Books like Satan Prince of the World — picked by fans

The key to understanding the development of Judaism and Christianity is understanding how the problem of evil was interpreted in antiquity. There are many books on the subject, but Neil Forsyth’s is my personal favorite. His book is very thorough, covering the topic from ancient polytheistic Mediterranean mythology up through the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gnostics, and early Christianity. We can see that within religions of Semitic origin, there was fierce debate over whether evil was introduced by God himself, other heavenly beings such as angels or sons of God, by Satan, or by human beings. This led to debate over who the ruler of this world, the “material world,” really was. Was it God? Was it Satan? Was Satan actually God? These questions were of critical importance when Christianity emerged, and Forsyth’s book provides essential context.

I am one of those people who just loves Christmas time and all things Christmas–a real Christmas “junkie”!  So this book, set during the first Christmas and depicting a fictional story involving angels–wow, combines two of my favorite things into one story, angels and Christmas, that is going to be a guarantee for becoming a favorite book of mine.

Even though the story is fictional, it is one of those stories that you think “it really could have happened that way”. I can read this book every December and not get tired of it!

This book has helped me learn, while we are asking “Where is God in all this?” God is asking “Where are My people?”

Learning to pray with power and purpose consistent with God’s will produces God’s ways on earth! God wants us to be the vessels through whom He works to produce the abundant, victorious life Christ died to give us. I love how Dutch Sheets takes the reader through their personal life, then into their sphere of influence, all while teaching us God’s intended broader realms of influence and authority He wants us to experience into the whole world.

This book is great for helping us understand and wield the authority we have in Christ.

The Oath is an unmissable read for anyone who is fascinated with the wickedness of Smaug in The Hobbit. The way that Frank Peretti writes his non-human villain is absolutely masterful, but don’t worry, there are plenty of homo sapien villains to go around as well! As you read about the adventures of our main character, Steve Benson, your expectations are pulled in one direction, only for the author to jump out and surprise you at every turn. Like Tolkien, Peretti understands that though sin and corruption can be complex, some evil is just evil. 

I read this book 17 years ago, and I have not forgotten it.

It really shows you all the places where the devil tries to trap you by baiting you. For instance, if your husband says a particular thing, you get really ticked off, and you guys get into an argument. You took the bait.

This book shows you how to stop yourself before you get caught in those traps and gives you tools to get around the devil's schemes and plans. 

Messed up, crazy, destructive relationships are my jam and Stylo Fantome nails the fantasy in Degradation, book one of the Kane Trilogy. I’m also ever intrigued by power imbalance, something spotlighted between Jameson and Tatum. Add to that their searing chemistry and humiliation kink, and this book is fire. Highly recommend if you’re looking for dirty billionaires. 

Another medieval setting, this time far more political, working with the crown, but eminently readable. Doherty’s love of history and his extensive knowledge are infused in this, the first Hugh Corbett Book.

The detail of the medieval streets of London, the smells, the violence, the intrigue, the patchwork of characters had me hooked from the beginning.

Hugh Corbett is a damaged soul at the beginning and grows with the pace of the book into a man with a purpose. His personal loneliness inspires pity and there is humour in his manservant Rafe picked from the condemned minutes before a hanging.

Hugh Corbett has become another fictional hero—I follow him through his many adventures and watch him grow.

I love this book; how can anyone not? It's not a ‘book’ recommendation as it is a manga, but it still requires reading, and there is a lot of it. From the deep characters to the meticulously planned plot and world history, it is a series that latches on and doesn’t let go. 

When reading, I was laughing along with the characters one minute and tearing up in the next chapter. I enjoyed this fun-filled adventure (and still do because it's still going at over 1000 chapters and counting) and recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy adventures.

Until I readthis book, I thought Satan was a bad guy. But the Satan of this book is surprisingly sympathetic. I love re-reading familiar stories from the point of view of a character who is not what I expect. Satan makes his rebellion of angels sound like a popular uprising against an autocratic ruler, one who was not elected but “upheld by old repute,/Consent or custom.” It’s like Satan is the George Washington of Heaven, rising up against God’s King George. And I applaud his acceptance of his current situation in Hell: “Here at least/We shall be free.” No whining or self-pity.

There’s also Satan’s honest self-appraisal. You’d think he’d spent years in psychotherapy. He admits to his “dread of shame,” his love of boasting, and his joy in his own ambition. I love an intelligent, clever, and complex character. When Gabriel chastises Satan for leaving Hell, Satan says… show more.

A Series of Unfortunate Events begins by pitting the Baudelaires against the evil Count Olaf and his henchmen, escaping time and time again from his villainous schemes. But as the series progresses, good and evil begin to blur. The Baudelaires are forced to do things they would have previously considered evil (lighting fires, lying), while they learn that V.F.D. is not the noble organization they had once thought. 

Towards the end of the series, the moral ambiguity grows starker than ever, and in The Penultimate Peril, the Baudelaires find themselves facilitating an evil scheme in the process of trying to disguise themselves. Though aimed at younger readers, these books are very cleverly written, with plenty of hidden meanings that I’ve enjoyed rediscovering as an adult!