# Gods Behaving Badly

By Marie Phillips

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/gods-behaving-badly-dfd300f8/

The Greek gods share a deteriorating London townhouse, take day jobs and keep feuding as their powers fade. Cleaner Alice and her would-be boyfriend Neil are pulled into a quarrel whose consequences reach far beyond the house.

## What makes it funny?

Artemis introduces herself as a goddess to a woman Apollo has turned into a eucalyptus. The woman replies with her job in mergers and acquisitions, then wonders how to call in sick.

### The comedy at work

Phillips gives mythical disasters the conversational pace of an awkward encounter in the park. The gods retain their vanity and grudges while worrying about house repairs, work and who has used the hot water.

### Try this if…

Greek mythology brought into shared housing, with dog walking and television work alongside divine revenge. The domestic bickering suits readers who enjoy fantasy built around petty, troublesome immortals.

### Good to know

The opening contains explicit sex, profanity and incest among the gods. Apollo punishes a woman for rejecting his sexual advances, so the flippant tone includes cruelty.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy
- On the shelf: Mythic fantasy · Urban fantasy
- Kind of humor: Dry wit · Satire · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel

## Sources & further reading

- Reading sample: [Publisher excerpt via Booktopia](https://static.booktopia.com.au/pdf/9780224081320-1.pdf)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/marie-phillips/gods-behaving-badly/9780316067638)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780316067621)