A brilliantly written portrait of Lucifer encountering the world of the senses, telling his version of the Bible, and discovering what it's like to be human - in Clerkenwell. 'Now, Your million questions. All, in the end, resolvable into one: What's it like being me? What, for heaven's sake, is it like being me? In a nutshell (which, thanks to me, is the way you like it in these hurrying and fragmented times), it's hard.' Finally, the other side of the story. The Prince of Darkness has been given one last chance: he will be readmitted to the company of his fellow angels if he agrees to live out a human life. Highly sceptical (naturally), the Old Deal-maker negotiates a trial period - a summer holiday in a human body, with all the delights of the flesh. The body, though, turns out to be that of Declan Gunn, a depressed writer living in Clerkenwell, interrupted mid-suicide. Making the best of a bad situation, Luce himself takes to writing - to explain, to strip back the Biblical spin, to help us see the whole thing from his point of view. And to knock that Jesus off his perch. Beset by distractions, miscalculations and all the natural shocks that flesh is heir to, Lucifer slowly begins to learn what it's like to be us. Glen Duncan's brilliantly written new novel is an investigation of the world of the senses - the seductiveness of evil, and the affection which keeps us human.
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Glen Duncan’s I, Lucifer begins one steamy summer as some heavy negotiations are taking place in Heaven. God has decided to give Lucifer, the furthest-fallen of all fallen angels, a second chance. The Prince of Darkness can return to the fold, provided he manages to last one month on earth without sin. The human form chosen for this celestial experiment? A depressed novelist of little renown, currently contemplating suicide in his Clerkenwell garret.
Lucifer eagerly grasps the opportunity for a holiday on earth, and uses his host’s identity to re-write the story of Creation in a format that has Hollywood moguls kissing his feet. It’s not popular with Him Upstairs, of course, what with the Devil being portrayed as a maverick free-thinker and God as a humourless autocrat. But Lucifer’s having too much fun to care. He’s experiencing the pleasures of the flesh for the first time and everything – the odour of sweaty tube trains, cocaine, ice-cream, dirty sex--delights him. By the time the archangels are dispatched to bring him back, the Lord of all that’s inhumane can’t think of anything he’d rather be than human.
Lucifer befogs his audience, alternately spitting fury at them like some sulphur-charged Dennis Leary and then insisting that he’s a nice guy, just misunderstood. What’s clear, however, is that Glen Duncan is not merely one of those writers who can come up with amusing concepts. He’s a sharp, sometimes savage observer of the human condition, whose talents are as many as the legions of Hell.--Matthew Baylis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'A film version of the novel might be exciting but it would not be a patch on Glen Duncan's wonderful act of ventriloquism' -- Times Literary Supplement
'Clever and challenging...sizzling with mephitic energy' -- Independent
'Duncan is a sharp, sometimes savage observer of the human condition, whose talents are as many as the legions of Hell' -- Matthew Baylis
'Fiendishly funny, wickedly eloquent' -- Big Issue
'Lucifer is charming and sexy and very very funny. Glen Duncan knows way too much and says it far too well. I fear for his soul' -- Stella Duffy
'Clever and challenging...sizzling with mephitic energy' -- Independent
'Duncan is a sharp, sometimes savage observer of the human condition, whose talents are as many as the legions of Hell' -- Matthew Baylis
'Fiendishly funny, wickedly eloquent' -- Big Issue
'Lucifer is charming and sexy and very very funny. Glen Duncan knows way too much and says it far too well. I fear for his soul' -- Stella Duffy
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By Moondust
Format:Paperback
A friend of mine works in a bookstore and recommended I,Lucifer a couple of years ago. He knows my taste in books so I thought I'd give it a try. Saying that it's a page-turner, that I couldn't put it down even after I had read it twice over, is a huge understatement. Truth is, the reader is immediately drawn into witnessing a series of events and afterthoughts that are unbelievably funny, cheeky, wicked and dark at the same time. Before long, I found myself empathising with Lucifer....at which point, having been a sad soul entrapped in a catholic convent school for many years, I felt compelled to put the book down and tell myself "It's Lucifer, for God's sake! You're feeling sorry for THE DEVIL". Well...it is at this stage that Duncan's work should be appreciated beyond it's literary value....because despite the nuns' influence and years of daily doses of guilt tripping, I picked the book back up and said "Yeah...so what?!"
Read it.
Read it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By J. C. Way
Format:Paperback
I suppose I have to preface this review by saying that I am already a Glen Duncan fan, and have read all of his published novels save The Bloodstone Papers (on the reading list). At the point of my first reading of 'I, Lucifer', I had only read one other - 'Weathercock', which rocked my world and left me wanting more.
If 'Weathercock' ended up hovering around the top of my 'favourite reads' list, 'I, Lucifer' shot straight to first place. Where some of Duncan's books fall down is in the personality of the protagonist, frequently a young man musing on life after a catastrophic emotional event - they sometimes end up infuriating me with their whininess. Not so here. Lucifer has suffered, yes, has possibly been done wrong to, and yes, he complains about it; but his ultimate motive is to win over the reader, and so he narrates charmingly, persuasively and wittily.
Even while sympathising with the Devil, though, you are being shown his flaws. The more obvious ones he doesn't attempt to deny (namely, his urge to do evil), but there is more to him. This becomes more pronounced a subject towards the end of the book.
Glen Duncan's style is perhaps, as has been said, self-indulgent, but also wonderfully descriptive. He says exactly what he wants to say, sometimes in less, sometimes in more words. And what's more, what he's saying is often what a lot of us would rather ignore. He pinions human nature perfectly, using his fallen angel.
If 'Weathercock' ended up hovering around the top of my 'favourite reads' list, 'I, Lucifer' shot straight to first place. Where some of Duncan's books fall down is in the personality of the protagonist, frequently a young man musing on life after a catastrophic emotional event - they sometimes end up infuriating me with their whininess. Not so here. Lucifer has suffered, yes, has possibly been done wrong to, and yes, he complains about it; but his ultimate motive is to win over the reader, and so he narrates charmingly, persuasively and wittily.
Even while sympathising with the Devil, though, you are being shown his flaws. The more obvious ones he doesn't attempt to deny (namely, his urge to do evil), but there is more to him. This becomes more pronounced a subject towards the end of the book.
Glen Duncan's style is perhaps, as has been said, self-indulgent, but also wonderfully descriptive. He says exactly what he wants to say, sometimes in less, sometimes in more words. And what's more, what he's saying is often what a lot of us would rather ignore. He pinions human nature perfectly, using his fallen angel.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I, Lucifer is devilishly clever, fiendishly funny and angelically beautiful all at once. It's so jam-packed with description I felt I was literally being bombarded by all that Lucifer experiences all at once, but its so wittily done that it just washed into me and became an integral part of the story. Deeply satirical, Duncan has created a version of the Great Adversary that I could really get on board with - I could sympathise with his predicament and understand the motives for his every move.
The style is light, witty and highly enjoyable - I whizzed through it at lightning pace and loved every roller-coater moment of it. A Heavenly read from start to finish.
The style is light, witty and highly enjoyable - I whizzed through it at lightning pace and loved every roller-coater moment of it. A Heavenly read from start to finish.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
I have loved all his books apart from this one.
I have read all of Glen Duncan's books since Hope first came out but gave up this half way through when I first read it. I recently decided to give another try. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nick Howell
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't build yourself up for this
Ok so I must have been bad in my previous life and felt like I was suffering reading this. I so wanted to like this book it had all the ingredients I look for;quirky , offbeat and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jackie Tunnah
3.0 out of 5 stars
I, lucifer
I found this book quite hard going, but I kept going, I did enjoy the book, but I would not read it again.
Published 1 month ago by S. F. Skelton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Irreverent and witty, but NOT for everyone!
This will NOT be to everyone's taste. A great idea, with insights and humour and wit, but lots of very bad language that will offend many too. Read more
Published 1 month ago by K. J. Noyes
2.0 out of 5 stars
Better the devil you know
As I found this title in a list of Modesty Blaise books, I was a little disappointed.
I shall udoubtedly find someone who wants it.
I shall udoubtedly find someone who wants it.
Published 2 months ago by Mr. R. F. Harding
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book I've read for quite a while
Well. Where to start? The premise of the story is that God offers Lucifer a deal: if he can live a relatively blameless human life, he can return to Heaven. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Kestrel
5.0 out of 5 stars
witty and dark
ive never read anything by Glen Duncan before but i saw this in a book shop and i started reading the first page and began laughing out loud getting me some odd looks from other... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Hannie
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as I thought
I bought this after reading The Last Werewolf which I loved! Glen Duncan's work is generally good and he has a very distinct style which I like , although I was disappointed with... Read more
Published 13 months ago by kimberley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
Ok, so I have actually only read about 10 pages of this, but I am in love with it already. I will update you when I have finished
Published 15 months ago by Sleepysloth
4.0 out of 5 stars
"...You don't get through the average possession without the odd...
Finally, the other side of the story: why was Lucifer banished from heaven? And what is hell really like? Read more
Published 15 months ago by Eileen Shaw
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