The Devil's Apocrypha: There are two sides to every story

by John A. De Vito

The battle between good and evil began long ago.Before the birth of humanity, God and Satan fought for the domination of heaven. And, as everyone knows, God was triumphant over Satans evil. The tale has been told for thousands of years.But its all a lie.A manuscript has been discovered, written over a century ago by a priest who was visited by the Devil himself. A priest who left the church to seek out Three Mad Prophets and learn the truth.An Amazon.com bestseller, The Devil's Apocrypha is a tale that begins in another universe, before creation, and ends with a chilling prophesy. Here is the truth about the origin of God, his journey to our universe, and the battle for heaven. Discover why God manipulated the flesh of our race, the reason for his commandmentsand why one being dared to try and stop him.This is the true story of Satan and Godand its unlike anything youve been told."A terrifying blend of science, religion and philosophy!"OccultForums.com, R.I. Davis"Dark and terrifying...the next Omen!"Daniel Farrands, screenwriter, producer, director

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Religion, Occult

236 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2002

Reviews

[S.M. Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well. I am somewhat fascinated.

The beginning is slow. The style is a bit similar to when Anne Rice gets into writing about history - which means better paced than your dry old history book, but... still, not the fastest read.

But at loc 1253 starts the Devil's commandments, and they are perfectly wonderful.

I've always considered myself an atheist, but perhaps I have been wrong about that.

Couple of my favorite examples from the Philosophies:

"The path of life must be thine own, let not others choose for thee. If ye wish a chance at greatness, follow thine own path. If it should lead to misery, so be it. At least it is a misery of thine own choosing. And remember, ye may always try again.

"If thou findest an inequity, ye must correct it. If thou art witness to an injustice, ye must not stand idle. If ye come upon pain, then give relief. For if the lot of Man is to improve, the seer must be the doer."

There are more... and so many of them dictate the way I already live...

"Thou art stronger than ye can ever know, search for the strength that [d]wells within. It is there. It is waiting. And somewhere out there, someone needs you more than you can ever imagine.

"...Heed not the beliefs, laws and actions of others unless they suit thee. And be prepared to die for this."

It's written in a very King James biblical style - and some reviewers have complaints about this, but I guess I figure if so many read the actual boring bible, then why not this, an alternative look?

I like the way it speaks to the deep centers of my brain, and reminds me to question... cui bono? Who benefits? Sometimes I forget this and find myself blindly following the masses, sleepwalking as it were.

I was surprised to find myself, in the text.

"...And blessed be those who find succor within themselves, for they shall be the insight of the Child, taking strength from the power within and not without. Blessed also be those who fear not God, for they shall be the blood of the Child, and they shall give no sustenance to the minions in the heavens."

Felt a gathering of tears. Had to reflect a bit.

As the narrator says, "...this was not a demonic text...[it's] a book of hope, as a better way to live my life. [And a] warning... we should not follow others without knowing why we do so. We should understand what we believe and why...so there you have it. Now you now. The question is, what will you do?"

If you're not a fan or organized religion, or if you've always felt is if your basic nature sets you apart from society somehow, if you're not all that great at thinking what They tell you to think... give the Devil's Apocrypha a read. You might find yourself at home.

[Colin Hoad · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is very seldom that I am unable to finish a book out of sheer tedium. Even if a book promises little after the first few chapters and continues to show no evidence of improving some further chapters later, I am inclined to persevere. I know that writing a book is no easy task, and once committed, I feel I owe the writer the common courtesy of finishing what they spent months, if not years, crafting.

I say this, because John A. De Vito's "The Devil's Apocrypha" is one of those rare exceptions: I simply could not be bothered to finish it. This is not because I am religious (I'm not) and therefore found his writing inflammatory - far from it. The fact is that De Vito has managed to take an interesting enough subject matter (Judeo-Christian theology from Lucifer's point of view) and make it thoroughly dull. Not only that, but he has chosen to deliver it in turgid, melodramatic King James' Bible prose, which reads horribly.

If you want to read something from the devil's perspective which is genuinely decent, and doesn't pretend to be some lost manuscript painstakingly translated by the author as De Vito makes out, try Glen Duncan's "I, Lucifer". Just don't go anywhere near this drivel.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ended up getting this because it seemed rather intriguing. I really enjoyed "To Reign in Hell" by Steven Brust and I thought maybe this would be on similar lines. I was sort of confused at first when I was reading through this book, mainly in terms of if this was fantasy or if the author actually thought all of this was real? Personally, I think its fantasy, but I don't know about it because he goes through lengths to actually include pictures of these ancient and lost manuscripts. So maybe he is trying to tell the world something?

Basically this book deals with the finding of a lost manuscript in Italy, supposedly found in an old house that was in the author's family. It recounts the meeting of a man and Lucifer. Basically Lucifer tells the man the true story of what happened and basically says that everything that was passed down in the Bible was a lie or twisted in some fashion. Lucifer isn't the real enemy of our souls, but it is in fact the deity a lot of people worship in Christ/God. The story is actually pretty interesting, but sorely suffers from the lack of having an editor go over the material. This book mostly had me until it started delving into the alien theory, where God has left this planet and is now mounting an army on another, it reminded me quite a bit of some story line concepts from Area 51 by Robert Doherty. However, I found the inter-dimensional beings saying they are Gods/Angels a far more plausible concept to stomach. Overall it's a very ambitious story and I really did enjoy reading it, because its concepts are very close to my own. I do like how the author took Biblical passages and then told the story from another point of view; it's something we certainly don't get from the Bible. Whether this is told from the point of view of someone who thinks it's real, or from fantasy, I still found the tales enjoyable and I liked their twist on things.

On a philosophical note, I have to completely agree with this books core concept. Now I'm no devil worshipper by any means, but the demonizing of the Bible did make sense. This book certainly didn't convince, nor was this a revelation to me; I concluded these things a long time ago. I know there will be many that might say my soul requires saving after reading this, but this books premise is true and I cannot deny the possibility. After all the premise of their "devil" seems to be based on a being coming in the guise of something wonderful and beautiful, but instead wreaks complete havoc on the Earth and ruins people's lives. Has this not happened because of worshippers of these religions that profess love for thy neighbor? I simply cannot deny the reality of the situation and if you are a like minded individual and enjoy fantasy/science fiction this book might be quite a breath of fresh air for us that oppose. I have to give this an extra star simply for its bold move in this light for I quite enjoyed how it painted a reality so close to our own.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hard to find, but it was definately worth it.

[19 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had a "Bible" it would be this book.

[Sybil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago, one of the chapters of this novel, the Book of Philosophies, spread to different parts of the internet. Unfortunately, no one gave proper credit so I didn't know it was from a novel until very recently. As a teenager I took those words to heart and lived by most of them. As a grown up I can see that they were flawed but they still hold some wisdom.

In terms of storytelling, this book is interesting. I love a good revisionist fiction, and this one deals with one of the most iconic stories ever told. It is written in the king james style (?) which is my favorite version.

In terms of philosophy, it might seem like an eye-opener to someone who is only beginning to question their beliefs, but boring and overlong to someone who has read these ideas from somewhere else.

Overall, it's an entertaining and short read, with bits of wisdom scattered here and there.

[Jeff Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish the book, as the style it is written in was to biblical in nature and reading it became a chore

[Dr Nathan T Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love blasphemous books. This was just tedious.

[James Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the concept and even the story. But the writing is just not as good as the idea.

[Benjamin Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. Worth the expense to buy a hard copy !

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING: If you are easily offended by anything which throws less than a positive light on Heaven or the Church, do not under any circumstances pick up this book. You'll really hate this one and label it as blasphemy.

Luckily, I don't have any trouble with this type of fiction, and I don't believe that this was meant to be anything but fiction. Looking over the Internet, however, I was surprised that there were people who totally believed in what was said between the covers. Ah well, to each his own, I guess.

I enjoyed it because it was a different approach on the origins of faith, religion and the Church, but I liked it mostly because it says something about questioning what we as humans are taught to believe.

plot summary:
The book begins with its author finding an old manuscript written in five different languages. It was hidden in an old building on the last remaining property belonging to the author's family in Italy. He took it home to the US, and eventually translated it. He explains how the manuscript came into being, and the rest of the book, outside of the epilogue, is the translation.

First off, the manuscript reveals that God and the archangels have come from a different universe which is dying thanks to the natural law of entropy. To save themselves, they must find another place, so by manipulating their energies, they arrive in the void just before our universe has been created. Once the task of creation is complete, they realize that there is none of their original universe's energy to sustain them, so they seek another solution. Think flip-flop of everything you've ever learned in Sunday school, and you pretty much have the story.

You'll either like it or you'll hate it, and you'll probably decide as much by Chapter One. If you get past that, you're in for a great read.

[Kunal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that starts off with a great premise doesn't necessarily have to end well. The premise: this is the Bible told from the Devil's point of view. Through his apostle and the Three Mad Prophets, he decides to tell His version of how things went down after God created the world - starting right from Adam and Even till Armageddon. No doubt that makes for a great story, and for effect De Vito writes the book in a biblical English language. But therein lies the problem. Intelligence is not defined by big words; and similarly profundity in a novel is not measured by its writing style. The plot itself sounds like a series of events - doesn't really question anything - doesn't challenge anything - it's just another point of view. The book starts strong and the eerie description of the Three Among Men will send shiver down your spine. The foreboding style does wonders for the chapters, but then it slows down real fast. There's no real progression that keeps you glued and a quarter of the way in and you get the point - God is bad - the Devil is trying to help mankind. For me the highlight of the novel was the chapter with the Commandments by Satan - some of them really made you think and will resonate with most people - I wish it also resonated throughout the book. Alas, a great concept - but not the best conceived.

[Noodle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was self-published, and quickly became an Amazon.com international bestseller. Further proof that writing a great story is more important than who you know.

This is very familiar story that's given longer roots and turned on it's head. It asks the familiar question "What if everything we think we know is false?". It's classic role reversal, but on a grander scale.

What if Satan were the true savior, and God the villain?

Where this story goes terribly right is that it doesn't just drop you into the plot and tell you what's what. It tells you the why and how. Where did God come from, and why did he create us? How could he get away with the greatest trick ever played?

I loved all the twists on familiar biblical events and people (Lazarus being my favorite). Another aspect I loved is that it's written in the style of the Christian bible, which really gives it an air of authenticity.

My only problem with this book is that, at times, it could be a little full of itself.

And, yes, this is a work of fiction. I think ;)

[Jesse Winslow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concept: Biblical stories told from the perspective of the Fallen ones.

Delivery: If it didn't have the stupid beginning/premise (a secret manuscript discovered in his grandpa's house) or the half King James-half modern writing style I'd enjoyed this book much more.

Consensus: Two things I really liked about this book. #1 the whole concept of creation, what God is, what the angels and demons are, and how the Genesis stories played out made more sense than the actual Bible stories. #2 The chapter Book of Philosophies has some great twists on ancient wisdom like the 10 commandments and such.

[Paul Fisette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Points for self publishing. Sadly, it does show. This book is in need of a good editor and a proofreader. The story drifts, it lacks focus, and oftentimes I was left wondering whether I was reading a story or a manuscript on someones personal religious beliefs. Clearly De Vito wrote this book with a particular theology in mind, but at some point he needed to choose whether this was going to be a fictional read or a theological treatise, trying to combine both makes each aspect fall flat.

[Zac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been interested in different perspectives to stories (e.g., what was the bad guy doing while the good guys were two steps behind, etc.). I liked "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire for that reason.

The book is described as the documentation of a manuscript dictated to the author's great-grand uncle by Satan himself... Lucifer's explanation of the Bible myth. Nevermind that, the story described presents some interesting, and often, more sensible explanations to events and actions accounted for in the Bible.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written book--I have the utmost admiration for writers who can pack a punch in a relatively short, but very tight narrative. It's almost a "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" take on traditional Christian fairy tales (save the alternate point of view is a major character--Satan). No matter your beliefs, you have to appreciate the innovative and refreshing twist that DeVito takes. Bonus points that he's self-published.

[Sergio · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Devil's Apocrypha is a well written book, however I found that I was not thrilled by it. The author John De Vito did a fine job of simulating the speech and text of the bible, and the narrative was well done, but even with the combination of sci-fi and historical fiction, the ending fell flat for me.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole thing, nor am I sure if I would recommend it to anyone. At best I would say that I am ambivalent about the whole book.

[Judas Iscariot · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on Christianity, focusing in on the beginnings of Satan and God. If taken as another tale for Christian mythology, then one might find it quite interesting. I especially enjoyed the reasoning of Satan, but I felt that the beginning and middle were far more interesting than the end.

[S.M. Johnson]

I think I read the abridged edition, or part I or something. It was kindle calculated at 211 pages, and it's supposed to be more like 800?

Loved the Philosophies - perfectly in line with much of what I believe.

The style is a bit hard to stick with, very King James, and as dry and stilted. Still, a fascinating look.

[Crystal Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very creative and well written. It is written from another perspective of well known bible stories, so it can be a bit dull at times. But overall it was a good story by a guy who really did his homework on history and biblical stories.
It's definitely not for everyone, but to those not easily offended it is a quick book worthy of a read.

[Bryce · Rating 1 out of 5]

De Vito makes very little attempt at actual story telling here, focusing instead on his anti-religious agenda. I say this as an atheist myself, but evangelical atheists are just as obnoxious as their religious counterparts.

[Tony Tran · Rating 2 out of 5]

took 4 years of stopping and starting but boy.... it was a trip. even though this book has takes on Christianity that people will frown upon, there is some good philosophies on the bearer of light. comes up very Zen / new age-ish

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a self-published book, but the typos and bad grammar started getting to me after a while.

[Brian Laliberte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though a work of fiction this was an interesting take on the greatest story ever told. It was also an inspiration for Spycraft.

[stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story telling the Bible from another perspective, one of the best fiction stories I have ever read.

[Juliet]

So far, badly written but intersting..I'll keep reading...

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good read but not as disturbing as I thought it would be. Good adult fairytale.

[Michelle Bleau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!