Gods Behaving Badly-Marie Phillips

I’m pretty much a sucker for anything involving the Greek Gods. Since an early age, I’ve been fascinated by the sordid tales of romance, betrayal and lust. When I first heard about Gods Behaving Badly, I knew I had to have it.

Several of the Olympian Gods are sharing a dilapidated flat in London. The peeling paint and layers of dust are a far cry from the marbled splendor of Mount Olympus. The Gods are suffering a loss of their powers. Turns out that if no one believes you in anymore, it gets harder to turn a girl into a tree. Who knew?

The Gods are forced to take day jobs to make a living. Aphrodite is a phone sex operator (natch), Dionysus runs a sleazy bar, Artemis is a dog walker, and (possibly my favorite) Apollo is a t.v. psychic. When Eros hits Apollo with one of his famed arrows, causing Apollo to fall in love with mousy maid Alice, all Hades breaks loose.

This was such a fun read. I think Phillips did a fantastic job of modernizing these ancient gods. Apparently, Ben Stiller’s production company has purchased the rights and are in the process of turning it into a television series. Here’s hoping they don’t ruin this great story.