Lord of the World

A Novel

By: Robert Hugh Benson

Narrated by: Doug Tooke

In an airplane news conference on his return from the Philippines in January 2015, Pope Francis mentioned Robert Hugh Benson’s Lord of the World and said, “I advise you to read it.” It wasn’t the first time the Holy Father had praised the book since becoming pope. This 1907 futuristic narrative has been hailed as the finest work of this unsung but influential author and son of the archbishop of Canterbury, whose conversion to Catholicism rocked the Church of England in 1903. The compelling book includes a new introduction, a biography of Benson, and a theological reflection.

Popular young adult books such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, as well as literary classics such as Walker Percy’s Love in the Ruins and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, have created a growing interest in dystopian novels. In one of the first such novels of the 20th century, Robert Hugh Benson imagines a world where belief in God has been replaced by secular humanism.

Lord of the World describes a world where Catholics are falling away and priests and bishops are defecting. Only a small remnant of the faithful remains. Julian Felsenburgh, a mysterious and compelling figure arises, promising peace in exchange for blind obedience. Those who resist are subjected to torture and execution. Soon, the masses are in Felsenburgh’s thrall, and he becomes leader of the world. Into this melee steps the novel’s protagonist, Fr. Percy Franklin. Dauntless and clear-sighted, Franklin is a bastion of stability as the Catholic Church in England disintegrates around him. Benson’s harrowing plot soon brings these two charismatic men into a final apocalyptic conflict.

With an imagination to rival H. G. Wells and theological insight akin to G. K. Chesterton, Benson’s astute novel has captured the attention of many today, including Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. This new edition makes it easily available and features an insightful introduction by Rev. Mark Bosco, S.J. and a brief biography of Benson by Martyn Sampson.

Public Domain (P)2020 Ave Maria Press

stunning story mediocre performance

I dare say prophetic book. subpar narration at times but not so bad that it eclipses the meaning of the passages. inconsistent in the narrator's voicing of characters, but again, not a deal breaker. of the story.... amazing. simply amazing.

A different kind of book.

The author is an excellent wordsmith and I enjoyed his use of words. This is a different kind of book than I normally read, but it was an enjoyable diversion.

Terrible narration

The narration sounds like it might be a bad AI. The pacing and phrasing is wrong and the tenor of the voice will oddly change for a few words before snapping back.

I wanted to support Ave Maria Press, an excellent Catholic publisher, but the narration was so distracting that I switched over to the Blackstone Audio edition after the Preface. Spent a precious credit to do so, but I didn't want to hate a universally lauded story because of the audio book's flaws.

I will say, the introductions to the author's life, work, and theology were excellent, despite the distracting narration. I stuck with it through those, but had to abandon ship once the story began.