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I, Lucifer

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 4,164 ratings · 479 reviews

The Prince of Darkness has been given one last shot at redemption, provided he can live out a reasonably blameless life on earth. Highly sceptical, naturally, the Old Dealmaker negotiates a trial period - a summer holiday in a human body, with all the delights of the flesh.

The body, however, turns out to be that of Declan Gunn, a depressed writer living in Clerkenwell, int...more

Paperback, 272 pages

Published April 2nd 2003 by Grove Press (first published July 1st 2002)

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45th out of 296 books — 987 voters

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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Sympathy for the Devil

5th out of 96 books — 101 voters

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Jan 17, 2013 Jeffrey Keeten rated it 2 of 5 stars

”Once upon a...
Time, you’ll be pleased to know--and since one must start somewhere--was created in creation.
What was there before creation? is meaningless. Time is a property of creation. What there was was the Old Chap peering in a state of perpetual nowness up His own almighty sphincter trying to find out who the devil He was. His big problem was there was no way to distinguish Himself from the Void. If you’re Everything you might as well be Nothing. So He created us, and with a whiz and a ban...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Mark Rice rated it 4 of 5 stars

From a descriptive-writing perspective, this book is almost flawless. Glen Duncan has the ability to engage all the senses of the reader in a way I've never seen bettered. Were I to review this book purely on the power of its evocative descriptions, it'd earn five stars without a doubt. I could overlook the peppering of grammatical misdemeanours (comma-spliced sentences; commas where they don't belong; missing commas where they do belong; several instances of using 'her' where the correct pronou...more From a descriptive-writing perspective, this book is almost flawless. Glen Duncan has the ability to engage all the senses of the reader in a way I've never seen bettered. Were I to review this book purely on the power of its evocative descriptions, it'd earn five stars without a doubt. I could overlook the peppering of grammatical misdemeanours (comma-spliced sentences; commas where they don't belong; missing commas where they do belong; several instances of using 'her' where the correct pronoun is 'she'), as they don't happen frequently enough to impede one's enjoyment of the text. They're niggles, that's all. Those schoolboy errors do, however, draw attention to the irony that - while he has developed a writing style which relies heavily on long, esoteric words - Glen Duncan never mastered the basic mechanics of the English language. He gets the difficult stuff incredibly right, but sometimes trips up on primary-school basics. Strange indeed. His writing is the literary equivalent of a sparkling gold Rolls Royce with breathtaking aesthetics and a sense of majesty, yet a peek under the bonnet reveals a few clunks and rattles in the heart of the machine. I couldn't shake the impression that Duncan often uses the longest word for the job, rather than the best one. Yes, he's an artiste who wants to impress with sweeping flourishes of poetic language, but Norman MacCaig - perhaps the greatest of all poets - would have advised, "Study brevity." Sometimes the epic multisyllabic prose works beautifully, but it can begin to feel more than a little pretentious.

As for the story, it's not particularly original; God offers Lucifer a sabbatical from Hell in the form of a one-month inhabitance inside the body of a recent suicide victim, writer Declan Gunn (an anagram of Glen Duncan), as a chance for the Devil to achieve redemption and stand once again at the side of his Maker. Duncan's description of Lucifer's overwhelming joy - and surprise - upon experiencing the world through human senses is gorgeously creative. True to his hedonistic reputation, Lucifer goes on to overstimulate all his human senses through every vice available as he follows his own agenda. As weeks pass, the fallen angel comes to see existence from a human perspective. He even feels flashes of empathy for humankind. Duncan's Lucifer is a foppish luvvie, a bisexual lecher, a seducer who charms humans into committing evil deeds. The luscious descriptions of human sensual experience are so vivid that they jar the reader out of his/her taking-them-for-granted attitude towards the senses. Whether you love or hate it, this book reintroduces the reader to the miracle that is human perception in all its forms. Glen Duncan writes with an authentic voice, descriptive flair and a passion for words which is palpable. If he ever gets around to truly mastering the nuts and bolts of grammar, while retaining his unique voice and breathtaking descriptive ability, then Duncan could become England's equivalent to Salman Rushdie. Until then, perhaps it is appropriate that this story - impressive as it is - contains the little flaws that make it all the more human. Just like the experience of its main protagonist. (less)

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Feb 14, 2008 Sherryl Wynne rated it 1 of 5 stars

Okay, truth be told I hated this book and would have put it down after the first 10 pages if it wasn't my book club's selection. A very difficult read. Disturbing - well, you know, Lucifer just isn't a very nic guy. Some really interesting takes on the Garden of Eden and the "fall" though. And it was interesting to read of his appreciation (and our lack) of everyday things like smells and colors... Still... I wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know!

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Jun 09, 2013 Fatallis rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't know where to start, whether to start with the positives or the negatives. I like picking a book up and not wanting to put it down, but this was one of those books where I was literally counting the pages till the next break point so that I could stop reading it. I kept hoping for the story to pick so that it could captivate me but all that I could feel was a dislike for the main character.

Yes the main character is the Devil himself, one would hardly expect him to be a nice guy, but one...more I don't know where to start, whether to start with the positives or the negatives. I like picking a book up and not wanting to put it down, but this was one of those books where I was literally counting the pages till the next break point so that I could stop reading it. I kept hoping for the story to pick so that it could captivate me but all that I could feel was a dislike for the main character.

Yes the main character is the Devil himself, one would hardly expect him to be a nice guy, but one of the most important things in any story is a likeable main character. Which is even more important when a book is written in first person, because for the course of the book you're within that person's mind. His personality just made me what to yell at him to 'shut up, we get it, you're the Devil, stop being crude and use that intelligence we can see you have'. Isn't the Devil supposed to be seductive and charming? Isn't his purpose as a character to tempt you to evil? How can a crude vulgar character succeed at such an aim?

It's an eloquently written book, Duncan has a fantastic use of language that for a few minutes I will enjoy until a vulgar supplement is introduced. I feel my forehead crease with irritation every time that author retreats to use of vulgarity, maybe it's his style which I perfectly understand is entertaining to some, but unfortunately I am not one of those people. I had a similar experience when I read the book John Dies at the End, and I can't help but think that you need to be a sexually frustrated teenage boy whose biggest laughs come from toilet humour to find enjoyment within the book.

It shows the most unpleasant side of humanity, as you would expect from Lucifer, but it still fails to grasp any charm or decency. The abundance of profanity just seems like a short cut to humour that fails depending upon it's audience. Prior to reading the book I had read an articulate quote from it which alone was so well written that it intrigued me into reading and buying the book, but I wasn't aware of it's crudeness.

It's a shame because the premise is incredibly interesting and as humans we love to like a villain, and what better of a villain to fall in love with than the Devil himself? We like to think all villains have some twisted reason for why they are the way they are, something to make us understand them, maybe make them redeemable in our eyes, but a character there's nothing good about, filled with vulgarity not charm, doesn't quite have the same ability to capture our sympathy or give us a character to relate to.(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 Ro Cepellos rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like alternate perspectives

Recommended to Ro by: Aisha

Shelves: dark-humor, naughty, memoir-autobiography-biography, piss-yourself, favorites

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith...
-Sympathy for the Devil, the Rolling Stones

A positively wicked romp through what the titular character calls "the concussive world of matter." The book chronicles Lucifer's brief reincarnation and experiences in fleshy form. Like Roald Dahl's My Uncle Oswald, I, Lucifer is explicit without being raunchy, vivid without being too overt, and tastefully navigat...more

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Feb 27, 2009 Djrmel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, all-time-favorites, contemporary, fiction, romance, gleichgesinnte, favorites, glbt

Very funny, very intelligent and very original! The tag-line for this book (when did books start having tag-lines, anyway?) is "Finally, the other side of the story." and that is exactly what we get. Lucifer is offered a chance to return to live in Heaven, by God, if he can live on Earth, as a mortal, and not cause trouble, for one month. The body he is given as his instrument of redemption belongs to a writer, and that inspires Lucifer to use the time to tell his version of Creation, Adam and E...more

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Feb 21, 2009 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

"I, Lucifer" seems at first like your typical redemption-of-the-Devil story. God has decided to draw the curtains on the world, and gives Lucifer one last offer: live as a human, in a human body, for one month, and if he can do so without committing sin and doing harm, he's back in heaven.

Thankfully, this is where the typical story and this story part ways. Lucifer takes the offer, but only to get the identity. Once he's in the body of suicidal author Declan Gunn, he throws the prospect of a go...more "I, Lucifer" seems at first like your typical redemption-of-the-Devil story. God has decided to draw the curtains on the world, and gives Lucifer one last offer: live as a human, in a human body, for one month, and if he can do so without committing sin and doing harm, he's back in heaven.

Thankfully, this is where the typical story and this story part ways. Lucifer takes the offer, but only to get the identity. Once he's in the body of suicidal author Declan Gunn, he throws the prospect of a good clean life out the window, and takes the opportunity to relish the sinful world and write up a movie script: his side of the War in Heaven and the Fall and Creation, never before told.

The book is written through the voice of Lucifer himself, keeping the typical "charming/gentleman devil" personality. The wording is clever and yes, enjoyable, but contains a flaw so big even the main character sees it and feels the need to apologize several times because of it: Lucifer rambles. A lot. Often, the main story will diverge down a rabbit trail, and then another, and then another and another, until you're so lost you've forgotten what the main point was. Towards the end I found myself skipping whole sections of rabbit trails and I lost none of the actual plot by doing this.

"So wait," you say, "you give this book 4 stars despite this great flaw?" Yes, I say, I do. 4.5 if I could, in fact. Rabbit trails aside, the main story is quirky, charming, entertaining, emotional and even at times insightful. There are lots of fresh ideas and twists breathed into this plot, saving it from being just another done-and-done-again tale. It even throws in a few keen surprises, and some of the book's descriptions are downright beautiful, showing how much creative work Duncan put into this.

Other readers have expressed squeamishness at the idea of a story that plays towards sympathy for the Devil, and if you feel too terribly uncomfortable with it you might want to skip by. But remember, it's just a book: a story written by a human for other humans. Read it, enjoy it, laugh, think, and like me, recommend to people looking for a fresh, intriguing, and introspective take on an old concept.(less)

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Apr 12, 2013 Lucas Wunsch rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the book that sold me on Glen Duncan for a number of different reasons. To begin with, I will admit to enjoying subject material that involves a "sympathy for the Devil" concept. The book was recommended to me by a very Christian friend and after the first chapter I was hooked. I'll admit that the writing style takes a bit of getting used to. Duncan's heavy use of English colloquialisms is not a huge issue, but sometimes he takes liberties with the directions of the stories being told an...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Lumpenprole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, borrowed, fantasy

An amazing book, an amazing entertainment, and I guess the sort of book a term like "guilty pleasures" personifies, doubtless in more ways than one. Unfortunately, I think there was enough of a stumble at the end that I need to take this down one star from what would have been a five star rating.*

I was amused at the thought of Lucifer as hobnobbing with the greats and near-greats and wanna-bes of the entertainment industry. Also as some sort of sensation junkie barely able to control himself whe...more An amazing book, an amazing entertainment, and I guess the sort of book a term like "guilty pleasures" personifies, doubtless in more ways than one. Unfortunately, I think there was enough of a stumble at the end that I need to take this down one star from what would have been a five star rating.*

I was amused at the thought of Lucifer as hobnobbing with the greats and near-greats and wanna-bes of the entertainment industry. Also as some sort of sensation junkie barely able to control himself when confronted with the smells of McDonald's, pubs, the sight of clouds in the sky, the feel of the ocean, and so on. Not how I'd have thought of Satan on his day out, but it works, and all works spectacularly.

Spoiler below:

(view spoiler)

* - Apropos of nothing, and even more unfortunately, this is the first book I've ever had any interest in tacking a half-star rating onto. I've always thought the idea silly, in the sense that if half-stars make sense, why not quarter stars, eighth stars, sixteenth stars, and so forth?

As in: "Yes, I give this book a rating of 4.34375 (4 11/32) stars, but just could not see my way to a rating of 4.375 (4 3/8) stars. And I do with I could have given it a rating of 4.35 stars, but GoodReads doesn't allow ratings differentials of 0.01. I do wish they did."

Possibly a slippery slope logical error on my part, I suppose. But it is also a book like this that might actually get me to change my mind, for artistic reasons, if not logical ones.(less)

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Mar 27, 2013 laurenpie rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a Christian, parts of this book made me very uncomfortable. Mostly the question, "Should I be reading this at all?" Such a temptation. Anyway, I did.

And, honestly, if you ignore for a minute the explicit nature of the book, there wasn't a lot of difference to my mind between reading Lewis' "Screwtape Letters" and reading this book. And that's due to my favorite quirk about this book... Namely, that the protaganist (hmm, can he even be called that?) finds himself naturally, freely and repeated...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Iceman rated it 2 of 5 stars

Há livros que nos vêm para às mãos de uma forma surrealista e completamente por acaso. O livro que me proponho a opinar foi um dos tais onde uma dessas vicissitudes sucederam. Não interessa estar aqui a divagar sobre a forma como descobri o livro na biblioteca (foi tão por acaso que teria imensa dificuldade em contar), o certo é que o acabei por trazer, sabia não ser um livro de missas negras e afins, mas e talvez tenha sido isso que me seduziu: a forma como a história era descrita, pois se fore...more Há livros que nos vêm para às mãos de uma forma surrealista e completamente por acaso. O livro que me proponho a opinar foi um dos tais onde uma dessas vicissitudes sucederam. Não interessa estar aqui a divagar sobre a forma como descobri o livro na biblioteca (foi tão por acaso que teria imensa dificuldade em contar), o certo é que o acabei por trazer, sabia não ser um livro de missas negras e afins, mas e talvez tenha sido isso que me seduziu: a forma como a história era descrita, pois se forem ler a sinopse, repararão que estão diante de um livro de humor negro, mordaz, irónico, talvez com episódios chocantes, enfim, um livro para descomprimir...
Posto isto e mesmo sabendo que tinha e tenho tantos livros em fila de espera, lá me lancei à leitura deste livro. Inicialmente de uma forma ávida, a meio de uma forma pausada (já ia pegando noutro que deixei a meio) e no fim de uma forma arrastada (foi um suplício acabar a leitura).
Pois bem: Senhores e senhoras, meninos e meninas ou como dizia o outro; portugueses e portuguesas, quero-vos apresentar o Demónio ou Satanás ou Lúcifer em pessoa (atenção, Belzebú não, porque trata-se da segunda figura mais importante da ordem infernal), aliás, ele quer-se apresentar, pois é ele próprio que nos conta a sua história: Uau! Que uindo! Vem a mim Satanás, pensarão alguns, enquanto os pudicos e os beatos dirão: cruzes, credo, canhoto, vai-te Demo! Bah, nunca percebi essa do canhoto, as cruzes e os credos até que passam, mas que raio têm os canhotos a ver com isto?
Então é assim: Olá malta – diz o Lúcifer - eu sou aquele que foi expulso do céu pelo Velhadas que vocês conhecem por Deus. E vai daí, sou um filho-da-mãe da pior espécie. Nem imaginam o que já fiz desde que o mundo é mundo, imaginem que certa vez até levei o Jesusito quase à loucura. É verdade, o gajo dava-me cá uns nervos, mas o tipo era duro... e Madalena que o diga... E a Eva? Xiii, que mulheraço, nossa mãe do inferno!
Lúcifer reina na terra. Comanda um bando de anjos demoníacos que, outrora como ele, pertenceram ao reino dos céus, no entanto, numa bela época há muito distante, Deus ausentou-se para criar o mundo e vai daí deixou todos os anjos sozinhos (gandas malucos). Sem nada para fazerem depressa o tédio começou a instalar-se e Lúcifer, encabeçando um grupo que se revoltou contra este estado de coisas, acabou por fazer algumas coisitas que chegaram aos ouvidos de Deus e é assim que Lúcifer é expulso daqueles reinos. Sem espinhas, pois Deus não é cá para brincadeiras, Ele gosta é de tudo sisudo e de aspecto muito sério. MAIS NADA! E TOCA A AJOELHAR!
Boa, agora ate já havia animais na terra e imagine-se, Deus havia criado um grande jardim onde habitavam dois seres humanos, Adão e Eva... oh Eva, aquela desenvergonhada...
Já podem ver que género de livro é.
Mas e nos dias de hoje, Lúcifer recebe a visita de um anjo muito importante (não me recordo se é Rafael ou Miguel) que afirmam serem portadores de uma importante mensagem de Deus: Deus está pronto a dar uma nova oportunidade de redenção a Lúcifer, com a condição de ele ocupar o corpo de um ser humano durante um mês e, nesse mês, viver e sentir como essa pessoa, como qualquer pessoa, ou seja, deixar aquele estado angélico, omnipresente, e viver e sentir como um comum mortal. Se ele for capaz de se comportar conforme o estipulado, então Deus recebe-o de braços abertos e manda às malvas todas as maldades de Satanás.
Lúcifer rejubila: "O velhadas passou-se!", e vendo aquela hipótese como um género de férias à pala, ele acaba por aceitar e incorpora um corpo de um jovem escritor falhado que está prestes a cometer suicídio e, agindo como essa pessoa, acaba por escrever um livro que é nada mais nada menos que a própria história de Satanás. Aliás nem é bem assim, porque o que ele vai descrevendo é um género da história da criação ao estilo hollywoodesco, para posteriormente tentar adaptá-lo a um guião.
Neste livro, escrito realmente num tom irónico e mordaz, o escritor elabora uma nova narrativa de muitos acontecimentos bíblicos e históricos: Adão e Eva e o paraíso; A forma como Deus criou o mundo; O porquê da sua revolta; A tentação de Jesus no deserto (Jesusito segundo ele); O regime nazi; A inquisição; Seitas.
Mas eu não gostei.
É um livro que divaga imenso entre a ideia do bem e do mal. Lúcifer, mostra-se um "ser" mordaz e irónico. Demonstra que a sua natureza não é maléfica e que a fama que tem apenas se deve a mal entendidos, ou, vá lá, a alguns mal entendidos, pronto, a poucos mal entendidos e a acusações injustas. Explica o porquê da sua revolta e, achando injusto ter sido expulso do céu, resolver empreender todo um comportamento e práticas que vão em sentido contrário às prática de Deus, no entanto é ele próprio que nos vais colocando questões morais que põem, propositadamente, essa bondade de Deus em causa. É um livro que tem um início verdadeiramente empolgante mas que, com o desenrolar da história, vai perdendo interesse, pois torna-se repetitivo, os diálogos e monólogos não nos levam a lado nenhum e no meio de isto tudo existe algo que me decepcionou, imaginem, o comportamento de Lúcifer é terrivelmente pacífico, nada condizente com a sua fama (chega até a levar uma carga de porrada). E eu a pensar que o livro estaria povoado por acontecimentos sangrentos e macabros, transbordando de orgias, deparo-me com um livro sonsinho que faria corar qualquer ser angélico da hoste de Deus. Amém!
No entanto existe um grande contra-senso, é que o livro está recheado de palavrões, a maior parte deles colocados forçosamente e sem qualquer tipo de lógica, no entanto eles estão lá, parecendo que o escritor não teve coragem de evocar acontecimentos mais fortes, mais chocantes, encontrando nos palavrões a única coisa que poderia chocar... pois, ai que inocente o menino é.
Claro que a história acaba por se ler, nem que seja para seguir o comportamento do senhor das trevas enquanto simples mortal, no entanto e embora a crítica britânica tenha feito excelentes críticas sobre este livro e sobre este autor, a mim, não me convenceu e até digo mais, pareceu-me que ele quis imitar o estilo de Ervine Welsh, brilhante escritor escocês autor de livros como "Trainspotting", "Ectasy", "Lixo" ou "Porno", no entanto, fica muito, mas mesmo muito aquém do talento de Welsh.(less)

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Jul 06, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

In I, Lucifer God offers Satan a deal that he will receive redemption for his role in rebellion against God if he can lead a relatively sinless life in the body of Declan Gunn, a pseudonym for the author. What follows is a very enjoyable 100 pages where Satan runs rife through London experiencing the human senses for the first time. Duncan strings together pump adjectives flowing into stream like sentences in which the color of a blade of grass is described like a fine portrait. The book is fram...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Erik Henry rated it 4 of 5 stars

this book is truly a gem!! I found myself laughing out loud so many times I lost count. The title says it all..."Finally, the Other Side of the Story." This book takes you into the life and psych of the Lord of Darkness. Our whole lives we were taught to hate and fear the Devil. We were told that he is evil, and that his only goal was to tempt you and take your soul with him into the firey pits of hell. But when we get his side of the story, all we find is someone who is simply misunderstood.
The...more this book is truly a gem!! I found myself laughing out loud so many times I lost count. The title says it all..."Finally, the Other Side of the Story." This book takes you into the life and psych of the Lord of Darkness. Our whole lives we were taught to hate and fear the Devil. We were told that he is evil, and that his only goal was to tempt you and take your soul with him into the firey pits of hell. But when we get his side of the story, all we find is someone who is simply misunderstood.
The story starts with God going to see his old friend, Lucifer. God offers him a chance at redemption by giving him a human body to take out for a test drive. Lucifer takes up God's offer of the human form, but has no plans on living a sinless life and getting the redemption that God offers him for rebelling against him all those years ago. Lucifer takes over the body of Declan Gunn (an anagram of "Glen Duncan", the author's name). Declan is a struggling suicidal author when the Devil takes over his body. It doesn't take very long for Lucifer to start abusing his host's body, chain smoking, doing drugs and having hot, unprotected sinful infidelities. Throughout the book, Lucifer explains his side of the story by setting the record straight on some of the Bible's more popular stories (the best being this side of what happened in the Garden of Eden).
Lucifer also starts to realize and understand what being human is REALLY like. He learns how complaicated the lives of humans are, how much temptation is really there, and the fact that humans can't do everything that they please. No matter how hard he tries to stay true to himself, he finds that he is becoming more and more human the longer he stays in this form.
This book had me in stitches, and it will have people laughing (especially for anyone like me who was forced to go to church when they were younger). If you want a good laugh before you go to hell I suggest you pick this book up. But if you are overly religious and get offended easily, I would stay away from this book at all costs, even viewing it will probably be enough for the almighty himself to send you to hell to hang out with Lucifer.(less)

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Feb 23, 2012 Ashish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Good descriptions, beautiful little snippets and side-quests, and literally a redefinition of the word 'Irreverence' - but somehow, his constant, compulsive leaping off the track down meandering paths makes the story hard to follow. Unless that's the intention, the message in the medium, the rightness in the wrong.
Unfortunately, if that's the case, the message, while subtly and skilfully delivered, is ultimately... saddening. Saddening, because it talks to everything you hold close to yourself...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Ariel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, fiction, trope-inversion

The Devil, as in Lucifer, is given the opportunity for redemption by living one sin-free month as a human. Of course, he decides to take the offer and absolutely wallow in sin, as devils are wont to do, but in the end there's a tweest! I put off reading this for ages because I was sure it would be incredibly predictable, and then when I finally sat down to start it, I couldn't really stop. It's a stream-of-consciousness sort of book, with massive digressions and a lot of jumping around, but desp...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Benjamin Siess rated it 4 of 5 stars

"I, Lucifer" is kind of what "Screwtape Letters" would have been if C.S. Lewis hadn't been so afraid of using profanity, making poop jokes, and talking about his erectile dysfunction.

In both, they give us a completely different picture of what temptation is really all about. Subtlety.

"I, Lucifer" has complex prose which is what makes Duncan's sometimes middle school humor unique. It is also responsible for making the book difficult to read despite its short length and big print. Also difficult...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Nancy added it

Wow. This one isn’t for everyone. And if I believed in it, I’d probably go to Hell for reading this and thinking it was funny. But it is very funny. Very dry. Very British. Very sarcastic. Lucifer, the fallen Angel of Light, is giving a shot a regaining his angelhood, but no guarantees he will return to his former station as the favorite. To regain his angelhood he has to live life as human and behave himself. He requests a 1 month trial, and is granted that, ending up in the body of a wash-up w...more

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Jan 22, 2011 TBML rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: joe-s-shelf, literary-fiction

Glen Duncan's novel features the Prince of Darkness in the body of down-and-out writer Declan Gunn (anagram, anyone?), just about to slit his wrists. The apocalypse looms, and God has offered fallen angel Lucifer a second chance at redemption by enticing him with a month of earthly embodiment--an offer he can't refuse, given his taste for cocaine, sexual mischief, and other earthly pleasures. In between acts of debauchery, Lucifer/Gunn resvives his literary career and revels in tastes, smells, s...more

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Feb 15, 2010 Jesse rated it 3 of 5 stars

An interesting concept of a novel in which God gives Satan one chance at redemption by allowing him to live a life as a human. Without giving too much away, Satan simply acts as someone would expect Satan to act: completely like a hedonist. But the novel isn't really about Satan living as a man as much as it is about giving "the other side of the story" as the full title implies. And, quite frankly, it is in these moments that the novel truly finds it's voice. It is worth reading simply for the...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Passive Apathetic added it

Kant('ın kişiliği) üzerine düşüncelerimin Lucifer'inkilerle aynı olması benim hakkında ne söylüyor, emin olamadım. :/

"Humans, as that pug-faced kraut and chronic masturbator Kant pointed out, are stuck within the limits of space and time. Modes of apprehension, the grammar of understanding and all that."

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"Angels don't have souls, in case you're interested. You lot are on your own with souls. I've purchased millions in my time, but I'm hanged if I know what to do with them. The only thing...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Janne Paananen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ah... lupaava juoni ja lupaava alku. Lucifer saa mahdollisuuden pelastukseen elämällä aluksi kuukauden nuhteettomasti tavallisena kaduntallaajana. Pieleen menee, tietenkin. Kirja liikkuu tyylillisesti jossain Amerikan psykon (Bret Easton Ellis, 1991) ja Paholaisen kirjeopiston (C.S. Lewis 1942) välimaastosta. Mutta valitettavasti siinä missä Amerikan psyko oikeasti pelottaa ja ahdistaa ja Paholaisen kirjeopisto riemastuttaa oivalluksillaan Minä, Lucifer jää sekavaksi sillisalaatiksi joka ei onni...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Rhys rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ok, this book....I still can't decide how I feel about it. I will say, it was an interesting concept, but overall, I think the writing failed it.
The author had great references, great quotes and one-liners but they got overwhelmed by his insistence on using as many similes as he could fit into one sentence. I felt like I wish the book would've come with the same thesaurus this guy was using when writing so we could translate the text.
It gave it color, yes, but it also made it difficult to put...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Elius rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, religion, fantasy

I absolutely love how the book starts -

I, Lucifer, Fallen Angel, Prince of Darkness, Bringer of Light, Ruler of Hell, Lord of the Flies, Father of Lies, Apostate Supreme, Tempter of Mankind, Old Serpent, Prince of This World, Seducer, Accuser, Tormentor, Blasphemer, and without doubt Best Fuck in the Seen and Unseen Universe (ask Eve, that minx) have decided – oo-lala! – to tell all.

It's such a beautifully written book. Not perhaps flawless, from the descriptive writing perspective, but coming v...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Rose rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009, religion-or-lack-thereof

All hail seitan! Oh, wait, that line is for my review of a vegetarian cookbook.

I, Lucifer is a little bit of a treatise on how we'd do exactly the same things Satan has done if we were in his position. And it was pretty damn convincing: "The idea of spending eternity with nothing to do except praise God is utterly unappealing. You'd be catatonic after and hour. Heaven's a swiz because to get in you have to leave yourself outside. You can't blame me because - now do please be honest with yourself...more All hail seitan! Oh, wait, that line is for my review of a vegetarian cookbook.

I, Lucifer is a little bit of a treatise on how we'd do exactly the same things Satan has done if we were in his position. And it was pretty damn convincing: "The idea of spending eternity with nothing to do except praise God is utterly unappealing. You'd be catatonic after and hour. Heaven's a swiz because to get in you have to leave yourself outside. You can't blame me because - now do please be honest with yourself for once - you'd have left too."

And it's interesting to think just how much Lucifer embodies honesty, in a strange way. He's honest about his feelings, his boredom, his ambition, and he doesn't sugar coat anything. In this book, Lucifer's original sin was just daring to think of himself as himself. Coming from a very individualistic society, I can't imagine doing things any other way, so I was on his side for most of the book. Not to say that it didn't have some problems...

The problems I had with the book were that the author was going at this so full-throttle with his thoughts that occasionally it rang false (example, his Elton John vendetta got really old)- but you have to expect that when you put yourself out there like this. He was writing from the point of view of Satan, for Chrissakes.

But you have to admire the author's style. Wow.

The absolute best parts were the retelling of the Garden of Eden/Crucifixion/War in Heaven from his point of view. The retellings were brilliant! I'm a stone-cold naturalist, so this supernatural mumbo-jumbo doesn't sound logical to me, but it all makes a helluva lot more sense than the original versions where we're supposed to side with God! Alternatively, the non-supernatural portions of the book where Luce interacts with humans as Declan Gunn are boring, and they get worse as the book progresses. Okay, to end with another precious quote. This was a description of Eve before she met up with Adam, living in her own part of the garden:

"[Eve:] had something Adam didn't. Curiosity. First step to growth - and if it wasn't for Eve's Adam would still be sitting by the side of the pool picking his nose and scratching his scalp, bamboozled by his own reflection. Off in her part of Eden, Eve hadn't bothered naming the animals. On the other hand she'd discovered how to milk some of them and how best to eat the eggs of others. She'd decided she wasn't overly keen on torrential rain and had built a shelter from bamboo and banana leaves, into which she'd retire when the heavens opened, having set out coconut shells to catch the rainwater with a view to saving herself the schlep down to the spring every time she wanted a drink. The only thing you won't be surprised to hear about is that she'd already domesticated a cat and called it Misty."(less)

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May 09, 2013 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was always going have to vie in my affections with the Lucifer graphic novel series by Mike Carey. As far as I'm concerned, Carey's devil is definitive. 'I, Lucifer' didn't manage to supplant him. Duncan's devil, inhabiting a human body as a deal with god, is more loquacious and frivolous, but considerably less sophisticated and cunning. I found that 'I, Lucifer' only really became engrossing towards the end, when Lucifer was trying to decide how long to stay in a human body. For much...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Linda rated it 1 of 5 stars

Jesus Christ, this is the worst book I've read in a long time. This portrayal of Lucifer, while attempting to be witty and acerbic, comes across as a severe case of arrogant fallacy-of-youth A.D.D. suffering rebellious adolescent, scribbling into their hastily written diary.

Want a well-written and interesting portrayal of the devil? Read Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, Mike Carey's Lucifer series (based on Gaiman's Lucifer) or Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, all of whom have charming...more Jesus Christ, this is the worst book I've read in a long time. This portrayal of Lucifer, while attempting to be witty and acerbic, comes across as a severe case of arrogant fallacy-of-youth A.D.D. suffering rebellious adolescent, scribbling into their hastily written diary.

Want a well-written and interesting portrayal of the devil? Read Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, Mike Carey's Lucifer series (based on Gaiman's Lucifer) or Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, all of whom have charming, intelligent and likeable portrayals of Satan. Maybe I've been spoiled by such elegant, sexy, dapper Satans that Duncan's comes across especially petulant and bratty-mouthed, the kind of character that tries too hard to be a badass and comes across like the annoying kid in high school who wouldn't shut up with their bragging and posturing due to low self-esteem. Now I understand why I found this in the Adolescent Novels section of the library.

Also, this book has way overdone it on parentheses, hyphens, colons, apostrophes, ellipses and italicized text, making it one hell of a stilted and clunky read. And holy shit, the DIGRESSIONS.

In addition to the aforementioned detriments, I feel like the author should have made an effort to not make his (and Lucifer's) nationality so obvious, what with all the "bugger, fagsmoke, poncy, arse" and other British-isms coming out of Lucifer's mouth. Gaiman is also English, but I never felt like his Lucifer spoke in a manner that could be geographically placed anywhere, unlike Duncan's distinctly British Lucifer. I also felt like he should've neutralized the language of his other characters, since I doubt Pontius Pilate ever said "it's fucking hot out here, man" back in 30 AD. The suspension of disbelief that most of us adopt in order to become completely engulfed and enthralled by a novel was just not possible here due to this lazy-ass writing.

And the anagram of the author's name with the name of the main character? Not impressed, and is the cherry on top of the messy, self absorbed, badly written cake that is I, Lucifer.(less)

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Nov 29, 2012 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kept, read-in-november-2012

A very interesting read. I don't usually go for novels with a first-person perspective, but delving into the mind of Lucifer, one of the most (and I'm going to be intentionally controversial here) malevolent and misunderstood characters, is really irresistible.

That said, it was almost a disappointment when I discovered it's rather mild content. There are moments where Lucifer lives up to his reputation, with tangents that satisfy the (as he rightfully points out) morbid curiosity the reader has...more

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Jan 27, 2009 Lydia rated it 5 of 5 stars

So I borrowed this book from my roommate's boyfriend, but I'm going to buy a copy. I want to read it again and again. In the beginning, everything is very clear cut. The devil gets to be a human for a month? sign me up. He's debaucherous and witty and gets into all kinds of biblical discussions about the history of creation and the Fall. the book tricks you into thinking it will all be fun and shenanigans. But it gets very mind-bending towards the end. Lucifer contemplates a lot of possible outc...more

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Sep 17, 2011 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-literature, 21st-century, britain, fabulism, fantasy, fiction, mythology, religious-studies, satire, speculative, weird-ass-shit

For those of you just coming to the devil's side of the story and the great satanic narratives this might be fun. But if you've read Dante, Milton, and (especially) Blake...Marriage of Heaven and Hell...as well as Byron and Oscar Wilde...not to mention the myriad of books written about the devil's side of the story over the last twenty years then this will be just more of the same.

This is not a book for Xtians and those with a powerful moral sensibility...this is a book about the Adversary after...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Jay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Three stars- i liked it- for the most part.
I am rather conflicted about this book. Not the subject matter per-se, but the style and execution. The general idea, the reflections on biblical 'history' and the ruminations on the nature of sin were intriguing, but there are flaws throughout despite these positives.
As many have written, the constant digression and existential ramblings became a bit cumbersome. It seemed to become a little repetitive- biblical history, present events, existential ra...more Three stars- i liked it- for the most part.
I am rather conflicted about this book. Not the subject matter per-se, but the style and execution. The general idea, the reflections on biblical 'history' and the ruminations on the nature of sin were intriguing, but there are flaws throughout despite these positives.
As many have written, the constant digression and existential ramblings became a bit cumbersome. It seemed to become a little repetitive- biblical history, present events, existential ramblings... biblical history, present events, existential...well... you get the point.
However, some of the digressions did pose interesting ideas and thesis'- many were overworked and unnecessary. It is true I'm a sucker for good narrative (I'm a bit simplistic like that) but often the tangents seemed nothing more than the authors excuse to 'sound off'.
I found the use of anagram from the authors name annoying as all hell. (pun intended) The character who serves host to the devil is named Declan Gunn (a disgruntled suicidal writer)- the author, of course is Glen Duncan. I couldn't decided if it was a part of the authors overuse of theme/motif of self-indulgence and hedonism, or just a douchbag, self absorbed thing to do.
Though the narrator (the devil) is egotistical, I couldn't help but think the author was as well. Especially due to his incessant need to randomly throw in the occasional '10-cent word' which stuck out like sore thumbs and completely stammered the flow. (Granted I like challenging vocabulary when appropriately used, but it just seemed like he was showing off his 'British-ness')
Oddly enough, despite my criticisms, I did like the book- for the most part- I devoured the first 2/3's of it, but then found myself saying "ok pal..get to the point..lets wrap this up" Clearly Duncan had the same thought because the last 100 (give or take) pages had a different, more 'straight forward', style.
All that being said, credit must be given where it is due. I found myself wanting to know how it was going to end, curious as to the resolution of the tale. I felt a 'need' to complete this book.
Additionally, it did leave me thinking. It made me think about the origination of evil, what constitutes evil, explore my own past misdeeds, my history with Catholicism etc. to that end it was a success. I guess I have to leave it with, I enjoyed the premise, thesis and overall story, just took exception with the style.(less)

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About Glen Duncan

Glen Duncan is a British author born in 1965 in Bolton, Lancashire, England to an Anglo-Indian family. He studied philosophy and literature at the universities of Lancaster and Exeter. In 1990 Duncan moved to London, where he worked as a bookseller for four years, writing in his spare time. In 1994 he visited India with his father (part roots odyssey, part research for a later work, The Bloodstone...more

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“Kneecaps only exist to get hit with claw-hammers; grace only exists to be fallen from.” — 29 people liked it

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