A stunningly imaginative, sharp, funny, and slyly tender novel featuring the Devil himself, John Scratch.
He's made of wood. He cooks an excellent gumbo. Cows love him. And he's the world's first love story . . . and the world's first broken heart. Meet the darkly handsome, charming John Scratch, aka the Devil. Ever since his true love, a fellow fallen angel named Arden, decided that Earth was a little too terrifying and violent, John Scratch has been trying to lure her back from the forgiving grace of Heaven. Though neither the wonders of Egypt nor the glories of Rome were enough to keep her on Earth, John Scratch believes he's found a new Eden: America.
John Scratch capitalizes on the bounty of this Arcadia as he shapes it into his pet nation. Then, one dark night in the late 1960s, he meets three down-on-their-luck musicians and strikes a deal. In exchange for their souls, he'll grant them fame, wealth, and the chance to make the world a better place. Soon, the trio is helping the Devil push America to the height of civilization--or so he thinks. But there's a great deal about humans he still needs to learn, even after spending so many millennia among them.
Overflowing with imagination, insight, and humor, rippling with history and myth, Up Jumps the Devil is as madcap and charming as the Devil himself.
Take a look inside the book HERE.
"The Devil, as seen through the wonderful imagination of first time novelist Michael Poore, is often lonely, sometimes angry, always crafty, cares deeply about humanity (especially his pet project, the Americans), and loves to party. Poore's humorous book is filled with history and current events, viewed through the eyes of Lucifer, a.k.a. John Scratch, as he plays his unique part. It is also a vivid and heartfelt human (and not-so-human) drama. Once I started reading the Devil's story, I was hooked."
"I love books about The Devil (I capitalize) and this is as
good and better than any I’ve read. He’s really a pretty ordinary guy, the
occasional transformation into an object or creature aside. In spite of
occasionally devouring someone or something in a rage, he’s just joe six-pack,
boozing, wenching, driving around in his JFK assassionation limousine and
generally raising hell (sorry, I couldn’t resist).
Historically,
however, he’s much more interesting. Did you know that George Washington
was a werewolf? A passionate bite on the leg at the second battle of Trenton delivered by our
protagonist may have been responsible for the victory that turned the
Revolutionary War around and began the American ascendance. Well, it’s a story.
And a good one.
Did you
know that Pocahantas was really an angel in the form of a human? Here’s
where we get to the recurring theme of the book. The Devil’s in love. Has been
for eons. The mostly-absent object of his affections is another fallen angel
who just can’t stand the earth, its denizens and the things that happen upon
its blighted surface. She appears and disappears in one guise or another and
devastates the poor fellow, who pines constantly for her presence. And when
he’s in a bad mood, it bodes ill for anyone around him, believe me. He’s fairly
proud of wars, strife, death and, in particular a little scheme called the
Black Death. We positively identify with him and hope that it all turns out
well for the poor guy. Well, mostly.
He revels
in death and pain, and doesn’t quite see why we don’t. After all, it’s all in
the cause of making the earth a suitable habitat for Arden, his fallen
paramour. Sadly, humans will continue to act in ways that make his shenanigans
look like undergraduate pranks. He alternately rejoices in what he perceives as
progress toward making the planet livable and despair at our unrelenting
stupidity and cruelty. In this, I’m with The Devil. I like him. As long as you
have a reasonably well-developed sense of humor and are not inordinately
sensitive to a certain amount of sacrilege, blasphemy and profanity, none of
which bother me in the least, you’ll enjoy this creative, clever and humorous
book."
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