And the Devil Will Drag You Under, (1979) is a comic fantasy by Jack Chalker involving an alcoholic demon

Demon

call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...

 and two humans he suborns to collect the pieces of a mystic artifact that the demon requires to save Earth from an asteroid

Asteroid

Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...

 on a collision course, thereby permitting him to continue his bender

Binge drinking

Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide,...

. The human's journeys include both mystical transformations of their bodies and trips to worlds that parodied

Parody

A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

 famous fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 novel locales.

The book's title is an homage to "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat

Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat

"Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" is a song written by Frank Loesser and published in 1950. The song was introduced in the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls which opened at the 46th Street Theater on November 24, 1950...

", a song written by musical theatre

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

 composer-lyricist Frank Loesser

Frank Loesser

Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...

, for Guys and Dolls in which the character Nicely-Nicely Johnson, making a gospel style confession at a Salvation Army

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....

 prayer meeting, tells of a dream in which his fellow passengers, on a "little boat to heaven

Heaven

Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...

," warn him that if he upsets the ride, he'll be washed overboard ... "and the Devil will drag you under / By the sharp lapel of your checkered coat ... "

Publication history

• 1979, USA, Del Rey (ISBN 0-345-30504-3), pub date August, 1979.