Editing Job: A Comedy of Justice (section)

==Plot summary==
The story examines religion through the eyes of Alex, a Christian political activist who is corrupted by Margrethe, a Danish [[Norse mythology|Norse]] cruise ship hostess&mdash;and who loves every minute of it. Enduring a shipwreck, an earthquake, and a series of [[parallel universe (fiction)|world-changes]] brought about by [[Loki]] (with [[Jehovah]]'s permission), Alex and Marga work their way from Mexico back to [[Kansas]] as dishwasher and waitress.

Whenever they manage to make some stake, an inconveniently timed change into a new alternate reality throws them off their stride (once, the money they earned is left behind in another reality; in another case, the paper money earned in a Mexico which is an empire is worthless in another Mexico which is a republic). These repeated misfortunes, clearly effected by some malevolent entity, make the hero identify with the [[Job (Biblical figure)|Biblical Job]].

On the way they unknowingly enjoy the Texas hospitality of [[Satan]] himself, but as they near their destination they are separated by the [[Rapture]] &mdash; Margrethe worships [[Odin]], and [[paganism|pagans]] do not go to [[Heaven]]. Finding that the reward for his faith, eternity as promised in the [[Book of Revelation]], is worthless without her, Alex journeys through timeless space in search of his lost lady, taking him to [[Hell]] and beyond.

Heinlein depicts a Heaven ruled by snotty [[angels]] and a Hell where everyone has a wonderful, or at least productive, time &mdash; with [[Mary Magdalene]] shuttling breezily between both places.

The novel is linked to Heinlein's short story "[[They (Heinlein)|They]]" by the term "the Glaroon", and to his earlier novel ''[[The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress]]'' by referring to the Moon colonies "Luna City" and "Tycho Under".

Throughout the novel, Alex briefly describes the history of his own world, and of some of the worlds he visits. In his own world, [[William Jennings Bryan]] was elected US President in 1896, the United States avoided war during the 20th century, and [[German Empire|Germany]] is still a monarchy. [[John F. Kennedy]] was never President, as revealed when Alex visits a world where Kennedy served two full terms and is unfamiliar with him. Airship travel was never supplanted by airplane travel, and the television was not invented. Other trivial information about Alex's world and the other worlds he visits is revealed as the novel goes along.