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Paradise Lost: A Readable Story Edition of John Milton's Epic
332 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 23, 2026
About the author
John Milton
3,841 books2,322 followersPeople best know John Milton, English scholar, for
Paradise Lost
, the epic poem of 1667 and an account of fall of humanity from grace.
Beelzebub, one fallen angel in Paradise Lost, of John Milton, lay in power next to Satan.
Belial, one fallen angel, rebelled against God in Paradise Lost of John Milton.
John Milton, polemicist, man of letters, served the civil Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote in blank verse at a time of religious flux and political upheaval.
Prose of John Milton reflects deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. He wrote in Latin, Greek, and Italian and achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644) in condemnation of censorship before publication among most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and the press of history.
William Hayley in biography of 1796 called and generally regarded John Milton, the "greatest ... author," "as one of the preeminent writers in the ... language," though since his death, critical reception oscillated often on his republicanism in the centuries. Samuel Johnson praised, "with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the ... mind," though he, a Tory and recipient of royal patronage, described politics of Milton, an "acrimonious and surly republican."
Because of his republicanism, centuries of British partisanship subjected John Milton.
Beelzebub, one fallen angel in Paradise Lost, of John Milton, lay in power next to Satan.
Belial, one fallen angel, rebelled against God in Paradise Lost of John Milton.
John Milton, polemicist, man of letters, served the civil Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote in blank verse at a time of religious flux and political upheaval.
Prose of John Milton reflects deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. He wrote in Latin, Greek, and Italian and achieved international renown within his lifetime, and his celebrated Areopagitica (1644) in condemnation of censorship before publication among most influential and impassioned defenses of free speech and the press of history.
William Hayley in biography of 1796 called and generally regarded John Milton, the "greatest ... author," "as one of the preeminent writers in the ... language," though since his death, critical reception oscillated often on his republicanism in the centuries. Samuel Johnson praised, "with respect to design may claim the first place, and with respect to performance, the second, among the productions of the ... mind," though he, a Tory and recipient of royal patronage, described politics of Milton, an "acrimonious and surly republican."
Because of his republicanism, centuries of British partisanship subjected John Milton.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 19, 2026
Paradise Lost.
Great dialogue between Satan and Beelzibub - it is very helpful to read how they still believed they could outwit God, even though they realised God’s greatness and power far outweighed their own, they were ( or chose to be ) ignorant of the fact that God allowed them to rise out of the Lake of Fire 🔥…
Whilst also believing their minds could not be outwitted, even though they admitted God to be the more powerful. Pride I guess
Is the root of this …
Interesting and very insightful quote from Satan ,
“The mind is a realm of its own.
It can make heaven into hell - or hell into heaven.”
Oh how we see this played out in our humanity!
Incredible too that Satan put himself on par with God - as long as he is king of his kingdom, ( even if evil) he decided that he’d rather be king of hell, than a slave of heaven,
which shows the twisted jealous mindset.
Great description of how the fallen angels were shocked at their horrifying transformation.
It conjures up a very vivid picture of how angels changed into demons due to their rebellion, and their shock and initial dismay at the outcome of how far they’d fallen, and then as Satan called them to rise and not wallow in their misery, but to
“Stand tall, or forever be trapped in this fallen state.”
They were jolted into action, even though pained, but resolute in their actions to join their leader Satan.
Their appearance dimmed ; a shadow of their former glory, although created to sit on heaven’s thrones, now relics of their angelic forms with faded majesty…
The fallen angels set out to deceive and destroy the human race, which is still prevalent today, in which many have lost or deserted their faith.
The part that says
“ Despite God’s endless patience, the lies and deceptions of these angels led many astray …”
Pride is an issue with both demons and mankind - “ humanity, in their pride, exchanged the breathtaking majesty of their creator for carved animals in self-serving rituals. “
The way the author brings the subject back to the Holy Spirit, asking the Holy Spirit to provide the names from A-Z of the fallen angels who stirred from their fiery rest is reassuring, and puts things into perspective, as God is in control and has the last word on everything.
We can never be complacent- King Solomon was the wisest man on earth, but yet was seduced by Moloch the bloodthirsty, with cunning and lies, which ended in travesty.
How it was described was
well detailed, and sent a shiver down my spine.
…”Gehenna- a living symbol of hell on Earth” was the outcome.
The following evil kings, incited by demons are well described, with unmentionable acts being performed; a reflection of hell.
Insightful to read about Baalim and Ashtaroth, male and female, who were spirit beings and able to take on either gender, or even both at will, but not being subject to human limitations, also able to take on any form -
“They could accomplish supernatural ends, capable of false love and deception. “
As evil attracts evil, more demons followed, some of these involving the Israelites. ( Great example of the golden calf statue.)
At the end of page 55, Satan’s pride is “coursing through him.”
As his legions are “vast, beyond reckoning, “ and are led by him by not rage, but unwavering bravery, which can calm troubled minds, and remove anguish, doubt and fear…”
A very good descriptive metaphor on page 57, describing the fallen hosts of demons,
“They were like mighty oaks in a forest scorched by lightening, or mountain pines with their scorched tops, standing tall but barren on the scorched earth. “
Great description of Mammon - the lowest of the fallen.
What an interesting perspective to have on the subject.
Mammon- the lowest, but most influential!
Pg 65
“it was he who first men to exploit the depths of earth, greedily seeking hidden treasures.”
I have found this book to be utterly compelling. The language style is approachable rather than intimidating, with real life struggles, rather than distant theology.
Key themes:
Free will
Justice
Choice
Redemption
It is interconnected with modern life and personal experience.
My overall impression so far:
It is a key message about loss, but also about hope and redemption.
Great dialogue between Satan and Beelzibub - it is very helpful to read how they still believed they could outwit God, even though they realised God’s greatness and power far outweighed their own, they were ( or chose to be ) ignorant of the fact that God allowed them to rise out of the Lake of Fire 🔥…
Whilst also believing their minds could not be outwitted, even though they admitted God to be the more powerful. Pride I guess
Is the root of this …
Interesting and very insightful quote from Satan ,
“The mind is a realm of its own.
It can make heaven into hell - or hell into heaven.”
Oh how we see this played out in our humanity!
Incredible too that Satan put himself on par with God - as long as he is king of his kingdom, ( even if evil) he decided that he’d rather be king of hell, than a slave of heaven,
which shows the twisted jealous mindset.
Great description of how the fallen angels were shocked at their horrifying transformation.
It conjures up a very vivid picture of how angels changed into demons due to their rebellion, and their shock and initial dismay at the outcome of how far they’d fallen, and then as Satan called them to rise and not wallow in their misery, but to
“Stand tall, or forever be trapped in this fallen state.”
They were jolted into action, even though pained, but resolute in their actions to join their leader Satan.
Their appearance dimmed ; a shadow of their former glory, although created to sit on heaven’s thrones, now relics of their angelic forms with faded majesty…
The fallen angels set out to deceive and destroy the human race, which is still prevalent today, in which many have lost or deserted their faith.
The part that says
“ Despite God’s endless patience, the lies and deceptions of these angels led many astray …”
Pride is an issue with both demons and mankind - “ humanity, in their pride, exchanged the breathtaking majesty of their creator for carved animals in self-serving rituals. “
The way the author brings the subject back to the Holy Spirit, asking the Holy Spirit to provide the names from A-Z of the fallen angels who stirred from their fiery rest is reassuring, and puts things into perspective, as God is in control and has the last word on everything.
We can never be complacent- King Solomon was the wisest man on earth, but yet was seduced by Moloch the bloodthirsty, with cunning and lies, which ended in travesty.
How it was described was
well detailed, and sent a shiver down my spine.
…”Gehenna- a living symbol of hell on Earth” was the outcome.
The following evil kings, incited by demons are well described, with unmentionable acts being performed; a reflection of hell.
Insightful to read about Baalim and Ashtaroth, male and female, who were spirit beings and able to take on either gender, or even both at will, but not being subject to human limitations, also able to take on any form -
“They could accomplish supernatural ends, capable of false love and deception. “
As evil attracts evil, more demons followed, some of these involving the Israelites. ( Great example of the golden calf statue.)
At the end of page 55, Satan’s pride is “coursing through him.”
As his legions are “vast, beyond reckoning, “ and are led by him by not rage, but unwavering bravery, which can calm troubled minds, and remove anguish, doubt and fear…”
A very good descriptive metaphor on page 57, describing the fallen hosts of demons,
“They were like mighty oaks in a forest scorched by lightening, or mountain pines with their scorched tops, standing tall but barren on the scorched earth. “
Great description of Mammon - the lowest of the fallen.
What an interesting perspective to have on the subject.
Mammon- the lowest, but most influential!
Pg 65
“it was he who first men to exploit the depths of earth, greedily seeking hidden treasures.”
I have found this book to be utterly compelling. The language style is approachable rather than intimidating, with real life struggles, rather than distant theology.
Key themes:
Free will
Justice
Choice
Redemption
It is interconnected with modern life and personal experience.
My overall impression so far:
It is a key message about loss, but also about hope and redemption.
May 16, 2026
For the average reader, Alan Vermilye's translation of John Milton's "Paradise Lost" serves as an excellent update to this timeless, epic poem. Before starting Vermilye's version, I went back and read Milton's poem and I must say that Vermilye's version is much easier to read, follow along, and understand. Vermilye uses incredibly strong illustrations to visualize the events found in Milton's poem. He does not shy away from Milton's themes of death, darkness, evil, pureness, courage, shame, and hope.
I did not go through and perform a side-by-side comparison of Milton and Vermilye's works, but it's evident that Vermilye had to of spent a great deal of time transcribing events, characters, and themes and then translating them into an easier-to-read format that best suits today's average reader. (I use the term average reader to contrast with literary scholars who will have a different kind of analysis and hot take than what I think me and most other readers would have.)
Some elements I really enjoyed about the book:
- The book opens with prayer, which is a great way to start this kind of undertaking
- The book contains numerous visuals that I found to be impactful and insightful, such as:
- Describing conversations between Satan and his angels and how they fell from Heaven and into the Abyss in Chapters 1 and 2
- God's foreknowledge of the Fall and Mankind's condition as well as he conversations between God, Jesus, Adam, Eve, Satan, and others in Chapters 3 and 4
- The description of Eden in Chapter 4 was very well done and I enjoyed how Vermilye kept Milton's structure at putting creation at the center of the story in Chapter 7 - which served as a really great illustration of Genesis 1
- The conversation between Satan and Eve in Chapter 9 was very insightful and something I am still thinking about after finishing the book, in terms of how Satan (as a serpent) lied about eating of the fruit which gave him the power to talk so as to deceive Eve)
- After the eating of the fruit in Chapter 10, it was interesting to see how Adam and Eve started fighting and creation started to devour itself
- Chapters 11 and 12 featured a thoughtful conversation between Adam and Michael, where Vermilye does a great job showing how Adam began to bear the weight of sin being introduced to the world
Some elements of the book that I struggled with were:
- The book kept many of the Greek and pagan god references, which without understanding the context in how they were being used I found distracting
- Chapter 6 - The War in Heaven - seemed very long and could have been edited down a bit
The last bit of critical feedback I'd offer is that I think it would have been better for Vermilye's Afterword to have been a Foreword instead. He does a great job explaining his interest and challenge in breathing new life into Milton's work.
Overall, as a reader of Vermilye's other works including his C.S. Lewis study guides (where I was first introduced) and his Easter and Christmas Hymn books (which I've bought for myself and family members to share), I can tell that Vermilye has really stretched his writing capabilities into new territory and done a fantastic job adapting Milton's work that has survived and been studied for hundreds of years. It was a monumental task and I am greatly impressed with how Vermilye took an epic poem from the 1600's and made it readable in modern times so that more readers can glean the lessons, themes, and perspectives from this great piece of work.
I did not go through and perform a side-by-side comparison of Milton and Vermilye's works, but it's evident that Vermilye had to of spent a great deal of time transcribing events, characters, and themes and then translating them into an easier-to-read format that best suits today's average reader. (I use the term average reader to contrast with literary scholars who will have a different kind of analysis and hot take than what I think me and most other readers would have.)
Some elements I really enjoyed about the book:
- The book opens with prayer, which is a great way to start this kind of undertaking
- The book contains numerous visuals that I found to be impactful and insightful, such as:
- Describing conversations between Satan and his angels and how they fell from Heaven and into the Abyss in Chapters 1 and 2
- God's foreknowledge of the Fall and Mankind's condition as well as he conversations between God, Jesus, Adam, Eve, Satan, and others in Chapters 3 and 4
- The description of Eden in Chapter 4 was very well done and I enjoyed how Vermilye kept Milton's structure at putting creation at the center of the story in Chapter 7 - which served as a really great illustration of Genesis 1
- The conversation between Satan and Eve in Chapter 9 was very insightful and something I am still thinking about after finishing the book, in terms of how Satan (as a serpent) lied about eating of the fruit which gave him the power to talk so as to deceive Eve)
- After the eating of the fruit in Chapter 10, it was interesting to see how Adam and Eve started fighting and creation started to devour itself
- Chapters 11 and 12 featured a thoughtful conversation between Adam and Michael, where Vermilye does a great job showing how Adam began to bear the weight of sin being introduced to the world
Some elements of the book that I struggled with were:
- The book kept many of the Greek and pagan god references, which without understanding the context in how they were being used I found distracting
- Chapter 6 - The War in Heaven - seemed very long and could have been edited down a bit
The last bit of critical feedback I'd offer is that I think it would have been better for Vermilye's Afterword to have been a Foreword instead. He does a great job explaining his interest and challenge in breathing new life into Milton's work.
Overall, as a reader of Vermilye's other works including his C.S. Lewis study guides (where I was first introduced) and his Easter and Christmas Hymn books (which I've bought for myself and family members to share), I can tell that Vermilye has really stretched his writing capabilities into new territory and done a fantastic job adapting Milton's work that has survived and been studied for hundreds of years. It was a monumental task and I am greatly impressed with how Vermilye took an epic poem from the 1600's and made it readable in modern times so that more readers can glean the lessons, themes, and perspectives from this great piece of work.
April 18, 2026
Alan Vermilye has done a truly astonishing work adapting this intimidating classic: it now reads as a best-seller one cannot put down! Alan Vermilye helps us integrate this classic in our continuous religious education and provides us with yet another invaluable tool in our quest for living the Gospel.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews