by Alexander Kosoris

On the two-year anniversary of the publication of Lucifer, I thought it would be fun and at least a bit interesting to offer some thoughts on my book and attempt a hopefully impartial review at the same time. I suppose it can also be considered an informal foreword of sorts, one that will likely never be printed in another edition of Lucifer, as the dreadful sales of my book make the prospect of another printing unlikely.

Off the hop, the synopsis on the back is something I’m not particularly fond of. As strange as this sounds, I didn’t actually understand my story’s subject at the time of publication. I wrongly focused on the rebellion aspect; it’s important to the plot, yes, but it really takes a back seat to the central conflict surrounding Lucifer’s attempt to create life. While I don’t think I would greatly fault any other novice author for such an oversight, it, unfortunately, helps to set a reader up for incorrect expectations before even opening the book, one of at least a few mistakes I made that can be chalked up to lack of experience. (I realized the error of my ways and altered the synopsis on Goodreads and Amazon in such a way as I describe here. When people want to learn more about the book, I usually direct them there as a result.)

Reading it now, certain phrases that seemed fine at the time grate on me a bit now, such as whenever I refer to someone “donning” a smile, or any of the numerous clichés, but this really isn’t a deal breaker. Two things stand out much more strongly on a read-through. Firstly, one of the more frequent bits of criticism that I had a hard time understanding around the time Lucifer came out had to do with its length, and I clearly see now that the issue at hand wasn’t simply that the book’s short, but that it feels short. Some aspects of the plot, especially closer to the end, move along too quickly, without good enough building and pacing, and other parts were ripe for expansion that never happened. Secondly, I’m a bit of a visual storyteller, and I think there are passages where this is a blessing and others where it acts as a hindrance. At times, the descriptive actions interspersed throughout the dialogue work effectively to improve the pacing or the gravitas of the speech, but such writing will sometimes trip up the flow of speech.

Despite any negatives I mention, there’s still plenty about Lucifer that I like. I had a lot of fun describing the fantastical elementals of Heaven, usually involving the testing rooms––large, empty rooms that were completely white, in which angels would make humans and landscapes appear in order to test programs, utilizing voice commands––but also with regards to life outside the main office complex. Related to this, I still love the first human interaction, in the chapter with the same name; with the combination of outright silliness and tiny touches that show Lucifer to be a sarcastic––albeit polite, at this point––little bitch, reading this chapter still makes me chuckle.

Another thing I’m quite happy about is the significant tonal shift that occurs as the story progresses. We get a taste of the darkness that lurks below the surface early on, but things lighten up until one character hints that things are about to change. As well, even with some things unfolding quicker than I would have liked, looking back, I’m quite happy with Lucifer’s clear evolution, showcased in how he interacts with God and the other angels. (My favourite moments with regards to this are probably the two main emotional speeches he delivers, which are, incidentally, very fun to read in front of audiences.) As much as it pains me to admit this, however, I think the success I see in the tone and the protagonist’s characterization throughout Lucifer was largely a matter of beginner’s luck rather than any specific writing strategy.

Despite all the things that would likely be different if I were writing Lucifer now, I’m glad I published it when I did, for doing so thrust me into the local literary community where I’ve been lucky enough to meet so many bright and interesting people. As well, I started reading not only much more as a result, but also more thoughtfully, which I suspect will greatly help me improve my writing.