Up Jumps the Devil

So, I just finished reading a book called Up Jumps the Devil. It's a debut novel (I think) from someone named Micheal Poore. I can't remember how I came across it, but it was likely a random book that seemed intriguing and also happened to be on sale for a couple of dollars on Kindle, so I picked it up on a whim. I read a lot of really random books this way.

Anyway, the premise is both simple and inventive. John Scratch, the Devil himself, strives to make the world a better (in his mind, anyway) place in an attempt to lure the love of his life away from Heaven and to life on earth. In the process, he ends up going on a Forest Gump style romp through history. If Forest Gump was an immortal fallen angel. Over the course of the book, the reader gets to see John Scratch meet everyone from George Washington to a member of a band who ends up starting Liberty Mutual insurance because he sells his soul to be rich.

The book is really excellently written. It's genuinely funny and reads kind of like an American and modern Douglas Adams book, sarcastically winking at the reader throughout. For example, God speaks all of creation into existence on a whim and almost by accident. Shortly thereafter, when some of his angels discover sex, he condemns the act because, being the only God, he's lonely. The whole of the book, in this way, is both very funny and touching, all at the same time.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book. The ending was a bit predictable given the love story angle, but the journey to get to the end is so enjoyable, that I didn't mind it being a little rote. Up Jumps the Devil is a fun book with an off kilter take on the master of all evil that I'd definitely recommend. Especially if you pick it up on Kindle for a couple bucks.