The Book of Lies (Meltzer novel)

Last updated
The Book of Lies
TheBookOfLiesNovel.jpg
First hardcover edition
Author Brad Meltzer
IllustratorMark Lewis [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
Publisher Grand Central Publishing
Publication date
September 2, 2008
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages352 pp.
ISBN 0-446-57788-X
OCLC 214935200

The Book of Lies is a 2008 novel written by Brad Meltzer that assumes a connection between the story of Cain and Abel and the superhero Superman, co-created by Jerry Siegel. According to WorldCat, the book is in 2,133 libraries. [2] The book has been translated into Polish, Hebrew, Italian, German, and Korean. [3]

Contents

Plot synopsis

The book of Genesis tells the story of the slaying of Abel by his brother Cain; the world's first recorded murder. Despite wide assumption that Cain used a rock or tree branch, the Bible does not state what weapon was used. That detail is lost to history. In 1932, Mitchell Siegel was killed by three gunshots to the chest. As a result, his son dreamed of a bulletproof man and co-created one of the world's greatest superheroes: Superman. Like Cain's murder weapon, the gun used in this unsolved murder has never been found, until now. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cal Harper comes face-to-face with his family's greatest secret: his long-lost father, who has been shot with a gun that traces back to Mitchell Siegel's 1932 murder. When Cal and his father are attacked by a ruthless killer tattooed with the ancient markings of Cain, he learns that the two murders, committed thousands of years apart, have something in common, setting off the hunt for the world's first murder weapon. The novel goes on to follow Cal Harper and others in their search for answers.

Related Research Articles

Lois Lane Fictional character in the Superman series

Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1. Lois is an award-winning journalist for the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet and the primary love interest of the superhero Superman and his alter ego, Clark Kent. In DC continuity, she is also his wife and the mother of their son, Jon Kent, the current {as of 2015} Superboy in the DC Universe.

Lex Luthor Fictional supervillain appearing in DC Comics publications and related media

Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in Action Comics #23. He has since endured as the archnemesis of Superman.

Superman DC Comic book superhero

Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book Action Comics #1. Superman has been adapted to a number of other media which includes radio serials, novels, movies, television shows and theatre.

Cain Biblical figure

Cain is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. However, God was not pleased and favored Abel's offering over Cain's. Out of jealousy, Cain killed his brother, for which he was punished by God with the curse and mark of Cain. He had several children, starting with Enoch and including Lamech.

<i>East of Eden</i> (novel) 1952 novel by John Steinbeck

East of Eden is a novel by American author and Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck. Published in September 1952, the work is regarded by many to be Steinbeck's most ambitious novel and by Steinbeck himself to be his magnum opus. Steinbeck stated about East of Eden: "It has everything in it I have been able to learn about my craft or profession in all these years," and later said: "I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this." The novel was originally addressed to Steinbeck's young sons, Thom and John. Steinbeck wanted to describe the Salinas Valley for them in detail: the sights, sounds, smells and colors.

Cain and Abel The first sons of Adam and Eve in the Bible

In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices to God, but God favored Abel's sacrifice instead of Cain's. Cain then murdered Abel out of jealousy, whereupon God punished Cain by condemning him to a life of wandering. Cain then dwelt in the land of Nod, where he built a city and fathered the line of descendants beginning with Enoch.

Lucifer (DC Comics) Comic book character

Lucifer Samael Morningstar is a character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is an adaptation of Lucifer—the Biblical fallen angel and devil of Christianity—and is one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe. Though various versions of the Devil have been presented by DC Comics, this interpretation by Neil Gaiman debuted in The Sandman #4 in 1989. Lucifer appears primarily as a supporting character in The Sandman and as the protagonist of the spin-off Lucifer.

Superboy Fictional character in the DC Comics pantheon

Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to Adventure Comics and other series featuring teenage superhero groups.

Jerry Siegel American co-creator of Superman

Jerome Siegel was an American comic book writer. His famous creation was Superman, which he created in collaboration with his friend Joe Shuster. Siegel and Shuster were inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993. Siegel also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter and Jerry Ess.

Cain and Abel (comics) DC Comics characters

Cain and Abel are a pair of fictional characters in the DC Comics universe based on the biblical Cain and Abel. They are key figures in DC's "Mystery" line of the late 1960s and 1970s, which became the mature-readers imprint, Vertigo, in 1993.

Vandal Savage DC Comics supervillain

Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe, more widely known as Vandal Savage, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in Green Lantern Vol. 1 #10 (1943), he is said to be a Cro-Magnon warrior who became immortal after encountering a strange meteorite. For over 50 thousand years, he plagues the Earth as a villain and occasional conqueror, sometimes using different names but most often calling himself Vandal Savage. He is a brilliant and sadistic tactician with immense knowledge in various sciences and forms of combat, able to fight effectively against many heroes despite not having any superhuman powers beyond his ability to survive and heal from lethal wounds. Throughout history, his most frequent enemies are immortal or reincarnating heroes such as Immortal Man, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Resurrection Man, and is also a recurring foe of the Justice League. In 2009, Vandal Savage was ranked as IGN's 36th-greatest comic book villain of all time.

<i>Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman</i> American television series 1993-1997

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is an American superhero television series based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. It stars Dean Cain as Clark Kent / Superman and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane. The series aired on ABC from September 12, 1993, to June 14, 1997.

Intergang Fictional crime group in DC comics

Intergang is an organized crime group appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Armed with technology supplied by the villainous New Gods of the planet Apokolips, they're potent foes who can seriously challenge the world's most powerful superheroes.

<i>Children of Eden</i> Musical

Children of Eden is a 1991 two-act musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis, with Act I telling the story of Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel, while Act II deals with Noah and the Flood.

<i>Its Superman!</i>

It's Superman! is a novel by Tom De Haven based on the comic book superhero Superman. It was released on September 15, 2005 in hardcover and August 29, 2006 in paperback. The premise tells the tale of Clark Kent's beginnings into becoming Superman, set in the 1930s, where Clark befriends a wrongly convicted photographer named Willi Berg, and is then taken from Kansas to Hollywood and finally in New York where he meets Lois Lane, fights Lex Luthor, as he debuts in his superhero persona. Despite the setting, this is not about the Golden Age Superman also known as the Superman of Earth-2; as Perry White, the Daily Planet, Lex Luthor's position and his trademark powers are not part of that alternate Earth. Rather, it's a Superman period piece set in the 1930s.

The Reign of the Superman

"The Reign of the Superman" is a short story written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Joe Shuster. It was the writer/artist duo's first published use of the name Superman, which they later applied to their archetypal fictional superhero. The title character of this story is a telepathic villain, rather than a physically powerful hero like the well-known character.

<i>Skulduggery Pleasant</i> Irish young adult novel series

Skulduggery Pleasant is a series of dark fantasy novels written by Irish author Derek Landy. The books revolve around the adventures of fledgling detective Valkyrie Cain, her mentor Skulduggery Pleasant, along with other friends and allies. The central story concerns Valkyrie's struggle to stop evil forces threatening the world and her internal struggle to resist the darkness within.

<i>Enemies & Allies</i> Book by Kevin J. Anderson

Enemies & Allies is a 2009 novel by American science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson. The book is set in the 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, and follows Superman and Batman. Though suspicious of each other, they confront Lex Luthor who stages an international nuclear conflict and spreads fear of an alien invasion so that he can sell advanced weapons to governments. Themes used in the novel, reflective of the 1950s era, include alien invasion films, nuclear threats, and Cold War paranoia.

References