The Devil's Ink: Blog from the Basement Office

Comprising a series of blog posts by the devil, this book imagines Satan's take on modern life, from social networking and politicians' sexual dalliances to terrorism. Pugh, professor and chair of religious studies at Elon University and author (Religionless Christianity: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Troubled Times), is so winsome a voice for evil that readers will have to remind themselves not to adopt his point of view. The device lends itself to discrete meditations on individual topics, so readers will be hard-pressed to discern a narrative or particular order to the posts. "Tags" lead readers to investigate connections, such as why the devil likes human striving for perfection and what Thomas More might have to do with that. Many will disagree with some of the more sly satanic observations (e.g., that the devil loves Disney World or that terrorism is excusable). However, the author plans to set up a Web site for readers to continue the conversation. This writing-yet-to-come may be as valuable as the thought-provoking and humorous posts that compose the book. (Apr.)