The result is a rough but relentlessly juicy novel, possibly made even better by its many flaws. At least that’s what goes down in Lord Satan.

Apparently the Gothic way to process such real-life horrors was to marry them and see what happens. Charles Manson was a constant presence in the news, causing anxiety and intrigue by the possibility that devils walked among us. These books largely follow the formulas of Gothic classics like Jane Eyre and The Mysteries of Udolpho, only with less ambiguous sex and more horror/Satanism. Lord Satan was first published in 1972 as part of the short-lived “Satanic Gothic” series from Avon. Can the tender heart of a woman soothe the blackened soul of a fiend, or will Adrienne succumb to temptation and willingly join the satanic rituals? It’s that classic situation of trying to domesticate your husband’s embarrassingly diabolical behavior-only in this case, he literally is a demon. 'Unwittingly' is a bit of an understatement, she was drugged and unconscious at the time.Īdrienne does love Vincent, though, so she’s in a terrible pickle. But Adrienne finds all that out later, after marrying her cousin unwittingly in a demonic ceremony. Also he performs black masses in the cellar and is on friendly terms with Lucifer.

Vincent is known as 'Lord Satan'' among the locals because of his ferocious temper and cruelty. Thus spoken is Adrienne's deliciously Freudian description of Castle Caudill, home to her cousin Lord Vincent Stanton. 'Oh-it is so huge-so very big,' she whispered, aghast.

Lord Satan by Janet Louise Roberts