Hosted by Jay @ Bibliophilopolis
“Dealing with the Devil” by Robert Weinberg
Card picked: Four of Spades
From: David Copperfield’s Tales of the Impossible
Review: I can’t sum it up better than David Copperfield in his intro: “Robert Weinberg pits a priest with a carny background against a dead card shark who exists in the real world courtesy of his deal with the devil.” He had me at “priest with a carny background.” Unfortunately, after a couple weeks of Millhauser, I was left a little dissatisfied with the level of detail in this story when it came to poker-playing and card-sharpery. I may also be hyper aware of a certain level of hand-wavery since I’ve spent some time trying to write a decent blackjack scene (which was ultimately replaced by a roulette scene).
Overall, though, “Dealing with the Devil” is enjoyable, not challenging, and a bit predictable. Basically, it was perfectly suited to a Saturday afternoon after a trying week.
About the Author: I’m generally familiar with Robert Weinberg as an anthologist, notably the fun 100 Little series of horror and mystery stories.
Sounds like you and Jay may have picked stories with similar themes? Yes, “priest with a carny background” is definitely an attention grabber. I’ve enjoyed several “deal with the devil” stories in the last few years such as “The Bottle Imp” by Robert Louis Stevenson and “The Fisherman and His Soul” by Oscar Wilde. Nathaniel Hawthorne seems to have a fascination with them, too.
I think I’ve read a Weinberg story before but I can’t recall when or where Anyway, your story sounds worth a read (and most would suffer by comparison with Millhauser, I’m guessing). I also noted the coincidence Dale mentions – my story featured a character who is”dealing with the devil” as well. I love these coincidences. 🙂