The Divine Comedies: Here Comes the Sun - Odds and Gods

Tom Holt Omnibus #3

by Tom Holt

Now published for the first time in an omnibus edition, this book contains two of Tom Holt’s most hilarious comic fantasies. In Here Comes the Sun, the sun rises late, dirty, and so badly in need of service, it’s a wonder it gets up at all. The moon’s going to be scrapped presently, and a new one commissioned—but they’ve been saying that for years. All is not well with the universe, and it’s because the mortals are running the show. It’s time for a Higher Power to take charge. In Odds and Gods, we find that it’s a god’s life at the Sunnyvoyde Residential Home for Retired Deities. Everlasting life can be a real drag when all you’ve got to look forward to is cauliflower cheese on Wednesdays. But things are about to change, because those almighty duffers Thor, Odin, and Frey have restored a thousand-year-old traction engine—and it actually works. Then there’s Osiris, preparing for a quest that will test his wheelchair to its very limits. Only one thing might save the world. Dentures.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Comedy, Adult Fiction

614 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2002

About the author

Tom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.

Reviews

[Rpaul Tho · Rating 2 out of 5]

These really aren’t the best of Tom Holt’s books. I’m not sure if it’s because of his earlier writing style and I’m used to his newer books where it is much more refined or if it’s just me. Odds and Gods was better but still not great.

[Boulder Boulderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a huge fan of either one of these stories, to be honest - they're starting to read very same-y, with effectively the same characters and plot. Looking forward to getting into the later works though.

[Dale Lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun British humor, similar to Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

[Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s something soothing about British satire. The formula is simple: take a modern social or political problem; build it into a fantasy or sci-fi setting; ridicule liberally and wrap everything up with a thoughtful look at the original problem. Only, sometimes there’s nothing to do but accept that the universe seems to be built for the express purpose of driving us all to an earlier grave. Tom Holt’s satire runs the gamut from meaningful social criticism to unsuccessful exercises in comic absurdism. I’m particularly fond of his Snow White and the Seven Samurai mashup, but both of the novels in the Divine Comedies omnibus tend toward the absurd end of his spectrum. Part of the problem is that when you’re talking about the meaning of life, the comic framework of satire undermines the thoughtful conclusion. The world is pretty nasty and… we’re supposed to keep laughing?

Here Comes the Sun stages the universe as a supercorporation, with angels running the show. But it’s been a few millennia since things have really run well, so upper management decides to bring in a ringer, a corporate executive from England to shake things up. Jane, the ringer, takes to her new job description a little too well and gets into just enough trouble to really stir things up leading to war in the heavens, while the Devil’s Advocate laughs in the Home Office. The A-plot here is great. Jane gets to fix the universe with corporate aplomb and her interactions with the stogy angels are well written. Unfortunately, the B-plot is a little confusing and eventually derails into a stupid transdimensional chase scene that pulls the rest of the story along with it into a deeply unsatisfying climax. But the story does manage to do a little deus ex magic and end fairly well.

In contrast, Odds and Gods is a well-structured story that can’t quite stick the landing. The preview text is extremely misleading, as the Norse trio have very little to do with the real plot. Instead, Osiris, Egyptian god of the life and death, takes center stage on the run from his godson, an evil attorney (is there any other kind?) out to usurp his godfather’s godhood with a Power of Attorney ruling. Osiris embarks on a quest to find the spirit of Litigation to trounce his godson at his own game, but much of the story is spent trying to come up with the lawyer-god’s hourly. Thor, Odin and Frey act as a single, ongoing literal deus ex machina that keeps the story going.

This story hits the nail on the head, poking fun at the convoluted legal system, human apathy and Robert Ludlum novels. The story holds together well and the characters are more than just the loose stereotype that populate Here Comes the Sun. The whole outing would be fantastic if it weren’t for the somewhat bizarre ending that seems to imply that humanity isn’t capable of saving itself in the long run; that we might need some very real godly interference to keep from destroying ourselves in legal actions. There is a kernel of truth in that message, but it doesn’t quite fit with the message of the main plot. The problem isn’t that the ending is too realistic or depressing, but that it doesn’t fit with the fact that Osiris couldn’t have gotten to the end without help from humans along the way.

If I’m being honest with myself, I can’t really recommend either book. I really did enjoy them both, but my sense of humor is fairly specific, and I’m not sure that Holt has done a good job of being accessible in either story. They both rely, somewhat, on the same pool of jokes (those earthquakes aren’t San Andreas’ fault…! Har har) and a basic understanding of British culture and comedy. Of course, if you’re like me, you’ve read every Discworld book (more than once) and these little idiosyncrasies pose no barrier to entry, but the rest of the world probably won’t get as much out of Tom Holt as I do.

[Lindsay]

Oddly enough, the second novel in this omnibus is the first and so far only title I've shared on this site, and I just happened to have come back to Goodreads the very day I bought Divine Comedies to read the first novel, Here Comes the Sun (1993). From the Goodwill in Springfield, in good shape, with only some wear to the corners, I paid $0.99 for the 4th printing (2006) with the 2004 Ben Sharpe cover this afternoon (Sunday 04/15/12). Here Comes the Sun is not at any local library and this is my first copy of it in any form, and having read all his previous novels currently available at the library or in my collection, I may as well. Though I relish his comic fantasy, I'm pretty sure I would enjoy reading anything by Tom Holt. I don't know much about his first two novels (the Lucia books) but I'd like to read I, Margaret (1989) (satirical biography of Margaret Thatcher, with Steve Nallon) if I could get a copy. Also want to read his Eupolis novels, Goatsong (1989.11 Macmillan) and The Walled Orchard (1990.11 Macmillan), but his comic fantasy is better understood.

Chronology: comic fantasy by Tom Holt
1 Expecting Someone Taller (1987) have/read r}2011.09.28
2 Who's Afraid of Beowulf? (1988) have/read r}2011.02.14
3 Flying Dutch (1991) have/read r}2011.01.26
4 Ye Gods! (1992) want/read r}2011.02.02 (Springfield Pub Lib)
5 Overtime (1993.00 Orbit) WANT
6 Here Comes the Sun (1993.00 Orbit)
7 Grailblazers (1994) have/read r}2012.02.19
8 Faust Among Equals (1994) WANT
9 Odds & Gods (1995) have/read r}2012.02.25
10 Djinn Rummy (1995) WANT
# Only Human (1999.00 Orbit) have/read r}2011.10.05
# Alexander at the World's End (1999.08 Little, Brown) have/read r}2011.08.25 (historical not quite fantasy but a good read)
# Valhalla (2000.06 Orbit) have/read r}2012.03.23
(glad to say these two most recent at Springfield Public Library)
# Blonde Bombshell (2010.05 Orbit) want/read r}2011.01.05
# Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages (2011.06 Orbit) want/read r}2011.10.18
I have enjoyed reading these 11 novels and expect to included Here Comes the Sun. I look forward to reading all of Tom Holt's work.
Springfield OR, 00:41 Monday, 16 April 2012

r}2012.02.25 @17:37 begin 02/25
Odds and Gods
[1995.01 Orbit 1-85723-266-6 £14.99 282p ukhc
©1995 Kim Holt
j/i Steve Lee
First published in Great Britain in Orbit 1995
• WANT Primary Not Verified
1995.10 Orbit 1-85723-299-2 £4.99 282p ukpb
c/a Steve Lee ©1995 "Illustration by" -back cover
A simply divine comedy
• The moral right of the author has been asserted.
• A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
First published in Great Britain in Orbit 1995
This paperback edition published by Orbit 1995
First Orbit paperback printing.
Australia $12.95, Canada $7.99
Printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc
New Orbit edition (10 Aug 1995) -amazon.co.uk
Notes: 1st edition/printing, prices noted at isfdb.
• HAVE Primary Verified by BLongley on 2007-12-16 15:10:50
>2012.01.31 $1.25 stvsm:G,sew

[K. Morral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, this is a compendium of two of Tom Holt's novels, 'Here comes the Sun' and 'Odds and Gods' and as such results in two reviews in one. The theme to this compendium appears to be the running of the universe and both again pick up on an apparently intrinsic dislike of lawyers or bureaucracy.

Here comes the sun is set in the Universe, in a world parallel to our own, where immortals manage (or mis-manage as the case seems to be) the running of the universe, including driving our sun round our planet, controlling time and such like. Because of the intrinsically complex bureaucracy little investment seems to be taking place and as a result, essential 'items' (i.e. the sun and 'gravity') are creaking at the edges. D. Ganger is approached for his advice and he, along with the chief of staff, decide to bring a mortal human being in to address the problems.

It is a bit of a jumpy novel as we follow numerous characters, conversations, and track the no-nonsense highly organised human's progress through her new job investigating different areas of universe management and her impact on the people and the efficiency of those departments. For all its complexity, it is a highly entertaining novel.

Odds and Gods is another complex tale, with numerous characters (some with incredibly complex names!), although only a core of 9 are followed throughout the novel in any great depth. The blurb at the back of the cover was slightly deceptive, as I thought that the Viking Gods Thor, Odin and Frey were more central to the purpose of the plot. I don't consider this a spoiler as they feature very heavily in the book and repeatedly impact on the direction of the other key characters - Pan, Osiris, Sandra, Carl and Karl.

Of all the characters, I felt that Thor, Odin and Frey were the most relatable and developed, as we can all in some form release to the anguishes and bickering they are experiencing as they travel around 'England' on a newly restored traction engine. Pan and his natural influence for panic is very cleverly expressed and explored, and is perhaps my favourite character.

All in all this is a thoroughly entertaining read, and is on my 'to read agin' list.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it really hard to rate this book, given that it is two in one. I loved the second book but the first not so much, hence the 3 rating.

Here Comes The Sun

The narrative is very funny and the story is inventive and has the potential to be extremely captivating but instead I found that it was some what of a garbled mess. The plot didn't go in a line straight enough to be fully understood and I found that the scene changed too quickly, here there and everywhere. I was ok but that's it.

Odds and Gods

This second book, on the other hand, was brilliant! Probably one of my favourite books so far this year - certainly my favourite comedy of the year. The story was brilliant, the narrative was hysterical and I loved the way Holt used 'real' mythical gods to tell the story. I really enjoyed it and have noted down several comical sentences in my notebook of fun quotes.

Based simply on the first book, I wouldn't read any more Holt but having had the second one in my hand as I finished the first one, I'm glad I read. It has definitely encouraged me to try out a bit more Holt.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is two novels is one volume, so I'm going to claim it as two books read.

They sounded really funny and cool when I read the blurbs, but I found the delivery a bit wanting. I think this is probably more due to my own relative lack of religious context than to any fault of the author's, however. I know just enough about modern and ancient religions to get the basic references, but not enough to understand what felt like "in-jokes" that only religious historians or theologians would understand fully.

The writing itself is clever and funny, and has (as one reviewer said) some of the best similes since Douglas Adams. The frame of reference is British and so is the brand of humour, and the humour and quality of the writing were what kept me reading to the end of the book.

Blurbs:[http://www.tom-holt.com/divinecomedie...]

[JackieB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Holt has a wonderful "eye" for character. I am convinced that some of the people he describes are ex-colleagues of mine. I also love his cynical take on the world of work, particularly the many and varied forms corporate nonsense with which the British workforce has to contend. Actually, that may be "the many and varied forms corporate nonsense with which the worldwide workforce has to contend", but I've not worked outside Britain, so I can't speak for elsewhere. All of his abilities in showing the stupidity of much work (and the foibles of other people) was in evidence in "Here comes the sun" and I really enjoyed it. The plot did get complex towards the end though and either I lost the plot or there was a flaw in the internal logic of the plot. For that reason, although I liked "Here comes the sun" I preferred "Odds and Gods", which had me sniggering from beginning to end.

[Josh Culbertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the two, it was "Odds and Gods" which slayed me, so I'm pleased I did that first. Imagine a zanier "American Gods", as if Neil Gaiman had done that book with Terry Pratchet instead of "Good Omens." The geriatric deities of the Sunnyvoyde Retirement Home are well worth the price of admission, and every detour in the novel is remarkably on-point, so it makes for a more concise style than, say, Douglas Adams, who would wend away from the narrative just for a laugh.

"Here Comes the Sun" was charming, but less thrilling. Then again, this is a double-shot by the same author, so maybe I was just on overload. I plan on taking a break from Holt before I dive in again, but this was well worth it.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I felt I could justify buying a new book if I got two for the price of one, and boy did I. The two books reminded me a bit of Gaiman's work with Pratchet in Good Omens. Though Holt seems to make things a little more light hearted. I found myself giggling at inopportune moments while reading. It was great. There were however a couple of drawbacks,first of all I'm not terribly familiar with British culture and felt like I was missing some of the jokes. Also the story lines bounced around quite a bit so if you don't have time to read a large chunk at one time you might find yourself a tad confused. All in all though highly recommended.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first part (HCTS), was so unimpressed by it that I took almost a year before reading the second. After O&G, I wonder if I disliked HCTS so much because I was in the middle of a series & took a break to read this (therefore was still thinking about the plots/characters in the series). Anyway, I rated these separately because I don't think I can clearly reflect my true ratings of these two books in one rating.

[Steve Smoot]

nice idea, bits of brilliance, overall yawn.

[Tay · Rating 4 out of 5]

its a freakish good read. He is witty, and funny. However the storyline could be better for here comes the sun

[Margery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here Comes the Sun, with the old gods in a retirement home. Really funny!! I have to admit that I could not get into Odds and Gods, but will of course try again later.

[L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny throughout with occasional bits of brilliance.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Here Comes the Sun" did not disappoint in scope, and "Odds and Gods" was a surprising and delightful read. No one can do deus ex machina better than Holt.

[Oriana]

Divine Comedies: Contains Here Comes the Sun and Odds and Gods by Tom Holt (2004)