Recent Release

God and the Devil have decided to meet again at last, but to do so they must each take human form again. Rome will form the perfect backdrop to their summit.

So an Englishman who has lost his mind; an American couple with death on their minds; a young Argentinian man with living on his mind; a megastar songstress with trouble on her mind; a grouchy priest with too much on his mind … and a dog called Walter, are fated to meet, under the Roman sky.

This is not a who done it. This is a who the hell are they?

My Review

Under the Roman Sky is different than the books I normally read. It is about God and the Devil deciding to meet on Earth after many years of being dissociated. Theirs is a love/hate relationship, and they are both portrayed with human characteristics. God is not pure goodness, and the Devil is not pure evil. It tickled me that they used phones for communication.

The ideas in this book and the mystery of whose form God and the Devil take over makes it interesting. I spent a lot of my reading time trying to figure out who God and the Devil were in Rome. There were obvious choices, but there were several other characters to choose from.

A lot of the story flows well, especially where there’s dialogue. The interactions between God and the Devil were the best because they were easy to read and humorous. The story goes back and forth between the present and memories, but it was surprisingly easy to follow. There are times, though, that there is a lot of rambling.

God and the Devil aren’t anything like I would picture them, especially having been brought up Catholic. Their characteristics are more human. The Devil is too nice, and God isn’t nice enough. I found it funny, but there may be readers who are offended.

About the Author

G W Hixon lives in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. He has recently returned to his home town after having spent 20 years living mainly in the South East of England and latterly on the Yorkshire coast. He has a strong interest in theology, particularly why people chose to believe in the things they do. He is also passionate about ancient Roman history, being a regular visitor to the city of Rome. That city, along with the hills and vales of his native Yorkshire, heavily influence his writing.

Excerpt

“The Devil makes work for idle hands,” God said, quietly, mischievously, whilst starting to chuckle.

It caused the Devil to laugh out loud. “That is what they say, isn’t it? But the sentiment has always been quite wrong, old man. We have, you and I, all of the time in the world.”

“We have, indeed,” God replied.

“If only they knew it,” said the Devil.

For the first time, they laughed together and not at one another. For the first time, they shared the irony that formed the joke at which they were forced to laugh. But spite and envy tainted the sound of the Devil’s laughter.

“And now I turn the question on you, dear friend,” God said, as his spirit calmed. “Why him? Why then? Why, inside that house, when all else was good? Why him?”

“Because you loved him,” the Devil replied. “And I knew that you loved him.”

“I did,” God said, subdued and sad. It is a funny thing, how sadness can befall someone so soon after they had been committed to laughter. “He had been my friend. He had been my friend for years. Someone who had been kind to me.”

“Then that is why him.”

“The woman had anointed my feet with her oil, that’s all she did.”

“You were in love with her!”

“It was not possible for me to fall in love. I am love.” Angry, now. The sound of laughter a memory.

“Lust, then. You were in lust with her. You wanted to experience … that … above everything else.” Anger, indeed, from both participants.

“No, you are – were — wrong.”

 

“Under the Roman Sky” by G W Hixon is available in paperback from Amazon at:

This fantasy fiction novel can also be downloaded in e-book format from:

Press/Media Contact Details:

Darin Jewell (G W Hixon’s literary agent)
Tel. 0208 292 5163
E-mail: [email protected]