Not all gods are good. Some will give you forgiveness - others will turn you into a tree. Or kill you, depending on their mood.
Thus, we meet the mythological gods of yore: not the magical, reigning deities they were, but the disgruntled, work-laden city dwellers they are now. Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, is now a phone-sex operator; goddess of hunting and chastity, Artemis, walks dogs; and Apollo, god of the sun, is a TV psychic (with help from actually psychic, nearly naked prophetesses). Several of their relatives live with them in the house, including a god that causes battles wherever he goes; a newly-Christian god (go figure); a goddess who claims to know why she and her relatives are losing their power, but can't clearly communicate it; and the god of thunder and sky, Zeus, who has only watched television in his bed on the never-visited third floor for a past few centuries.
All seems well and in order until Aphrodite's son Eros hits Apollo with a cupid's arrow, causing him to fall in love with mortal Alice during the taping of his show Apollo's Oracle. Alice, whose presence at the show with best friend Neil gets her fired from the studio, goes freelance with her cleaning job and winds up at the house of the gods, hired by Artemis. But Apollo, still crazy in love with the mortal miss, sets off a chain of unexpected events that may lead to the end of the world...all because Alice rejects his request to rape her.
Phillips is extremely imaginative with the characters in Gods Behaving Badly, giving modern personality to honored figures of ancient times. Apollo's playboy attitude throughout the book sets the standard for the disaster and mayhem that ensues and brings clarity to his extremely forward approaches to women of interest. ("I'd like to rape you, but would that cause you harm?" is one of his plentifully questionable tidbits.) The remaining ensemble characters are superb and involved in the story line in just the right ways and at the right times; and their occupations are uniquely related to their individual powers, providing an insightful look at their abilities.
The storyline is very interesting to follow, especially the trips to the underworld, where its occupants (Earth's dead) live eternally without the obligation of money, hunger, pain or feeling. It's a fresh look into the often contemplated afterlife, though the presence of three-headed dog Cerberus would scare the bejeezus out of anyone, living or dead.
What is most heartwarming about the crazy tale is the hidden power behind Neil's secret love for Alice, taking him before the throne of Hades and Persephone to plead for her life after a fatal strike of lightning (thanks a lot, Zeus). If there's anything you can be sure of from this book, though, it's this: Never trust an old, naked man on a roof. You'll see what I mean.
Thus, we meet the mythological gods of yore: not the magical, reigning deities they were, but the disgruntled, work-laden city dwellers they are now. Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, is now a phone-sex operator; goddess of hunting and chastity, Artemis, walks dogs; and Apollo, god of the sun, is a TV psychic (with help from actually psychic, nearly naked prophetesses). Several of their relatives live with them in the house, including a god that causes battles wherever he goes; a newly-Christian god (go figure); a goddess who claims to know why she and her relatives are losing their power, but can't clearly communicate it; and the god of thunder and sky, Zeus, who has only watched television in his bed on the never-visited third floor for a past few centuries.
All seems well and in order until Aphrodite's son Eros hits Apollo with a cupid's arrow, causing him to fall in love with mortal Alice during the taping of his show Apollo's Oracle. Alice, whose presence at the show with best friend Neil gets her fired from the studio, goes freelance with her cleaning job and winds up at the house of the gods, hired by Artemis. But Apollo, still crazy in love with the mortal miss, sets off a chain of unexpected events that may lead to the end of the world...all because Alice rejects his request to rape her.
Phillips is extremely imaginative with the characters in Gods Behaving Badly, giving modern personality to honored figures of ancient times. Apollo's playboy attitude throughout the book sets the standard for the disaster and mayhem that ensues and brings clarity to his extremely forward approaches to women of interest. ("I'd like to rape you, but would that cause you harm?" is one of his plentifully questionable tidbits.) The remaining ensemble characters are superb and involved in the story line in just the right ways and at the right times; and their occupations are uniquely related to their individual powers, providing an insightful look at their abilities.
The storyline is very interesting to follow, especially the trips to the underworld, where its occupants (Earth's dead) live eternally without the obligation of money, hunger, pain or feeling. It's a fresh look into the often contemplated afterlife, though the presence of three-headed dog Cerberus would scare the bejeezus out of anyone, living or dead.
What is most heartwarming about the crazy tale is the hidden power behind Neil's secret love for Alice, taking him before the throne of Hades and Persephone to plead for her life after a fatal strike of lightning (thanks a lot, Zeus). If there's anything you can be sure of from this book, though, it's this: Never trust an old, naked man on a roof. You'll see what I mean.
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