Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10842 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-18
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Irvine Welsh, The Guardian
'Overwhelmingly compassionate and thought-provoking'

The Times
'A superb piece of Scottish Gothic'

Scotland on Sunday
`A work of the highest literary quality'

Customer Reviews

A touch of Devilry
Both page-turner and thought-provoker, The Last Testament of Gideon Mack is an arresting book for our times. Its cynical and doubting anti-hero - a non-believer who nonetheless enters the kirk as a minister - is difficult to warm to, but his bravery and the bizarre situation he faces make him an intriguing character and his encounter with the Devil a real high-point.

The Devil is as far from the cloven-footed stereotype as you could imagine. He is sympathetic, warm and caring - in stark contrast to the smug and cheerless crowd that surround the bogus minister. And in equally sharp contrast to God, who simply doesn't show and 'doesn't care' any more. A real irony is the refusal of Mack's friends and congregation to believe him when he describes his encounter with the Devil - it's just too far-fetched and irrational an idea for them to swallow!

The novel forces us to question the nature of our own beliefs. Do we simply refuse to believe in anything that isn't visible, tangible or in some other way 'provable', even though we know the obvious limitations of such an approach? Or do we have faith in the supernatural (of either extreme), in fairies and alien abduction?

Although stronger on ideas than convincing character portrayal, and although the Scottish dialect can become wearisome, this is a highly recommended read and re-read.

Deep and Dark Scottish Romance
This is probably the best book I've read in a long time. Set in Scotland it is the story of a man's torment which affects the whole of his life. Even in the lighter parts of the story you are aware of the brooding darkness. It seems at times wholly mad - as is the hero in the end - but the story will haunt you for a long time. A real page turner.

Different
As a Christian I was a bit worried about reading this book but I really enjoyed it. It is about a Churchof Scotland minister who meets the devil. Gideon gradually becomes disillusioned by the church after a few incidents in his life. It certainly made me think about faith in relation to the church. Amazingly Gideon was actually a very good minister considering he didn't believe! An unusual and thought provoking book. Read it with an open mind.