I had long summer reading lists pretty much every year in high school. At one point, I read both “The Illiad” and “The Odyssey.” Or, to be more accurate, I skimmed those Greek mythological tomes and read the Cliff’s Notes to make sure I could sound like I knew what I was talking about when school started. As much as I find mythology cool now, I hated having to read Homer‘s books back then.
I recently felt relieved I had that kind of background knowledge after I started reading Marie Phillips‘ 2007 novel “Gods Behaving Badly.” This is another book find you can chalk up to the jacket designer. I just happened to be near the letter P in the fiction section of the library, and it caught my eye.
What good fortune I had. I have not laughed at a book this much in a long time. The plot didn’t tax the brain too much, but that’s not a problem at all when you are laughing so hard, not to mention how you have already suspended disbelief enough to accept the notion that the gods of Olympus now live in a run-down London townhouse.
That’s the premise of Phillips’ book. The rise of Christianity forced them to accept a less than regal lifestyle even though they still maintain their powers. As time goes on, the powers have diminished, however, and they don’t know how long they can hold on. That’s when a pair of unassuming “mortals” cross paths with the deities and all Hades breaks loose.
Phillips has a deft sense of timing and uses the gods very cleverly. Her ability to work the large cast into the action kept things moving. I loved how an argument between the mortals began simply because Apollo, one of the main characters, asked his brother Ares, the god of war, to come into the room. Then there’s Aphrodite’s job as a phone sex operator. The list of laughs goes on.
Phillips created the gods as believeable characters who just had special powers and such. They had their own doubts and fears and interests. I don’t always like dealing in fantasy or stufflike that, but this book hit all the right notes.
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