Customer Reviews

Divine Misfortune

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

All authors occasionally write books that just fail to measure up to their previous works. Trying to maintain the quality is difficult and authors just can't write a hit every time.
Martinez isn't one of these authors.
Everything he's written has been a hit, and nothing he's written is like anything else he's written.

Martinez's worlds are located in some strange universe where soldiers can't seem to stay dead, killer robots become Sam Spade, werewolves and vampires are good ol' boys, and the kobold housekeeper has more sense than anyone else.

In this romp, the gods are real, and for subscription to their services and minor fees of sacrifice will give you the benefit of their powers. Just log on to the internet and pick your god, you'll soon have all the advantages of having a genuine immortal god in your personal corner. (Just don't forget to ask about the the often fatal disadvantages).

In this case Phil and Teri are just trying to get ahead and decide to sign up with a god who looks like a raccoon wearing jeans, the loudest Hawaiian shirts ever seen and sunglasses even when it's dark.
Unfortunately their new god fails to inform them about some personal baggage from his past, such as another god who's a jealous former lover who's been stalking him for hundreds of years and a dark god who's been trying to destroy him for a thousand years but can't seem to remember why.

It all gets complicated with the raccoon god's new girlfriend, a woman who makes a mistake in sitting down on the bench at a bus stop, a former Aztec god who needs a place to crash (and who's great at making breakfast) a vengeful dark god who refuses to obey the new rules, and an assortment of disciples who are more like the Keystone Kops than effective henchmen.

I always watch for Martinez's next book, and I'm never disappointed. Each is a unique adventure in strange worlds with (mostly) likable people. These strange worlds are strange but in some odd way are quite recognizably similar to our own.
You sort of don't expect this level of fantasy writing to come out of Texas, and perhaps that's why it's so fresh and interesting.

I find it difficult to commit to trying out a new author. I am a huge fan of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, and am a hopeful fan of the two relatively new authors David Wong (John Dies at the End) and Jonathan Howard (the two Johannes Cabal books out so far). I like my humor slightly warped, slightly cerebral, and slightly fantastical. And while I love Adam Sandler movies, I'm not a fan of fart jokes or sophomoric humor in books, and I hate puns for the sake of plot devices (ie, those Piers Anthony pieces of crap that pass for books).

I immediately liked this book, and when I finished, the first thing I did was went and added just about every other A. Lee Martinez book to my Kindle wish list so I could keep track of the books I wanted to download. I'm about halfway through my second book of his (the Automatic Detective), and I have to say that both books are right up my alley. The worlds he creates are more along the lines of Adams, Wong, and Howard. That is, he builds off of our current existence and spins that in a sci-fi / fantasy way. Unlike Terry Pratchett who invented a brand new universe for his Discworld series (which I absolutely love).

This is one of those books where I found myself, while not laughing out loud, at least smiling to myself and maybe letting out a little chuckle (anything more would have brought some worried looks from my fellow commuters on the train). If you like the authors I've listed, you should definitely give this guy a read.

A. Lee Martinez specializes in "soft" satire...where things get blown up like a balloon rather than cut with a knife. The result is gross distortion but very, very funny. In DIVINE MISFORTUNE, he tackles the modern approach to religion with, well, irreverence. Which is pretty much half the modern approach to religion, the other half being extreme commercialization of it. These days, religion seems to regard prayer as a Pez dispenser--click a prayer button for a piece of candy--and this attitude is what Martinez takes dead aim at.

DIVINE MISFORTUNE is about a nice couple, Phil and Teri. They both work and are getting by okay, but when Phil gets passed over for promotion and Teri runs over a cat, they decide that they need to bring religion into their lives. So they embark on their "spiritual" quest the way any modern person would by searching for a god on the internet. Teri rejects Anubis because the jackal head is just too icky. Eventually they settle on Luka, because he seems cool--Hawaiian shirts and a casual attitude, no need for messy or painful sacrifices, just "allow me into your home". So they click "Accept" on that long agreement and then...

A raccoon shows up at the front door. Yep, there were a few "non-disclosed" items in the agreement...one of which is that Luka or Lucky as he likes to be called is caught up in a war with a creepy god of chaos and the goddess of romantic heartbreak...there really being no room in the modern world for a goddess of Love anymore...and then it is OMG, OMG, OMG and ROTFLMAO.

Martinez has come up with a solid satiric fantasy. One could even say it is inspired. It's the kind of book that after you stop laughing, you start thinking. Very nice...

Picked this up free at a book swap. No expectations at all because I'd not heard of the author. Well, it was a wonderful read. Great fun. I will certainly buy everything this guy has written. It is great to find new, original material from an author that has other books to explore. I highly recommend it!

Mr. Martinez has done it again. He has quickly become my go to author for quick, fun, and funny reads. Not all books need to have you think about every aspect and engross you with themes, alternate meanings, philosophical notions, etc. Sometimes you need to read for the sake of reading, to remind you that reading can still be fun. A. Lee Martinez can craft a fun book like no one's business. He delves into each character just enough so that you know them and like them without overdoing it. Some authors like to go into details about characters from the moment they were born onward, which leaves no room for them to grow and develop in your own mind because you know too much about them. The stories are simple but not too simple. There are twists and turns, but you don't know everything right from the beginning and you don't finish the book feeling like you missed something. The language he uses is wonderful, easy to read. Quite simply, a breeze. His books would be the definition of summer reading, a book to take to the beach or to pull out on a rainy day. This book offers his take on the various gods and goddesses that inhabit our world. What if they were all real? What would life be like? How would the world work? It would be pretty much the same as it is now, just a few more...quirks. I think it'd be much more fun, but that's just me. How he handles the ins and outs of living with these supreme beings is very well done and often hilarious. Do yourself a favor and read this book, and the rest of Mr. Martinez's novels. You won't regret it.

When Phil was passed over for yet another promotion, he decided that maybe he needed to finally get a god. His wife, Teri, wasn't so sure of the idea, but changed her mind. Together they explored the god ads on the deity matching service, finding Lucky, a not well-known god of prosperity and good fortune who didn't have many followers, and decided he was the perfect fit. They expected to set up an altar in the corner and give him 10 percent of their good fortunes when it came around, as per their contract.

Until Lucky shows up on their doorstep wanting to crash at their house.

Phil and Teri find themselves the middle of god issues, something they always wanted to be separate from. Is the good fortune they receive from Lucky worth living with all of his baggage?

Immediately, I was hooked on this book. The story is highly amusing, almost like a joke that keeps going. The tone is light, but dark at the same time, with the characters getting into strange situations because of their involvement with the gods. The plot becomes mysterious as the story progresses, introducing the ultimate bad guy.

Unfortunately, the joke falls stale towards the end. By the last third of the book, I simply wanted the story to end. Yes, I finished it and glad I did since the ending was good, but I became bored with the story. Honestly, I do not think my boredom is because the pacing came to a screeching halt, but I think the premise of the story simply got old.

Generally, I enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, I think it would have made an excellent short story or novella.

BookingIt Grade: B

As a huge fan of A. Lee Martinez I am constantly looking forward to reading his next book. Divine Misfortune does not disappoint. It's an entertaining and satisfying read from start to finish. You really feel connected to the characters and the world that they are living in. It's a modern twist on the Greek tragedy's of old using new and intelligent storytelling. Any fan of Mythology or of Martinez (I was a fan of both) will enjoy the heck out of this book.

"Divine Misfortune" takes place in an alternative world where the mythological gods exist and are still worshipped. They even have a match-up service similar to eHarmony where browsers can find a compatible god.

When Phil misses yet another promotion, he's thinking it's time he swore himself to a god. After all, the guy who got the job he wanted admits he got the job because of his patron god's favor. Phil's wife, Teri, isn't so sure. Gods are a lot of work. They involve sacrifice and an altar. But, when Teri sees a cat that'd been struck by a car brought back to life, she relents.

Phil and Teri select the fortune god, Lucky, a raccoon. Lucky doesn't demand much of his followers, so they think. But, when a Hawaiian shirt clad raccoon shows up at their door with multicolored luggage, they are considering re-considering their oaths. Lucky's okay about them reneging. It's a lot of responsibility. He goes away--and the next day is the day from Hell for both of them.

Phil and Teri think all is well when Lucky returns, but the little god hasn't told them everything. There's his ex-girlfriend, the former goddess of love and a blood feud with a blood-path god. Talk about Divine Misfortune!

Rebecca Kyle, April 2010

On an earth where mortals and Gods co-exist, humans can go on the website Pantheon.com to pick a god to worship. At first Teri and Phil reject adopting a god, but after being passed over for a promotion he earned, his car smashed while the other vehicle had no scratches, and his lawn brown compared to green next door, Phil reconsiders his deity belief. They go online and listens to videos until they select raccoon faced Luka, god of prosperity and good luck.

He wants to move in with the couple, but they do not want a god as part of their family. When Lucky leaves, he takes their fortune with him, leaving behind nothing but bad luck. One the chaos god Gorgoz, a deadly primordial ancient deity wants to kill Lucky. Collateral damage and deaths of innocents don't matter to him. When he kidnaps one of Lucky's followers who he is fond of the battle of the gods begins.

Lee Martinez provides a unique amusing tale of Divine Misfortune in which readers will enjoy the serious yet comedic tale. The audience will be fascinated by humans and gods side by side in which the former can select the latter online the latter; of like shopping on Amazon. Teri and Phil bring the seriousness to the mix as everyday people struggling initially without heavenly intervention, but soon struggling with heavenly intervention. The couple must deal with what Luka has wrought to them as Mr. Martinez provides an entertaining thought provoking yet jocular deity fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

Gosh! What do you do when everyone around you gets the promotions at work, all the good stuff, and you just keep on trudging through life? Well, maybe you need a god? Teri and Phil decide that maybe a god to offer tribute to would help things along. They check out the online god matching services, and decide on a small racoon god of fortune.

The adventure starts when, unlike other folks' gods, their god (they call him "Lucky") decides to actually move in, bringing his pal Quick (Quetzacoatl) along. These two guys bring all kinds of problems into Teri and Phil's lives, including a jealous, spurned goddess, a monstrous god of chaos, and.... wait, I am telling you the whole story! And I shouldn't do that! It is just so tempting to do so because this is, like all of A. Lee Martinez's books, just a wonderful bit of very, very funny nonsense.

I love his books, and was delighted to find out that this is just as good as the other ones. I recommend it without reservation!