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sarahareinhard's review
5.0
Lord of the World: A Novel, by Robert Hugh Benson, is a classic I had never heard of, but which boasts "I advise you to read it" - Pope Francis on the front cover.
Ave Maria Press released a new edition in 2016 of this 1907 novel. Confession: I skipped the (probably very interesting and educational) introduction by Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., and just dove into the book. I had no clue what it was about, aside from the back cover's assertion that it's "one of the first dystopian novels of the twentieth century."
I'm a reluctant fan of dystopian literature: I even catch myself sort of understanding why it's so popular. I want to hope, even as I almost despair at the mess the world seems to be in.
Reading Lord of the World struck me with a familiarity that I wasn't expecting. It gave me a feeling of "Oh! This has been wrong for a LONG TIME!"
The plot follows a few characters: a priest, an on-the-rise politician and his wife, and a cast of supporting folks who feel all too much like today's politicians and citizenry.
The hope in this novel comes at the end in an unlikely way. I was expecting a fight, and I guess there was one at the end, but it was far from what I expected.
What is faith and what is the longing for spirituality? How is it manifested? Where do you find it? Interestingly, the answers aren't necessarily in the text or solved by the plot, but the seeds of thought are planted.
There's a chilling reality in this book: the way people both answer temptation and flock to false peace. I walked away feeling much the same as I did after reading 1984: humanity hasn't really changed. Maybe it won't. But hope remains, even when we face ourselves.
Ave Maria Press released a new edition in 2016 of this 1907 novel. Confession: I skipped the (probably very interesting and educational) introduction by Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., and just dove into the book. I had no clue what it was about, aside from the back cover's assertion that it's "one of the first dystopian novels of the twentieth century."
I'm a reluctant fan of dystopian literature: I even catch myself sort of understanding why it's so popular. I want to hope, even as I almost despair at the mess the world seems to be in.
Reading Lord of the World struck me with a familiarity that I wasn't expecting. It gave me a feeling of "Oh! This has been wrong for a LONG TIME!"
The plot follows a few characters: a priest, an on-the-rise politician and his wife, and a cast of supporting folks who feel all too much like today's politicians and citizenry.
The hope in this novel comes at the end in an unlikely way. I was expecting a fight, and I guess there was one at the end, but it was far from what I expected.
What is faith and what is the longing for spirituality? How is it manifested? Where do you find it? Interestingly, the answers aren't necessarily in the text or solved by the plot, but the seeds of thought are planted.
There's a chilling reality in this book: the way people both answer temptation and flock to false peace. I walked away feeling much the same as I did after reading 1984: humanity hasn't really changed. Maybe it won't. But hope remains, even when we face ourselves.
lukedaloop's review against another edition
4.0
Almost prophetic in its predictions.
A sobering look at the end of the world while still acknowledging the difficulty of remaining Christian in the face of overwhelming opposition.
A sobering look at the end of the world while still acknowledging the difficulty of remaining Christian in the face of overwhelming opposition.
robkoechl's review
I found it a bit tough to get through. I found him spending too much time on the descriptions of a persons interior movement and redescribing it over and over. I was impatient with them and skimmed a bunch getting to the action. It could have been cut down to a more bone and quicker story in some ways.
margaret_hovestadt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
An absolute favorite of mine. It's a view of the world if the people abandon God. An apocalypse written before WW1. Popes Benedict XVI and Francis have encouraged people to read this book, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, and Suicide
Minor: Death, War, Genocide, and Murder
catholicamanda's review against another edition
5.0
This book is pretty amazing. It was originally written in 1907 but is so appropriate today. I first wanted to read this book when I heard that Pope Francis recommended it. I am so glad I read this one.
This book takes place in a dystopian present (it was the future in 1907 though!). The world looks different than it does now simply because Robert Hugh Benson had no idea where technology would go. The telegraph is still a pretty important part of information transfer in this book.
Percy Franklin is a Catholic priest in a world where humanism is the guiding belief. Those who are religious in any way are persecuted for their faith. Euthanasia is readily available and commonplace in this world. Everything is secularized and man is the epitome of evolution.
Father Franklin is working as hard as he can to save souls and keep the world from devouring his religion. The battle he is fighting seems to be a losing battle when Julie Felsenburgh, a mysterious American, manages to broker world peace.
Felsenburgh is anti-anything-resembling-true-faith. Instead, Felsenburgh is a leader of secular humanism. After world peace is established, he is hailed as the savior of the world and the expression of the divine human.
All of this is directly opposed to the Catholic Church, the only Christian denomination left in existence. The humanistic society is reframing all religious thought around Felsenburgh while the Church can do little to combat it.
Father Percy Franklin is thrown into this mix with his brilliant mind and his uncanny resemblance to Julian Felsenburgh. Something is going to happen and these two men are likely to head the opposing sides.
This novel is so apropos for today’s world where being a Catholic is such a hard thing. It is amazing to think that this book was written in 1907 when it is so appropriate to today’s world.
I loved this book much more than I thought I would and even though the ending was horribly abrupt, I have no idea how else it could have ended. This is a great book and I am so thankful that Pope Francis recommended it which then made me aware of it.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration.
This in no way affects my opinion of the title nor the content of this review.
This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
This book takes place in a dystopian present (it was the future in 1907 though!). The world looks different than it does now simply because Robert Hugh Benson had no idea where technology would go. The telegraph is still a pretty important part of information transfer in this book.
Percy Franklin is a Catholic priest in a world where humanism is the guiding belief. Those who are religious in any way are persecuted for their faith. Euthanasia is readily available and commonplace in this world. Everything is secularized and man is the epitome of evolution.
Father Franklin is working as hard as he can to save souls and keep the world from devouring his religion. The battle he is fighting seems to be a losing battle when Julie Felsenburgh, a mysterious American, manages to broker world peace.
Felsenburgh is anti-anything-resembling-true-faith. Instead, Felsenburgh is a leader of secular humanism. After world peace is established, he is hailed as the savior of the world and the expression of the divine human.
All of this is directly opposed to the Catholic Church, the only Christian denomination left in existence. The humanistic society is reframing all religious thought around Felsenburgh while the Church can do little to combat it.
Father Percy Franklin is thrown into this mix with his brilliant mind and his uncanny resemblance to Julian Felsenburgh. Something is going to happen and these two men are likely to head the opposing sides.
This novel is so apropos for today’s world where being a Catholic is such a hard thing. It is amazing to think that this book was written in 1907 when it is so appropriate to today’s world.
I loved this book much more than I thought I would and even though the ending was horribly abrupt, I have no idea how else it could have ended. This is a great book and I am so thankful that Pope Francis recommended it which then made me aware of it.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration.
This in no way affects my opinion of the title nor the content of this review.
This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
penguinman's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
danilo94's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
lbrex's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this Roman Catholic apocalyptic novel back in June and found it utterly fascinating, especially its (to me) largely incoherent ending. I'm going to return to it and say more in part because I want to include it in a research project I'm working on. It is worth checking out if you're fascinated by religion, dystopia, and/or queer authors.
nyree42's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0