The Sorrows of Satan

The action of the novel takes place in London in 1895. Satan walks among people in search of another toy to amuse himself with, to show God that he can corrupt anyone. He wants to find someone worthy, who can resist temptation, but around him reign disbelief, corruption, and depravity.

Jeffrey Tempest, a young impoverished writer, barely makes ends meet, struggling to sell his novel. Once again, as he reflects on his desperate situation, he notices three letters on the table. The first is from a friend in Australia, who has become wealthy from gold mining; he informs Jeffrey that he is sending a friend who will help him out of poverty. The second is a note from a lawyer detailing that he has inherited a fortune from a deceased relative. The third is a recommendation letter from Prince Lucio Rimanez, the 'deliverer from poverty,' about whom the friend from Australia wrote. Will Jeffrey be able to make the right choice, preserve his talent and soul?..

'The Sorrows of Satan' is a mystical decadent novel by the English writer Marie Corelli, published in 1895 and becoming the largest bestseller in the history of Victorian England.