 The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon, by W. O. Mitchell.
As every fan of The Cosmic Turkey knows, curling is the greatest sport in this galaxy or any other. It's also the greatest sport in the afterlife, which is why Willie MacCrimmon and his team wind up playing against Lucifer himself, known locally as Old Cloutie. And their bargain puts Willie's soul at stake. The novella is set in smalltown Canada in the 1950s. Willie, a cobbler, plays on a team with three unrelated guys all named Charlie Brown, known by work-related nicknames. As for Old Cloutie, his team consists of Judas Iscariot, Guy Fawkes, and MacBeth. The Devil does explain how there's ice in hell, but I'm still not convinced Judas knows anything about curling. They don't play fair, of course, but Willie has a trick or two of his own. Trigger warning for a very weird and out-of-place rape joke. Popsugar Reading Challenge: About my favorite sport at the Winter Olympics. 52 Book Club Challenge: Requires suspension of disbelief. Booklist Queen Challenge: Absurd premise. This Challenge Killed the Bookworm: Bargain.
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