Review: Lord of the World, by Robert Hugh Benson

Review: Lord of the World, by Robert Hugh Benson

A review by Rich Horton

Robert Hugh Benson was born in 1871, the son of E. W. Benson, who became Archbishop of Canterbury. Robert Hugh Benson’s older brothers and his sister were all writers, the best known of them being E. F. Benson, author of the Mapp and Lucia novels. The younger man also became a writer, of 15 novels, most historical, several quite popular. He was close friends with a couple of notorious characters – the novelist known as Baron Corvo, and Oscar Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. But he died only 43 in 1914, and is all but forgotten today.

I’ve elided the most dramatic event of his life, however. In 1903, he converted to Catholicism, and was ordained a priest the next year. This was a bit of a shock to the Anglican establishment, given his father’s position. And in 1907 he published Lord of the World, the most determinedly Roman Catholic of his works, which was a sensation of sorts when published, then largely forgotten, but which has received some notice of late, as the two most recent Popes, Benedict and Francis, have both recommended that Catholics read it.

But how about SF readers? Because Lord of the World is science fiction, set perhaps a century in Benson’s future. There are technological advances, those these are somewhat minor. Some cities have moved underground, and, more importantly, air travel is common, via what are called volors, and they are used in war to drop bombs, to the point of destroying cities. Much more important are the sociological changes. Religion has been largely abandoned, in favor of socialism and humanism – the latter eventually an explicit belief that humanity as a whole is god. Euthanasia is common. As the action opens, the world is roughly partitioned in three parts – the Eastern Empire, the American Empire, and Europe. Catholics, seemingly the only religion tolerated at all, are but a tiny fragment of their former population, though they have been ceded Rome and its environs.

The book follows two viewpoint characters. Oliver Brand is a young MP, who becomes an important acolyte of a new figure, Julian Felsenburgh, who comes from America but throughout the book increases his influence, eventually accepting a position as leader of the entire world. Oliver’s political success seems overwhelming, but his personal life is roiled, as his mother converts to Catholicism and he has her euthanized, and his wife, at first an enthusiastic supporter of he and Felsenburgh, becomes disillusioned and leaves him and heads to a euthanasia center.

The other key character is Percy Franklin, an English priest who over time becomes a more and more important figure in the Church. He becomes a leader in the Church’s response to Felsenburgh – who, notably, looks very similar to Franklin. His faith at first wavers and then is strengthened, and towards then end, after Rome is bombed to destruction, Percy becomes Pope, moves to Palestine – indeed, to Megiddo, and in the end awaits the final battle. 

This is a curious book, quite powerful on its own terms, and to my mind convincingly portraying a chilling dystopia, and resolving in an arresting fashion. And there are some striking passages and images, one for example showing a volor travelling over the Alps – the view from the air truly convinces. On the other hand, the rigorous insistence on Catholic theological truth (and a pretty conservative version of such) will not sell to everyone. One feels that a middle ground between the dystopia portrayed, and the vision Percy Franklin has for the world, might be available.