Customer Reviews

In Bed With God And The Devil

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This is the first novel is history in which God is personally confronted and challenged. More still is that it is done in his own turf. The novel has as setting a surreal world which is as extraordinary as that of Harry Potter. However, the drama in that world is mixed with philosophically profound subjects, such as those found in the writings of Nietzsche or Sartre. The mixture is done in a very consistent and elegant way for the subjects are well researched. Although the amount of historical information is significant, the book maintains a fast pace and a level of excitement comparable to the best thrillers. This is clearly the Divine Comedy of the twenty-first century. I would say it is the Divine Comedy on steroids.

Felicity Simpson (Seattle)

This is an increadibly fascinating novel. The main carácter is a genial, flamboyant and charming lawyer that immediately captured my sympathy. As for the story, it is so entertaining, adventuresome and unusual, that I could not wait to find out what happened next. I work from 9:00 to 5:00 and it was a real torture not to be able to read it in one fast go. One feels the adrenalin rushing since the first pages but when it gets to the second part, it bursts out of your ears. It is a fast-paced novel with great dialogues, superb action, and a wonderful ending. There is not a single redundant or boring part. I have read hundreds of novels and never before had I read one like this. I was flabbergasted by the originality of the story and the brilliant reasonings of the protagonist. It is a really mentally-stimulating book.

Just who is to blame for the world being the way it is? A lawyer might argue that humans were created and evolved in a way that demanded selfishness - the very essence of what makes the world the way it is, and so humans are not at fault but whoever created them is. An interesting argument that is closely examined in Charles Sabillon's novel, "In Bed with God and the Devil."

Roy Johansen is a very successful, sought after, cut throat lawyer who also happens to be a womanizing, selfish, self centered male. When he dies suddenly, at a young age, he finds himself in hell. There he endures greater and greater punishments, tortures, and lessons. In some forms he is simply torn to pieces, devoured, burned, or sliced apart, but in others he is reborn into beings that suffer great loss. He experiences love of a child only to have her die of Leukemia, he is born to a Sudanese woman who perishes due to poor living conditions, war and famine, he begins to understand what it is to be used for sex, as a tool for greed, as a victim to the very cases he won as a lawyer. Roy is not through being an attorney though, and argues with his torturers at every instance. The Devil himself has creatures to carry out the punishments but Roy's challenges that the system isn't working gains the attention of Satan. Roy's demands that the punishments fit the crimes are enough to make the Devil cringe.

A parade of who's who in hell presents itself to Roy. In Sabillon's hell, readers might be as surprised as Roy to find Joan of Arc, Marilyn Monroe, and even his Sudanese "mother," along with Popes, Genghis Khan, and Torquemada. Each encounter is a brief history lesson, but more a lesson in the ways in which heaven and hell seem to function. Though I am not sure that Marie Antoinette would know the term "erectile-dysfunction" the stories were quite interesting as Roy learned many lessons he obviously missed class for back on Earth. After many painful, tortuous events, and after the Devil is fed up with him, Roy finds his way from hell and enters heaven to challenge God, a being he always argued did not exist when alive. Roy wants to know how 99% of humans end up in hell due to a selfishness that is in the genetic makeup and has been for 100,000 years. This dispute with God fills the remainder of the book and it is through this argument that Roy faces his biggest challenge ever as a lawyer and human being.

Sabillon offers a very different novel tale. I applaud his audacity to approach such topics! This book is sure to be controversial but what a delicious story it is! The vast array of characters is highly engaging and witnessing Roy grow through it all is amazing. The plot is well planned and one feels the monotony of hell. "In Bed with God and the Devil" is sure to raise some eyebrows but will have readers turning pages and thinking deep thoughts well into the night.