title: Lord of the World: A Novel
author:  Robert Hugh Benson 
description: &#34;I advise you to read it.&#34; --<b>Pope Francis</b><br><br>&#34;A well-crafted and prophetic novel that anticipates and dramatically renders the spiritual and cultural crises of the twentieth-first century.&#34; --From the introduction by <b>Rev. Mark Bosco, S.J.</b><br><br>&#34;Prophetic wisdom is often best expressed and appreciated through works of art. <i>Lord of the World</i> is just such a prophetic work of art. The book tells certain critical truths: that evil is at work in our time, that lies embed seeds of destruction in the promise of peace, and that Jesus Christ is victorious through the indignation and suffering of the Cross. <i>Lord of the World</i> is the right book for Christians in the modern world--and there may be no message more critical for our time.&#34; --<b>Most Rev. James D. Conley</b>, Bishop of Lincoln<br><br>&#34;Benson's dystopic novel is more sinister than the simple hedonism of Huxley's dystopia and more subtle than the sheer brutality of Orwell's. I welcome Ave Maria Press's new edition of this classic and prophetic work.&#34; --<b>Joseph Pearce</b>, Editor of the <i>St. Austin Review</i><br><br>&#34;By including both a fresh, context-clarifying introduction to Robert Hugh Benson and his dystopian tale and an invaluable meditation on the theology that drives it, Ave Maria Press gives us a relevant and readable edition of a harrowing 1907 novel that, in places, seems all too familiar and timely.&#34; --<b>Elizabeth Scalia</b>, Author of <i>Strange Gods</i>
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  # Lord of the World
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Robert Hugh Benson
  
  
  This page formatted 2004 Munsey's.
  
  
  http://www.munseys.com
  
  PREFACE
  
  
  PROLOGUE
  
  
  
  
  
  BOOK I-THE ADVENT
  
  
    
  CHAPTER I
  
  
    
  CHAPTER II
  
  
    
  CHAPTER III
  
  
    
  CHAPTER IV
  
  
    
  CHAPTER V
  
  
  BOOK II-THE ENCOUNTER
  
  
    
  CHAPTER I
  
  
    
  CHAPTER II
  
  
    
  CHAPTER III
  
  
    
  CHAPTER IV
  
  
    
  CHAPTER V
  
  
    
  CHAPTER VI
  
  
    
  CHAPTER VII
  
  
    
  CHAPTER VIII
  
  
  BOOK III-THE VICTORY
  
  
    
  CHAPTER I
  
  
    
  CHAPTER II
  
  
    
  CHAPTER III
  
  
    
  CHAPTER IV
  
  
    
  CHAPTER V
  
  
    
  CHAPTER VI
  
  
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  Produced by Geoff Horton
  
  
  
  
  
  LORD OF THE WORLD
  
  
  BY ROBERT HUGH BENSON
  
  
  Dedication
  
  
  CLAVI DOMUS DAVID
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### PREFACE
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  I am perfectly aware that this is a terribly sensational book, and
  
  
  open to innumerable criticisms on that account, as well as on many
  
  
  others. But I did not know how else to express the principles I desired
  
  
  (and which I passionately believe to be true) except by producin