''And the Devil Will Drag You Under'' (1979) is a comic fantasy by American writer

Jack Chalker Jack Laurence Chalker (December 17, 1944 – February 11, 2005) was an American science fiction author. Chalker was also a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for 12 years, retiring during 1978 to write full-time. He also was a m ...

involving an alcoholic

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

and two humans he summons to collect the pieces of a mystic artifact that the demon requires to save Earth from an

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

on a collision course. The humans' journeys include both mystical transformations of their bodies and trips to worlds that

parodied A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

famous

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novel locales. The book's title is an homage to " Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat", a song written by

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

composer-lyricist Frank Loesser for ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'', in which the character Nicely-Nicely Johnson, making a gospel style confession at a

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

prayer meeting, tells of a dream in which his fellow passengers, on a "little boat to

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

", warn him that if he upsets the ride, he will be washed overboard: "and the Devil will drag you under/By the sharp lapel of your checkered coat...".

Plot

In the year 2079, a human attempt to mine a nearby asteroid instead results in the asteroid being directed towards Earth. As catastrophic natural disasters envelop the world, Mac Walters and Jill McCulloch find themselves in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

. Entering a nearby bar, they encounter a demon named Asmodeus Mogart, who tells them that Earth is but one of thousands of universes set up by the mysterious Department of Probabilities, and that he can save the world if he can gather six magic jewels. Already in possession of one, he transports Walters and McCulloch to separate alternate dimensions to retrieve five more. As the pair return with the jewels, Mogart, an alcoholic, becomes increasingly inebriated. Once the pair, reunited to pursue the sixth and final jewel, return to Mogart, he takes the jewel and saves Earth, before revealing himself to in fact be

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

, and constructing a castle with which to rule over Earth. Walters and McCulloch are able to defeat Mogart, however, and the Department of Probabilities chooses them to jointly guard Earth against further trouble.

Publication history

* 1979, USA, Del Rey (), publication date August 1979. 1979 American novels Novels by Jack L. Chalker American comedy novels American fantasy novels Del Rey books Fiction about the Devil {{1970s-fantasy-novel-stub