I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story
by Glen Duncan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Glen DuncanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-04-02
ISBN: 0802140149
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Grove Press
Book Reviews of I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story
Book Review: Giving the Devil his due
Summary: 5 Stars
Beautiful. Not exactly the first words you think of to describe Lucifer. And yet this is the only word that would register to my addled brain when I finished this book. As an avid bookworm, it's almost frustrating to see the generic list of "popular" books or "classic" books lining the top 10 lists of many readers. I, Lucifer takes a step out of the ordinary and gives us a brilliant and alien observation of the lives we take for granted.
The idea of Lucifer trying his hand in the mortal plane of existence has been done. That's a given. But they always retained it as it being his idea, and involved him not giving up his ability to do as he pleases along with his cosmological powers. For once, it was the Pompous One's idea and Lucifer decides to get in on the action. And another first, Lucifer has to go on with the life of the body he inhabits. He doesn't exactly stick to the agenda and he cheats a little to make things easier, but for once, Lucifer has been given the ultimate thought experiment: To be a fully functioning and thoughtful being who finds out what it's like t be human.
Lucifer of course can't help but tell us of his "life". Who he was. Who he is. And most of all, why. He points out that he isn't evil and gets no "joy" form it per se, but just wants to be himself. Wants to be free and unentwined from that which he came from. He also points out several misconceptions of the way we think of the devil. It all leads to a greater understanding of the emotions of the rebellious and the free. Because to be free and to live freely are entirely two different animals.
To truly appreciate this book, you have to put yourself in the mindset that you're looking for the idea behind it all while being entertained and that Lucifer is a character. A figment. It's almost hard not to love who he is. Charming, debonair, witty, indulgent, logical. That which all who have tasted freedom from restriction wish they could bring themselves to be. But he's not real. He was created in the first place to be put on a pedestal as an example, a character to portray an idea to Christians. Instead of saying "Don't think too much or you'll realize none of this makes sense" they said "DOn't think too much or you'll be damned to Hell for all eternity"
You could take this book from fiction, take the Bible from religion, and set them next to each other in the religious fiction section. Lucifer, if anything, gives us the ability to see ourselves from the other side of the mirror. TO see life form high above.
Though much of it is entertainment, rest assured, there are morals and messages. And much emotion. Lucifer comes down to zero hour and actually hits a snag. One placed just precisely right. Not too romanticized, not too cliche, just, right. No final joke. No grand haha. Just simplistic and honest emotion.
This is a thinking book. And there are those who feel they have been so intellectually stimulated that they cannot be so simply intrigued by a book life this (imagine them pointing their noses in the air at that point). The originality eludes many who look form too harsh a perspective. This is neither meant to be every second and thought of Lucifer nor is it supposed to be a continuous story. It's more like a collection of honest and bold thinking stories, told from just the right side of things.
Highly recommended. Finally a book you feel good about putting at the top of your reading list.
Summary of I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story
Grove, 2003, paperback ADVANCE READING COPY, 262 pages, ISBN 0802140149, FICTION ARCLiterary Books
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