An African is elected Pope as the Barque of Peter encounters heavy seas. Everywhere, the Faith and the West are in decline. Ominously, occult practices have corrupted the elites, the media and powerful men in the Church. The new pontiff faces this unprecedented challenge alone, until an embattled American Cardinal sends his best exorcist to Rome, a young Dominican priest with hard experience combating the Devil -- in Latin -- on America's mean streets. Meanwhile, a US media mogul, an indifferent Catholic targeted for his politics, flees America with his family for the Eternal City. There, they find a despondent society where Italians no longer marry and have children. Indeed, all hope seems lost until a beautiful Roman girl takes a brave stance against the rising tide of despair. Gritty, fascinating and impossible to forget, 'The Devil Hates Latin' sweeps from New England to the Tiber, and ultimately to a Renaissance palazzo nestled in the green hills of Umbria, building to a shattering confrontation as Good summons the courage to face the menace of the gathering forces of Evil. PUBLISHED BY REGINA PRESS
This is a book that has a mission-to point out the wrong in the world and show how sin and Satan have brought it about. It is definitely written from a traditional Catholic point of view in regards to abortion and the family. As a Catholic, I could appreciate that and recognize the role that those issues played in both the book and the world. However, the book is also written from a Politically and Economically conservative point of view which is not specifically in line with church teachings. There was one reference to unchecked immigration, for example, which I thought was more political than moral and which, as a Catholic, I do not believe aligns at all with the US Bishops current teaching on the issue. There were also references to different economic systems; the church takes no formal stance on these.
While the book is decidedly Catholic, it did not shy away from the sex abuse scandal or misuse of money in the Church. In fact, most of the "bad guys" in the book were priests! These antagonists were balanced by "good guy" priests and lay people, with good ultimately defeating evil.
Overall, this was a quick read. It was fast-paced, kept me interested and worth the read. It would have been better if the political leanings weren't to blatant, but they did not ruin the story for me.
What a great novel and so unique in its format. The Devil Hates Latin is a Catholic thriller with twists and turns that will leave the reader wide-eyed. Catholic thrillers, especially of the traditional vein, are rather rare in my experience and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. This strangely surreal novel accurately captures what I can only surmise is the current state of the Church and what I know to be the state of secular culture in postmodern times. Finishing this novel was bittersweet. I am excited to read more work published by Regina Press. I highly recommend this novel. Even with a few obvious editorial mistakes, it is superb and worth every second of the reader's time. Happy reading!
The book early on had some moments of confusion, but then as my wife and I went forward reading, it became hard to put down. The chapters are just short enough that they don't sacrifice the quality of scene and interactions to get on to the next part. By the time you are done you will wish you were living in that universe. Very plausible storyline, in a way it lends itself to how quickly all this would turn around if a few well-off Catholic laypeople and prelates (at various levels in the church) would just do the right thing. +Instaurare Omnia in Christo+
A fast paced thriller with a strong Catholic identity, and supernatural overtones. A wealthy American Catholic family settles in Rome, and through their kids, who are respectively in a troubled marriage, a sister in a orthodox convent, and a seminarian, get involved with a Italian family, and a deeply troubled Priestly order. A fun, exciting and enjoyable read.
I fully agree with all the statements of the characters in this story in regards to the state of the Church and society, but the way it was handled was very heavy-handed. It was very obvious that the author was trying to make several points, and it detracted from the story. A seasoned writer would show rather than tell.
Such a good book! Well written and captivating. This book helps shed some light on how far away some many have fallen from the faith. While some might scoff at this, I found the author's insight on how addiction to porn, sex, alcohol, etc can be the result of demons. And when we start to turn away from those demons, often a large struggle can ensue, as the author so well described. Highly recommended this book to everyone.
This was a relatively fast-paced read set in a modern day Church afflicted with many real modern-day problems, and characters who are well-developed and whom I grew to love. I hope there will be a sequel, because I already miss Luigi!