Lord of the World
Recommended. Age: 15+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
A Catholic priest wrote this in 1907, and it reads like a warning for today. The Antichrist arrives as a bringer of peace, and Father Percy Franklin answers him with prayer, the sacraments and fidelity unto death. Two popes have praised it. The reservation is heaviness: crucifixions, mass killing, and a main character who chooses suicide by euthanasia.
For parents
Independent reading from 15 or 16; not a read-aloud for children. Good Books for Catholic Kids says 14 and up, and Catholic Reads says adults. Talk through Mabel's death and why the Church calls euthanasia a grave evil (CCC 2277). Ask why the world found Felsenburgh so attractive. The blasphemy in the story is the enemy's.