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missuskisses's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to the publisher and goodreads for the advanced reading copy.
I was interested in this book because it sounded like a Christopher Moore-type novel, which are always at least semi-interesting and an easy read. Fated follows Fate, aka Fabio, as he mucks up his job and falls in love with a mortal woman, Sara Griffen.
The author, S.G. Browne, described his thought process in differentiating Mr. Fate and Ms. Destiny:
Source: http://marlyn-stuff.blogspot.com/2010/11/welcome-sg-browne.html.
I don't dispute that those above phrases are used. But I like to think that I was "fated" to meet my husband, as opposed to "destined" to meet him, and I'm mighty grateful of my wonderful "fate." Also, I'm pretty certain that if Sloth were as slothful as he is in this book, the rest of us would get the benefit of being more diligent than we are. Anyway...
Throughout the book, Fated maintains an idiosyncratic style, e.g., every time we are introduced to an entity, we are told that "[t]he thing about _______ is that he/she is __________": "The thing about Secrecy is that she's paranoid." The cleverness of each reveal varies, and the format started to grate on me.
But what really separates Fated is its heart. After reading the book description, I was not particularly looking forward to the "falling in love with a mortal woman" thing--it sounded cheesy and clichéd. I was more interested in the job duties of Mr. Fate. The cynic in me thought that no one could be so special as to catch Fate's attention after all these years. But the love story and the character development of Fate are described with such sincerity that the story shone through, and what a story it is.
I don't want to get too into it for fear of spoilers, but to anyone whose interest is even slightly piqued by the book description--this is a must-read.
I was interested in this book because it sounded like a Christopher Moore-type novel, which are always at least semi-interesting and an easy read. Fated follows Fate, aka Fabio, as he mucks up his job and falls in love with a mortal woman, Sara Griffen.
The author, S.G. Browne, described his thought process in differentiating Mr. Fate and Ms. Destiny:
Fate tends to have a morbid association with the inevitable, that something ominous is going to happen:
His fate was sealed.
A fatal disease.
A fate worse than death.
Destiny, on the other hand, carries a much more positive connotation:
Destiny smiled upon him.
She was destined for greatness.
It was her destiny.
Source: http://marlyn-stuff.blogspot.com/2010/11/welcome-sg-browne.html.
I don't dispute that those above phrases are used. But I like to think that I was "fated" to meet my husband, as opposed to "destined" to meet him, and I'm mighty grateful of my wonderful "fate." Also, I'm pretty certain that if Sloth were as slothful as he is in this book, the rest of us would get the benefit of being more diligent than we are. Anyway...
Throughout the book, Fated maintains an idiosyncratic style, e.g., every time we are introduced to an entity, we are told that "[t]he thing about _______ is that he/she is __________": "The thing about Secrecy is that she's paranoid." The cleverness of each reveal varies, and the format started to grate on me.
But what really separates Fated is its heart. After reading the book description, I was not particularly looking forward to the "falling in love with a mortal woman" thing--it sounded cheesy and clichéd. I was more interested in the job duties of Mr. Fate. The cynic in me thought that no one could be so special as to catch Fate's attention after all these years. But the love story and the character development of Fate are described with such sincerity that the story shone through, and what a story it is.
I don't want to get too into it for fear of spoilers, but to anyone whose interest is even slightly piqued by the book description--this is a must-read.
jasminenoack's review against another edition
4.0
okay so I picked this book up because it looked terrible. yeah no really that was my justification. I finished a book at work and didn't want to read the other book I had with me, so I went to the fiction section looked at the cart and picked up the stupidest looking book (well once you edit out the genre fiction on the cart. I mean it wasn't a nora roberts kind of moment.) The back of this book just terrible. the blurb sounds retarded and like the author had no idea what he was doing. the cover is stupid and cheesy (not unlike breathers in my personal opinion).
After all that you won't be surprised to hear I was shocked when the book was actually good. I thought it was well written and witty and just all kinds of awesome.
Now caris has a review of his other book that says that everything caris hates in his own writing was in the book. Now I'm bias cause I didn't hate caris' book, but I think there are some valid points that carry over to this book.
He does get a little stuck on catch phrases. I mean about a hundred pages in I was ready to throw the book across the room if he wrote "the thing about _______ is he's/she's a _______" I mean they are stupid extra words and it was funny the first well 2 times, tolerable he next 30 or so, then torture the rest of the time, except the last one, I liked that one. And just like caris says in his review (probably in reference to other matters) this feels to me like a poor imitation of palahniuk. I know I know palahniuk only writes one character, whatever people I know you aren't into it. At one point when I was reading interviews by palahniuk there was one about how to write it talked about knowing your character. This included knowing the kinds of things that your character says. So for him in the book choke he talks about code red and code blue etc. and sex things. This is even as literal as if I was a character in a book there are phrases I use all the time "Depressing." "Not really no." "I don't like points they're sharp." that I say, but here is the thing there are lots of characteristic phrases and different wordings of those phrasings I mean as a character I wouldn't say only "depressing." sometimes I'd say "Sad." or "stupid." There is variety, unless you are retard with no vocabulary. This lack of meaningful variation it's annoying.
I don't mind the characters awkwardness in this book. But I not having read the other book I would say it's still there. This is very much a book about a stupid guy and he's a stupid guy who knows he's a stupid guy. I don't mind this in my book some people do, if you are one of those people this is not the book for you.
I also thought there was a chance the personification was going a bit far I mean I don't know that it is necessary to have a personification of every fucking adjective. I do like the fact that a lot of them went by other names, and you aren't actually told who josh is for a while, although you will guess before the actual moment, unless I missed an earlier revelation.
I'm on the verge of talking myself down a star, so I'm just going to say this was one of the most enjoyable books I read all year and for a while I thought it was going to be the first 5 star book of the year. I fully intend to read breathers now even though I think he cover is stupid.
After all that you won't be surprised to hear I was shocked when the book was actually good. I thought it was well written and witty and just all kinds of awesome.
Now caris has a review of his other book that says that everything caris hates in his own writing was in the book. Now I'm bias cause I didn't hate caris' book, but I think there are some valid points that carry over to this book.
He does get a little stuck on catch phrases. I mean about a hundred pages in I was ready to throw the book across the room if he wrote "the thing about _______ is he's/she's a _______" I mean they are stupid extra words and it was funny the first well 2 times, tolerable he next 30 or so, then torture the rest of the time, except the last one, I liked that one. And just like caris says in his review (probably in reference to other matters) this feels to me like a poor imitation of palahniuk. I know I know palahniuk only writes one character, whatever people I know you aren't into it. At one point when I was reading interviews by palahniuk there was one about how to write it talked about knowing your character. This included knowing the kinds of things that your character says. So for him in the book choke he talks about code red and code blue etc. and sex things. This is even as literal as if I was a character in a book there are phrases I use all the time "Depressing." "Not really no." "I don't like points they're sharp." that I say, but here is the thing there are lots of characteristic phrases and different wordings of those phrasings I mean as a character I wouldn't say only "depressing." sometimes I'd say "Sad." or "stupid." There is variety, unless you are retard with no vocabulary. This lack of meaningful variation it's annoying.
I don't mind the characters awkwardness in this book. But I not having read the other book I would say it's still there. This is very much a book about a stupid guy and he's a stupid guy who knows he's a stupid guy. I don't mind this in my book some people do, if you are one of those people this is not the book for you.
I also thought there was a chance the personification was going a bit far I mean I don't know that it is necessary to have a personification of every fucking adjective. I do like the fact that a lot of them went by other names, and you aren't actually told who josh is for a while, although you will guess before the actual moment, unless I missed an earlier revelation.
I'm on the verge of talking myself down a star, so I'm just going to say this was one of the most enjoyable books I read all year and for a while I thought it was going to be the first 5 star book of the year. I fully intend to read breathers now even though I think he cover is stupid.
minomnom's review
2.0
Es ist schon etwas her, seit ich das Buch gelesen habe, allerdings kann ich mich noch ganz gut an meine Gefühlslage beim Lesen erinnern.
Die Idee fand ich damals super und wollte das Buch nur aus dem Grund lesen, weil so abstrakte Dinge wie Schicksal, Liebe etc. plötzlich einen Körper bekommen haben, die noch dazu urkomisch sind. Der Plot fing super an, jedoch ließ der Spannungsbogen relativ früh nach. Am schlimmsten fand ich die ständigen Lesefluß-Unterbrechungen. Das Buch liest sich wirklich flüssig und gut, aber zwischendurch haut der Autor einen Satz rein, der einen wieder völlig raus wirft. Ihr werdet es merken, wenn ihr das Buch lest.
Die Idee fand ich damals super und wollte das Buch nur aus dem Grund lesen, weil so abstrakte Dinge wie Schicksal, Liebe etc. plötzlich einen Körper bekommen haben, die noch dazu urkomisch sind. Der Plot fing super an, jedoch ließ der Spannungsbogen relativ früh nach. Am schlimmsten fand ich die ständigen Lesefluß-Unterbrechungen. Das Buch liest sich wirklich flüssig und gut, aber zwischendurch haut der Autor einen Satz rein, der einen wieder völlig raus wirft. Ihr werdet es merken, wenn ihr das Buch lest.
drtlovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm finding S.G. Browne to be a very strong plot-driven writer, but a bit hit-or-miss. This is the fourth book I've tried, and the second I've completed. This story plays around with lots of religions and mythologies and draws them together into a loosely-knit whole that I found interesting.
My main problem with Browne's protagonists is that they are not likable - they are generally terrible, self-involved people who can't get out of their own way and who generate their own self-consuming conflicts. The first book of Browne's I read (Lucky Bastard)started with enough of a hook and had enough of an interesting plot device that I dealt with it; the second book (Breathers) had an interesting idea, but I put it down after thirty or forty pages because the main character was insufferable. I didn't even get that far in the third (Big Egos) - the plot device wasn't interesting enough, and the writing just turned me off within five pages. I wasn't even going to start on Fated, but I'm glad I gave it a shot.
My main problem with Browne's protagonists is that they are not likable - they are generally terrible, self-involved people who can't get out of their own way and who generate their own self-consuming conflicts. The first book of Browne's I read (Lucky Bastard)started with enough of a hook and had enough of an interesting plot device that I dealt with it; the second book (Breathers) had an interesting idea, but I put it down after thirty or forty pages because the main character was insufferable. I didn't even get that far in the third (Big Egos) - the plot device wasn't interesting enough, and the writing just turned me off within five pages. I wasn't even going to start on Fated, but I'm glad I gave it a shot.
andreablythe's review against another edition
5.0
The thing about Fabio is that he's Fate, and being Fate kinda sucks. Over several thousand years, he's handed out the fortunes to billions of humans (not great fortunes, mind you, as greatness lies on the path of Destiny). More often than not his humans have a habit of screwing everything up, often veering off their mediocre paths into something even more miserable, forcing Fabio to reassign their fortunes on a constant basis.
Watching this happen over and over again leaves apathetic and bored.
His best friends Sloth and Gluttony don't improve things either, not to mention his centuries long feud with Death. But when he meets and falls in love with a human -- a big no-no -- he starts to have a new passion for his work and his life. However, his rule-breaking love could lead to drastic repercussions, such as being stripped of his powers or worse.
When I picked up this book, I did not expect to find myself glued to my chair, unable to put it down, but I found myself quickly absorbed by the flawed and funny Fabio. The writing reflects Fabio's voice perfectly. He's not entirely likable, but I found his wry humor and analysis of human existence engaging and as he grew on me, I found myself hoping everything would turn out alright for him in the end.
I won't give anything away, but speaking of the end, let me just say: wow, omg, unsettling, weird, who the hell comes up with this stuff, and awesome. I have a deep love for zombies, but I definitely enjoyed Fated even more than I loved the wonderful and quirky Breathers: A Zombie's Lament.
Watching this happen over and over again leaves apathetic and bored.
His best friends Sloth and Gluttony don't improve things either, not to mention his centuries long feud with Death. But when he meets and falls in love with a human -- a big no-no -- he starts to have a new passion for his work and his life. However, his rule-breaking love could lead to drastic repercussions, such as being stripped of his powers or worse.
When I picked up this book, I did not expect to find myself glued to my chair, unable to put it down, but I found myself quickly absorbed by the flawed and funny Fabio. The writing reflects Fabio's voice perfectly. He's not entirely likable, but I found his wry humor and analysis of human existence engaging and as he grew on me, I found myself hoping everything would turn out alright for him in the end.
I won't give anything away, but speaking of the end, let me just say: wow, omg, unsettling, weird, who the hell comes up with this stuff, and awesome. I have a deep love for zombies, but I definitely enjoyed Fated even more than I loved the wonderful and quirky Breathers: A Zombie's Lament.
katefranke_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
lyngox's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't been this disappointed in a book in a long time. It wasn't bad, but Browne's Breathers is probably my favorite book of all time. The concept and plot of this book is good, but that's about it. I found all of the characters to be one note and boring. The protagonist/narrator sucked. He was obnoxious and unlikeable and not in a way that made him interesting to read. Overall, this book just fell flat. I didn't hate it, I was just expecting something I would love and couldn't put down.
erickalundry's review against another edition
3.0
This was a really good read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes books that have a play on celestial beings, different gods and the like. It is also a bit vulgar, so if you have a problem with stuff like that, I'd stay away.
I, however, don't have a problem with any of these, so I was able to enjoy the book for a good bit of the book before it got depressing and weird. (But I still gave it 4 stars?!?!?)
But I enjoyed the funny bits in this WAYYY more than I disliked the sad bits. Such a cool concept for a book to have Fate fall in love with a human and decide that he wants to help out his humans by trying to give them a better life.
I, however, don't have a problem with any of these, so I was able to enjoy the book for a good bit of the book before it got depressing and weird. (But I still gave it 4 stars?!?!?)
But I enjoyed the funny bits in this WAYYY more than I disliked the sad bits. Such a cool concept for a book to have Fate fall in love with a human and decide that he wants to help out his humans by trying to give them a better life.
booksonadventures's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book. I get the negative reviews... yes it was a tiny bit cliche but I wouldn't say predictable. I loved the development of Fate! And how each of the other (deities?) were given such unique personalities. It also had some fantastic life quotes... I wish I had this one on my kindle so I could electronically underline it.
Fantastic book if you want a quick read and some interesting new perspective. :)
Fantastic book if you want a quick read and some interesting new perspective. :)
anniekf1209's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5