Scan barcode
A review by missuskisses
Fated by S.G. Browne
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.