Doing God's Work

It's too good for me to argue.

Okay, I'm not going to do a specific breakdown of the aspects of the story. They're all in the mid to upper tier of professional writing, with no noteworthy flaws and all the platitudes of being clean, easy to follow, and engaging. If you have a problem with this writing, you're a pickier duck than I. And I am one picky duck.

And the characters, oh the characters. Amusing, affable, even the ones that you're supposed to hate are *fun* to hate, rather than just annoying. Except "Shitface"- he's not annoying or fun, he's goddamn terrifying. Especially since even he is just a cog in a massive machine. I find myself wondering how it's possible for anyone to face what the protagonists are trying to beat.

So, being who I am, I'll focus on the one thing that I find even the least bit off-putting about this story. I don't know what it is, and I'm not sure it knows what it is.

Sometimes, it reads like an intense intreague-thriller, with literal world-shattering stakes waiting in the wings.

Sometimes it reads like a fun and relaxed slice-of-life sitcom. The banter between characters is amongst the strongest I've ever seen, so much so that I read through massive amounts of unimportant dialogue with a smile on my face and feeling completely satisfied that my time was well spent even though a hundred lines of reading had perhaps five lines of plot advancement. AKA: Slice of Life at its best.

Sometimes it feels like an outright satire with stuff that on the face of it feels silly and illogical to the extreme. Loki and the devil sitting in office cubical complaining about their boss being an asshole sounds like the pilot episode for something on Adult Swim. And it's hilarious.

This story tries to be a thriller, a mystery, a comedy, and slice of life. It's like someone blended American Gods and Purgatony. And somehow, this seemingly incompatible blend of ideas comes together in a way that highlights rather than distracts.

In case you couldn't tell, I highly recommend it, even if it's not your style- treat yourself to the novelty. Unless you're the sort who really hates genre-blurring, in which case you probably won't be a fan.

First of all- this is niche but amazing.

Don't expect action. The focus is more on humor and exasperation with the banality of even celestial office life while pursuing a mystery/conspiracy.

The characters are well written and more than anything, the mystery is engaging.  Seriously, I hate mysteries and I'm excited to track this down.

If you're interested in a character/story driven drama/slice of life read this right now.  It's absolutely top notch.

This novel is on the level or even higher as the novels in the top 10 or even top 5. With the characters fluidly interacting with each other and a smoothly pieced out story of each side characters background, this story just tops it all out.

There are a few cliches in it, however, in the fact that it does so in a highly different take, which makes the reader question, “What’s going to happen next”?

The plot initially starts off like a whimsical comic fantasy from Jasper Fforde or Terry Pratchett. Loki and Lucifer exchange snarky quips while stuck doing drudgework in a soul-crushing office environment completely staffed by miserable and dysfunctional gods from all pantheons and cultures.

But the story only builds from there. You start getting hints of the wars and crimes that took place before the corporate takeover. A revolution starts to brew against the Tyrant. Things get dark as you find out exactly what happens to gods who get "Demoted" too far down the hierarchy.

This story's greatest strength is it's fantastic ensemble cast. The author has innovative new takes on well known characters from classic mythologies alongside fascinating depictions of under-represented gods from diverse cultures. These characters aren't noble heroes, they're the outcasts, tricksters and villains from a variety of pantheons. They're flawed and morally grey, but each of them is so distinctly charming and lovable, even when they're being ruthless or capricious.

If you enjoy surrealism, dry humour, well written dialogue with snappy banter over a slowly burning epic of underground rebellion, this story is for you.

Disclaimer: I feel obligated to say that I know the author in real life and I'm a beta reader for her story. However, this review is entirely honest and I cannot recommend "Doing God's Work" enough.

The story has me gripped and I'm finding it hard to put down. Great stuff!

The characters and writing grabbed me from the start, but the developing plot has kept me hooked, I can't wait for more!

Doing Gods Work has a novel premise.  The bureaucratization of religious cultures and its effects become interesting to read about as we read about the main character(Loki) and his push against the oppressive regime.  
The characters are well made and relatable, despite being gods.  
I'm not a grammar Nazi, but I don't see any obvious mistakes.  

I feel obligated to give this story five stars, but it isn't a five star story. Not in isolation. Compared to the works circulating on RR, however, it's as close to a masterpiece as I've seen.

The problem with this story is it falls into the same trap as its predecessors, namely American Gods, Good Omens, and Unsong. I'm not quite sure why trying to make a novel that personifies the deities always seems to lead one down the same path - interconnected vignettes, rather than a real story. This work is a followup to the same quandry posed by the previous three - can characters and humor carry a story if it has a bleary and ridiculous plot. I believe they can, but none of these past authors have accomplished it. 

A general feeling of malaise follows the storyline. We don't care about Tez, or the Pope, or the Rockstar, or Druaga - why should we? They haven't been given motivations, or personalities really. Lucifer and Apollo are by far the most developed and interesting of the pantheon, with Loki in a distant third. There is no sense of climax, of adversity that must and will be overcome by cleverness or power. There is no thrill of wondering what might wait on the next page, no reason to follow and keep up with the story. 

Do better. Make us care.

This story is amazing, I was gripped and driven to compulsively read it from the first chapter.

The story concept is a fresh take on urban fantasy, with a few twists I did not expect but perfectly suit the characters driving the action.

 Enjoyed the tone in particular, character minimum