| Genre | Fiction. Religious discussion/Biblical allegory |
| First Published | 1919 |
| Republished after 1960 | Yes |
| Currently in Print | Yes |
| Availability | Older editions uncommon/rare; available new as a softbound |
| Number of pages | 229 (MacMillan, 1919) |
| My rating | 4 and 1/2 stars |
God and the Devil decide that it is time for a fresh wager.
Chapters:
Written during Wells' brief "resort to God" period as he put it in his autobiography, The Undying Fire follows the story of the Biblical Job's modern (WWI era) and direct descendent, who's name happens to be Job as well - Job Huss. Mr. Huss finds himself tested in much the same ways as his ancester, and God and his dark counterpart wait to see if man still has the Undying Fire within him.
The scope of the discussion in the Undying Fire is incredibly broad and deep, so much so, that merely reading it seems like a liberal education in itself.
This is a difficult book to find in collectable condition. The original hardback edition did not have fabric covered boards and as a consequence most tend to be in poor shape.
Some quotes from The Undying Fire:
"'I made man in my own image,'" said God.
"'And I made him a man of the world. (said Satan) If it had not been for
me he would still be a needless gardener - pretending to cultivate a
weedless garden... Think of it, ye Powers and Dominions! Perfect flowers!
Perfect fruits! Never an autumn chill! Never a yellow leaf!... How bored
he would have been! How Bored! Instead of which, did I not launch him on
the most marvellous adventures? It was I that gave him history" (7).
"Think of all of the marvels of the Mesozoic seas; the thousands of various ammonites, the wealth of fish life. Across all that world of life swept death, as the wet fingers of a child wipe a drawing from a slate" (117).
"...one great school leads to another. Schools are living things, and like all living things they must grow and reproduce their kind and go on from conquest to conquest" (225).
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Last modified on Thursday, 12-Aug-1999 14:42:15 EDT