Lord of Darkness was inspired by the true story of 16th century English mariner Andrew Battell, who was captured by the Portuguese while pirating in South America and shipped to Africa as a prisoner, where he spent twenty years of his life—including some time living in the African interior with a cannibal tribe and their powerful, dangerous leader, Imbe Calandola, the titular "Lord of Darkness".

Much of the appeal comes from Battell's story, which is fascinating in itself.  His dialogue is full of philosophical asides on almost every conceivable subject. This is a thoughtful book. It's also not an easy one. Battell makes choices of a questionable moral nature, from working in the employ of his captors and nation's enemies, to living as a member of a cannibal tribe. This is not a book for the squeamish: there are some disturbing scenes here. At one point Battell, determined to leave nothing out of his narrative, remarks that what he is about to reveal will make the reader hate and condemn him, and certainly that's an option. Battell's awareness of his choices and actions, and his analysis of them at the time as well as after fact, add depth both to said scenes and to his character.

A final word of warning: There is a lot of sex in this book, and it's fairly explicitly described, though couched in sixteenth century language as it is, it loses a little of it's, shall we say, vulgarity. If that's the kind of thing that'll turn you off a book entirely, you might want to give this one a pass.

That said, part of the triumph of the novel is bringing you, the reader, to places that make you uncomfortable (sometimes extremely uncomfortable) and then bringing you through them—not entirely unchanged, but perhaps now seeing the world around you in a different light. That's one of the marks of Great Literature, and Lord of Darkness is an absolute masterwork.

"Gripping and compulsively readable." —George R.R. Martin, author, A Song of Ice and Fire series

Used - good

Published 1983.  559 pages. 9-1/2 x 6-1/2 x 2"  Hardback