Blog Tour: Gods Galore – Rupert Stanbury

Steph Warren - Bookshine

May 27

*I received a free ARC of this book with thanks to the author, Troubador and Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Blurb: The Olympian Gods have made it to the 21st century AD. We may not have heard much about them in the last two thousand years, but they're still controlling what we humans are up to – or at least they think they are.

The reality is that the Gods are like us – they've got problems!

Zeus is still Top God on Mount Olympus, but he's got issues with many of the younger gods. His brothers, Hades and Poseidon, have issues with themselves – they're getting too set in their ways ruling the Underworld and the Seas; they probably need a job change.

But help is at hand from an unexpected source – we humans.

It's surprising what a dose of good common sense can do for even the most powerful of the gods, especially when it comes from a couple of teenagers!

Imagine a soap opera featuring a mixture of gods and goddesses, famous historical figures and modern, 'normal' mortals, and you will have an idea of what to expect from Gods Galore.

A light, easy read with a gently humorous tone, this book takes us through the three realms of the gods: Olympus, ruled by Zeus; the Underworld, ruled by Hades; the oceans, ruled by Poseidon. We find out that the three brothers have little contact with each other and are all facing problems caused by the same root issue - they are stagnant and unchanging and the world has moved on without them.

Zeus faces rebellion from the younger gods who want equality for women (and other minorities!) and a vote in Olympus' affairs. The Underworld is being run in an inefficient manner and newly-dead young mortal Vesta has ideas for how to shake things up, including streamlining the tortures and taming Cerberus. Poseidon and his staff have become unhealthy and isolated, but newly-maybe-dead young mortal Totty happens to be an expert in fitness and beauty and is ready to whip them into shape with the help of ever-busy go-between Hebe.

Once these initial scenarios have been established, Rupert Stanbury simply lets the characters free to deal with them and documents the results. There is no overarching plot or unifying direction to events, but rather a general shift from the old-fashioned to the modern - slowly and often reluctantly.

Much like a soap opera, there is plenty of scope here for future instalments, as most of the issues are raised but not resolved, especially in the Olympus setting, which gets rather less 'screen time' than the others, not having a go-getting mortal catalyst of its own.

The blend of mythological deities (Greek and Roman) and historical figures (Attila the Hun, Florence Nightingale, Marie Antoinette) with the 21st Century of beer promos, hairdryers and Mars bars is humorous and effective. I was particularly amused to note that teenagers Vesta and Totty 'broke' the gods in gently, relying on the Lambada and spag bol, rather than diving straight in with TikTok dances and avocado smoothies!

Tom Holt fans will enjoy this irreverent dip into the life of ancient beings in today's world, as will anyone looking for a light-hearted easy-read romp about dealing with change in its many aspects.

'As he sat on his throne alone reflecting on their conversation, Hades wondered if he was getting too stale, too set in his ways. He'd been running the Underworld for thousands of years and no longer questioned things. Everyone did what they'd always done and new arrivals were merely slotted into the current arrangements. Perhaps the whole place needed shaking up under new management. He wondered if the same applied to the two kingdoms run by his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon. It probably did, but it would no doubt take a thousand years to get them to agree to a job swap. Meanwhile, he'd have to carry on but start listening more to the people, especially the new ones. Vesta seemed a smart girl, someone to take an interest in, he decided.'

- Rupert Stanbury, Gods Galore

About the author

Rupert was born in Manchester and lived in the North-West of England long enough to become a lifetime Manchester United supporter.

In his teens he moved with his parents to Central London where he has lived for much of his adult life. After reading Economics at Cambridge University he had a business career encompassing finance, property and marketing. His interests include regular visits to the gym, travelling, the theatre, socializing and reading. As well as Manchester United, his other lifelong interest has been books, having been given a full set of Dickens's works at the tender age of twelve. In fact, it was a recent re-read of some of these classics, together with Homer's and Virgil's great epics, which inspired him to try his hand at becoming a writer himself. Gods Galore is his first novel.