Full Moon Musings

Growing up I got really into vampire mythology. My fascination didn't lead to bloodletting though as I was like the Jehovah's Witness of Goths. My interest was slightly more highbrow. I craved immortality and still do in all honesty. So, I backed the undead ticket. Nowadays expressing interest in vampires can lead to excruciating conversations about lovelorn vegetarian vampires and their fascination with Mary Sue character archetypes. Thus, my interest has gone to ground if you'll pardon the phrase. My interest in the undying is now a deep dark secret (if it ever was that secret). Recently, I have found myself switching teams and becoming more and more interested with werewolves.

I will touch briefly on the Vampire vs Werewolf phenomenon that has exploded with the Twilight scene as the two creatures are tied together in myth and critical understanding in a few ways. All of my readers (perhaps a whole four!) know that Twilight was not the first to put these beasts together to make the sweet horror reese's cup tweens crave, though nor was Underworld the progenitor of this monster mash. No, the peanut butter to vampire's chocolate has been werewolves for centuries. As a personal anecdote, the first time I saw the two sides fight was in an episode of The Real Ghostbusters  "No One Comes to Lupusville."

Slimer spoke a language similar to Nibbler from Futurama
and was way more annoying.

In some ways I've always been slightly interested in werewolves for some time. I'll watch The Howling if its on and I recently bought American Werewolf in London. Which if you haven't seen it, you should go out right now and find a copy because it's special effects have aged better than its cgi filled sequel An American Werewolf in Paris. But, my new found passion for lycanthorpes comes from two sources. One, the excellent book The Last Werewolf and two, from what I think is a maturation on my part.

The Last Werewolf is the first book of Duncan's I read but the second one I've written about. While in some embarrassing ways I enjoyed I, Lucifer, I adored Werewolf. It paints the werewolf as erudite and as interesting as the vampire; and it does so logically. If every so often you Hulked out and went on a killing rampage you would begin to learn to hide it or you would wind up a rug on some hunter's floor. Duncan's protagonist hides his actions making his killings look like regular 'ole murders and probably by shaving regularly. I can't tell you how many times (particularly in film) the werewolf was always the scruffy looking dude with the five o' clock shawdow or beard.

A werewolf from the Netherlands

By creating a werewolf with some degree of intelligence and a longer life than most werewolves in fiction or cinema Duncan allows the creature to get some of its dignity and respect back. I could care less about the dignity bit though. I was once again pulled to the long life aspect. 

My second reason for the increased interest with werewolves becomes slightly more personal. Back in high school at the height of my vampire obsession I, perhaps unsurprisingly wasn't getting laid.

Hahaha just kidding I got mad pussy.

My sexual encounters were limited and strangely related to vampric lore. Lots of biting, making out and soulful looks but not a whole lot else. Now I'm married and much more worldly so when my passion runs hot I feel more like a beast. 

A sexy, sexy beast.

But, does this newest interest mean my love life will dry up? It's hard to say. I am married now so it's almost like I'm contractually obligated to get some. Although my wife does raise the valid point.Who would want to fuck a werewolf?

I, Reader

I, Lucifer, Fallen Angel, Prince of Darkness, Bringer of Light, Ruler of Hell, Lord of the Flies, Father of Lies, Apostate Supreme, Tempter of Mankind, Old Serpent, Prince of This World, Seducer, Accuser, Tormentor, Blasphemer, and without doubt Best Fuck in the Seen and Unseen Universe (ask Eve, that minx)...

— Lucifer

I tracked down this book after reading Duncan’s newer work, The Last Werewolf.  I was struck by Duncan’s ability to fully use the diary format and his incredibly bizarre grammatical constructions. Also the book about werewolves made me cry. So, there’s that.  Anyway, I became slightly obsessed with the book and wanted to read some of his other novels.

I, Lucifer seemed to be the next logical choice as I’ve always loved stories that feature Old Scratch as a character or protagonist. By the blurb on the back it appears as another story about Satan’s fall and teases that the devil “finds himself understanding what it’s like to be us.”

Yes, that’s what I need! I must know Lucifer’s side of things. Something I haven’t read before in: Paradise Lost, Memnoch the Devil, Letters from the Earth, or played as Demon: The Fallen and In Nomine. Snark aside, there are some archetypes that I never get tired of. Instead I usually check out new interpretations of the same story to see what’s different, new, rehashed, deconstructed, and so on.

The plot follows Lucifer in his month spent on Earth wearing a suicidal writer’s body like a cheap suit. Lucifer himself reveals the story to us. In this capacity he’s the best unreliable narrator and the best user of stream of consciousness I’ve read recently. The stream of consciousness is as disjointed as one might expect for an alien immortal consciousness that was present at the creation of all things to be squashed down into a human mind. This physical joy ride comes on the behalf of God who offers the Devil a deal. Live like a chaste human, die, and then come to heave no questions asked to be reinstated as a minor angel; a reverse Faustian pact essentially where the Trickster will give up all his immortal powers for a much longer judgment period.

Lucifer scoffs at the whole idea of salvation and sees the reinstatement as an angel as a slight jab at his “well known pride.” He does however; enjoy the prospect of getting away from the normal torturous duties of hell.  He mucks about in the body doing Hunter S. Thompson level of drugs and generally anything else he can to drive the body he’s in directly six feet under.  For being the devil he does seem to have some limitations for the suffering he brings into the world.  For instance, there is one (of many) disturbing passages where Lucifer wonders what it would be like to commit a rape.  For several paragraphs, like Declan’s body, we are unable to think about anything other than stalking a poor woman back to her apartment and when things are about to get incredibly uncomfortable a few angels show up to tell him to knock it off.  He can be self-indulgent just not commit any mortal sins that will stick to Gunn’s soul.

When I started to read the book I really felt sorry for the meat sack that Lucifer was using. Declan Gunn started out as a schlub who had one hit book, became an insufferable ass, and alienated everyone.  He decides to take one final bath and winds up worse than dead, undead possessed by the devil.

Lucifer’s story arc does tip toe toward the idea that anyone can repent but it seems heavily inferred that when something goes according to plan, particularly God’s plan, you either are saved or doomed to a predestined outcome seen only by the creator and relayed by his winged messengers.

The book held my attention easy enough and provided me with some neat new ideas. For instance, even though Lucifer is a fallen angel that does stop him from suffering from the evil in the world because at the base of his existence he still is part of the angelic host.

 I really enjoyed most of the book but as a caveat, some of the content in the book made me quite embarrassed to be reading it. I can’t really recommend it to anyone for this reason. Although, if you happen to be around it you should thumb through it.

As an interesting side note, Glen Duncan lived with a musician, Stephen Coates of The Real Tuesday Weld, when he was writing the book. Coates made an accompanying album as a sort of soundtrack to the book. The Real Tuesday Weld album I, Lucifer  has an odd feel to it. Not one I would have immediately thought of either as Coates describes his music as "antique beat" a blending of jazzy dance hall numbers and electronica dance.