# The Devil is in the details-Satan gives his side of the story **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741 "2019-09-05T15:23:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/1 "2019-09-05T15:23:24Z")
Stories where the Devil tells his side of the story as to how it all began and/or what is really going down between him and God. One of my favorites is Harlan Ellison’s “The Deathbird”, which portrays God as a mad creature who won the right to rule over Earth, and Nira(the only survivor of “what was” before the mad god wiped out everything to start over in his image). Any others? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/2 "2019-09-05T15:29:29Z")
It’s not told by the Devil directly, but it is compiled from his statements, in **Satan, His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S.** by Jeremy Leven (who wrote the book and screenplay for _Creator_, and wrote and directed _Don Juan de Marco_) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan,\_His\_Psychotherapy\_and\_Cure\_by\_the\_Unfortunate\_Dr.\_Kassler,\_J.S.P.S](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan,_His_Psychotherapy_and_Cure_by_the_Unfortunate_Dr._Kassler,_J.S.P.S). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/3 "2019-09-05T15:31:47Z")
You might also want to have a look at the “Don Juan in Hell” sequence from George Bernard Shaw’s play **Man and Superman** , although that just has the Devil in debate. > **[Man and Superman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_Superman)** > > Man and Superman is a four-act drama written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. The series was written in response to a call for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan theme. Man and Superman opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 21 May 1905 as a four-act play produced by the Stage Society, and then by John Eugene Vedrenne and Harley Granville-Barker on 23 May, without Act III ("Don Juan in Hell"). A part of the third act, Don Juan in Hell (Act 3, Scene 2), was performed when the Mr.... ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/4 "2019-09-05T15:40:03Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You might also want to have a look at the “Don Juan in Hell” sequence from George Bernard Shaw’s play **Man and Superman** , although that just has the Devil in debate. > > [Man and Superman - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_Superman) > [@Sam Malone](#): > > I wonder if that’s the one where he fights the mole men. I’d recently read Up Jumps the Devil. It was… okay. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/5 "2019-09-05T16:19:59Z")
Heinlein’s **Job: A Comedy of Justice** ought to satisfy the requirements. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/6 "2019-09-05T16:24:16Z")
Piers Anthony’s _Incarnations of Immortality_ series has Satan screwing with Death/War/Fate/Time/Nature for five books then the sixth, _ **For Love of Evil** _, is the whole thing essentially retold from Satan’s perspective as part of his eternal contest with God. ---
**Author:** ![GMANCANADA](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gmancanada/32/2837_2.png) [@GMANCANADA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GMANCANADA)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/7 "2019-09-05T16:52:34Z")
I’m not sure if you are defining “stories” as strictly literature or if you’re including other media - but my first thought was the long running TV show Supernatural. Lucifer is one of the main recurring antagonists during several seasons. > **[Lucifer](https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Lucifer)** > > Lucifer, also known as The Devil, Light Bringer, The Morning Star, and Satan, is the central antagonist of the CW television Supernatural franchise . Serving as the main antagonist of the show Supernatural. The overarching antagonist of the first and... Lucifer’s “side of the story” about his fall from grace" is: > [@](#): > > …when God asked for all angels to bow down to humanity, Lucifer refused both out of jealousy and wounded pride over being commanded to bow to what he saw as a broken, flawed, and murderous species and no longer feeling he was God’s favorite creation. They cover his relationship with God, Lilith and the other angels. As I recall from the dvd commentary, the writers lots of research into various tellings of his story and the angel’s lore. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/8 "2019-09-05T17:28:05Z")
The _Lucifer_ TV show is fun, but they really infantalized the character compared to how he was portrayed in the comics the show is based on, where he’s much closer to the way he’s portrayed in Milton - powerful, prideful, principled, and inhuman. Plus, he does shit like pilot a ship made from the fingernails of dead men into the afterlife. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/9 "2019-09-05T17:56:09Z")
I’ve always been fond of Jack Chalker’s _And the Devil Will Drag You Under_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/10 "2019-09-05T18:00:49Z")
The fantastically brilliant “I Am Returning” by Ray Russell, where Satan is an alien, exiled under the Earth (after a long fall), and who manipulates the human race in a fight with his brother (who cast him out), who is manipulating on his own. It covers a hell of a lot of philosophical ground – in only 1500 words. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/11 "2019-09-05T18:14:08Z")
I haven’t read it—does Milton’s _Paradise Lost_ count? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/12 "2019-09-05T18:25:08Z")
DC Comics’ “Vertigo” line did a number of different interpretations, mostly in _Hellblazer_, _The Sandman_, and their spinoffs. There was Lucifer Morningstar, as **Miller** mentioned, who eventually got his own comic and TV show. There was also The First Of The Fallen, who was a drastically different variation on the theme. And then there was _Preacher_, in which Satan has a very minor role, but which twists Judeo-Christian mythology all to heck. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/13 "2019-09-06T00:39:14Z")
I loved Stephen Brust’s _To Reign in Hell_ when I read it a couple of decades ago. It’s basically a back story to Creation and the Fall. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/14 "2019-09-06T00:47:34Z")
I see “Paradise Lost” has been mentioned more than once, but I’m surprised it was not the first work mentioned, as it is so archetypical and influential for this genre. Perhaps so much so that it goes without saying. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/15 "2019-09-06T01:21:53Z")
> [@naita](#): > > I loved Stephen Brust’s _To Reign in Hell_ when I read it a couple of decades ago. It’s basically a back story to Creation and the Fall. That’s the one I was going to mention. it doesn’t so much give Satan’s side of the story, as present a complicated story which could plausibly have been corrupted and simplified into the biblical story that we know. For example, in the book, Satan and Lucifer are separate characters, as are Mephistopheles and Beelzebub. But it’s certainly true that neither Satan nor Lucifer are the bad guys in the story. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/16 "2019-09-06T01:45:12Z")
If you consider the serpent in the garden of Eden satan like many do, then the Holy Bible itself does. In the tale of Adam and Eve, he’s the only character telling the truth. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/17 "2019-09-06T01:51:44Z")
Anne Rice’s fifth novel in her Vampire Chronicles was Memnoch the Devil in which Satan is presented as a relatively sympathetic character. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/18 "2019-09-06T02:04:31Z")
Laura Ann Gilman has a series of books called “The Devil’s West”. The Devil holds a territory in 19th century North America. It’s definitely non-traditional and I highly recommend the series. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/19 "2019-09-06T02:15:23Z")
_Bedazzled_, the 1967 comedy, starring and written by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. (Avoid the puerile 2000 remake, which completely eliminated all of the theological satire at the heart of the story.) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-devil-is-in-the-details-satan-gives-his-side-of-the-story/839741/20 "2019-09-06T05:51:13Z")
Satan’s powerful speech to Beelzebub in _Paradise Lost_ is worth quoting in full, and worth reading, heavy poetry though it is:  If thou beest he―but O how fallen! how changed From him who, in the happy realms of light Clothed with transcendent brightness, didst outshine Myriads, though bright!―if he whom mutual league, United thoughts and counsels, equal hope And hazard in the glorious enterprise Joined with me once, now misery hath joined In equal ruin; into what pit thou seest From what height fallen: so much the stronger proved He with his thunder; and till then who knew The force of those dire arms? Yet not for those, Nor what the potent Victor in his rage Can else inflict, do I repent, or change, Though changed in outward lustre, that fixed mind, And high disdain from sense of injured merit, That with the Mightiest raised me to contend, And to the fierce contentions brought along Innumerable force of Spirits armed, That durst dislike his reign, and, me preferring, His utmost power with adverse power opposed In dubious battle on the plains of Heaven, And shook his throne. What though the field be lost? All is not lost―the unconquerable will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might Extort from me. To bow and sue for grace With suppliant knee, and deify his power Who, from the terror of this arm, so late Doubted his empire―that were low indeed; That were an ignominy and shame beneath This downfall; since, by fate, the strength of Gods, And this empyreal substance, cannot fail; Since, through experience of this great event, In arms not worse, in foresight much advanced, We may with more successful hope resolve To wage by force or guile eternal war, Irreconcilable to our grand Foe, Who now triumphs, and in th’ excess of joy Sole reigning holds the tyranny of Heaven. So spake th’ apostate Angel, though in pain, Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair.