Deal Me In, Week 19 ~ “Dealing with the Devil”

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.