Lord of the World: Benson, Robert Hugh: 9781484127063: Amazon.com: Books

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Robert Hugh Benson

Lord of the World Paperback – April 15, 2013

by Robert Hugh Benson (Author)

4.3 576 ratings

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Lord of the World is a 1907 apocalyptic novel by Robert Hugh Benson. It is sometimes deemed one of the first modern dystopias. Michael D. O'Brien's Catholic apocalyptic series, Children of the Last Days follows a very similar theme as well. Essentially the novel imagines a socialist and humanist world where religion has been either suppressed or ignored. People have no history or hope so they often turn to euthanasia, which is legal. Further there is a "one-world" government that uses Esperanto for its language and ultimately becomes a servant of the anti-Christ. In brief: The Catholic Church has been suppressed by the rest of the world, which has turned to the religion of Humanity modelled on that of Auguste Comte. (A scene in which the Antichrist leads a massed congregation in the worship of a nude female statue in St. Paul's Cathedral is a more decorous version of the worship of the Goddess of Reason in Notre Dame de Paris in 1793. Pope John XXIV has made an agreement with the Italian government: the Catholic Church can have all of Rome, while all other churches in Italy are surrendered to the government. The deposed royal houses of the world (including the Chinese imperial dynasty, who have converted to Catholicism) are now resident in Rome. Ireland still remains staunchly Catholic, with small enclaves all over the world. Westminster Cathedral is the only church in London that is still Catholic. The rest have become Freemasonic temples. The plot then follows the tale of a priest, Percy Franklin, who becomes Pope Silvester III, and an unknown man named Julian Felsenburgh (who is identical in looks to the priest) who becomes "Lord of the World".

Print length

188 pages
Language

English
Publication date

April 15, 2013
Dimensions

6 x 0.43 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1484127064
ISBN-13

978-1484127063
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4.3 out of 5

576 global ratings

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Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2011

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First of all, this is a fantastic book! Many people have written up fabulous descriptions of this book, so I won't repeat them. However, I will reiterate that this is a novel who was written for Catholics who enjoy dystopian novels. If you are not Catholic, you will probably not enjoy this book, as it is a glorification of many Catholic rituals. Also, if you don't like dystopian novels and don't like these "what-if?" situations, you will definitely not like this book--it is fiction after all, even though it has many parallels with real events that have happened since!

Now, I was born after Vatican 2 took place, where they created an English version for the mass to celebrate. So I was not exposed to the Latin mass at all. With that said, there were some pivotal moments of this book which were really hard for me to understand, as they were written in Latin. For example, at the very end (don't worry, I won't spoil it!) the last words are written in Latin, with no translation of the Latin in English. To those who are familiar with the Latin mass, I am sure this would be a very, very powerful ending. However, for me, I was confused and I had to look up the words separately to understand the meaning, since I was not familiar with the Latin mass.

Anyway, this is just a word of caution for those who are young and were born under Vatican 2 or who are not otherwise familiar with the Latin ceremonial rites! This is a good book and you will enjoy it if you are a Catholic who likes dystopian novels. However, expect to do a bit of reading to familiarize yourself with the Latin mass.

Also, since several people commented on this book is proof that Vatican 2 shouldn't have happened. As someone who has lived under Vatican 2, I don't think that this book says that at all. It does, however, imply that Catholicism is going to last for a long time, no matter what the world throws at it.

20 people found this helpful

Inspiring, Prophetic, Frightening

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2015

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Written in 1907, this book reveals a lot of what we are experiencing today. Only God, the Father, knows the day and the hour, but we are supposed to be watching the signs of the times. I give this book five stars, because it is so well written, so accurate, and quite a page turner. Robert Hugh Benson was a gifted author who used beautiful imagery to show us what the end times might look like using Sources such as Scripture and the writings of the early Church Fathers whose writings are included at the end of the book.
The characterization also shows amazing insight into the struggles of the human soul with the reality of the world that is presented to them and that of the supernatural and the eternal which are hidden from the senses. An excellent example would be the comparison and contrast of the protagonist, Fr. Percy Franklin, and the antagonist and Lord of this world, Julian Felsenbugh. They look alike, but they are very different on the inside. How did the author do this? Read the book.
I recommend this book not only to Catholics, but also to,other committed Christians and anyone else who is concerned about the direction that western civilization is going. This book will inspire you and frighten you, and hopefully set you on fire for the Faith, because in the book, it is only those souls who have an interior, a prayer life, who are able to resist the lure of the world and the eloquent speech of Felsenbugh. How is this done? Read the book. Read it!

26 people found this helpful

A Chilling Depiction of the End of All Things

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2016

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Lately, I find myself reading more and more about theology. I guess I am doing so because I have reached a point in my life where I no longer believe the problems of this nation, or the world, can be solved merely with politics. A more fundamental reform needs to take place, one that delves deeper than the superficial world of "policy." Prior to this book, most of my reading has been focused on non-fiction theological titles. However, realizing that there can be profound religious wisdom in fictional titles as well - Lord of the Rings comes to mind - I'd thought I would take a chance on a fictional title as well. I read somewhere that this book was one of Pope Francis' favorite titles, so I'd thought I take a gander.

Right off the bat, the premise of The Lord of the World hooked me because it sounded like something ripped from today's news even though it was written circa 1907. The set-up: a thoroughly secularized and weak Europe, one so morally adrift that euthanasia is commonly prescribed for both the physically and mentally ill, trembles before the threatened onslaught of a resurgent Islam (Sufi, in this case). All looks bleak until a hitherto unknown American politician, one gifted with a golden tongue, rises to the world stage and attempts to unite the world in peace under his plan for global government. This charismatic politician, Julian Felsenburgh, is soon hailed as a secular messiah, the very incarnation of the spirit of the world. Problem: he might also be the anti-Christ!

This is the main thrust of Lord of the World. Pretty good, no? And it is. The author, Robert Hugh Benson, weaves a fascinating tale of a world gone mad. Primary characters include Oliver Brand, a British Marxist politician who becomes one of Felsenburgh's greatest supports; his wife, Mabel, who initially adores Felsenburgh as much as her husband, but comes to loath his new world order when it proves to be as bloody-minded as any other totalitarian ideology; and, last but not least, Father Percy, a man who bears an inexplicably striking resemblance to Felsenburgh (he is described by one cardinal as the "antithesis" of Felsenburgh), and is assigned the task of advising the pope on how to best counter what many in the Roman Catholic Church expect to be the ultimately nefarious designs of Percy's doppelganger.

I think one of the best parts of the book is how Benson demonstrates the way that Felsenburgh misappropriates the very language and methods of Catholicism to advance his militantly secular new world order. Before long, the last remaining Catholic churches are forcibly converted into shrines where people can worship not God, but pagan representations of the various faces of the world spirit, such as motherhood (which cunningly borrows Marian aspects), the harvest, and so on. What is more, eventually Felsenburgh himself is referred to in some very Christological terms, such as the Son of Man, and the Incarnation, and He Who Is. Equally fascinating, and I also believe very insightful in light of the all to common cults of personality that occur in politics, Benson relates how many of Felsenburgh's adherents gush over his linguistic skills, but few can relate precisely what he said at any given event! This is what makes Benson's depiction of the anti-Christ so compelling. Unlike the many cartoonish representations of the devil that are portrayed in movies and popular fiction, Benson has a much more sober perspective, one that recognizes that the anti-Christ won't arrive in a cloud of sulfur, sporting horns and a tail, but instead will arrive as a polished politician who promises utopia while preparing the way for hell itself. Benson's devil has much in common with a Robespierre, Lenin, Mao, and Hitler. Felsenburgh is little more than a demonic mirror where people see reflected whatever it is that they want to see reflected. This is also why nobody can tell you what he said precisely: in reality, everyone is just hearing what they want to hear.

Benson's writing style is excellent, and he provides some wonderful quotes. One of my favorites is this gem:

" There it all was - gigantic headlines, and four columns of print broken by startling title phrases in capital letters, after the fashion set by America a hundred years ago. No better way even yet had been found of misinforming the intelligent."

LOL!

But when he is serious, he can also be profound. When Fr. Percy is asked for advice in resisting Felsenburgh, he answers:

"Holy Father- the mass, prayer, the rosary. These first and last. The world denies their power: it is on their power that Christians must throw all their weight. All things in Jesus Christ - in Jesus Christ, first and last. Nothing else can avail. He must do all, for we can do nothing."

On the modus operandi of secularist humanism:

"Humanitarianism: it was coming, like the kingdom of God, with power; it was crushing the imaginative and the romantic, it was assuming rather than asserting its own truth, it was smothering with bolsters instead of wounding and stimulating with steel or controversy."

On faith:

"The Catholic Religion, He knew well enough, gave the only adequate explanation of the universe; it did not unlock all the mysteries, but it unlocked more than any other key known to man; He knew, too, perfectly well, that it was the only system of thought that satisfied man as a whole, and accounted for him in his essential nature. Further, He saw well enough that the failure of Christianity to unite all men one to another rested not upon its feebleness but its strength; its lines met in eternity, not in time."

And many more.

Perhaps one of the most haunting aspects of the book is the final act. It is here that the reader is presented Benson's view of how the final clash of good versus evil will unfold. It starts as a muddy, darkened sky that only some initially perceive, albeit, there are very noticeable earthquakes and heatwaves as well. As mankind's final act approaches, the dome of the sky becomes leaden, and the earth and sun itself seem to become "a second-rate sketch" of themselves. I found such imagery chilling. Equally chilling is the first and only time we get to meet Felsenburgh in an intimate setting: his chambers when he unfolds his final solution for the Catholic problem. The man doesn't speak, but instead has one of his acolytes do all the talking for him while he merely broods. When he finally does speak, only to inquire as to any further proposals - none dare answer in the affirmative - his voice is described as a "strange voice, now as passionless as a frozen river." It is a very disturbing scene.

All in all, I found The Lord of the World a must read. The only reason I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars is because this book can be a bit slow at times. Benson has written a very introspective tale where much of the prose is devoted to the perceptions of people as they witness the end of times. As such, this book can be light on actual dialogue and action, something that sets a very sedate pace despite the momentous events. But that is my only slight critique. Seeing what is going on in the world, Lord of the World should be read by anyone who takes their faith seriously.

31 people found this helpful

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HobbyLearning

If you enjoy Dystopian Literature

Reviewed in Canada on September 13, 2023

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This is a dystopian novel that explores themes of religion, secularism, and totalitarianism. In contrast to other dystopian books like "1984" by George Orwell or "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley.

While "1984" and "Brave New World" primarily focus on political and societal control, "Lord of the World" stands out for its emphasis on religious and philosophical themes in a dystopian context.

Each offers a unique perspective on the potential pitfalls of different aspects of society and governmental control.

Jake

Proiezione distopica sul futuro

Reviewed in Italy on October 14, 2023

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Visione pessimistica ma azzeccata sul futuro che stiamo vivendo oggi come presente,scritto da gente che evidentemente sapeva in quale direzione i potenti volevano indirizzare il mondo.
Indispensabile come "1984" di Orwell e "Brave new World" (Nuovo Mondo) di Aldous Huxley per capire uello che stiamo vivendo attualmente.

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Ignacio Romeo

Un clásico que hay que tener

Reviewed in Spain on April 3, 2021

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Lectura obligada para todos

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Cliente Amazon

Great book, specially for christians

Reviewed in Brazil on October 8, 2019

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Great story, the book has a post apocalyptic vibe, mixing the Bible Book of Revelations with a Brave New World style.

Graham Cooper

A compellingly believable dystopian novel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2015

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This is a profound 1907 foresight into how "the consequences of unimpeded subjectivism" lead by incremental steps to Armageddon. The author traces how a humanist/communist world cannot tolerate the existence of contrary opinions and seeks to destroy the last vestiges of the Christian Church. It's a densely-packed style that takes some getting used to, but has a page-turning ending.

6 people found this helpful

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