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normdplume
Guest
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to write a Catholic novel about the Apocalypse — basically a supernatural thriller. After a year of research, I realized I had too much material and it evolved into a trilogy. One part I’m struggling with is violence in the novels. I’m only focused on book one right now, which is about the rise of the Antichrist. Part of the story involves the serial deaths of a number of cardinals by the Antichrist, who is trying to seize control of the Church by placing Satan’s minions in key positions of power.
My first death scene was a hanging, staged to look like a suicide, but discovered to be a murder. In following “best practices” for crime scenes, the cardinal was left hanging while the lead detectives and forensic specialists went about processing the scene.
I quickly decided that I didn’t want gruesome murders in a Catholic novel, so I switched to the Antichrist using his powers to inflict extreme pain as the means of threatening the cardinals to commit suicide. I was relying on paragraph 2282 from the Catechism (about fear of torture) as an out for the cardinals to commit what would otherwise be a mortal sin.
I reduced the total number of deaths to four (pretty much the minimum I need to tell the story) and decided to start with a cardinal who allowed himself to be buried alive by the Antichrist. It turned out to be less gruesome than I had feared (he basically prayed until they covered his face, at which point he lost consciousness right after his first inhale of dirt.) I had thought to use a different means of suicide for each of the four, one of which was a hanging. The other two I hadn’t yet decided.
In thinking about the remaining suicides, I thought it might still be too gruesome, so I switched to the Antichrist offing all of the cardinals in the same way, by giving them a capsule of cyanide to swallow. Although cyanide can be an unpleasant way to die in low doses, I used a high dose that kills in about a minute, and I don’t describe what the cardinals experience during that minute (e.g., potential convulsions).
With the first cyanide death, the scene closes with the cardinal waiting for death to occur and thinking about Psalm 23:4 (Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.).
This is about as benign a death as I can think of, but it’s repetitive as there is no variety to the deaths and I’m concerned that will come across as boring in a thriller.
Three questions:
My first death scene was a hanging, staged to look like a suicide, but discovered to be a murder. In following “best practices” for crime scenes, the cardinal was left hanging while the lead detectives and forensic specialists went about processing the scene.
I quickly decided that I didn’t want gruesome murders in a Catholic novel, so I switched to the Antichrist using his powers to inflict extreme pain as the means of threatening the cardinals to commit suicide. I was relying on paragraph 2282 from the Catechism (about fear of torture) as an out for the cardinals to commit what would otherwise be a mortal sin.
I reduced the total number of deaths to four (pretty much the minimum I need to tell the story) and decided to start with a cardinal who allowed himself to be buried alive by the Antichrist. It turned out to be less gruesome than I had feared (he basically prayed until they covered his face, at which point he lost consciousness right after his first inhale of dirt.) I had thought to use a different means of suicide for each of the four, one of which was a hanging. The other two I hadn’t yet decided.
In thinking about the remaining suicides, I thought it might still be too gruesome, so I switched to the Antichrist offing all of the cardinals in the same way, by giving them a capsule of cyanide to swallow. Although cyanide can be an unpleasant way to die in low doses, I used a high dose that kills in about a minute, and I don’t describe what the cardinals experience during that minute (e.g., potential convulsions).
With the first cyanide death, the scene closes with the cardinal waiting for death to occur and thinking about Psalm 23:4 (Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.).
This is about as benign a death as I can think of, but it’s repetitive as there is no variety to the deaths and I’m concerned that will come across as boring in a thriller.
Three questions:
- Would you read a thriller about the Apocalypse that involves the deaths of four cardinals?
- Are different means of death too gruesome, including being buried alive and hanging?
- What is the minimum age you would suggest for readers of the novel?
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