A Continent Adrift 
By Vladimir Chernozemsky  

      In an introduction to “A Continent Adrft,” Chernozemsky tells of his first meeting with Satan. He was just a child, and the confrontation took place with a Mardi Gras parader. The incident inspired the boy’s wonder about God’s fallen archangel and eventually resulted in this novel, which is narrated in the first person by the Prince of Darkness himself. But this book isn’t about the descending levels of hell; rather of the Devil’s efforts to save the earth. The planet was knocked out of its orbit when Atlantis disappeared beneath its surface, and now it’s in the path of a deadly meteor. Satan, alias Myron, alias Donald Donaldson, is busy working to put together an international coalition to find Atlantis under the polar ice cap (and in another dimension entirely), restore it to its rightful place, and thereby return the earth to its proper orbit and out of harm’s way.

      In the course of Donald’s strange adventures, he meets with President George W. Bush, Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Saddam Hussein, a wealthy Saudi prince, a Russian spy of dubious loyalty, and many others. Donald also encounters Mya, a love he’s known through various incarnations, has a son with her, and adopts a half-dozen other unruly young men, including a pair of blue-skinned Atlantians. Through all of this activity, and throughout the endless centuries of his existence, Donald discovers love and compassion and his rightful place in the universe.

      The book is well-written and tumultuous, sometimes confusing, but also funny, sad, and even frightening. Chernozemsky’s Earth is a mixed bag of good and evil, and faces an uncertain outcome. Readers may find a kernel of truth in this portrayal. There is some bad language and explicit sex scenes, though these are not the book’s central focus.