Lucy the Satanist: A Novella

by Elizabeth Bedlam

A teenage girl meets Satan in the form of a dog. Mild acts of mayhem ensue.

Genres: Fiction, Novella, Horror

146 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2021

About the author

Elizabeth Bedlam is a writer of satire, dark humor, and low-brow literary fiction. She has been featured in anthologies and zines that you've probably never heard of including Anti-This/Anti-That, Low Life, Horror Sleaze Trash, and Soiled Purity.

Her most-read works include Rabbit Skin Glue and Lucy the Satanist. She has been praised for her realistic depictions of neurotic females.

Elizabeth is a Michigan native. She currently lives and writes from Melbourne, AU.

Correspond!
Instagram: @elizabeth.bedlam or @swann.bedlam
Email: elizabethbedlam@gmail.com
Website: swannbedlam.com

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a story about a girl and her...uh...well...um...dog? Les is an absolute riot and really plays the role of the devil to perfection. He takes a strong hold over this impressionable, young girl who is yearning for something to trust and rely on, and convinces her to do his bidding, just because he wants to. I love how Lucy even acknowledged fully on how he was manipulating her, but just allowed it to continue. But Les has tons of light and hilarious moments, and just spews all these memorable lines, including my favorite, '...she smells like church biscuits.' You gotta love Satan and his antics, folks. Lena also shines as this confused, impulsive, and angry, barely of out adolescent, caregiver to her little sister, in the absence of their absentee mother, Rita. She participates in all of these heated events against opposing groups, i.e. pro-lifers, with this seedy and unsavory associates, trying to find an outlet for all her frustrations, stemming from being pushed into a caregiver role, and not being allowed to live a life of her choosing. But she does her best, albeit while very imperfect, is a decent effort to take care of Lucy. She cares above all else, but at her age in that sort of predicament, with no support, it would be near impossible to do a stellar job. But again, the love is always there, even while shrouded in conflicted feelings and actions. As a whole, this novella is a good deal of fun, with an original concept, full of heart and laughs. I definitely wanted a lot more clarity on the direction of all the characters towards the end, which felt abrupt and incomplete, but I enjoyed everything else.

[Paul (Life In The Slow Lane) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satan..you dog!

Lucy's flea-bitten friend is actually Mephistopheles. A story with a talking dog is worth 5 stars to me any day.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Lucy has been abandoned by mum to go live with her big sister Lena and she then befriends a stray dog called Les. Not any old stray dog, but a stray talking dog, a mangy hungry stray dog that is really Satan in disguise. However, although they develop a strong friendship, Les comes with issues and his own set secret agenda, but can he also help Lucy work through some of her own real- life anxieties, dislikes and problems and hence just possibly make life more bearable for all concerned?

A great, unique, short fun and intelligent story that highlights the great divide that certainly can exist between humans with different points of view when considering, challenging and dealing with serious meaningful questions that need addressing by mainstream society today. This clever and well constructed story is left to the reader to make of it what they will- on the one hand it can be read as just a lighthearted comic fun adventure to simply enjoy but reading deeper it could also be seen as highlighting dark and disturbing topics such as mental health, depression and the negative effect of mind control and power over both the individual and wider population at large by certain sections of society. Very clever - liked the way it worked.

Lots to like, admire and digest - yes, strange, surreal and alternative in nature, but quite simply, once again from EB, just a straight forward pleasure and complete joy to read. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5 stars

[John The Crippledgimp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was way different than I thought it would be. I have read a few books by Elizabeth Bedlam before and she usually brings the violence and this one she just didn't. That being said this was a awesome read. I really enjoyed this book and I'm sad that it's over. Elizabeth Bedlam rocks and this one although different from her others the story and the writing are top notch. 4.5 stars for me

[MadameD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
This story is less dark than other Elizabeth Bedlam’s ones. But like all her books this one is original. The devil is different from what we could imagine
I liked it.

[Genie☆In☆A☆Vodka☆Bottle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Those were the good old days. Wenches and Sabbaths, all the adoration and blood I could soak up. But now I walk around and see my face in the shape of a heart, or little kids dressed up like red devils. Where does that come from? A fucking consumer driven culture, that’s where. Nothing means anything anymore. Religion is a product just like anything else. God, me, whatever...We’re all for sale these days.”

This was a heartwarming story about a lonely teenage girl befriending a dog. A dog who happens to be Satan. A Satan who's disguised as a dog to avoid being recognized because he doesn't want to deal with the bullshit of fame and he's sick of his image being used in the name of causes and arguments he doesn't agree with. I was a big fan of jaded dog-Satan, with his cynicism and his flea problem and his love of black metal.

I really related to this book because sometimes I think my cat is secretly Satan in disguise. He's never admitted to it, but I'm definitely onto him. He can't keep his true identity a secret from me forever. I read parts of this book out loud to my cat in the hope that he'll finally learn a lesson about how to start acting more like the demonic king of hell I one hundred percent know he secretly is. It's time he fessed up already and just accepted his destiny. I'll be honest, though, my cat-Satan is not as much fun as the dog-Satan of this story. My cat refuses to drink beer with me or threaten the neighborhood children (no matter how many times I politely suggest it), and he's definitely not as big into arson as I would like him to be. The moral of the story is that my cat is lazy as fuck and needs to take some lessons in how to be a more diabolical animal. I'm hoping this book gave him at least a few ideas.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Bedlam has become one of my favorite authors. Bedlam would be so cool to hang out with. This is the story of a dog and satan.

[Seb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never had laughed while reading Elizabeth Bedlam but here we go xD

This book is a blast!

I really loved Les. He's a great attaching character.

The mischievous actions are fun and the story is well-built. Only the end is too short and leaves no answers at all. I like open endings but this one is possibly too open for my taste.

[Mounkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I was hoping Bedlam was going to lay on on the gore... :( sad face.

The story was ok. Cute i guess.

You can tell Bedlam definitely has something very creative and unique in her brain. Just not sure this one was quite was i was looking for.

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't go wrong with Bedlam

Not as disturbing or dark as the author's other works that I've read, but just as enjoyable. I guess you could say this is a coming of age story. I teared up at the end, and I'm glad it didn't end the way I thought it was going to. All in all I found this a very sweet story.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda cute I guess.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly entertaining.

[Axl Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fully enjoyed this satirical book, especially the jabs the author throws at The Satanic Temple, a comically misbegotten organization, full of "blueberries who pretend to be women." In a world full of hypocrisy, Lucy, a young teen, is abandoned by her mom and fails to connect with her activist sister. In desperation, she builds a bond with a dog who happens to be the actual Satan. Lots of good comedy follows from Satan living in the body of a dog, and from the mischievous plans he forges with Lucy. The plot here reminded me of Stephen King's Needful Things. Towards the end, the book takes on a more serious tone and deals with the communication gap between Lucy and the adults around her, and her fear of abandonment. My interpretation is that Satan exists in these spaces of alienation, when a certain social order disintegrates, and becomes empty authority and dogma, and meaningless slogans. Satan is mocking this obsolete power structure, he's the misfit, the outsider. The author portrays Satan as morally ambiguous, he's both friend and foe, but, at the end of the day, he's the one who listens and understands, which is what Lucy needs.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This message is brought to you by the nine circles of Hell.



So, Satan wants you to stop using him as your figurehead for pushing your beliefs, politics, or cause.

A fun romp through the adventures of Lucy and her dog Les(err.. Satan). Psst!! While you are busy using Satan's likeness, he's over here corrupting your children. Or, more likely helping your children get away from your ridiculousness.

[Yoshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how she discovers Satanism the way other teens discover astrology suddenly everything is “deep,” everyone else is “asleep,” and she’s two black outfits away from starting a very dramatic club no one asked for.

[Teragon Bearyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny that a story about a young girl and a dog who is actually Satan would warm my heart a little.