Friday, May 24, 2013

Magnificent Malevolence by Derek Wilson ~ review


  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Lion Fiction (April 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 178264010X

This book is also available in e-book form.



C. S. Lewis, who introduced Screwtape, a senior devil, to the world in 1942, knew that evil is powerful and personal. He understood that its main thrust was against God and the people of God.

There can be no doubt that Lewis would agree that Screwtape and his diabolical colleagues have not ceased their operations in the last seventy years. As the human decades have passed, the same war has been fought, with new weapons and different battle tactics.

How fortunate, then, that the following account, rescued from the archives of the Low Command's Ministry of Misinformation, has fallen into our hands. This remarkable manuscript outlines the career of the prominent devil, Crumblewit SOD (Order of the Sons of Darkness, 1st Class). It was in a much mutilated state and has only, with difficulty, been cut and pasted together to make a reasonably coherent narrative of the activities of a post-Screwtape generation of devils. It is not, of course, "true" in the sense of being an objective appraisal of the struggles between good and evil which dominated human affairs in the period from 1950 to 2000. The account is distorted by Crumblewit's truly diabolical conceit and also his ability for self-delusion. However, it does shed fresh light on the ups and down experienced by the church throughout this period.

Crumblewit's energies were entirely deployed in the religious arena. He was employed exclusively in undermining the attempts of Christians to bring to bear upon world events the prerogatives of love, peace, and justice and to carry out the mission entrusted to them by Jesus . . .

My take on this book:
It isn't often that I pick up a book that I just really have to struggle to read, but unfortunately for me that's just what happened with "Magnificent Malevolence" by Derek Wilson. Truthfully I had no idea what "The Screwtape Letters" were, instead I was drawn to the story because of the cover. The story is about Crumblewit a devil with the SOD. His job is to work against God by undermining Christians. A tempter of sorts who tries to get humans to choose evil over good. 

Overall, I thought this was a very well written book, the story flowed well. That said, I just couldn't connect with Crumblewit, or what he was doing. I found myself putting the book down for days and then returning to it.While this book wasn't my cup of tea, it might be just the book someone else is looking for. 

rating 2.5/5

A complimentary copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.



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