Whom God Would Destroy

by Commander Pants

It's 1987, and "God" has returned to Earth to goof on humanity once more. Equipped with a new message, and a bell that makes people happy, he opens up a new age store, ready to have a little fun. Fortunately for us, things don't turn out quite as He'd planned. Whom God Would Destroy is a thought provoking novel about God, insanity, Big Macs, space aliens and the search for the Ultimate Orgasm...but mostly it's about taking reality with a pillar of salt. Luke Rhinehart (author of the cult classic, The Dice Man) calls WHOM GOD WOULD DESTROY, "a wonderful novel with an original comic vision and style that had me laughing aloud. Commander Pants has created a unique cast of characters and tells a story that gets increasingly mad as we proceed, climaxing in a series of scenes, each one topping the previous one."

Genres: Humor, Satire, Fiction, Science Fiction, Religion

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Boy! What are you sniggering at?

- Uh, nothing sir.

- Exactly what kind of nothing would that be? Maybe the rest of the class could be enlightened?

- Uh, a book sir. Sorry sir.

- And who, pray, is the author of this book, which is evidently so much more amusing than an English lesson?

- Uh, Commander Pants sir.

- Don't be ridiculous, boy. Give it here. Ah, hm, I see that is his name.

- Yes sir.

- Boy, can you explain the difference between "it's", with an apostrophe, and "its" without?

- Ah, yes sir, with an apostrophe it means "it is" and without it means "of or belonging to it".

- I'm glad to discover that you occasionally pay attention in class. I fear your new favourite author was somewhat less attentive.

- Yes sir.

- Command Pants's magnum opus seems to be on the smutty side. I notice a startling number of occurrences of the word "cunt".

- Ah, sir, that's often used as an acronym, standing for Contact Undercover...

- Spare us the details, boy. Can you tell us what this book is about, apart from sex?

- Ah, well sir, it's actually more about religion and the nature of reality. I mean sir, how do we know that anything is real?

- Well boy, if nothing is real then you can comfort yourself with the thought that the detention which I am about to give you isn't real either.

- Well, yes sir, that's just it sir. Maybe you aren't real. Maybe I'm not real. Maybe this is all a dream. Maybe God is playing games with us. I mean, for all I know, we're both characters in some sketch someone's put together to amuse...

- Boy, have you been reading Philip K. Dick?

- No sir.

- Jorges Luis Borges?

- No sir.

- Douglas Adams?

- No sir. Just Commander Pants sir.

- Well boy, when you have finished it you may want to broaden your reading habits a little.

- Please sir, can I have it back sir?

- I shall return it to you tomorrow, boy. Now, I would like you all to open your copies of The Tempest to page 84, and write a short essay on the speech by Prospero that you'll find there. "Our revels now are ended."

- Sir?

- Please refrain from disturbing me, boy. Ah, that's what CUNT means.

- I'm sorry sir?

- Nothing, boy. Never mind. Continue.

[Keryl Raist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to another book I'm having a hard time reviewing. Whom God Would Destroy does not fit easily into the traditional good/bad categories.

Let me start here, I really enjoyed reading Whom God Would Destroy. But, here's a little secret, I read for characters, not action. And Commander Pants is really good with characters. This book is filled with interesting, entertaining characters. People who feel real. Given how strange some of these characters are, it would be very easy to go off the rails and end up with farcically drawn comic book characters. But, even at their most insane, Pants' characters still feel real.

Of course, a book is not just a collection of characters. There also needs to be a plot. And this is where the problem is. Whom God Would Destroy doesn't so much have a plot as a collection of themes. The Vagaries Of Mental Health: it's in there. The Nature of God To Man: yep, got that, too. The Dissatisfaction That Comes From Looking For a Perfect Experience: in spades, my friends. Reality Is a Collection Of Layers, One More Complex Than the Next, and In The Whole Scheme Of Things Humans Understand Just As Much About The Universe As Bacteria Understand Quantum Physics: of course. One Man's Crazy Is Another Man's Truth: do I even need to mention it?

Instead of a plot, let us say there are two main themes. The Nature of God to Man, and One Man's Crazy is Another Man's Truth. Interestingly enough both involve aliens. Theme A is illustrated by the story of Jeremy, an alien playing God for kicks and giggles. (He gave the Jews the Shema, He did the Christ routine, and this time around He's apparently been reading some Heinlein, 'cause He sounds an awful lot like Valentine Michael Smith, you grok?) He's messing with humanity again because He enjoys it. He finds Oliver, an outreach counselor for a local mental health facility, and decides Oliver would be a perfect disciple. A modern day Paul if you will. So, in line A we watch as Jeremy manipulates Oliver into Discipleship. For Theme B we follow Doc, one of Oliver's clients, and learn about how Doc is being used by an alien race in search of the PERFECT experience. (The Ultimate Orgasm, they term it so mere humans can understand the idea.) They find said experience in Big Macs (why not?) and Doc is part of the team of humans being used to make sure they get their Big Mac fix.

As themes these two lines have similar focuses and illustrate different aspects of the same concepts (the levels of reality, for example). But as a story, they just don't have a whole lot to do with each other. What the book is missing is an overarching plot to tie these themes together.

Let me be clear here, Whom God Would Destroy is worth reading. It's five or so hours well spent. But if you want to examine it critically, there's a huge hole in the middle of it, and that's the plot. Whom God Would Destroy meanders from one character to the next, spending time in their interesting worlds, getting to know them, but it's lacking in direction.

Take Greg for example. He's my favorite character in the book. His purpose in the book is to illustrate how psychology isn't all that precise and with great ego comes the ability for a great fall. I really like his story line and think it's quite clever. But if you cut every scene with him as the main character out, it would have absolutely no bearing on the story. He's not vital or even tangentially related to either of the main themes. On his own and developed more fully he'd be a wicked cool novel or novella. As a part of this story, he's just there. Greg is a microcosm for what's right and wrong with Whom God Would Destroy. He's well written, he's fascinating, as a reader you want to get to know him better, and he's totally divorced from any plot the book may have.

So, how does a reviewer rank a book that was enjoyable, with well drawn characters and no real plot? Pants knows how to use words. His writing is clear and, if not poetic, well crafted for the purpose of the book. His themes and the way he treats them is not precisely new (see Heinlein comment above) but well done. His characters really are excellent. But plot is a major issue, and it's a writing 101 level skill. The whole purpose of a novel is to have something happen that ties all the elements of the story (characters, setting, writing style) together. And that's just not in this story.

I'll call Whom God Would Destroy a well recommended 3 stars.

[L.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Article first published as Book Review: Whom God Would Destroy by Commander Pants on Blogcritics.

We often have to ask ourselves, what is reality? Just because my reality is different from someone else’s, does that make it wrong? What would happen if God chose to come into the 21st century to live among us? Would he be surprised or would he fit in and go with the flow. In Whom God Would Destroy, Commander Pants has written a satirical look at an entirely different existence than the one that consumes us. In this light-hearted and satirical story, he has created a twisted and alternate truth.

In this comedic look at what happens when conspiracy and psychiatry mingle with aliens, Commander Pants' characterizations in the different plots and subplots have you scratching your head and mumbling to yourself. While he creates dreamscapes and landscapes, the characters come alive with theories and plots of their own. As you follow the flow from each direction, it is like stepping off into a void. One moment you are sane and then you join the Mad Hatters tea party, where anything can happen. Then it does. This is “A Novel about taking reality with a pillar of salt.”

Whom God Would Destroy has a way of making you question the way you look at life and the things you think you know. As Commander Pants delves into religion and sanity with a deft hand, he launches aliens in the mix by introducing them to McDonalds' Big Mac, and the ultimate orgasm. Only an extraordinary mind can juggle such an extreme cast of characters and storylines and still come out with an interesting and slightly hysterical novel. Follow along with a zany cast, find yourself kidnapped by aliens, then buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Through it all, as God settles in to reach the masses, he develops a new term for the quality of life: Meism. A charismatic character that attracts all of the wrong kinds of people, he only adds to the level of satire, inherent in the theme of the entire novel.

If you like satire and enjoy a good laugh, Whom God Would Destroy is the book for you. It would be interesting reading for a book club or reading group. Following the characters and watching how they come together to make for a fully realized read, would lend tidbits to talk about for hours. This is an uncomfortable and often laugh out-loud book, sure to stir your thoughts


This book was received as a free copy from the Author. All opinions are my own based off me reading and understanding of the material.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light-hearted romp through the big boys of serious topics - Whom God Would Destroy examines the subjects of religion, psychiatry, the mentally ill, and alien conspiracies in a sniggeringly hilarious meander through some cunning plot twists and a whole new understanding of the universe as it is.

The story

When Oliver responded to an ad as an outreach councillor to assist the mentally ill in the community, it seemed like just the job for him. Six years later, he is at it, with an unrequited love for Abbey but not her multiple personalities, a fondness for Doc and his extreme paranoia about aliens, and the thrill of never knowing what will happen next with Greg and his schizophrenia. He even gets along with most of his colleagues at Optima Resources. Yes, Oliver's life is pretty settled in the banality of outreach. Until he meets Jeremy, who plunges his world into disarray.

Jeremy has a new age store, a bell, a cable access tv program, and a whole lot of ideas about what he wants to achieve on earth. But things keep distracting him – like sex. And television journalists. And whether or not he actually wants to achieve what he's supposed to...

Oliver's world, upside down from the affects of Jeremy, starts to change. He becomes a new person, with a dynamic new personality, and this starts causing problems - in both his work and his life. Meanwhile, Jeremy and Oliver are starting to affect Oliver's outreach patients, but the question starts to present itself - who really belongs in the proverbial asylum?

The style

Whom God Would Destroy is very easy to read, and I can say that with the confidence of someone who started and finished it in record time on a seven inch computer screen while backpacking India. And just for the record, I much prefer to read on paper while lying on a couch. But I still managed, and more than that, I actually found myself wanting to turn the computer on at clearly difficult times in order to read a bit more. Yes, that's how much I liked it.

The book is written in the third person from the perspectives of various different characters in a manner that is essentially Ben Elton-esque but funnier. In a manner that is not Ben Elton-esque, the reader gets a real sense of the author. His writing manages to convey a sort of complicity in the reader with the author's sense of humour, his world view, and his feeling for each of the characters, but without the cynicism of Ben Elton. Which I enjoyed immensely. Each of the characters is developed slowly and humourously, with flaws and foibles exposed in way that causes the reader to sheepishly relate to and/or be intrigued with at least one character in particular.

The characters are really where it's at with this novel; the plot line could honestly have been just about anything with the rich array of characters presented for the reader's amusement. The plot itself is pretty awesome anyway. The story starts slowly, introducing each character, spending just enough time to make sure the reader isn't confused and little enough to keep you intrigued. I must admit, after getting to know all the characters in the story, I spent at least the first half trying to figure out exactly where the plot would go, in between sniggering. Then I started thinking I was getting it, and then I as I read on, there were enough plot twists and revelations to keep me going what? right till the end. Then the ending was clever without being smarmy. All of which I found appealing.

But wait, there's more. If you look past the laughs and the intriguingly outlandish plot, you might get to thinking about some of the ideas explored in the story. Things like medication, mental illness, the function of psychiatry within our contemporary society. How we deal with belief as a culture. Some of the quirks and foibles of human nature. And the nature of reality. The reader doesn't have to think about this stuff if s/he don't want to - it's not a dry university thesis or even a Ben Elton novel. But you probably will end up pondering at least one of these issues, and wonder how Commander Pants managed to be so amusing and thought provoking at the same time.

Who is this book for?

This book is for people who like a good outlandish storyline, a compelling read, and a good laugh. I think it has fairly wide-ranging appeal - if not for your granny, maybe at least for your hip aunt or uncle, friends, self...

[Grace Krispy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb calls this book "a thought provoking novel about God, insanity, Big Macs, space aliens and the search for the Ultimate Orgasm...but mostly it's about taking reality with a pillar of salt." I'd say that's a pretty darn accurate description. Filled with thought-provoking commentary on sanity and religion cleverly hidden in an engaging and thoroughly entertaining book, this is quite a read. It's hard to accurately describe the book. One reason I find it hard to describe is the fact that the story actually reads like many separate storylines that eventually tie together to make... two stories. One seems to be about the definition of sanity, and the other points out the farcical nature of religion. If there is any common thread tying the storylines together (and I'm not convinced there is), it's Oliver, and not necessarily "God," as I was led to believe by the official blurb. Oliver plays an integral role in one thread, and provides somewhat of a bridge for the other. By bridge, I mean he happens to know the people who are involved in the other storyline. Without that major, overarching theme that covers it all, the various threads would almost read better as short stories connected by the common thread of knowing Oliver.

The characterization is truly the best part of this story. The antics of the various characters really give readers a lot of food for thought, and some fascinating concepts are introduced this way. Oliver is just bumbling through life until he experiences an awakening of sorts, and then something happens that finally gives him meaning. That in itself is such a powerful thread; after all, how many of us have spent some serious time contemplating the meaning of life? Abbey seems less defined and interesting than some of the other characters, but she still has a few interesting twists. Greg, on the other hand, is probably my favorite character. His motivations and experiences manage to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. Doc has delusions that impact his successful integration into society... or does he? Doc's storyline is, to me, the only one with an actual plot. Strangely enough, it's a plot that seems to be complete without actually doing much of anything. Still, it offers satisfaction and closure. The author uses the characters to explore the concept of reality, and there's a lot to think about there.

Sometimes I (partially) judge a book based on how eager I was to sneak peeks when I'm supposed to be working or sleeping or brushing my teeth. (Ok, you caught me, I always read while brushing my teeth.) This story started off somewhat slowly, keeping my interest to some extent, but not motivating me to sneak peeks of the book while at work. By the last third of the book, however, I was sneaking peeks at every opportunity to find out what was going to happen. Some things are pulled together nicely at the end, and I think the various threads of many of the characters find some closure. But through it all, I kept looking for the overall storyline that would give me that satisfying "oh!" I never quite found it. I think if there had been a stronger connection between the "God" and the Big Mac aliens, I would have felt more content. Additionally, the several "epilogues" at the end of the story felt like one too many, and that took away some of the satisfaction I did feel at the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Although it lacked a fluid progression of a story, the writing style is engaging, the ideas compelling, and the entertainment value top notch. I think if I were to do some revisions, I'd want to tie the stories together more, perhaps using Oliver, or, better yet, using Greg somehow. I think his reality/insanity motif is perfect for tying the Big Mac aliens in search of the perfect orgasm into the theme of the existence (or not) of God. A lot could be done with that tie-in, and I think the result would be a stronger story. In lieu of that, I'd disassemble the storylines and make a collection of short stories connected by one of the characters (perhaps Greg as he travels through his various personas).

Originally posted at GraceKrispy's MotherLode review blog

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre But Beautifully Blasphemous
Dropping Himself back down to Earth in 1987 at the height of the "Me" decade, the ruler of all things perversely practical jokey (aka God) has a grand scheme...er...enlightened plan...to pull yet another one over on the unsuspecting but far too pitiful masses of humanity. With a New Age store and a bell, he gears up for reaching out and touching many, many people. He finds Oliver.

Oliver is sort of the Everyman of mental health. As an outreach counselor, he's surrounded by the mentally unstable, and in truth, he's often a little befuddled by it all. Until he meets Jeremy (yeah...that'd be God). Then things get a little weird for this mild mannered, innocuous little man.

Take one God, one Everyman, a few functioning neurotics and psychotics, questionable therapy, drugs, sex, and aliens on a quest to either experience the Ultimate Orgasm or kill everyone trying, and you've got one seriously messed up but completely compelling pseudo masterpiece of blasphemous delight.

I was genuinely surprised at how very much I enjoyed this wacky little tale. It's not my normal cuppa, that's for sure. Despite that, I found myself drawn into the story and eerily caught by the antics of the characters. As it turns out, I liked it quite a bit. Oh, I knew I was going to have a special place in my heart for the blasphemy. I do so love a good blaspheme. What I wasn't expecting was a rather remarkably well-told satirical parable.

Credit must be given to the author known by his Commander Pants nom de plume (at least I sincerely hope it's a nom de plume). It's not often that a I find such convincing evidence of a truly gifted storyteller with solid technical writing skills, and certainly not amongst independent authors. The smooth level of sophistication in the characters and the narrative, as well as and a slick but spatter-patterned plot,  imbues this story with a unique freshness that was very appealing.

The plot was bizarre. And twisted. It first snagged, then held my attention with its seemingly random and wacky happenstance. Sure, it danced the rumba over the line between mad brilliance and absurdity more than once, and a few of the plot points seemed a bit unnecessary (I still don't know what the point of Greg's storyline was), but to be fair, it's also entirely possible that I just lack the superlative erudition necessary to fit every one of the pieces together. With a book like this, it's a little hard to tell.

I definitely wouldn't recommend this to those for whom religion is as serious a subject as Big Macs are to the OOklah. For everyone else, though, especially those with a fondness for the freaky and a preference for the peculiar, this is a weird but oddly entertaining bit of blasphemy that I heartily embraced.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book for free from the author for the purpose of an honest review...though he may have had more nefarious intentions. Like instilling random fast food cravings, a yearning for big hair bands, and a weird aversion to the therapy that I may need after reading this. Regardless, all ratings, thoughts, and feelings expressed in this review are my own.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘I’ll consider any possibility that strikes me as possible.’

If you have ever wanted to read a novel about God, insanity and the search for the Ultimate Orgasm - look no further. Combine these topics with some strangely interesting, entertaining, and generally dysfunctional characters makes reading ‘Whom God Would Destroy’ a lot of fun.

Consider Oliver: he’s been working for six years as an outreach counsellor, working with the mentally ill. He gets along with most of his colleagues, and looks out for his clients: especially Abbey (whom he secretly loves); Doc with his paranoia about aliens, and the schizophrenic Greg. But Oliver’s world is turned upside down when he meets Jeremy. Jeremy, with his new age store and a raft of ideas about what he would like to achieve on earth, is not who he appears to be. And whoever he is, he keeps being distracted by sex, and by journalists. Jeremy’s also unsure about whether he wants to achieve what he is supposed to.

‘Why should one moment have any more significance than another?’

So, how does this all fit together? What draws the story together (more or less) are a number of different themes. First, there’s mental health, medication, and relative degrees of reality.

‘You work for our agency in the capacity of a mental health professional and you believe that space aliens have abducted one of our clients.’

Just who are the real aliens in this story? And who is conspiring against whom and to what end?
Secondly, there’s the search for the perfect experience (and is this what the Ultimate Orgasm and Big Macs have in common? Hmmm).

What brings the various themes together (more or less) and makes the novel work are the characters. Dysfunctional, crazy (however that is defined), cunning and (or) manipulative, Commander Pants has assembled an interesting cast. It’s fun speculative fiction with a satirical twist. As the cover says:
‘A novel about taking reality with a pillar of salt.
’
Note: I was offered, and accepted, a copy of this novel for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Candy · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first got this book, I was excited to read it, but it fell by the wayside for a month or so. I picked it up when I was kind of bored of the usual stuff I read and looking for something different. After trying to slog through the first quarter of it, I put it down again. I did end up picking it back up over the course of the next few months, but it didn't really start pulling me into the story until around the last quarter of the book. It was definitely different, but...

The story itself is fun, a little more than "out there" and a whole bunch of crazy (but the good kinda crazy). I loved the plot and I loved the "what in the heck is this author doing now" moments. If it hadn't have had this, would have easily given up on it. This probably the single biggest "saving grace" for this book. The storyline is fantastic. Really, it's great.

The problem is in the telling of the story, in my opinion. It's slow moving. It's bogged down. There are two many characters that don't seem matter and just when I think I know that character, we've skipped over to something else that seems unrelated only to come back and I have to try to figure out who was who. I really think the book needs a good content editor. Someone to sift through it and bring out the best parts, reorganize the turn of events and keep it moving. As it is now, when it's good, it's really really very good. But when it bogs down and switches too quickly, it's really really bad. It's sad because this author can obviously write - and write very very well. It's the editing that he's sorely lacking.

Overall, I'd recommend this book if it had some serious content tweaking - to those who enjoy a lighthearted laugh and those of us with just a little bit of conspiracy theorists lurking under the surface (seriously, let's talk about that moon landing) ;)

I vacillated between 2 and 3 stars on this one, but ultimately, I had problems following the story lines and, well, that's the most important part.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I had the review I intended to write all squared away in my little pea brain, but it must have gone the way of the Zliffer. and you'll have to read the book to figure out what I'm talking about. A few things I enjoyed along the way:
page 6: "You might say that Oliver's main problem was that he wanted a black and white world, but found himself stuck with color. Or perhaps he simply didn't realize that even black and white worlds come complete with a palette full of grays."
page 149: "'When's the last time he was seen?' Penny's voice jettisoned all traces of sarcasm, like a penguin abruptly aware of the bikini she has on." (say what??!!)
page 263: "Just like you might guess: more prayers in more boxes, this time nailed to their doorways. They call these ones Mezuzzahs. Sort of like garlic for god, if you get my drift."

All this leads to a hilarious and fantastical revelation of the identity of god, the origins of religion and one of the most quirkily well-thought out diatribes about human nature and the search for a higher power that I have read in a long time (beginning in chapter 36 and culminating in the greatest goofiest guffaw in the final epilogue- there are several)
Well worth the read just to reach this fractal end- and don't try to skip all the stuff before it, it is necessary to make any sense of those final fifty pages........

[melydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oliver is an outreach counselor for the mentally ill, which mainly involves making sure they get to their doctor appointments. His clients include Abbey, who may or may not have multiple personalities; Greg, who may or may not be turning into his therapist; and Doc, who may or may not be communicating with aliens who demand Big Macs. Meanwhile, the ultra-charismatic Jeremy, who may or may not be Jesus, has opened a new age shop and started a television show on public access to spread his message of selfishness. Confused? Believe it or not, the story wasn't so difficult to follow as long as you just went with it, accepting whatever bizarre new twist was thrown at you. (I've found a similar approach is helpful when reading Douglas Adams novels.) This is a bizarre tale of religion, drugs, sex, extraterrestrials, mental illness, and fast food, full of cynical humor and truly strange characters. I would suggest that anyone who is very sensitive about any of these issues (most especially religion) give this one a miss, but if you're more cynical and/or apathetic, you might find the insanity rather enjoyable. I'll be curious to see if Commander Pants writes anything else, or if he chooses a different pen name for each novel.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once in a while, you pick up a book without really knowing what to expect. You understand the basic plot, but there’s just no way of anticipating if you’ll love it or hate it.

This is one of those books. And I loved it.

It is a grab-bag of bizarre characters, from a Triscuit loving “God” to an alien race that is obsessed with Big Macs, there is just no way of really capturing the essence in these pages. The story, although seemingly scattered, fits together nicely, leaving no major loose ends. The characters are all lovable and outrageous, making the reader wish they had a few of them in his or her life to brighten up the mornings.

I found no cataclysmic grammar mistakes or spelling oopses, which is a breath of fresh air when it comes to independently published books, so do not be deterred on that front.

Ok, the story is irreverent, snarky, and if you’re seriously religious, firmly planted on the blasphemous side. But it is delightful, and a quick read. I had a blast in its pages and I can easily recommend it to those of you out there who like a little peanut-butter-nuttiness with your religion.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel that mixes insanity, conspiracy, religion and aliens surprisingly well, 'Whom God Would Destroy' is a fantastic debut novel and a really enjoyable read.
I agree with other reviews of this book that one of its most noticeable achievements is the depth of the characters. Beginning with Oliver, the outreach counsellor and one of his mentally ill 'patients', Abbey, this novel explores each character leaving you as if you know them well (and perhaps share in a few of their psychosis!). Introducing other patients and their stories, God Himself (in the guise of new-age store-owner Jeremy) and even aliens, this book really does well to spend time with each character and leave you spinning in some of the twists.
When it comes to the plot itself, there are a lot of themes to get along with (the second coming of God, alien conspiracy and mental illness to name but a few!), but I felt they were dealt with really well and most importantly kept me laughing-out-loud and gripped throughout.
Brilliant!

[Robert Kroese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. Judging by the slightly amateurish cover and very amateurish-sounding nom-de-plume, I wasn't really expecting much. But I have to admit, Commander Pants pulled me in with his story about Big Mac-loving aliens, a God who doesn't quite live up to the hype, and lots of crazy people. The book could have used some better proof-reading (their our occasional examples of you're common grammatical errors), it doesn't quite tie everything up as well as I had hoped, and it gets a little preachy toward the end, but it's still worth reading overall.

BTW, this book is strikingly similar in many ways to a book called Earthgame. If you like one, you'll probably like the other.

[Kythe42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whom God Would Destroy by Commander Pants is a satirical novel that makes fun of both religion and the mental health industry. In this story a mental health caseworker named Oliver meets Jeremy, the owner of a new age shop, through one of his clients. Oliver quickly becomes enamored with the extremely charismatic shop owner, and begins to rethink his life while Jeremy does everything in his power to recruit Oliver as his first follower. In addition to Jeremy trying to bring about a new religious movement, this novel also follows the stories of multiple mental health patients who aren't quite as ill as they appear. I thought this book was hilarious and I highly recommend it. Please don't read it though if you think you will be easily offended by the subject matter, which includes explicit sex as well as the religious and mental health satire.

[1000 + · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was FANTASTIC and crazy funny from opening page to the end (love the end).

This book pokes at some serious subjects: religion and mental health being the main two. It was done in such a funny way that you can't help but laugh.

Aliens searching for.. BIG MACS?

Even though the book is meant to be funny there was still a great, well thought out, story in there.

The author did an amazing job capturing every last detail needed for a book that focused so much on unstable 'crazy' people. There was not a flaw anywhere in any part of the book. In fact, crazy enough, it all made sense!

I can't say enough about this book. If you enjoy a creative, well told, funny story this is a MUST READ.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can’t find the humor in killing or at least maiming a sacred cow or two (literally, given all the Big Macs consumed), then this isn’t the book for you. But if a little light-hearted blasphemy sounds fun, if poking fun at religion, the mental health profession, and just about everything to do with your fellow earthlings sounds like a good time, have I got the book for you.

Seriously (or at least as serious as I can be about this book), how people react to humor can vary and it is often dependent on the subjects they are capable of laughing at and those they always take seriously. I found this very funny. If none of the items above is one of your sacred cows, you should find it funny too.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oliver is an outreach counselor working with some very unusual outpatients. Abbey, the highly sexualized woman with MPD, tempts Oliver. Doc's paranoid obsession with Big Mac loving aliens amuses him. And Greg's schizophrenia offers a touch of excitement. But Oliver's life is not all mental patients; he is also bombarded by the sane...well, the sort of sane. His boss Stuart loves theatrical therapy, the boss's boss Peggy is intent on firing him, and then there's Jeremy, a New Age shop owner with a magical bell. As these characters and more flit in and out of the book, the reader is treated to a convoluted yet simply told look at the nature of humanity, reality, and sanity.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obtained as a kindle freebie, I found this book to be a disjointed, sacriligious farce. The author abandons main characters for big chunks of the book, and then returns to them and new ones are introduced seemingly as an afterthought to make the plot work out.

The anti-religious speech by Jeremy is powerful and dismissive and frankly quite insulting, and will likely offend many, although probably no so much the people who would pick up this book in the first place.

Anyway, this book is not particularly well-written, but it does amuse, and if you are looking for something lightweight and cynical, this should fill the bill.

[Spot · Rating 4 out of 5]

i got this book because
1- it was free on amazon when i found it
2- the author is "commander pants"

it starts off slow, like you dont really know where its going, but there are some chuckles to be had, so i kept reading.....and slowly turns into gold for the last chapter or so of the jeremy character.


recommended....just hang in there to catch the goodness

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining story with some interesting plot twists. I had high expectations but was disappointed I felt no challenge mentally or emotionally. Regardless I do recommend the book as light reading and some may find it funny.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird....just weird. The Messiah comes back to Earth as the owner of a new age store. Aliens are abducting people to make Big Macs for their McDonalds obsession. The writing is not very good either.

[Reading For Sanity · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this review and others http://readingforsanity.blogspot.com/...

[Lori]

Signed by author for review

[Debra Martin]

Couldn't finish. Only 30% through. Too many characters, plot blogged down with too many characters,

[Zuzu Burford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing, loved every moment of this totally out there novel. This is satire at its best.