heinlein's later novels, a real classic.

I enjoyed this amusing little science fiction novel because I am always up for a little religious satire. Heinlein elaborates on the biblical story of Job, presenting Christian mythology as an eternal bureaucracy. I didn't find the book particularly memorable, but it was fun while it lasted.

Anyone who has ever read Job realizes that the book basically begs you to come up with your own answer of why bad things happen to good people. I realize that Heinlein is not a "religious" writer; but he's more explicit in his descriptions than other derivative works of Job such as Harold Kushner's. (yes I realize his title uses when and not why in its title). Maybe because Heinlein's book isn't written by a member of the clergy, it can posit an answer to the question that may on the surface be blasphemous but isn't really at all. I have never forgotten the answer to the question of why that is presented in this book, and in a very human way it makes more sense than any of the traditional religious explanations I have found.

I read this book some good years ago, and I was stunned by its surprising, accelerating events that took form. Lazarus Long must be jelaous ! Forget about being the oldest man in universe, forget about rejuvenation and red headed twins...this book deserves to be put on a wall of Fame !!! Without revealing anything about its contents, it is a new-way-to-look-at-things-kind of a book. Is there any chance that Robert Heinlein AND (DNA) Douglas Adams are relatives ??? What are the chances in this universe, that two authors make me laugh my teeth off ? However, this is a review about "Job...", not about D. Adams ! If You haven't read this one, make sure You do it !!! You won't regret it.

Heinlein has surpassed himself. If you are a Heinlein fan you
simply must read this book no but's about it. If on the other hand you
are not yet a fan here is the perfect opportunity to become one.
Heinlein enquiry into the fundamental nature of the universe is quite simply superb.

This book was really funny and filled with irony. Anyone who attends church of any kind regularly should find it entertaining, but not too blasphemous or offensive. Just when the world changing stuff started to get old, with a trump, shout, tornado and rapture the whole story changed.

This is the only RAH book I have read. That is not to say that I have'nt tried to read His others, they just don't seem to hit that grand slam that this one does. {Personally I don't think that RAH wrote this book)(It's too good)
Job is a classic.......Start off with the Old Testament version, add a dollup of Orwells, 1984, Throw in a whole lot of Piers Anthonys, Incarnations of Immortality, and just for the hell of it...No pun intended, drizzle in a little Hitchikers guide to the Galaxy. And there you have it. It's a good, fast, fun read that if you have an imagination and an open mind, it will make you think, and possibly have a more humurous outlook on this thing we call life. And also be a little more tolerant of others beliefs

Fun read, only mildly blasphemous, but I personally don't care about that. A good poke at those who preach a little too shrilly.
I would guess that this book benefited greatly from RH's travels as outlined in Trampe Royal, which is excellent non fiction.

As Heinlein got older, he seemed to become a better and more focused writer, instead of peaking when he was younger. "Job: A Comedy of Justice" does not have the usual kinky bisexual characters or aliens with odd names that make his other more popular books so hard to follow, if you grok what I mean. I highly recommended this if you want a different slant on a Biblical story.

Job provides an excellent adventure in parallel worlds. The adventure starts on a cruise ship and soon takes you beyond Earth. Heinlein's characters are always a lot of fun, and the obstacles placed in their paths challenge both the characters and readers to persevere and "see what happens next." (People who like Job will also like Heinlein's Number of the Beast, Greg Egan's Diaspora, and Pickover's Liquid Earth and The Lobotomy Club.)

I am hard pressed to to pick a favorite Heinlein book, but if you put my back up against a wall, I'd have to say this is it. Poor Alexander Hergenshiemer is bedeviled worse than Job ever was, being bumped from one reality to another. He goes through armegeddom and judgement day, winding up in Heaven, only to be cast down into Hell! There he finds out something I've always suspected, Hell is in Texas, (or vice versa). This book may offend some people, as Heinlein spares no sacred cows here, but I have to say; It's the best!

I first read this book as a young man and have re-read it several times since. It's a bit anti-religious (as are many of Heinlein's books) and explains many of the random happenings in the life of Job as the results of the lack of caring by deities. The beautiful twist Heinlein uses in the late part of the book to contrast the devil & Jesus are a pure delight to me and pure Heinlein at his disgruntled best. Some parts are tough reading due to the time jumps, but persevere and you'll be rewarded with a beautiful twist at the end.

I'm an old time Heinlein fan. But this story was hard to get into. It focuses more on preaching to the reader than entertaining the reader. I don't understand its prior status as an NYT best seller. Not one of Heinlein's better works.

This is mind bending novel by a real master of the science fiction genre. It is one of the many memorable books that late Robert Heinlein has written. It's a favorite of mine because it is the first Heinlein novel I ever read. I quickly followed it up with "Starnger in a Strange Land," "The Fourth Estate" and "To Sail Beyond the Sunset." A truly excellent read...and I read very little sci-fi until I came across "Job..."

But oddly named. One of Heinlen's most entertaining works. Certainly better than the more famous "Strange In A Strange Land". The characters are great and the story is compelling. This is a book you keep forever, unless your friends steal it. Which, now that I think about it, is what happened to mine. Dammit.

While Heinlein has many hits, this one is a miss for me. While the premise of the first two-thirds of the book is promising, it gets old in a hurry. The last third is a little better, but not much. I guess it is somewhat telling when the book gets better when the protagonist dies, or at least leaves this earth. Not my cup of tea.

Mr. Heinlein has once again proven that he is indeed a master in the art of storytelling. His blending of fantastic tales with just the slightest touch of wit is truly wonderful. The religious twist in the latter third of the book adds spice to what was already a sumptuous meal. This book just goes to show why Mr. Heinlein is one of our most beloved authors... an excellent wordsmith that spins wonderful stories

J.O.B. - A Comedy of Justice is not for those afraid to think. And, re-think. Like many other RAH books it takes society and its bedrock ideas and makes us look at them again. This, along with Stranger and Farnham's Freehold is probably the best of RAH. With the Lazarus Long books running a close second. <G>

This was the last Heinlein book I read. This book, together with "The cat that walked through walls", convinced me that Heinlein had lost it. Clearly it was more fun to justify a lifestyle than write real fiction. Some things don't improve with age.

Of all the Heinlien books available, I have probably bought this one the most, as it continues to disappear. I have read it over 5 times, and still enjoy it as much now as the first time I bought it.

Absolutely surprised during the last few chapters of the novel. Had no idea the storyline was heading the direction in which it all came together. "Amazing", one (if not the most) interest holding novels....also thought envoking towards the "Devine Trinity", etc. ad nausium.

Alex, a husband and a Christian activist slips through a time fabric to parallel earth universe. He meets Margrethe, a Danish ship hostess, and faces a dilemma how to cope with her love that, in the end, will corrode his religious beliefs. Enduring a shipwreck, an earthquake, and a series of world-changes brought about by Loki (a god; with Jehovah's permission), Alex and Margrethe work their way from Mexico back to Kansas as dishwasher and waitress. And all this time the Guild of Gods, is observing them like Greek gods did. Jehovah is toying with his paint colors to sling time and place as he wishes to build new sand castles.

Heinlein is playful with the reality and throws in Scandinavian gods, Odin, pagan beliefs, revelation, doomsday and Lucifer. Heinlein presents a vivid depiction of a Heaven ruled by snotty angels and a Hell where everyone has a wonderful, or at least productive, time. The main character's, Alex's, hot day dream Margrethe is the Heinlein's biblical equivalent of Mary Magdalena.

One (1) star. Written in 1984 this is one of the last Heinlein novels. The religious issues are used to stir the pot with a witty and facetious approach; as a goodbye, in grand scale. This is a fickle attempt to write comedy, disguised in time shifts/travel and alternate histories, while Gods are being playful. For comedy play with full of biblical verses and biblical inside-jokes there might be plenty to dig. For average reader, this is a tepid joke.

More Heinlein drek from the era of his that you Just Should Not Read. This book, however, does have one or two amusing bits in there, but not enough overall to save it, or make it worthwhile, I think. Travelling around, bits about god, all that sort of thing. Not sure if it is supposed to be Twainish, or what.

Heinlein is one of my favorite authors, and Job is my favorite of his books, one I can pick up and begin reading at any point and enjoy. One of the reasons I wanted a Kindle to begin with was to have my favorites always with me. I don't want to LISTEN, I want to READ the book! Especially seeing as how the audible price runs three times the price of a paperback! Good grief!

This is the ONLY Heinlein work I don't like and have read only once, and I've read everything he wrote that I could get my hands on for more than thirty years (since I was a teenager). I've literally worn out multiple softcover copies of several of his novels, and starting to do the same in hardcover, especially "I Will Fear No Evil" and "Time Enough for Love." I'm sorry to say, however, Heinlein completely lost me with "Job"- it's not a 'comedy,' it's a travesty.