Nad očekávání dobré :) aneb jak důležitý je předpoklad.
Tuto knihu mi kdysi nedoporučil kolega, s tím, že je to to nejhorší od Heinleina.
Podobně špatně hodnotili i někteří další mí oblíbení čtenáři. Proto jsem měla dopředu hodně sníženou laťku předpokládaného hodnocení. Čekala jsem něco ještě pod Hvězdnou pěchotou. A možná proto, že jsem čekala jen to nejhorší, mi to nepřipadalo tak hrozné, jak všichni varovali. Ti pesimisté to občas nemají špatné, mohou být jedině příjemně překvapeni. A to se stalo mně u Joba.

Netuším, jak by se mi to líbilo bez tohoto snížení očekávání, ale takhle jsem si to užila (o to víc, že jsem měla možnost poslechnout si verzi načtenou Vladimírem Čechem).

Děj se odvíjí poměrně pomalu, ale na to jsem u R.A.H. už zvyklá. Jako u Cizince v cizí zemi, který je v plné verzi fakt dlouhý, bych ani tady nic nevyškrtla. I když těm biblickým věcem jsem nerozuměla, měly tam svoje místo.

Já mám ale Heinleina nekriticky ráda, takže i ty slabší knížky od něj si ráda přečtu. Myslela jsem, že to bude i tato a o to víc nadšená jsem, že se k těm přetrpěným nezařadí.

DNF

I really tried hard to like this book; it was Heinlein, filled with dry humor, about religion, politics and the end of the world. I almost succeeded. But unfortunately Heinlein tends to write such chauvinistic, petty, small minded men and docile, one dimensional women that my attempts to enjoy the book were punctuated by cries of "what the actual fuck" several times. I actually backtracked and read the publication date. 1985. Come on Heinlein, you can't casually talk about beating women in 1985 (or maybe he could, still distasteful). Other than that the plot is unfortunately quite episodic; feels like one is being driven on a linear minecart track to some unknown destination with nothing but fuzzy scenery on the way. The major plot device, jumping between worlds, is never satisfactorily explained. I found the ending two chapters the most enjoyable even if they were a contrived deus ex machina. It's still Heinlein so it reads easy and is somewhat enjoyable. But certainly not his best.

I need to cull books as my shelves are double-stacked. I first read this book a really long time ago - close to the publishing date. I can pretty much guarantee I won’t ever read it again.

I can’t think of much redeemable except that you are carried along by the mystery of the world shifts.

Into the donate bin it goes.

I don't know... the book was interesting (and I have to admit that I got the Blackstone Audio edition so I actually listened to it) but it seemed too involved with sex. There's nothing inherently wrong with that but the subtitle IS "a comedy of justice." I got to the end and thought "it really should be subtitled 'a comedy of sexuality' or 'a comedy of nudity.'" The theme of justice seems like part of a subplot more than the main focus of this work. That said I also have to agree with another reviewer on this site who pointed out that our hero seemed kind of whiny while all the female characters come off more as archetypes than actual human beings. Rahab/Katie herself seems 'way too good to be true... and then there's Sybil (I think that was Rahab's daughter's name; I found the character so annoying that I honestly can't remember her name) who is so much the "spoiled teenage brat" that she never becomes anything else. While the ideas presented are interesting they also seem to almost be throw-away. Again, the only idea that is in the least developed is "sex is OK." Well, OK... I guess.

Check out my video review here

Heinlein's story of a not-quite-married couple's journey back home from remote jungles of South America is a joy. And as I read it, I couldn't help but think of how many readers could benefit from witnessing the relationship between Alexander/Alec and Margrethe. Their journey pits them against numerous obstacles - including their disagreement on all things religion and folklore - and throughout them all, they remain completely committed to each other, literally braving Heaven and Hell to remain united.

While written from mainly Alexander/Alec's point of view, the book is heavy with dialogue which helps establish numerous characters throughout the book. The characters are all likable, humorous, and intriguing. The story is unique and offers unique perspectives on religion.

My one minor complaint with the book is it felt repetitive for large stretches in the middle third of the book. I must concede, this may have been by design. However, many segments in their adventure could have been completely eliminated without negatively impacting the book.

3.5. The criticisms on here are valid, because this really does meander and Heinlein is clearly writing to amuse himself, not shooting at some cogent goal. But, still! It's a Huck Finn-like trip, only through multiple alternate realities instead of a filthy old river. The protagonist is pretty interesting as well...I get the feeling that modern readers might expect a religious conservative character to act like Jeff Sessions or something, but the guy comes from the Kansas part of one of Heinlein's alternate Earths and it's intriguing to square his so-con ways with his personal charm. Heinlein's the best sci-fi writer when it comes to witty narrative and good dialogue, and his talents are on full display here. The book does turn into a kind of "greatest hits" effort occasionally, with blatant nods to Stranger and other old faves and the usual Heinlein leading lady type, but it also includes plenty of elements that are unique and fun as hell. I do not repent of my decision to read this.

Christian fundamentalist Alex Hergensheimer finds himself unexpectedly shifting between various alternate Earths. On the bright side, he meets the woman of his dreams. On the downside, it’s all leading to Armageddon, and she’s a pagan worshipper, and his main concern is how to get her to accept Christ as her savior before the rapture. If that puts you off, it may help to know that this is all meant to be satire. Heinlein does a great job with the notion of how to deal with world shifts that rob you of yr identity and cash, and while his version of Heaven and Hell may seem old hat these days, it was a fresher idea when he wrote the book in the early 80s. And it’s almost as if Heinlein saw the rise of the Christian Coalition coming a mile away. On the downside, Alex’s first-person narration plays it so straight that it’s hard to believe he’s that oblivious to his own hypocrisy (though he’d hardly be the first fundamentalist to be so described, and that may actually be the point). The only really hard part to take is the romance between Alex and Margrethe, which is so loaded with cornball dialogue that I knocked a whole star off my Goodreads rating as a result.

Job follows an evangelical preacher after a fire walking experience during a Polynesian cruise stop goes awry, forcing him to figure out how to survive as he is moved between alternate versions of the world. Along the way he meets, and falls in love with a beautiful, heathen woman. With the belief that the Rapture and the Armageddon is rapidly approaching, he must figure out how to save her soul, and in the process perhaps unwittingly saves himself. I am conflicted on this book. I was entertained by it, which counts for a lot, but ultimately I felt confused about what the book was trying to tell me - I think this may be because Heinlein may have been confused about what the book was supposed to do. Perhaps I should not be attempting to criticize one of the greatest sci-fi writers of all time, but I could not figure out what the overall point or message was. Is the book a critique of religion? All religion, or just the evangelical kind. It is definitely a scathing commentary on simple concepts of heaven and hell, and frankly, and not very originally, Heinlein's version of hell seems a lot more fun, just and equitable than his version of Heaven. I did appreciate the bait-and-switch that Heinlein pulls with the main character, making him to be a pretty likeable guy before he dedicating a lengthy section of the book outlining the main character's rather abhorrent (to me at least) religious beliefs. Yet the character still manages to remain a fundamentally decent individual. Perhaps that is the take-away. Anyway, I feel that Heinlein is exploring some interesting concepts in this book, I'm just not convinced he pulls it off as well as he had hoped. It's entertaining though and worth the read.

This book went in directions and places I did not expect. It took quite a while until I really did realize that it was a retelling of the biblical story of Job. There were quite some departures, and after a while, the fantasies got a little tiring. How many times was there going to be a world change, and why are all these details necessary? The pace picked up once Alec went to heaven. All the humorous sketches of the administration of the city of New Jerusalem were rather funny. This continued down into hell, but then things slowed down a bit. I kept wondering, "Where are we going with all of this?" In the end, Heinlein came back to the story and wrapped things up. I would rate it high for imagination and creativity, but a little low for the repetition and distracting details. My favorite line was from Alec, in chapter 20: "I had hoped for time enough for love, but no..." How artful of Heinlein to bury that reference to his other novel in a little unimportant dialog!

This book started off okay but when the rapture came, I got lost--that's probably what will happen to me when the real Rapture occurs. I will be out there wandering around saying, "WTF?"

Heinlein is acknowledged as one of the greats of science fiction, and yet I think this is the first book of his that I ve read. I saw it on the shelf in a second-hand book store, and picked it up purely because I recognised his name.[return][return]First, a note on the title: it s Job as in the biblical book of Job (rhymes with robe , or at least it did when I was doing bible study).[return][return]The story is about a man, Alexander Hergensheimer, who participates in a fire walk and comes out the other side into a world that is different to his own. In this world people recognise him as Alec Graham, but he has no idea who this man is or what has happened to him. In the end it doesn t matter, because the phenomenon of shifting into different worlds continues and Alex (accompanied by his new lover Margrethe, the stewardess) doesn t stay in any one place long enough that his lack of identity is a problem.[return][return]One of the side-effects of this world shifting process is that it usually renders his money worthless. When the world shifts the global political landscape changes, and notes marked United States of America are useless if that part of the world is known as the North American Union in this universe. As a consequence Alex and Margrethe are always broke, and have to work for their meals and lodging. The only job he can get (quickly, with no recognised qualifications) is as a dishwasher - and somehow it seems that dishwashers are needed everywhere they go.[return][return]As the title hints, religion is a strong theme throughout this book. Alexander was an ordained minister in his own universe, a universe dominated by extremely right-wing fundamentalist Christians. No, even worse than our universe.[return][return]Alex s views on morality and religion are obviously coloured by his past, but his exposure to worlds with much more liberal views on many issues causes him to question whether all that he s been taught to believe is true.[return][return]In the end he learns something of the value of love and tolerance over strict adherence to inflexible dogma.[return][return]Possibly this was not the best introduction to Heinlein s work. It s science fiction only in the broadest sense, in that it uses parallel universes as a plot device. There s no science involved at all though, and I usually prefer SF with some basis in reality.[return][return]The religious element of the story is really the central theme, and this book is at heart a satire critical of fundamentalist Christian churches. Heinlein has either done a lot of research, or was brought up with a strong religious background - I m not sure which - but I wonder how much of the book is accessible to those without a reasonable level of familiarity with the Bible.[return][return]I felt that the ending of the book was rushed, and a copout. There s a real deus ex machina thing going on, and while the ending is much more clearly (and unsubtly) satire than the rest of the book, I found it unconvincing and unsatisfying.[return][return]All in all, I d only recommend this book to Heinlein fans or those with enough familiarity with the Bible to appreciate the many biblical references. I ll have to try one of Heinlein s better known works next time.[return][return](Originally posted at http://varrqnuht.net/archives/2005/03... )