Editing Job: A Comedy of Justice

{{Short description|1984 SF novel by Robert A. Heinlein}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox book | 
 | name          = Job: A Comedy of Justice
 | title_orig    = 
 | translator    = 
 | image         = Jobcomedy.jpg
 | caption = Cover of first edition (hardcover)
 | author        = [[Robert A. Heinlein]]
 | illustrator   = 
 | cover_artist  = [[Michael Whelan]]
 | country       = United States
 | language      = English
 | series        = 
 | genre         = [[Science fiction]] 
 | publisher     = [[Ballantine Books]]/[[Del Rey Books|Del Rey]]
 | release_date  = 1984
 | media_type    = Print (hardback & paperback)
 | pages         = 376
 | award         = [[Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel]] (1985)
 | isbn = 0-345-31357-7
| isbn_note = (first edition, hardback)
 | oclc= 10507672
| preceded_by   = 
 | followed_by   = 
}}
{{wikiquote}}
'''''Job: A Comedy of Justice''''' is a science fiction novel by American writer [[Robert A. Heinlein]] published in 1984. The title is a reference to the biblical [[Book of Job]] and [[James Branch Cabell]]'s book ''[[Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice]]''. It won the [[Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel]] in 1985<ref name="locusmag.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/LocusWinsByCategory.html#nvlf |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: Locus Awards Winners by Category |work=locusmag.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201034720/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/LocusWinsByCategory.html |archive-date=2008-12-01 }}</ref><ref name="worldswithoutend.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?id=212|title=Job: A Comedy of Justice|work=Worlds Without End}}</ref> and was nominated for the [[Nebula Award for Best Novel]] in 1984,<ref name="WWE-1984">{{cite web
|url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1984
|title=1984 Award Winners & Nominees
|work=Worlds Without End
|access-date=2009-07-27}}</ref> and the [[Hugo Award for Best Novel]] in 1985.<ref name="WWE-1985">{{cite web
|url=http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1985
|title=1985 Award Winners & Nominees
|work=Worlds Without End
|access-date=2009-07-27}}</ref>

==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.

==Reception==
[[David Langford]] reviewed ''Job: A Comedy of Justice'' for ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' #61, and stated that "When blasphemy stops being witty and shocking, it tends to become pointless, like graffiti scrawled on church wall. I didn't ''dislike'' this one, but . . . wait for the paperback, eh?"<ref name="WD61">{{cite magazine  | last =Langford | first =Dave | author-link =David Langford | title =Critical Mass  | magazine =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]  | issue =61  | pages =11  | publisher =[[Games Workshop]]  | date = January 1985  }}</ref>

===Awards===
*Nebula Award nominee, 1984<ref name="WWE-1984"/>
*Hugo Award nominee, 1985<ref name="WWE-1985"/>
*Locus Award for Fantasy Novel, 1985<ref name="locusmag.com"/><ref name="worldswithoutend.com"/>

==See also==
{{portal|Novels}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{ISFDB title|id=1684}}
*{{OL work|id=59684W|cname=''Job: A Comedy of Justice''}}
*[http://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?ID=212 JOB: A Comedy of Justice] at Worlds Without End

{{Heinlein (books)}}
{{Locus Award Best Fantasy Novel}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Job: A Comedy Of Justice}}
[[Category:1984 American novels]]
[[Category:American science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Robert A. Heinlein]]
[[Category:1984 science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Comic science fiction novels]]
[[Category:1984 fantasy novels]]
[[Category:Del Rey books]]
[[Category:Novels about God]]
[[Category:Fiction about the Devil]]
[[Category:Novels set in heaven]]
[[Category:Novels set in hell]]
[[Category:Book of Job]]
[[Category:Books with cover art by Michael Whelan]]
[[Category:Locus Award–winning works]]