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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 and 1/2 Stars -- A truly enjoyable and enlightening read, August 21, 2006
This review is from: The Devil's Tale (Paperback)
The Devil's Tale, Dan Wick's excellent new novel, is the latest entry, and the best in a long time, into the grand American tradition of religious satire. This genre, like nearly everything else in American literature, was founded by Mark Twain, and the storied tradition has been carried on in later years by eminent writers such as Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, and Robert A. Heinlein. Wick's book deserves to be considered in this league, because it is the finest example of the genre to come along in quite some time - probably since James Morrow's Blameless in Abaddon. His book contains everything necessary for a stellar religious satire: a thoughtful examination of the problem of evil, religious hypocrisy, a comparison of multiple religions, etc. As the book makes clear, Wick's is a wit to be reckoned with; his commentary is as biting as it is incisive. Wick manages to sprinkle throughout his book, without ever losing track of the story, a number of particularly insightful and thought-provoking statements about religion that rise to that rare double achievement: making people think while entertaining them at the same time.
The book, though, is much more than just a religious satire. For one thing, it is one of the funniest books you will ever read; even when it shifts into long and occasionally quite detailed discussions of some aspect of theology or some comparable subject, it never loses sight of its humor. I laughed out loud many times while reading the book, as many others no doubt will. Wick's satirical reach, by the way, extends far beyond religion; indeed, as any good satirist should, Wick delivers more than a few well-placed kicks at a number of sacred cows in his book. Some of the hallowed subjects he touches upon include not only monotheism, the divinity of Christ, and religious hypocrisy, but also terrorism, intelligence agencies, stuffy academicians, and even the Bush administration. (Okay, so he takes on some not-so-sacred cows, as well.) The Devil's Tale is also very entertaining; it is a quick read that is funny, witty, and extremely engaging. It cannot be pigeonholed to fit into any single genre but, instead, includes elements of satire, science fiction, fantasy, detective fiction, historical fiction, and more. It also includes several interesting stories-within-stories that are quite compelling and could even conceivably be turned into worthwhile novels in their own right. Although these tend to go on for just a bit too long and occasionally start to detract somewhat from the larger story, and also begin to appear somewhat too frequently toward the end of the book, they are nevertheless a generally welcome injection of variety into what is already an unusually multi-faceted book. Finally, aside from its many comic and satirical elements, Wick's book also includes much detailed factual information on subjects such as the history of religion, witchcraft, the occult, and more, much of it quite esoteric. This information is often fascinating, and Wick admirably manages to weave it in and out of his story without appearing contrived or artificial. An astonishing variety of literary, historical, religious, and other references are thrown in to boot, to the delight of those who watch for such things. All in all, the book contains a multitude of quality elements and even manages to attain the status of that rarest of things in literature, especially in today's market, i.e., it is a book that manages to be entertaining as well as thought-provoking and enlightening. One word of warning, though - you must come to the book armed with two things: an open mind - as Wick himself said in an interview about the book, don't take it too seriously except when you should - and a dictionary, for the amazingly variegated vocabulary on display in the book is simultaneously one of its most delightful and most frustrating (for those without a dictionary handy) features. Highly recommended!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Plot twists and turns everywhere with historical references and satire to match, October 8, 2006
This review is from: The Devil's Tale (Paperback)
While it is easy to recognize this book as a satire, it is hard to determine the complete list of those being satirized. The main character is called Loki, but he is the son of Lucifer, the devil. However, in this case, the devil is taking the role of God, trying to improve the lot of mankind. His goal is to clean up the place by removing some of the more despicable characters. In particular there is a mega-terrorist and a vile U. S. president who need to be eliminated. Many groups are lampooned in the book, sometimes via their actions, sometimes-using ethnic jokes and other times via wordplay with names.
The director of American national intelligence is called Hank Himmler, the main terrorist is called Boola Boola Shakhur, the president and the vice president of the United States are Presserwesser and Snark respectively. Subplots include the wandering Jew, the search for the Holy Grail, attempts to resurrect Adolph Hitler and historical references are everywhere. There are so many aspects to the plot that it is sometimes difficult to understand what particular track you are on. Some of the most fiendish officials of Nazi Germany are mentioned, along with the most heinous of anti-Semitic literature. Since I have studied history, I understood most of them, but a person lacking such a background will occasionally be lost.
On pages 194 and 195 there is a series of jokes that "prove" that Jesus was:
*) Mexican
*) Black
*) Italian
*) Irish
*) Californian
*) A woman
*) Jewish
For example, the proof that he was a woman:
*) She fed a crowd at a moment's notice.
*) Men didn't understand her.
*) Even when dead, she arose to complete her work.
I really enjoyed this book, the combination of satirizing so many aspects of the world and the historical references kept my brain active throughout. It is a very original and creative piece of work.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Brilliant Novel in Recent Years, July 10, 2006
This review is from: The Devil's Tale (Paperback)
Far more than just a novel of pure enjoyment, The DEVIL'S TALE is also a first-rate satire that cleverly skewers, among other targets, the Bush/Cheney administration, a profound exploration of the nature of evil, and a dazzling display of wit and wordplay.
Especially entertaining to me are the aphorisms that Wick inserts at apropos moments in the narrative. Examples: "A terrorist is one who thinks locally and acts globally"; "He never met a mirror he didn't like."
Like Michael Chabon, Wick constructs the high purpose of his novel around a pop cultural framework that includes forays into detective fiction, spy thrillers, and science fiction, just to name a few of the genres he explores.
In short THE DEVIL'S TALE is a novel that is fun, challenging, and unforgettable.
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