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A review by bookdrag0n
The Inconvenient God by Francesca Forrest
4.0
You can view this and other reviews (including my 5 star review of the second book in this series!) on my book blog at https://www.thebookdragondotblog.wordpress.com
Decommissioner Thirty-Seven has been tasked with helping a notorious university God transition into mortality. But when she learns more about the situation surrounding his godhood and the university itself, she decides to dig a bit deeper before attempting to fulfill a now more complicated task. Some investigation later, and it turns out that perhaps the university has more to hide that originally thought…
This novelette is a great bite-sized mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, set in a world that is futuristic but still familiar. The Gods are tangible beings who can be seen, heard, and can appreciably affect the world around them. And once they wane in strength–as their believers tend toward other Gods/beliefs–they are able to be transitioned into mortality to live out the rest of their mortal life. The Ministry of Divinity are tasked with finding and decommissioning such Gods, but they must follow very specific protocols.
The writing style kept me engaged throughout the story, with never a lull. Just as with the second book in this series, I loved learning more about the world and the main character, although the second book definitely gives us much more to work with. As with the second book, what seems to be an easy solution turns out to not be quite what it seems. And this twisty turn-y road we follow to get to the bottom of it keeps us readers on the edge of our seat for the entire novelette! The 70 pages feels exactly right for this story. Great to keep as a short read when waiting at the doctor’s office or just something to pass the time in the morning just before work.
The plot, however, seemed to be a bit forced. Everything was too coincidental and easy. The writing flowed naturally, because each situation *too* perfectly led to the next issue, with little to no direct involvement by the characters. Rather than a character driving the story, the story drove the characters–they were simply caught up in the riptide. Because of this, the story read a bit too much like an outline of major points that had to happen, with little-to-no transitions in between. It was a passive experience.
Despite the passive plot, the highs outweigh the lows: the interesting characters, bit of futuristic technology, and writing style all move me to recommend this book to anyone who has a hankering to get a taste of the world that Forrest created in which Gods are knowable and can be made mortal.
Decommissioner Thirty-Seven has been tasked with helping a notorious university God transition into mortality. But when she learns more about the situation surrounding his godhood and the university itself, she decides to dig a bit deeper before attempting to fulfill a now more complicated task. Some investigation later, and it turns out that perhaps the university has more to hide that originally thought…
This novelette is a great bite-sized mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, set in a world that is futuristic but still familiar. The Gods are tangible beings who can be seen, heard, and can appreciably affect the world around them. And once they wane in strength–as their believers tend toward other Gods/beliefs–they are able to be transitioned into mortality to live out the rest of their mortal life. The Ministry of Divinity are tasked with finding and decommissioning such Gods, but they must follow very specific protocols.
The writing style kept me engaged throughout the story, with never a lull. Just as with the second book in this series, I loved learning more about the world and the main character, although the second book definitely gives us much more to work with. As with the second book, what seems to be an easy solution turns out to not be quite what it seems. And this twisty turn-y road we follow to get to the bottom of it keeps us readers on the edge of our seat for the entire novelette! The 70 pages feels exactly right for this story. Great to keep as a short read when waiting at the doctor’s office or just something to pass the time in the morning just before work.
The plot, however, seemed to be a bit forced. Everything was too coincidental and easy. The writing flowed naturally, because each situation *too* perfectly led to the next issue, with little to no direct involvement by the characters. Rather than a character driving the story, the story drove the characters–they were simply caught up in the riptide. Because of this, the story read a bit too much like an outline of major points that had to happen, with little-to-no transitions in between. It was a passive experience.
Despite the passive plot, the highs outweigh the lows: the interesting characters, bit of futuristic technology, and writing style all move me to recommend this book to anyone who has a hankering to get a taste of the world that Forrest created in which Gods are knowable and can be made mortal.