Divine Misfortune

By: A. Lee Martinez

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Teri and Phil had never needed their own personal god. But when Phil is passed up for a promotion - again - it's time to take matters into their own hands. And look online.

Choosing a god isn't as simple as you would think. There are too many choices; and they often have very hefty prices for their eternal devotion: blood, money, sacrifices, and vows of chastity. But then they find Luka, raccoon god of prosperity. All he wants is a small cut of their good fortune. Oh - and to crash on their couch for a few days.

Divine Misfortune is a story of gods and mortals - in worship, in love, and at parties.

©2010 A. Lee Martinez (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Wonderful... from start to finish." (sfsignal.com)

Divine Comedy

As I was walking down the road on my daily constitutional listening to Divine Misfortune, there was a big smile on my face, the entire time. How can I not award five stars to a book that made me that happy?

I won't argue that A. Lee Martinez has created a masterpiece here, or that this concept hasn't been done before ( American Gods and many of Chris Moore's books, just off the top of my head). But it was fun and funny, and when it comes to audiobooks, I can't think of any better qualities than fun and funny.

So imagine a world where all of the gods of every earthly mythology are real and can be hired as your personal deity. Luka, a minor god of good fortune in the form of an anthropomorphized raccoon, brings good luck to Phil and Terry -- although the funniest passages in the book come early on when they experience an impressive run of bad luck.

Add to that the former goddess of love who has become the depressed and depressing goddess of the lovelorn (also a hoot) as well as serpentine Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who has rejected human sacrifice (which he says he never cared for even when it was legal), and the fun adds up.

I will however deduct one star for Story because the villainous god of chaos along with the chaos he wreaks does make for a slightly overcooked ending. Otherwise, the break I took from listening to Martinez because his books were starting to all sound the same has paid off, because this one seemed fresh -- fun and funny, like the first few I listened to.

You have to like quirky

I enjoyed this quirky, irrelevant book from beginning to end - humans choosing to worship gods at their own risk. Are the rewards worth the tributes that must be paid to the gods? It's reminiscent of books like "Good Omen" by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, "The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent" by Larry Correia, "We Are Legion (We Are Bob)" by Dennis E. Taylor, "Agent to the Stars" by John Scalzi, and "A Dirty Job (Grim Reaper #1)" by Christopher Moore.

Loved it!

This is an amusingly clever tale of online deity shopping gone wrong. In an attempt to improve their situation Phil and Teri sign up as the newest followers of Lucky, a minor god of fortune. Lucky fails to tell the young couple about his baggage, mainly a former girlfriend and goddess of misery who is stalking him and the god of wrath and destruction that is trying to poach and eat Lucky’s followers in a misguided game of one-upmanship. It’s original, funny and well written.

AGAIN! Another masterpiece!!

What did you love best about Divine Misfortune?

The concept of the universe in this novel with gods living among mortals and it is a way of life. Didn't like gorgos defeating thor though! Lol!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Divine Misfortune?

LOL!! The god of the wind sucking gorgos into a bag and kicking and stomping him! The god of deaths displeasure and the god of the wind retorting "What?!? It gets the job done!" Then the god of death joining him . .. . awesome.

Have you listened to any of Fred Berman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Fred Berman is only matched by Chris Aiello! I now choose books not only by author but also by reader. these two are my favorites!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed hysterically for about 20 minutes at 1:00 am (ish). My wife woke up and looked at me but I couldn't stop laughing so I went downstairs to finish laughing. I wish there was possibly a drawing of lucky.

Any additional comments?

Keep it coming!!

A delightful, fun read

This is a wonderfully fun read for a rainy afternoon. Martinez throws you into a story where old world gods can be "signed up for" via the internet, and can end up crashing on your couch like uninvited college friends.

This is definitely a comedy. Don't be put off by the Goddess of Heart-Break. Her melancholy quickly becomes the funniest part of the story, in my opinion. :)

almost hated it but finished it

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It was a clever idea; very clever in fact. It stayed shallow, though, and I don't know how that could have been changed.

Would you be willing to try another book from A. Lee Martinez? Why or why not?

probably

Looking for a laugh? If so, then you are in luck.

A creative comedy about quarky gods and people.

The setting takes place in a strange modern-day world where gods and creatures from every myth exist alongside mankind. They have apartments, wear modern clothes, watch reruns on cable television and gain followers through Internet advertising.

The characters we follow in this funny world are Teri and Phil at a time when they finally decide that to gain a little god power in their corner might help smooth out some rough patches on the road to success. Unfortunately, when they sign up with Luca, the raccoon faced god of prosperity, things are not nearly as simple as they were hoping. Soon, Luka, also known as Lucky to all his friends, is dragging all sorts of strange baggage of his own into their lives. Laugh as Teri and Phil learn to put up with their divine but manipulative new roommate and all the chaos, both good, bad and just plain strange, he brings with him.

Full of funny laugh-out-loud moments, "Divine Misfortune" is  recommended to those who might find a satire involving a human outlook on old pantheons of Gods interesting and humorous.

Divine Fun

Very well written and fun. Fred Berman does an excellent job, really shines with all the accents. Need more books like this one!

I love A.Lee Martinez

I've read most of A. Lee Martinez's available works and I can't help but love them. They are funny, satirical, witty, and even insightful at times. Divine Misfortune is a great read with fantastic twists and turns. Once you finish this one, I suggest either A Nameless Witch or Helen and Troy's epic road trip. Both will have you laughing at one point or another.

Really Fun!

I gave everything 5 stats because this was a great book! however, I'd like to make the disclaimer that this is not a serious book, it's fantasy, so if you were looking for a serious read or hate fantasy, then this book is not for you. I love how the book opens right in the middle of this fantasy world, but you don't feel confused by what's going on. I love the characters and the story line, and the narrator really pulled everything together. I highly recommend this book!