Lord of the World (1907)

One of two science fiction titles Benson wrote, this is his most popular — and least understood — novel.  Today’s fans of this novel, unfamiliar with late Victorian science fiction, often mistake it for prophetic literature and completely miss its crushing satire of Edwardian society.  Lord of the World seems to have inspired Evelyn Waugh’s darkly humorous novella, Love Among the Ruins.

Benson took a popular sub-genre of science fiction at the time, the “future war novel,” and incorporated all the usual gimmicks: the coming war of 1914, flying machines, super-powerful explosives, the growth of totalitarianism — all of which happened to come true in one form or another.

Lord of the World is a bitingly satiric science fiction novel of a secularized world state.  Lord of the World is the only one of Benson’s novels to remain continually in print from its first publication in 1907 down to the present day.  Archbishop Fulton Sheen characterized Lord of the World as one of “three great apocalyptic pieces of literature dealing with the advent of the satanic.”  Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Ratzinger before his election to the papacy, made positive references to the novel in some of his talks.  Pope Francis has recommended this novel as something that will help people understand the current world situation.

296 pages

ISBN # 9780972982140

$20.00 USD
£14.00 UK

Amazon (U.S.)    Amazon (U.K.)    Barnes & Noble*

*Barnes & Noble no longer lists this edition on their website.

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