I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story [Paperback]

Glen Duncan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2003

The end is nigh and the Prince of Darkness has just been offered one hell of a deal: reentry into Heaven for eternity—if he can live out a well-behaved life in a human body on earth. It’s the ultimate case of trying without buying and, despite the limitations of the human body in question (previous owner one suicidally unsuccessful writer, Deelan Gunn), Luce seizes the opportunity to run riot through the realm of the senses. This is his chance to straighten the biblical record (Adam, it’s hinted, was a misguided variation on the Eve design), to celebrate his favorite achievements (everything from the Inquisition to Elton John), and, most important, to get Julia Roberts attached to his screenplay. But the experience of walking among us isn’t what His Majesty expected: instead of teaching us what it’s like to be him, Lucifer finds himself understanding what it’s like to be us.
By an author hailed by the Times Literary Supplement as one of Britain’s top twenty young novelists, I, Lucifer is “a masterpiece…startlingly witty, original and beautifully written” (Good Book Guide).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Paradise Lost, Milton set out to "justifie the wayes of God to men." In this novel, British author Duncan (Hope; Love Remains) attempts to justify the ways of Satan to the hip. God gives his evil subaltern a month in a human body, with an option to own, thus permanently casting off his pain-racked cosmological being. The grim alternative for Lucifer is to subsist in eternal nothingness. The vacant body belongs to Declan Gunn, a writer on the brink of suicide. Lucifer narrates his romps through escort service dates, cocaine-laced nights and, mostly, the thrills of the wondrous human sensorium. Lucifer options his life story-from his starring role with Adam and Eve to his struggles with an autocratic God-to a film producer and torments Declan's lover, Viola, with the promise of a juicy part in the upcoming movie. But for all his jauntiness, Lucifer must unexpectedly wrestle with Gunn's conscience, including Gunn's memories of Penelope, his alternately loathed and longed-for ex. When Lucifer makes the disastrous decision to see Penelope and forgive her for dumping him, he confronts the goodness of mercy, a battle that leaves him sick with nausea and cognitive disorientation. Lucifer tosses wisecracks around as if they were hand grenades. On the wickedness of a rival of Gunn's, he quips, "There's no murder in him, and only a very predictable dribble of lust. His soul, and billions like it, provide the cosmos with its muzak." Alas, Lucifer's wit doesn't often rise to this sharply satiric level: it's more like a series of outtakes from Bedazzled. This is the archetypal promising novel-the author's talent with words eclipses the substance of his story.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Duncan's last novel, Hope (1998), was about pornography addiction. Since then, he's apparently found God, or rather, the Devil. His latest novel features the Prince of Darkness incarnate 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 evil earthly pleasures. In between acts of debauchery, however, Lucifer/Gunn resurrects his literary career and revels childlike in the Earth's simple offerings: tastes, smells, sunsets, London. He muses theological, contemplating free will and the Fall and thinks about--just maybe--getting back on God's good side. Seduced by our diabolical narrator's wicked humor and Duncan's clever conceit, the novel's Christian redemption moral may catch some readers off guard (wasn't this book supposed to be about evil pleasures?), but they likely won't want to put it down. Duncan's witty and perverse, yet somehow life-affirming, Lucifer is powerful indeed. Brendan Driscoll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (April 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802140149
• ISBN-13: 978-0802140142
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Literature & Fiction > British > Contemporary

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not For The Faint Of Heart May 26, 2003

By Ruth Edlund VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Telling the basic plot of this story won't give anything away: God offers the Devil a deal: come to earth and take over the body of a poor soul who has just committed suicide, stay out of trouble for one month in this body, and gain re-entry into Heaven. The story is told as a confession by Lucifer himself.

From this promising premise, Glen Duncan takes the reader on a verbal rocket ride which ends...well, that doesn't matter, the ride is so enjoyable. Duncan is well-versed in literature going well beyond the obvious Blake (whom Lucifer dubs "Blakey") and Milton, and clearly has a deep knowledge of New York as well as London, modern as well as ancient history. At least in its references this book is surprisingly erudite.

The passages describing Lucifer's embodiment into a human being, and his evolving responses to possessing five senses, are realized fully enough to rate this book worth reading just for that vicarious experience. The author's main achievement, however, is his imagining a fully believable, fascinating, and yes, dammit, likeable Lucifer. At once biting, arch, and occasionally oddly touching, Duncan's Lucifer makes P.J. O'Rourke sound like Mister Rogers.

If you are easily offended by criticism of the Almighty, of organized religion, and just about everything else, this is not the book for you. If you like your humor without cream or sugar (as for example in the film "Dogma"), give this book a try.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars i can't believe it! September 29, 2006

By S. Davis

Format:Paperback

i can't believe all the bad reviews this book is getting in here! this turned out to be one of my favorite books of all time! it is funny through and through. (more than once i laughed out loud and had to explain myself to my husband.) the feeling i took away from this book is APPRECIATION. when lucifer gets to experience life, duncan is great at describing how he experiences the wonderful things we all take for granted every day. i will think twice now whenever i see a sunset or feel the wind on my face. the ideas about how it all began and heaven/hell are clever and thought provoking.

there is some british lingo, but not so much that i couldn't follow the story. and, i agree w/ one of the other reviewers about the name being annoying, but once you get over it (oh, within the first chapter, i would hope!) it's no big deal...there is so much else going on, it's the last thing to worry about.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! i highly recommend it!

43 of 56 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Five Star Prose Stuck in Purgatory March 6, 2005

By Jose R. Perez

Format:Paperback

As much as I admire Glen Duncan's lyrical style and adjective-laden prose, "I, Lucifer" was a major disappointment reader. Duncan tells his devil-of-a-story in a manner that's so holier-than-thou his point gets watered down throughout by less-than-agreeable characters and a confounding points of view, plot elements that detract from some of the most magical prose I've ever read. It's that hyphenated-words-make-some-sort-of-sense-eventually writing that makes "I Lucifer" both a great fountain of literature AND a dumb exercise in futility.

It's hard to follow the author's stream of consciousness, which other writers have perfected through accessible references. Unlike Umberto Eco or John Irving - who can write chapter-long paragraphs that still make a point, with a beginning, a middle and an end - Duncan often fails to connect his dots. This in turn makes each page a somewhat plodding exercise that is not only NOT fun, but damages Duncan's superb use of language and obvious gift for creating nearly miraculous visions out of words.

It's not that I didn't enjoy this book....if I were in a devil-may-care mood (puns are unavoidable after wrapping up this tome)...I'd say that as a whole, "I Lucifer" succeeds by showcasing a literary dynamo with tremendous talent to spare. And yet, despite all its lofty images of heaven, hell, heck and history the novel failed to entertain me. The creeps notwithstanding, Declan Gunn - aka Lucifer the Devil - is so hugely unlikeable and despicable he's a caricature without the satire. He never succeeds as either villain or as hero. He gets under our skin as any good character does, but doesn't close the deal. In the end, he's just a poor slob who spews hate and venom and whose words, actions and deeds remain inhuman and narcissistic.

"I Lucifer" has plenty of superb passages and writing that deserves praise for Glen Duncan...obviously a passionate, literally visionary who, with the right plot and story to tell, will undoubtedly continue to succeed. Yet even a five-star author can write a clinker (think Tom Wolfe or Stephen King) and "I Lucifer" - despite its moments of genius - falls terribly short of greatness.

The joke here is on Duncan the author because at the end of the day, this joke-of-a-tale has no punch line.