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There’s something soothing about British satire. The formula is simple: take a modern social or political problem; build it into a fantasy or sci-fi setting; ridicule liberally and wrap everything up with a thoughtful look at the original problem. Only, sometimes there’s nothing to do but accept that the universe seems to be built for the express purpose of driving us all to an earlier grave. Tom Holt’s satire runs the gamut from meaningful social criticism to unsuccessful exercises in comic abs...
Oddly enough, the second novel in this omnibus is the first and so far only title I've shared on this site, and I just happened to have come back to Goodreads the very day I bought Divine Comedies to read the first novel, Here Comes the Sun (1993). From the Goodwill in Springfield, in good shape, with only some wear to the corners, I paid $0.99 for the 4th printing (2006) with the 2004 Ben Sharpe cover this afternoon (Sunday 04/15/12). Here Comes the Sun is not at any local library and this is m...
Again, this is a compendium of two of Tom Holt's novels, 'Here comes the Sun' and 'Odds and Gods' and as such results in two reviews in one. The theme to this compendium appears to be the running of the universe and both again pick up on an apparently intrinsic dislike of lawyers or bureaucracy. Here comes the sun is set in the Universe, in a world parallel to our own, where immortals manage (or mis-manage as the case seems to be) the running of the universe, including driving our sun round our
I find it really hard to rate this book, given that it is two in one. I loved the second book but the first not so much, hence the 3 rating. Here Comes The SunThe narrative is very funny and the story is inventive and has the potential to be extremely captivating but instead I found that it was some what of a garbled mess. The plot didn't go in a line straight enough to be fully understood and I found that the scene changed too quickly, here there and everywhere. I was ok but that's it. Odds and...
This is two novels is one volume, so I'm going to claim it as two books read. They sounded really funny and cool when I read the blurbs, but I found the delivery a bit wanting. I think this is probably more due to my own relative lack of religious context than to any fault of the author's, however. I know just enough about modern and ancient religions to get the basic references, but not enough to understand what felt like "in-jokes" that only religious historians or theologians would understand...
Tom Holt has a wonderful "eye" for character. I am convinced that some of the people he describes are ex-colleagues of mine. I also love his cynical take on the world of work, particularly the many and varied forms corporate nonsense with which the British workforce has to contend. Actually, that may be "the many and varied forms corporate nonsense with which the worldwide workforce has to contend", but I've not worked outside Britain, so I can't speak for elsewhere. All of his abilities in show...
Of the two, it was "Odds and Gods" which slayed me, so I'm pleased I did that first. Imagine a zanier "American Gods", as if Neil Gaiman had done that book with Terry Pratchet instead of "Good Omens." The geriatric deities of the Sunnyvoyde Retirement Home are well worth the price of admission, and every detour in the novel is remarkably on-point, so it makes for a more concise style than, say, Douglas Adams, who would wend away from the narrative just for a laugh."Here Comes the Sun" was charmi...
I picked up this book because I felt I could justify buying a new book if I got two for the price of one, and boy did I. The two books reminded me a bit of Gaiman's work with Pratchet in Good Omens. Though Holt seems to make things a little more light hearted. I found myself giggling at inopportune moments while reading. It was great. There were however a couple of drawbacks,first of all I'm not terribly familiar with British culture and felt like I was missing some of the jokes. Also the story
I read the first part (HCTS), was so unimpressed by it that I took almost a year before reading the second. After O&G, I wonder if I disliked HCTS so much because I was in the middle of a series & took a break to read this (therefore was still thinking about the plots/characters in the series). Anyway, I rated these separately because I don't think I can clearly reflect my true ratings of these two books in one rating.
nice idea, bits of brilliance, overall yawn.
Funny throughout with occasional bits of brilliance.
"Here Comes the Sun" did not disappoint in scope, and "Odds and Gods" was a surprising and delightful read. No one can do deus ex machina better than Holt.
its a freakish good read. He is witty, and funny. However the storyline could be better for here comes the sun
Here Comes the Sun, with the old gods in a retirement home. Really funny!! I have to admit that I could not get into Odds and Gods, but will of course try again later.
