Food for Thought in Benson's Lord of the World
A very happy new year to you all! I can hardly believe it's 2018 already. The number just sounds so... futuristic . Speaking of which, my first review for the year goes back 111 years in order to go forward to about the present day, with John Hugh Benson's futuristic-dystopian novel, Lord of the World . I feel a little awkward for starting with such a depressing book, but it was one of my recent 2017 reads, so it's high time to review it. The story follows a young, 21st-century Catholic priest, Percy Franklin, who struggles to remain upright amid a volatile scene of political, religious, and social changes. Through a series of unusual events, Franklin comes into contact with a prominent MP, Oliver Brand; Oliver's wife, Mabel; and Oliver's mother, who wants to return to her faith, against her son and society's wishes. Things come to a crisis when a mysterious American, Julian Felsenburgh, arrives in London. His twin-like resemblance to Franklin puzzles...