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Gods Behaving Badly
Being a Greek god is not all it once was. Yes, the twelve gods of Olympus are alive and well in the twenty-first century, but they are crammed together in a London townhouse-and none too happy about it. And they've had to get day jobs: Artemis as a dog-walker, Apollo as a TV psychic, Aphrodite as a phone sex operator, Dionysus as a DJ.
Even more disturbingly, their powers are waning, and even turning mortals into trees-a favorite pastime of Apollo's-is sapping their vital reserves of strength.
Soon, what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed--but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?
Even more disturbingly, their powers are waning, and even turning mortals into trees-a favorite pastime of Apollo's-is sapping their vital reserves of strength.
Soon, what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed--but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?
293 pages, Hardcover
First published December 10, 2007
575 people are currently reading
16909 people want to read
About the author
Marie Phillips
14 books260 followersMy novels are 'Gods Behaving Badly', 'The Table of Less Valued Knights' and 'Oh, I Do Like TO Be...' I also co-wrote the BBC Radio 4 series and book 'Warhorses of Letters', the BBC Radio 4 series 'Some Hay in a Manger', and was one of the contributors to the collection of spoof erotic essays, 'Fifty Shelves of Grey' (as Vanessa Parody). My most recent book is a choose your own adventure called Create Your Own Midlife Crisis. There's another author with the same name as me who writes books about cats. She isn't me, although I do like cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,016 reviews
April 4, 2008
This was indeed Fluff with a capital F. For most of the novel, the pages flipped over like the wind was turning them. It wasn't that it was that suspenseful or anything, it was just such easy, frothy reading that it just fell through your fingers without you really noticing. It did get a bit heavy in the middle, but probably appropriately so, given events. That was the only time it dragged a little.
Essentially: Think of this like a whipped cream dessert version of American Gods. Same basic concept: old gods, people don't believe anymore, powers being lost. Then a Regular Joe human (in this case, its two humans- who have a romance plot that drives the action) is thrown into the mix and makes his/her bewildered way through this world they thought was fake to find themselves and the truth, etc, etc.
Only, its taken very literally, and set kind of into the format of an old Greek legend. Which is fitting because this book is about the Greek gods of legend being transplanted into modern day London, where they've supposedly lived since the years of the Renaissance. (The Gods speak in modern day British cant. Which is odd, but I got over it.) And they hadn't quite figured out why they were losing their powers yet. Its sort of a fun little look into Greek mythology for people who've never experienced it before. The book gives you all the information you need to know about the gods, if you've never come across them before. Of course, if you have, its all the funnier. The book definitely raids all the characteristics of the old legends.
Good times. Recommended for a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Essentially: Think of this like a whipped cream dessert version of American Gods. Same basic concept: old gods, people don't believe anymore, powers being lost. Then a Regular Joe human (in this case, its two humans- who have a romance plot that drives the action) is thrown into the mix and makes his/her bewildered way through this world they thought was fake to find themselves and the truth, etc, etc.
Only, its taken very literally, and set kind of into the format of an old Greek legend. Which is fitting because this book is about the Greek gods of legend being transplanted into modern day London, where they've supposedly lived since the years of the Renaissance. (The Gods speak in modern day British cant. Which is odd, but I got over it.) And they hadn't quite figured out why they were losing their powers yet. Its sort of a fun little look into Greek mythology for people who've never experienced it before. The book gives you all the information you need to know about the gods, if you've never come across them before. Of course, if you have, its all the funnier. The book definitely raids all the characteristics of the old legends.
Good times. Recommended for a sunny Sunday afternoon.
July 9, 2008
After reading Gods Behaving Badly, I began asking my friends if they have a favorite Greek god or goddess. I was trying to determine my own level of geekiness. I suspect the average person today does not have a preference and may not even be able to name more than one or two of the gods. Fortunately for me, most of my friends can not only name several members of the Greek pantheon, but also were more than willing to enumerate the many reasons they prefer their favorite over all the others. Having a favorite may make me a geek, but at least I'm not too much geekier than most of my friends.
If you, too, cannot only name several of the Greek gods and goddesses but also have a personal favorite, you absolutely must read Gods Behaving Badly. If you don't have a favorite or can't name many of them, you should think about reading this book anyway. The plot is good, the characters are excellent, and the writing, especially the dialogue, is hilarious, frequently a bit crude in keeping with the old legends, and filled with fantastic one-liners. Gods Behaving Badly is never going to be a considered a classic work of literature, but it is a fun and enjoyable quick read.
Gods Behaving Badly is based on the premise that the Greek immortals were real and, as immortals, are still alive and well in the modern day. Or at least, they're mostly well. Their powers have been on the decline for centuries and they've also been stuck living together in a now decrepit house in London since around the 1600s. Since most people have long since forgotten the Greek pantheon, and those that remember don't believe the gods and goddesses are real, they've been forced to take odd jobs to provide for their own upkeep and have fallen far from their former glory. Artemis is a dog walker, Apollo is a TV psychic, Aphrodite is a phone sex operator, and Dionysius runs the hottest night club in London, just to name a few. Seemingly only Ares (god of war) and Hermes (god of money and responsible for conducting souls to the underworld, among other tasks) are kept busy with their actual divine duties. As with several of the old legends, the plot is set in motion by various sexual escapades of the gods, here mostly Apollo, that cause unforeseen mayhem. Immortals face-off against other immortals, pulling hapless mortals into their battles at whim, until ultimately minor differences must be set aside and efforts made to recreate the heroic feats of old to prevent the destruction of the world.
I highly recommend this novel for any fan of Greek mythology. Comparing Phillips' take on the gods in modern times and the fully-fleshed out personalities she has given them to how I might imagine them and watching how she riffed on the old stories added to my enjoyment of the novel. Those unfamiliar with the Greek stories might not get as much out of the novel but I think they can still enjoy it as a fun and well told story that might ignite a desire to read some of legends that served as inspiration.
Oh, for the record, my favorite of the gods has always been Hermes. He is a major B character in Gods Behaving Badly and I love what Phillips has done with him.
If you, too, cannot only name several of the Greek gods and goddesses but also have a personal favorite, you absolutely must read Gods Behaving Badly. If you don't have a favorite or can't name many of them, you should think about reading this book anyway. The plot is good, the characters are excellent, and the writing, especially the dialogue, is hilarious, frequently a bit crude in keeping with the old legends, and filled with fantastic one-liners. Gods Behaving Badly is never going to be a considered a classic work of literature, but it is a fun and enjoyable quick read.
Gods Behaving Badly is based on the premise that the Greek immortals were real and, as immortals, are still alive and well in the modern day. Or at least, they're mostly well. Their powers have been on the decline for centuries and they've also been stuck living together in a now decrepit house in London since around the 1600s. Since most people have long since forgotten the Greek pantheon, and those that remember don't believe the gods and goddesses are real, they've been forced to take odd jobs to provide for their own upkeep and have fallen far from their former glory. Artemis is a dog walker, Apollo is a TV psychic, Aphrodite is a phone sex operator, and Dionysius runs the hottest night club in London, just to name a few. Seemingly only Ares (god of war) and Hermes (god of money and responsible for conducting souls to the underworld, among other tasks) are kept busy with their actual divine duties. As with several of the old legends, the plot is set in motion by various sexual escapades of the gods, here mostly Apollo, that cause unforeseen mayhem. Immortals face-off against other immortals, pulling hapless mortals into their battles at whim, until ultimately minor differences must be set aside and efforts made to recreate the heroic feats of old to prevent the destruction of the world.
I highly recommend this novel for any fan of Greek mythology. Comparing Phillips' take on the gods in modern times and the fully-fleshed out personalities she has given them to how I might imagine them and watching how she riffed on the old stories added to my enjoyment of the novel. Those unfamiliar with the Greek stories might not get as much out of the novel but I think they can still enjoy it as a fun and well told story that might ignite a desire to read some of legends that served as inspiration.
Oh, for the record, my favorite of the gods has always been Hermes. He is a major B character in Gods Behaving Badly and I love what Phillips has done with him.
May 1, 2008
This novel opens with so much promise: the Greek gods living in modern London, bored and barely able to sustain themselves. We get some of the classic elements demanded by such a project- rogue love interests, fighting, revenge, jealousy. However the book fizzles at the helm of predictability, unlikable characters, and just plain poor writing. I did not come in with high expectations; I wanted an easy, enjoyable read. Readers definitely get the easy part, but any joy I got out of this novel was squandered by its sell-out ending. I'll give it one star for a creative concept and a few interesting literary devices, but on the whole this book was a disappointment.
January 22, 2009
"Gods Behaving Badly" had an awesome concept, an okay delivery, and a flat ending.
I'm an avid fan of Greek mythology, and this book starts out with a lot of promise.
Unfortunately, in reading the book, I felt as though the author had assembled all of the horses for the Kentucky Derby, then put them on the Indy 500 Speedway and said, "Okay, GO!" There just wasn't that much cohesion in the book, and no characters really stood out, which is such a huge shame, because we're talking about *gods* here.
The ending was a disappointment in that you were left scratching your head as to why the gods, narcissistic though they were, didn't have the wherewithal to think of that solution *sometime* in the past millennium.
I'm not sorry that I read it, but I definitely wouldn't buy the book. I'm very glad it was a library read.
Note: I read Robert Asprin's "Dragons Wild", a new, humorous take on dragon mythology, immediately after this book, and was struck by how well it succeeded in tackling an old concept and making it vibrant and engaging to read. I wish I'd been able to say that same about "Gods Behaving Badly".
I'm an avid fan of Greek mythology, and this book starts out with a lot of promise.
Unfortunately, in reading the book, I felt as though the author had assembled all of the horses for the Kentucky Derby, then put them on the Indy 500 Speedway and said, "Okay, GO!" There just wasn't that much cohesion in the book, and no characters really stood out, which is such a huge shame, because we're talking about *gods* here.
The ending was a disappointment in that you were left scratching your head as to why the gods, narcissistic though they were, didn't have the wherewithal to think of that solution *sometime* in the past millennium.
I'm not sorry that I read it, but I definitely wouldn't buy the book. I'm very glad it was a library read.
Note: I read Robert Asprin's "Dragons Wild", a new, humorous take on dragon mythology, immediately after this book, and was struck by how well it succeeded in tackling an old concept and making it vibrant and engaging to read. I wish I'd been able to say that same about "Gods Behaving Badly".
August 16, 2012
The gods of Olympus are real, and they're just as spiteful, petty, and self-centered as myths depict. They live in a run-down London townhouse, and shy Alice is the unfortunate mortal they hire to clean the place.
Neil wishes he could be more than a friend to Alice, but is too timid to ask her out. But when Alice and the entire world may be destroyed, Neil will dare anything to save them.
Neil and Alice are introduced in a scene where they are visiting in her cleaning cupboard:
Neil wishes he could be more than a friend to Alice, but is too timid to ask her out. But when Alice and the entire world may be destroyed, Neil will dare anything to save them.
Neil and Alice are introduced in a scene where they are visiting in her cleaning cupboard:
"Suddenly Alice's face fell. "Oh dear. I hope you're not going to get bored in here, with only me to talk to."
"No!" said Neil. "Not at all. Please don't think that. Actually, I was just thinking the same thing myself. I mean, you, about me. I mean, you getting bored."
"Oh no," whispered Alice. "I don't find you boring at all, Neil. Not a bit."
In the kind of novels that Neil sometimes read in secret, this would be the moment when the hero took the heroine into his arms, pressed his lips roughly to hers, and then ravished her.
"I've got Scrabble on my Palm Pilot," he said. "Multiplayer."
January 21, 2009
This story reads like the novelization of a comic book. It's short on thoughtfulness and introspection and long on silly action/romance scenes.
Marie Phillips does provide a funny take on what life would be like for the fading Olympians: slummy home in London, imbalanced relationships, lots of time spent plotting revenge. Some of the gods have to get jobs to maintain their minimal lifestyle, so Apollo works as a TV psychic, Artemis walks dogs, and Dionysus owns a night club. Zeus spends most of his time in front of the TV watching soaps, while Eros converts to Christianity. But all these amusing slivers fail to add up to anything more complex or interesting.
The book drags on as the light-hearted first half gives way to a ridiculous plot to save the world. (Spoiler: the world doesn't end and everyone lives happily ever after.) Nothing in the story invites the reader to dig deeper into the nature of the gods, their relationship with humans, or even to reflect on how terrible life would be if the Greek gods do regain their power.
If you just want a fun story with nods to mythology, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, move along, there's nothing more to see here.
Marie Phillips does provide a funny take on what life would be like for the fading Olympians: slummy home in London, imbalanced relationships, lots of time spent plotting revenge. Some of the gods have to get jobs to maintain their minimal lifestyle, so Apollo works as a TV psychic, Artemis walks dogs, and Dionysus owns a night club. Zeus spends most of his time in front of the TV watching soaps, while Eros converts to Christianity. But all these amusing slivers fail to add up to anything more complex or interesting.
The book drags on as the light-hearted first half gives way to a ridiculous plot to save the world. (Spoiler: the world doesn't end and everyone lives happily ever after.) Nothing in the story invites the reader to dig deeper into the nature of the gods, their relationship with humans, or even to reflect on how terrible life would be if the Greek gods do regain their power.
If you just want a fun story with nods to mythology, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, move along, there's nothing more to see here.
July 30, 2008
Gods Behaving Badly is a diverting little romp for those who love mythology and legend. However, while enjoyable (and I did laugh out loud a few times--Eros is a born again Christian, how great is that?), the novelty of the inventive premise wears a little thin halfway through the book and culminates in a less than climactic ending. It's entertaining summer reading, but nothing too profound or world altering. However, sometimes that's the type of book that perfectly fits the bill.
May 11, 2017
The Greek gods of myth (who would be very offended at being called myths) are in exile in London with their powers in decline. Apollo is taking the fall for global warming and Artemis, as goddess of the hunt, is almost out of a job with weapons controls tightening and hunting as sport declining. All of them (except maybe for Dionysus, god of wine and revelry) are finding their time of usefulness winding down and their powers weakening.
As always when time is marked by thousands of years rather than centuries, and with too little to do coupled with fears about their diminished status and abilities, they scrap and battle and intrigue among themselves, shifting viewpoints and alliances faster than starting a new chapter in a book.
Things start to go from ‘normal’ in-fighting to mayhem when they get mortals involved in their conflict. This is strictly against the rules but out of frustration, boredom and fear they seem to be making up their own.
About one quarter of the way in, the initial impression I had of tongue in cheek gradually changed. I actually began to believe in these characters and understand them somewhat. There was an interesting sojourn in the underworld and with what led up to it and all that transpired there, I became caught up in the story and the people (gods, goddesses, and mortals) in it.
If this is on your reading list, I recommend tackling it. I’m glad I didn’t give up – reading this is like a hero’s journey and the reward is satisfying.
As always when time is marked by thousands of years rather than centuries, and with too little to do coupled with fears about their diminished status and abilities, they scrap and battle and intrigue among themselves, shifting viewpoints and alliances faster than starting a new chapter in a book.
Things start to go from ‘normal’ in-fighting to mayhem when they get mortals involved in their conflict. This is strictly against the rules but out of frustration, boredom and fear they seem to be making up their own.
About one quarter of the way in, the initial impression I had of tongue in cheek gradually changed. I actually began to believe in these characters and understand them somewhat. There was an interesting sojourn in the underworld and with what led up to it and all that transpired there, I became caught up in the story and the people (gods, goddesses, and mortals) in it.
If this is on your reading list, I recommend tackling it. I’m glad I didn’t give up – reading this is like a hero’s journey and the reward is satisfying.
April 8, 2022
The Greek gods are still with us, but as no one worships them anymore they are reduced to living in a squalid house in London.
The gods have become a dysfunctional family, who only care about themselves.
Alice and Neil, two mortals, find themselves falling in love only to be separated by death.
Neil must descend into the Underworld to bring Alice back to life.
“I ought to eat your soul right now,” said Hades, “only I just had my lunch.”
As well as rescuing Alice the sun had gone out!
Greek gods in modern London - a hilarious combination.
Enjoy!
The gods have become a dysfunctional family, who only care about themselves.
Alice and Neil, two mortals, find themselves falling in love only to be separated by death.
Neil must descend into the Underworld to bring Alice back to life.
“I ought to eat your soul right now,” said Hades, “only I just had my lunch.”
As well as rescuing Alice the sun had gone out!
Greek gods in modern London - a hilarious combination.
Enjoy!
January 17, 2009
I have a serious hard-on for all things involving mythology.
1-17 - I am in love. And lust. And my nipples got a little hard.
Sorry, all of Aphrodite's phone sex got me a little excited.
This book is so clever, and so funny, and I'm insanely jealous that this is Marie Phillips' first book. As a lover of mythology, this books make me laugh entirely too hard.
Alice and Neil were so adorable. I loved how meek and quiet the both of them were. The meek shall inherit the earth someday, but they saved it from a crazed, egotistical god who turns women into trees because they refuse to give him blowjobs.
So clever and hilarious. And yay for Persephone, who is my favorite goddess.
1-17 - I am in love. And lust. And my nipples got a little hard.
Sorry, all of Aphrodite's phone sex got me a little excited.
This book is so clever, and so funny, and I'm insanely jealous that this is Marie Phillips' first book. As a lover of mythology, this books make me laugh entirely too hard.
Alice and Neil were so adorable. I loved how meek and quiet the both of them were. The meek shall inherit the earth someday, but they saved it from a crazed, egotistical god who turns women into trees because they refuse to give him blowjobs.
So clever and hilarious. And yay for Persephone, who is my favorite goddess.
March 30, 2009
When I first started listening to this audiobook, I cringed just about every second because of the authors "He said, she said" style of writing. It probably wouldn't be so obvious if you were actually reading the written words, but listening to it is quite annoying. Fake example: "Hello, said Artemis." "Hi, said Apollo." "What are you up to, said Artemis?" "Not much, said Apollo." Okay - I think you should get the picture. It really became annoying for me but after about 4 hours of listening, it started to become funny and I actually started, "He said"-ing and "she said"-ing right along with her.
As you may know from some of my other reviews, I really enjoy listening to Rosalyn Landor. She is a fabulous narrator and really adds a lot to the story - so much so that I probably would have returned this audio book after the first 20 "he saids" if it weren't for her.
On the definite positive side, this work of fiction actually helped me quite a bit with remembering who was who in the world of Greek Mythology, which is something I've currently been struggling with.
The story in itself was okay. There was one thing that happened at the very beginning that actually set everything else in the story in motion and that one thing was never brought up again at the end. I don't get why not!
As you may know from some of my other reviews, I really enjoy listening to Rosalyn Landor. She is a fabulous narrator and really adds a lot to the story - so much so that I probably would have returned this audio book after the first 20 "he saids" if it weren't for her.
On the definite positive side, this work of fiction actually helped me quite a bit with remembering who was who in the world of Greek Mythology, which is something I've currently been struggling with.
The story in itself was okay. There was one thing that happened at the very beginning that actually set everything else in the story in motion and that one thing was never brought up again at the end. I don't get why not!
September 7, 2012
Yuck. I picked this up because it was on a recommended list somewhere, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why or by whom. There really is nothing redeeming about this book other than that it took absolutely no concentration and about 3 hours cover to cover.
The premise lacks originality: there are tons of books about Greek Gods in modern times. The "plot twist" is completely predictable, also unoriginal and contains no surprises...really of course Gods lose their power if no one believes in them (at least they aren't fairies who are prone to drop dead randomly as one person professes disbelief). The writing is annoyingly simple, cliched, and almost sitcom-esque in its attempt at humor such as: "'Would the two of you stop swooning over each other and please hurry up?' said Artemis. 'We all know you're in love, but in case you hadn't noticed, the world is ending. The love will keep.'"
As if that is not enough, there are internal inconsistencies in the story. Clearly Apollo is responsible for the sun and early in the book Artemis makes a snide comment about sunrise having been late that morning; a few days later she is surprised to see him up early in the day..WTF isn't he always up, oh yeah before the sun??? Secondly, apparently mortals are not allowed in the house, but they let Alice in AND they make no efforts to disguise themselves or use pseudonyms. Third, Aretemis can't afford her own apartment, but she can afford to pay Alice more than she was previously making (which is the sum total of what Alice has on which to exist on her own in her own apartment). Fourth, I have a note on page 68 when Hermes is first introduced as busy and as being the God of money as to why he has not lost his power...clearly I had already figured out the big kicker that their decline was due to a lack of followers...but Hermes should be stronger now than he was back in the good ole days; not weaker. Fifth, in the underworld it is explained that the concrete items are few and exist only because of the power of the souls that imagine them. BUT how does the newly dead manage to get on the train? They can't even pick up a baby because they lack substance so..how do they walk? get into the train? sit on the bench?
Mindless drivel, not really any better than watching a poorly acted soap opera.
The premise lacks originality: there are tons of books about Greek Gods in modern times. The "plot twist" is completely predictable, also unoriginal and contains no surprises...really of course Gods lose their power if no one believes in them (at least they aren't fairies who are prone to drop dead randomly as one person professes disbelief). The writing is annoyingly simple, cliched, and almost sitcom-esque in its attempt at humor such as: "'Would the two of you stop swooning over each other and please hurry up?' said Artemis. 'We all know you're in love, but in case you hadn't noticed, the world is ending. The love will keep.'"
As if that is not enough, there are internal inconsistencies in the story. Clearly Apollo is responsible for the sun and early in the book Artemis makes a snide comment about sunrise having been late that morning; a few days later she is surprised to see him up early in the day..WTF isn't he always up, oh yeah before the sun??? Secondly, apparently mortals are not allowed in the house, but they let Alice in AND they make no efforts to disguise themselves or use pseudonyms. Third, Aretemis can't afford her own apartment, but she can afford to pay Alice more than she was previously making (which is the sum total of what Alice has on which to exist on her own in her own apartment). Fourth, I have a note on page 68 when Hermes is first introduced as busy and as being the God of money as to why he has not lost his power...clearly I had already figured out the big kicker that their decline was due to a lack of followers...but Hermes should be stronger now than he was back in the good ole days; not weaker. Fifth, in the underworld it is explained that the concrete items are few and exist only because of the power of the souls that imagine them. BUT how does the newly dead manage to get on the train? They can't even pick up a baby because they lack substance so..how do they walk? get into the train? sit on the bench?
Mindless drivel, not really any better than watching a poorly acted soap opera.
July 30, 2019
Having grown up on D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, I was totally thrilled with this campy premise.
The first page shares the interesting news that New York now houses the now diminished members of Greece's family of Gods: Zeus, Hera, Artemis & Apollo, and oh yes! Aphrodite. . . .every few pages on the phone with her best phone-sex voice and script while communicating with others in the room. Knocked me out of my chair. . .hilarious! BUT as amused as I was, this is the type of quirky style that some of my peeps would roll out their "We are NOT amused" faces, complete with pursed lips (has to be painful when it is that tightly held). Surprisingly, they don't tolerate much belief suspension in spite of their crazy life choices. Go figure.
Ah well - if you like the Greek pantheon - and even if you are not very familiar, there are little thumbnail bits that could catch up those who didn't have a D'Aulaires in childhood. . .you will enjoy this romp. I loved the bits with Hermes - he's the one I'd like keep in our day. Like to see him manage things in Washington . . . . . Anyway. There is a nice, quirky love story which is the ladder upon which the story marches - down to . . .hell?. . . and back. And concludes with a VERY cool resolve right there on the edges of Central Park. Nice job Ms. Phillips. I'm going to look up your other works!
I'm still giggling. 4 stars.
The first page shares the interesting news that New York now houses the now diminished members of Greece's family of Gods: Zeus, Hera, Artemis & Apollo, and oh yes! Aphrodite. . . .every few pages on the phone with her best phone-sex voice and script while communicating with others in the room. Knocked me out of my chair. . .hilarious! BUT as amused as I was, this is the type of quirky style that some of my peeps would roll out their "We are NOT amused" faces, complete with pursed lips (has to be painful when it is that tightly held). Surprisingly, they don't tolerate much belief suspension in spite of their crazy life choices. Go figure.
Ah well - if you like the Greek pantheon - and even if you are not very familiar, there are little thumbnail bits that could catch up those who didn't have a D'Aulaires in childhood. . .you will enjoy this romp. I loved the bits with Hermes - he's the one I'd like keep in our day. Like to see him manage things in Washington . . . . . Anyway. There is a nice, quirky love story which is the ladder upon which the story marches - down to . . .hell?. . . and back. And concludes with a VERY cool resolve right there on the edges of Central Park. Nice job Ms. Phillips. I'm going to look up your other works!
I'm still giggling. 4 stars.
February 27, 2009
It's a setting that just full of possibilities: the Greek Gods of Olympus are still around and most of the principles are living in a rundown house in modern London. With characters like Apollo and Athena and Hermes, there's no end to complications and plot twists, right? Phillips does come up with jobs suitable of her cast - Aphrodite as a phone sex operator just makes perfect sense. And if Apollo and Aphrodite live in the same house, they probably would end up having sex with each other, considering their particular strengths, and despite being half siblings. Altogether, wouldn't we expect the whole clan to be just as dysfunctional in this age as the one they originated in? But that's the problem with this book - the characters do act all too often just as you'd expect. They have almost no arc. I guess that's the problem with characters so deitic - they have no where to go but down, and if that's not your ending, you really don't have much of a story. There are two mortals that get mixed up with this crazy family, and they do have a journey, but you'd think with people like Zeus and Hades getting involved, the whole thing would be more.....epic?
November 14, 2023
A light and mildly amusing novel featuring the Greek Gods in 21st century London. No one believes in them anymore, they have to conserve their power so it doesn't run out, and most of them are bored with existence. Apollo is a fake TV psychic (when he isn't turning women who refuse his advances into trees), Artemis walks dogs, Eros is trying to be a good Christian, Dionysus is a DJ with a club that only sells his own wine, Aphrodite's career of choice is phone sex operator, and Ares is starting wars for his own amusement. Then Artemis hires a human cleaner to clean up the god's mutual home, and things go a bit side-ways. There isn't anything particularly new or original (concept wise) about the novel, but it's a nice, little, feel-good book on a rainy afternoon.
October 21, 2019
Heck yeah, finished my reading challenge! And before I start uni, as I'd hoped!
Set in modern-day London, this book talks about Greek gods living in our times and struggling with the loss of their powers and of everyone's faith in them. This book is like a combination of Percy Jackson and Matt Haig's . It's an adult novel but it's perfect for those people who grew up reading Percy Jackson and miss that style of Greek myths coming to life modernly.
The writing style is, to be honest, not amazing but it works. There's this type of dry humor throughout the book that really makes it work. The characterization is creative and funny, from Eros being a reborn Christian, to everything Athena is, to Artemis being such a bad-ass.
I didn't like Neil and Alice in the beginning. They struck me as every stereotype that pops into my head when I think about British people (rule obliging, polite, introverted, unable to speak up about important things, well put together..). Like dang it, Alice, can't you see Artemis is messing around with you?
However, as the book goes on, I found myself falling in love with them. That's impressive. I found Neil's humor to be stellar and Alice's can-do attitude inspiring. She's just so chill. The combination of Neil with the Greek gods was great.
All in all, this is a nice read. It's very soft. There's a twist in the middle that caught me entirely off guard and I loved it. I think this will appeal both to Greek mythology fans and also to people that aren't that big of fans.
What I'm Taking with Me
- The end made me so happy.
- I fear I won't remember the story in a week but still, at the time, I did enjoy this.
- There's something great about a normal guy becoming a hero.
- I'll say it though: there will be no better Hades than the one in Disney's Heracles. I will fight everyone on this.
So as I'm starting uni tomorrow, I figured this is a good place to write down a few predictions. Sometime in the future, I'll stumble upon this and get such a kick out of reading this and seeing how wrong I am.
- I'm going to relearn that I'm not very good at Philosophy but that nothing will take away my love for it, even if that's not how my brain works.
- Econ is going to be freaking hard, I'll probably fail something there, but I'll love it and enjoy getting that perspective.
- Politics, on the other hand, is going to disappoint me. I'll come very hopeful to class but eventually, end up feeling like the entire field is a dead end.
- My uni is famous for being impossible to navigate in but if by the end of my first month there, I won't have the hang of it, I'll be upset.
- My dorm room will be a huge mess within a week despite me having nothing in it.
- Sometime next week it will hit me that I'm finally in uni and I'll freak out, make a huge list of things to do, and then will hide in the library, panicking about life.
-Speaking of which, sometime within my first few weeks there, I'll find a library spot that I like and then promptly stay there for my next three (or maybe four, depends if I end up doing a Masters in Business).
- I'm really struggling to picture what kind of student I'm going to be but I'm pretty excited to find out.
Set in modern-day London, this book talks about Greek gods living in our times and struggling with the loss of their powers and of everyone's faith in them. This book is like a combination of Percy Jackson and Matt Haig's . It's an adult novel but it's perfect for those people who grew up reading Percy Jackson and miss that style of Greek myths coming to life modernly.
The writing style is, to be honest, not amazing but it works. There's this type of dry humor throughout the book that really makes it work. The characterization is creative and funny, from Eros being a reborn Christian, to everything Athena is, to Artemis being such a bad-ass.
I didn't like Neil and Alice in the beginning. They struck me as every stereotype that pops into my head when I think about British people (rule obliging, polite, introverted, unable to speak up about important things, well put together..). Like dang it, Alice, can't you see Artemis is messing around with you?
However, as the book goes on, I found myself falling in love with them. That's impressive. I found Neil's humor to be stellar and Alice's can-do attitude inspiring. She's just so chill. The combination of Neil with the Greek gods was great.
All in all, this is a nice read. It's very soft. There's a twist in the middle that caught me entirely off guard and I loved it. I think this will appeal both to Greek mythology fans and also to people that aren't that big of fans.
What I'm Taking with Me
- The end made me so happy.
- I fear I won't remember the story in a week but still, at the time, I did enjoy this.
- There's something great about a normal guy becoming a hero.
- I'll say it though: there will be no better Hades than the one in Disney's Heracles. I will fight everyone on this.
So as I'm starting uni tomorrow, I figured this is a good place to write down a few predictions. Sometime in the future, I'll stumble upon this and get such a kick out of reading this and seeing how wrong I am.
- I'm going to relearn that I'm not very good at Philosophy but that nothing will take away my love for it, even if that's not how my brain works.
- Econ is going to be freaking hard, I'll probably fail something there, but I'll love it and enjoy getting that perspective.
- Politics, on the other hand, is going to disappoint me. I'll come very hopeful to class but eventually, end up feeling like the entire field is a dead end.
- My uni is famous for being impossible to navigate in but if by the end of my first month there, I won't have the hang of it, I'll be upset.
- My dorm room will be a huge mess within a week despite me having nothing in it.
- Sometime next week it will hit me that I'm finally in uni and I'll freak out, make a huge list of things to do, and then will hide in the library, panicking about life.
-Speaking of which, sometime within my first few weeks there, I'll find a library spot that I like and then promptly stay there for my next three (or maybe four, depends if I end up doing a Masters in Business).
- I'm really struggling to picture what kind of student I'm going to be but I'm pretty excited to find out.
August 31, 2022
Well now. What a way to end a month with quite a number of books about Greek myths.
We are in modern-day London where Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Demeter, Hephaistos, Hera, Hermes and even zeus live in a house together. Actually, Hera and Zeus live in a secluded part they never come out of, but that would be going into too much detail. Just like the fact that Dionysios has a filthy night club. Or that Eros is now at least trying to be a Christian.
You see, the gods have almost no powers left. Just enough to fulfill their duties (like delivering the dead to the Underworld or letting the sun rise every morning).
Otherwise, they try to pass the time with ... jobs.
Yep. Artemis is a dog walker, Aphrodite a phone sex worker, Hephaistos is basically a facility manager, Hermes a courier and Apollo ... well, he's usually after some woman or another which is how this whole mess started.
After his latest stunt involving squandering the little power he has left on turning a woman into a tree for not wanting to give him a blow job, his twin sister has had enough. So she forces him to make some sort of unbreakable (or very hurtful if broken) vow that he won't cause unnecessary harm to any mortal for at least the next ten year. And MAYBE that would have worked if jealous Aphrodite hadn't had a problem with the new house cleaner getting so much attention from him. Alas.
Much like in an soap opera, this family is geographically confined to live with each other, but not very happy about it and thus everyone is scheming whenever they can against one or all other family members.
It started out quite chuckle-worthy, what with seeing them applied to the modern times and seeing them struggle (sort of). But the later story was ... maybe my buddy-reader is right and I'm just too spoiled by writers like Gaiman.
Thus, the story really wasn't bad, but it was also nothing too exciting or in any way unique. :/
We are in modern-day London where Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Demeter, Hephaistos, Hera, Hermes and even zeus live in a house together. Actually, Hera and Zeus live in a secluded part they never come out of, but that would be going into too much detail. Just like the fact that Dionysios has a filthy night club. Or that Eros is now at least trying to be a Christian.
You see, the gods have almost no powers left. Just enough to fulfill their duties (like delivering the dead to the Underworld or letting the sun rise every morning).
Otherwise, they try to pass the time with ... jobs.
Yep. Artemis is a dog walker, Aphrodite a phone sex worker, Hephaistos is basically a facility manager, Hermes a courier and Apollo ... well, he's usually after some woman or another which is how this whole mess started.
After his latest stunt involving squandering the little power he has left on turning a woman into a tree for not wanting to give him a blow job, his twin sister has had enough. So she forces him to make some sort of unbreakable (or very hurtful if broken) vow that he won't cause unnecessary harm to any mortal for at least the next ten year. And MAYBE that would have worked if jealous Aphrodite hadn't had a problem with the new house cleaner getting so much attention from him. Alas.
Much like in an soap opera, this family is geographically confined to live with each other, but not very happy about it and thus everyone is scheming whenever they can against one or all other family members.
It started out quite chuckle-worthy, what with seeing them applied to the modern times and seeing them struggle (sort of). But the later story was ... maybe my buddy-reader is right and I'm just too spoiled by writers like Gaiman.
Thus, the story really wasn't bad, but it was also nothing too exciting or in any way unique. :/
December 28, 2008
Marie Phillips' Gods Behaving Badly is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. What would the ancient gods of Greece and Rome do in today's 21st Century world? Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, a phone sex operator; Apollo, the God of the Sun, a television psychic; Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and Chastity, a dog walker.
The gods have weakened since their days on high at Mt. Olympus, and they are all crammed into a dilapidated home in London, getting on one another's nerves. The conflict truly begins one night during a taping of Apollo's psychic show where Eros shoots a love arrow into Apollo's heart, leaving him powerless against his love for the next person entering his view. Unfortunately, that person happens to be a mortal named, Alice, who cleans the theater where the show is taped. Alice and her friend Neil, who both love one another but are too afraid to make a move, become the center of conflict in the gods' world.
Watching these gods cope with the 21st Century is a hilarious delight, but even more delightful is Phillips' use of language on the page. From Aphrodite's bottom "bouncing like two hard-boiled eggs dancing a tango" (page 89) to her description of Neil as a teenager, "an ugly, spotty, skinny-arsed spoddy minger" (page 88). The dialogue is witty as well: "'. . .you'd better come quick. I've got a god passed out on my kitchen floor and I think the world's about to end.' (page 213)."
One of the best scenes in this book comes when Apollo finds Zeus in the upper floors of the house staring at the television much like a zombie would. He's lifeless, but still a god able to stand on his own and still strike down mortals with lightning. Reading this section brought to life the dilemma that often faces many of us, do we unwind too often in front of the television rather than through more challenging activities, like games, competition, reading, and exercise? Is this section a commentary on the lives we continue to lead now, watching television, zoning out, and withdrawing into ourselves away from society. But, I digress.
With an interesting cast of characters from a Christian Eros to a drunk, DJ in Dionysus, Phillips uses her cast of characters to dramatically set the stage for a modern day Greek comedy of errors and missed chances. Even readers who do not have a firm background in mythology will enjoy this book.
The gods have weakened since their days on high at Mt. Olympus, and they are all crammed into a dilapidated home in London, getting on one another's nerves. The conflict truly begins one night during a taping of Apollo's psychic show where Eros shoots a love arrow into Apollo's heart, leaving him powerless against his love for the next person entering his view. Unfortunately, that person happens to be a mortal named, Alice, who cleans the theater where the show is taped. Alice and her friend Neil, who both love one another but are too afraid to make a move, become the center of conflict in the gods' world.
Watching these gods cope with the 21st Century is a hilarious delight, but even more delightful is Phillips' use of language on the page. From Aphrodite's bottom "bouncing like two hard-boiled eggs dancing a tango" (page 89) to her description of Neil as a teenager, "an ugly, spotty, skinny-arsed spoddy minger" (page 88). The dialogue is witty as well: "'. . .you'd better come quick. I've got a god passed out on my kitchen floor and I think the world's about to end.' (page 213)."
One of the best scenes in this book comes when Apollo finds Zeus in the upper floors of the house staring at the television much like a zombie would. He's lifeless, but still a god able to stand on his own and still strike down mortals with lightning. Reading this section brought to life the dilemma that often faces many of us, do we unwind too often in front of the television rather than through more challenging activities, like games, competition, reading, and exercise? Is this section a commentary on the lives we continue to lead now, watching television, zoning out, and withdrawing into ourselves away from society. But, I digress.
With an interesting cast of characters from a Christian Eros to a drunk, DJ in Dionysus, Phillips uses her cast of characters to dramatically set the stage for a modern day Greek comedy of errors and missed chances. Even readers who do not have a firm background in mythology will enjoy this book.
March 31, 2024
3.5 This was entertaining. A light, easy read that was a good follow up to Natalie Haynes Devine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth, if only because it helped me remember who everyone was and what they were known for. It was fun reading about what it would be like to have the gods wreak havoc on modern people who care about as well as they did in the times the myths were written. Probably would have liked it better if I liked the human characters a smidge better. Perhaps, the author, trying to write two very average and even timid characters overly succeeded to the point where I just didn’t feel super engaged with their situation. It felt light and low stakes and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Had fun and enjoyed the premise.
September 11, 2023
*edit* She didn’t deserve the 2 stars. The bag was fumbled too hard.
When the cover is the most interesting part of the book<<<
When the cover is the most interesting part of the book<<<
August 5, 2012
I have been having the hardest time coming up with a review for this book. It's not because I didn't like it; quite the contrary, it was very entertaining. It's like... well, is it possible to make Cool Whip out of Greek yogurt? Because that's what this book is, fluff with a Greek flavor. It's a distant cousin to Neil Gaiman's in that it has many of the same elements--ancient gods living in modern times, weakened in power because no one believes in them anymore, as well a mortal (or, in the case of Gods Behaving Badly, two mortals) thrown in the mix, one of whom becomes "The Hero" who manages to rescue the damsel in distress and solve whatever problem is fueling the plot--just in a slightly "fluffier" version.
The gods in this novel are Greek (if you hadn't guessed), specifically the big 12 (the major gods of Olympus we've all heard about, one way or another) who are currently crowded together in a run-down London townhouse. They've fallen on hard times in the last thousand years or so and, my, how the mighty do fall: Artemis spends her time as a dog-walker, always looking for that one, modern dog which still has a trace of wolf in it and is always disappointed by the poor idiots; Dionysus still makes his own wine, but does a lot more damage with it in his role as nightclub owner, where his wine is the only thing on tap and weird, grotesque, erotic floor shows are the entertainment, which explains the club's draw; Hephaestus is still a mighty craftsman, though most of his efforts go into improvements around the house such as fixing broken furniture and improving the bathroom fittings; Aphrodite works off her mighty sex drive as a phone sex operator, panting, moaning, and faux-orgasming into her mobile phone at any time of day, to the disgust of Artemis; and Apollo has taken his Oracle to television, in a low-budget show where the set was "held together with safety pins and masking tape" and, just as in the good ol' days, the sybils did all the work. It's at the taping of the first (and last) episode of this show that Eros, who's now a Christian and suffering an existential crisis because of this, shoots an arrow of love into Apollo's heart at the behest of Aphrodite in a fit of "woman scorned" anger. Apollo falls instantly in love with Alice, a cleaner who's sneaked her friend, Neil, and herself onto the soundstage. Thus begins the complications and the drama: Alice is fired from the TV station, Neil convinces her to go freelance with her cleaning skills, as a result of which she ends up at the gods' townhouse where she's hired by Artemis and gleefully stalked by Apollo as he tries to convince the rather mousy woman of his love for her. And so the adventure begins.
This is a fun and funny book; it's entertaining and a quick read. While it may not offer up any great moments of genius, there's a tremendous amount of skill shown in the actual writing: clever and occasionally witty prose, authentic characters, and a story which evokes a genuine emotional involvement in the reader. (Yes, even in fluff, such things are possible.) Considering that this is a first novel, the high level of talent in Marie Phillips' writing is pleasantly unexpected.
The gods in this novel are Greek (if you hadn't guessed), specifically the big 12 (the major gods of Olympus we've all heard about, one way or another) who are currently crowded together in a run-down London townhouse. They've fallen on hard times in the last thousand years or so and, my, how the mighty do fall: Artemis spends her time as a dog-walker, always looking for that one, modern dog which still has a trace of wolf in it and is always disappointed by the poor idiots; Dionysus still makes his own wine, but does a lot more damage with it in his role as nightclub owner, where his wine is the only thing on tap and weird, grotesque, erotic floor shows are the entertainment, which explains the club's draw; Hephaestus is still a mighty craftsman, though most of his efforts go into improvements around the house such as fixing broken furniture and improving the bathroom fittings; Aphrodite works off her mighty sex drive as a phone sex operator, panting, moaning, and faux-orgasming into her mobile phone at any time of day, to the disgust of Artemis; and Apollo has taken his Oracle to television, in a low-budget show where the set was "held together with safety pins and masking tape" and, just as in the good ol' days, the sybils did all the work. It's at the taping of the first (and last) episode of this show that Eros, who's now a Christian and suffering an existential crisis because of this, shoots an arrow of love into Apollo's heart at the behest of Aphrodite in a fit of "woman scorned" anger. Apollo falls instantly in love with Alice, a cleaner who's sneaked her friend, Neil, and herself onto the soundstage. Thus begins the complications and the drama: Alice is fired from the TV station, Neil convinces her to go freelance with her cleaning skills, as a result of which she ends up at the gods' townhouse where she's hired by Artemis and gleefully stalked by Apollo as he tries to convince the rather mousy woman of his love for her. And so the adventure begins.
This is a fun and funny book; it's entertaining and a quick read. While it may not offer up any great moments of genius, there's a tremendous amount of skill shown in the actual writing: clever and occasionally witty prose, authentic characters, and a story which evokes a genuine emotional involvement in the reader. (Yes, even in fluff, such things are possible.) Considering that this is a first novel, the high level of talent in Marie Phillips' writing is pleasantly unexpected.
January 27, 2015
Some school subjects enter your brain through the front door, find themselves a room and quickly prove themselves useful; cleaning out the cobwebs of mental inconsistency or forming dynamic, working friendships with academics from other fields. 'How did we ever get along without Algebra?' the denizens of my brain might have said during a particularly anthropomorphic moment 'he works so well with World History, Psychology and Creative Writing.'
But Greek Mythology was one of those subjects (along with Spanish, Geometry and Biology) that never found a home in my mind. They'd knock at the door and ask to come in, but the sales pitch always fell flat. 'Hello, my name is Greek Mythology and have I got a deal for you! Capricious Gods! Haphazard fables! Arbitrarily-named constellations! And all part of a religion that nobody believes in anymore! Sound like fun?' To lots of people, sure, but it never clicked for me.
Enter Gods Behaving Badly via that circuitous reading route; a holiday gift exchange. 'A near-pantheon of Gods forced to live together in a London town house? Wow, Greek Mythology AND a reality TV-style comic setup?' I thought as I felt my eyes glaze over.
Yet this novel proves both hilarious and human. Turns out all that arbitrary God-logic can make for some delightfully absurd situations when forced into the modern world. And all the petty plotting fuels real human feeling when the author writes the manipulated mortals with skill and compassion.
This novel scales my personal humor Mount Olympus to take it's place beside The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as one of the funniest books I've ever read. In doing so, it knocks one more peg out from the old 'women aren't as funny as men' canard while helping me appreciate a literary subject I'd long found mystifying. I'd say that's an accomplishment worthy of myth.
But Greek Mythology was one of those subjects (along with Spanish, Geometry and Biology) that never found a home in my mind. They'd knock at the door and ask to come in, but the sales pitch always fell flat. 'Hello, my name is Greek Mythology and have I got a deal for you! Capricious Gods! Haphazard fables! Arbitrarily-named constellations! And all part of a religion that nobody believes in anymore! Sound like fun?' To lots of people, sure, but it never clicked for me.
Enter Gods Behaving Badly via that circuitous reading route; a holiday gift exchange. 'A near-pantheon of Gods forced to live together in a London town house? Wow, Greek Mythology AND a reality TV-style comic setup?' I thought as I felt my eyes glaze over.
Yet this novel proves both hilarious and human. Turns out all that arbitrary God-logic can make for some delightfully absurd situations when forced into the modern world. And all the petty plotting fuels real human feeling when the author writes the manipulated mortals with skill and compassion.
This novel scales my personal humor Mount Olympus to take it's place beside The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as one of the funniest books I've ever read. In doing so, it knocks one more peg out from the old 'women aren't as funny as men' canard while helping me appreciate a literary subject I'd long found mystifying. I'd say that's an accomplishment worthy of myth.
April 25, 2010
The premise of this book is wild, but to my surprise I really enjoyed it. Modern day London occupied by Greek Gods, bored by the uneventful trickling of time and their powers decaying, is place for their mischief. Fed up, ill-tempered, occupied with lust and wicked games on their mind they find that mortals make great toys. Whether its turning them into objects or making them fall in love or hate one another is just another game in the daily lives of Apollo, Aphrodite, Eros, Zeus, Hera and the whole gang. Greek mythology comes to life, marred with many curse words that I found distasteful but it only added to their bad attitudes that were in a huge need of change.
One day the game between Apollo and Aphrodite goes too far and two mortals, Alice and Nick get tangled up in their power play. Struck by a love arrow from Eros, Apollo falls madly in love with Alice and her male friends is not very happy about that. When powers that he has never dreamt of separate them the tale takes off and sweeps the readers of their feet. Nick must stand up to himself and to the Gods whose power is only too real. They kill without much though and love to play tricks, for him to save himself and the woman he loves he ventures out on a journey that is beyond anything his mortal life has prepared him for.
This is a very fast read and I completed the task quite satisfied in one day, a work day never the less. The ending was fun and rewarding, I read it with a huge grin on my face and I wish the writer all the best with her career, she is on a good path. I loved the fast pace and comedic performances from the snooty Gods who got to learn a lesson or two from their own mess.
One day the game between Apollo and Aphrodite goes too far and two mortals, Alice and Nick get tangled up in their power play. Struck by a love arrow from Eros, Apollo falls madly in love with Alice and her male friends is not very happy about that. When powers that he has never dreamt of separate them the tale takes off and sweeps the readers of their feet. Nick must stand up to himself and to the Gods whose power is only too real. They kill without much though and love to play tricks, for him to save himself and the woman he loves he ventures out on a journey that is beyond anything his mortal life has prepared him for.
This is a very fast read and I completed the task quite satisfied in one day, a work day never the less. The ending was fun and rewarding, I read it with a huge grin on my face and I wish the writer all the best with her career, she is on a good path. I loved the fast pace and comedic performances from the snooty Gods who got to learn a lesson or two from their own mess.
June 14, 2017
Read this ages ago, but it's been wiggling in my brain recently with a different mythology remake book. I loved this one. Only giving it a 4* because for the life of me, I can't remember the ending...so I figure it must've been somethin' not quite to my lurvin' *shrug*
The Gods/esses were true to their ancient selves and the modern world take on their powers, personalities and interactions was awesome!
The Gods/esses were true to their ancient selves and the modern world take on their powers, personalities and interactions was awesome!
July 9, 2013
It's a fine book for a light weekend read. The book is very well paced and although the plot is basically boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, the overarching plot of greek gods mingled with present day humanity gives it a bit of flavour. It may have been that the plot was too straightforward for my taste, but it felt a bit too rushed and fairy-tale perfect in its conclusion.
January 4, 2016
Gods Behaving Badly is an imperfect but entertaining book for those looking for a light (and a bit smutty) escape.
May 23, 2021
Content warnings: Sexual harrassment (Chapter 1); flippant mentions of rape (Pg 105 and 152); outdated language referencing someone intersex, transgender, or in drag (Pg 109); strong misogynistic language (literally any time Apollo throws a temper tantrum or can't put his penis in something); casual racism (pg 166) - it seemed like the author was trying to make some political point here that missed the mark, in my opinion
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips is a contemporary fantasy and romance featuring the Greek Gods. They live in a townhouse in London and are slowly losing their powers and dying. They all have human careers, though none of them make much money, and their house is falling apart. They live in complete filth, until they hire a cleaner, and for the most part no one has changed very much.
When I bought this book, I thought it was going to be a fun romp. It was described as a comedy, and I thought the premise was very interesting. However, the book ended up being way more uncomfortable, awkward and "cringe-worthy" than anything else. The ending fell very, very flat. In all the decades since the gods moved to London, they were simply too full of themselves (I guess?) to figure out why they were losing their powers. It turned out to be infuriatingly obvious, to the point where a mortal gave them the answer flippantly, and it wasn't deserved in any way or even truly "discovered". It was just... said.
The story is told through four different perspectives: Apollo, Artemis, and two mortals who find themselves tangled up in the web because the gods can't help but screw somebody over. They're too vengeful not to. This might've been the sort of thing I expected, though, so that's not exactly a mark against the book itself. Gods have no reason to care for mortals. Why should they? You know, besides the fact that caring for mortals a bit might help them keep their powers. I actually wish the book would've went on to show if there was any sort of change in the way the gods behaved after they realized why they were dying or if they just continued to carry on life as usual. They got their powers back, so why change? Anyway.
The comedy, if there is any, was certainly not my type of comedy. Maybe it's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but mostly it just made me uncomfortable. I think a lot of it is supposed to be found in the unnecessary and bizarre descriptions the author gives of certain situations or perhaps in the temper tantrums of the gods.
I guess it could also be in the way that Neil somehow manages to meet members of the house, hear their names, recognizes ancient art of Apollo hanging in Apollo's room, and still doesn't manage to put any pieces together or even question it. I found this to be a sort of plot-hole at the time, but it didn't seem to matter by the end of the book.
Overall, I think this is the first book I've read this year that I don't recommend to others.
For your pleasure (or maybe not), I'm going to include of the descriptions that put me off of the book:
"Aphrodite detached herself from him and turned so that she was facing the wall. She arched her back, pointed the flawless ivory spheres of her buttocks at her nephew, and supported herself against the wall with her slender, elegant hands. Apollo reengaged himself and resumed thrusting." (Pg. 8) - The author used a lot of descriptions of how they were all related to each other in really weird moments. This was one of them. Yes, the gods are incestuous, did I really have to be reminded right after Aphrodite announced to Apollo she would be changing sex positions.
"Neil followed Aphrodite up the stairs, trying to keep his eyes away from her bottom, bouncing ahead of him like two hard-boiled eggs dancing a tango." (Pg. 89) - Hard-boiled eggs???
"The air was thick and old, unstirred for years. On one of the steps, near his eye-level, a fat, sleek rat observed him; above it, a pair of giant cockroaches were mating on the wall." (Pg. 121) - I don't remember why I wrote this one down. It's gross, but innocuous. I'm still including it for the transparency of my low tolerance for the book by this point. Must've been the fact that she included the roaches were mating. I don't know.
"Zeus was nude. His genitals flopped uselessly. Apollo thought of the thousands of women, the goddesses that Zeus had impaled on that tube of dead skin, laughing or crying or literally dying of pleasure, their shrieks echoing across continents, new life exploding inside of him." (Pg. 132)
"Alice screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed, and as she screamed she became aware that the screaming wasn't exhausting her or relieving her or even making her throat soar." (Pg. 149)
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips is a contemporary fantasy and romance featuring the Greek Gods. They live in a townhouse in London and are slowly losing their powers and dying. They all have human careers, though none of them make much money, and their house is falling apart. They live in complete filth, until they hire a cleaner, and for the most part no one has changed very much.
When I bought this book, I thought it was going to be a fun romp. It was described as a comedy, and I thought the premise was very interesting. However, the book ended up being way more uncomfortable, awkward and "cringe-worthy" than anything else. The ending fell very, very flat. In all the decades since the gods moved to London, they were simply too full of themselves (I guess?) to figure out why they were losing their powers. It turned out to be infuriatingly obvious, to the point where a mortal gave them the answer flippantly, and it wasn't deserved in any way or even truly "discovered". It was just... said.
The story is told through four different perspectives: Apollo, Artemis, and two mortals who find themselves tangled up in the web because the gods can't help but screw somebody over. They're too vengeful not to. This might've been the sort of thing I expected, though, so that's not exactly a mark against the book itself. Gods have no reason to care for mortals. Why should they? You know, besides the fact that caring for mortals a bit might help them keep their powers. I actually wish the book would've went on to show if there was any sort of change in the way the gods behaved after they realized why they were dying or if they just continued to carry on life as usual. They got their powers back, so why change? Anyway.
The comedy, if there is any, was certainly not my type of comedy. Maybe it's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but mostly it just made me uncomfortable. I think a lot of it is supposed to be found in the unnecessary and bizarre descriptions the author gives of certain situations or perhaps in the temper tantrums of the gods.
I guess it could also be in the way that Neil somehow manages to meet members of the house, hear their names, recognizes ancient art of Apollo hanging in Apollo's room, and still doesn't manage to put any pieces together or even question it. I found this to be a sort of plot-hole at the time, but it didn't seem to matter by the end of the book.
Overall, I think this is the first book I've read this year that I don't recommend to others.
For your pleasure (or maybe not), I'm going to include of the descriptions that put me off of the book:
"Aphrodite detached herself from him and turned so that she was facing the wall. She arched her back, pointed the flawless ivory spheres of her buttocks at her nephew, and supported herself against the wall with her slender, elegant hands. Apollo reengaged himself and resumed thrusting." (Pg. 8) - The author used a lot of descriptions of how they were all related to each other in really weird moments. This was one of them. Yes, the gods are incestuous, did I really have to be reminded right after Aphrodite announced to Apollo she would be changing sex positions.
"Neil followed Aphrodite up the stairs, trying to keep his eyes away from her bottom, bouncing ahead of him like two hard-boiled eggs dancing a tango." (Pg. 89) - Hard-boiled eggs???
"The air was thick and old, unstirred for years. On one of the steps, near his eye-level, a fat, sleek rat observed him; above it, a pair of giant cockroaches were mating on the wall." (Pg. 121) - I don't remember why I wrote this one down. It's gross, but innocuous. I'm still including it for the transparency of my low tolerance for the book by this point. Must've been the fact that she included the roaches were mating. I don't know.
"Zeus was nude. His genitals flopped uselessly. Apollo thought of the thousands of women, the goddesses that Zeus had impaled on that tube of dead skin, laughing or crying or literally dying of pleasure, their shrieks echoing across continents, new life exploding inside of him." (Pg. 132)
"Alice screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed, and as she screamed she became aware that the screaming wasn't exhausting her or relieving her or even making her throat soar." (Pg. 149)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2023
Would have been funny as a stage play… could’ve been shorter & fun. (Hell let me direct it) As a novel it just got a tad too serious and dragged on a bit.
July 27, 2018
3.5 Stars...
I got this book in a fair by its cover and the blurb. As it said, this is really funny and hilarious to read. I had my share of LOL moments. I liked this book really.
This is a story of the Greek gods living in the 21st century with their powers limited. Artemis is the dog-walker and Apollo is the host of a kind-of pathetic, old prophetic TV show. The funny thing is Aphrodite, who works as a phone sex worker. Their life changes after a meeting with a cleaner named Alice and her like-to-be boyfriend, Nick.
The writing is really good and hilarious and turns out serious towards the end. I liked the way each of the Greek gods depicted. I expected more, as in more serious actions, tragedies and stuff. If you want to have a funny, light read, read this.
I got this book in a fair by its cover and the blurb. As it said, this is really funny and hilarious to read. I had my share of LOL moments. I liked this book really.
This is a story of the Greek gods living in the 21st century with their powers limited. Artemis is the dog-walker and Apollo is the host of a kind-of pathetic, old prophetic TV show. The funny thing is Aphrodite, who works as a phone sex worker. Their life changes after a meeting with a cleaner named Alice and her like-to-be boyfriend, Nick.
The writing is really good and hilarious and turns out serious towards the end. I liked the way each of the Greek gods depicted. I expected more, as in more serious actions, tragedies and stuff. If you want to have a funny, light read, read this.
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