I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan

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.

The Devil, as in Lucifer, is given the opportunity for redemption by living one sin-free month as a human. Of course, he decides to take the offer and absolutely wallow in sin, as devils are wont to do, but in the end there's a tweest! I put off reading this for ages because I was sure it would be incredibly predictable, and then when I finally sat down to start it, I couldn't really stop. It's a stream-of-consciousness sort of book, with massive digressions and a lot of jumping around, but despite my general hatred for that style, I loved it. The writing is so sensual; it's really engaging, and even though the narrator is kind of despicable you also end up loving him (and, in the end, pitying him a little). It's seriously good, but probably very hit-or-miss. To give you an idea, the first sentence is: “I, Lucifer, Fallen Angel, Prince of Darkness, Bringer of Light, Lord of Hell, Father of Lies, Old Serpent, Seducer, Accuser, Tormenter, Blasphemer, and without doubt Best Fuck in the Seen and Unseen Universe (ask Eve, that minx have decided - ooh la la! - to tell all.” If that interests you, you'll probably love the book; if you hate it, don't even try.

Well, I got as far as p208, just after all the waffle about the two Germans, and decided enough was enough.

Nobody can say I didn't try. It was simply not an enjoyable novel.

I agree with what others have said about the short story and the padding. The story itself could have been told in a dozen pages if the padding were removed. That said, the padding is clearly included to give an insight into the character of Lucifer but to my mind it goes way over the top.

I may read the last couple of pages to see how it ends.

Marks out of 10?

Overall I'd give it 1.