Book Review: Gods Behaving Badly

So I've had a copy of Marie Phillips Gods Behaving Badly in my home for about five years now; both my wife and oldest daughter have read the book, and my wife had said she thought I would really enjoy it, so when I found a copy at a used bookstore I snatched it at once.

First things first - my wife was absolutely right, this is a delightful read and one I should have gotten around to long before this.

The novel follows the major gods of the Classical Greek Pantheon (Zeus, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, etc.) in the modern world, where they share a small house in London, England. While trying to keep a relatively low profile, they end up affecting the lives of a number of mortals and the end of the world may occur unless a hero can rise to save them all.

A big part of what I like about the book is the soap opera-esque family dynamic shown between the various gods with plots, friendships, affairs and even wars occurring regularly. Yes, a lot of this type of concept has been covered elsewhere (American Gods, Greenmantle and Fables all touch on similar concepts), but Gods Behaving Badly has a nice sense of humour throughout and a reminder of how much more interesting fallible gods can be to a narrative.