EnWorld
An Encapsulated Future
A masterful satirization of contemporary society’s sins, EnWorld is an engaging supernatural novel.
In Leland James’s whip-smart corporate satire EnWorld, Satan and his devilish subordinates are on a quest to strip the world of goodness.
Satan, having taken the form of a twenty-first-century businessman, writes A World of Evil, a novel-cum-guidebook to the end of days. In it, EnWorld is a place devoid of goodness and ruled with unilateral authority by Satan. Birsha, a subordinate devil, is enthusiastic about playing a part in Satan’s plan; Satan uses him as an inside source in EnWorld.
Much of the novel consists of philosophical pontificating on topics including statehood, totalitarianism, and sociology. At first, these passages bog down the book’s progression, impeding the excitement of Satan’s plotting. Long expository passages about EnWorld’s origin and history have the same effect.
In addition, because EnWorld exists in the novel before it is actualized in the real world, the lines between Satan’s imagination and reality are blurred. However, once focus is placed on the citizens of EnWorld, the book picks up speed and becomes more suspenseful. Still, throughout the novel, the action and momentum are interrupted by explanations of what’s happening, such that nothing is left to the imagination; most details are stated outright, which is clunky and distracts from the action.
When it comes to its satirical elements, though, EnWorld is masterful. Satan’s businessman persona and his preoccupation with human management strategies are both comical and thought provoking. As Satan is an embodiment of evil, his characterization is made to reflect contemporary society: EnWorld is Satan’s end game for humanity, but it’s also positioned as a natural conclusion to the trajectory of human progress throughout time. In an absurd twist, Satan comes to function as the book’s moral anchor, with his work a reflection on the ills of EnWorld and of human society.
The prose is variously accessible and intellectual, and it features flourishes in its language. Because the narration is omniscient, with the interior thoughts and feelings of all involved included, diverse opinions of EnWorld are highlighted, as is Satan’s influence on the entire machine. For example, the leaders of EnWorld, the Stephens, are deified by Satan in order to exert control over the general population; through them, the numerous reasons why humans might accept an oppressive system are explored. References to Socrates, John Milton, and George Orwell further broaden the book’s scope.
In the cutting satirical novel EnWorld, Satan develops a sociological portrait of modern sin that doubles as an indictment of contemporary society.
Reviewed by
Leah Block
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
