booksandbacon's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I was given an eBook copy by the author through @booktasters for an honest opinion.
Bob (as he/it/she will be called later) is a god, not THE god but a god drifting through the universe as a twinkling spark along with hundreds countless millions of tiny sparks looking for believers someone or something to believe in them because that’s there power, without it they’re a nothing. But the universe has brought Bob and Ray Charles (a vending machine repair man) together, from then the story unfolds very creatively.
I loved the direction it took witty with humour and thought provoking something totally different to what I’m accustomed to.
There’s a sub-plot, a massive meteor heading to earth which I believe it ties perfectly to the main story.
I quite enjoyed it, I didn’t expect to be highly entertained. Great start to the series.
Bob (as he/it/she will be called later) is a god, not THE god but a god drifting through the universe as a twinkling spark along with hundreds countless millions of tiny sparks looking for believers someone or something to believe in them because that’s there power, without it they’re a nothing. But the universe has brought Bob and Ray Charles (a vending machine repair man) together, from then the story unfolds very creatively.
I loved the direction it took witty with humour and thought provoking something totally different to what I’m accustomed to.
There’s a sub-plot, a massive meteor heading to earth which I believe it ties perfectly to the main story.
I quite enjoyed it, I didn’t expect to be highly entertained. Great start to the series.
a_libraryghost's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.25
I was given an audioook copy of this via booktasters in exchange for a review.
I struggled to enjoy the first couple of chapters and put it down for a few days but when i picked it up again it quickly grew on me.
The writing isn't the best, it does a lot more telling than showing but it's easy to read and as others have said it has a very lighthearted, comedic tone which just made it enjoyable to the point where the writing didn't bother me after a while.
My biggest issue was the pacing and lack of tension. The subplot about the asteroid felt very disconnected from the rest of the story to the point where I actually kept forgetting about it until it's chapters would come up. The ending where the two plots meet feels very rushed and the solution feels unearned because no where is it hinted that that is something Bob can do (at least not that I'm aware of).
What really earns the stars though is the characters. I loved all of the main characters but especially Bob. They're diverse, they're interesting and i genuinely cared about them. I thought Varen especially was an interesting character (im listening to the audiobook, not 100% sure that's what his name is). He has some internal conflict introduced later in the book and i would have loved to see that explored more.
I struggled to enjoy the first couple of chapters and put it down for a few days but when i picked it up again it quickly grew on me.
The writing isn't the best, it does a lot more telling than showing but it's easy to read and as others have said it has a very lighthearted, comedic tone which just made it enjoyable to the point where the writing didn't bother me after a while.
My biggest issue was the pacing and lack of tension. The subplot about the asteroid felt very disconnected from the rest of the story to the point where I actually kept forgetting about it until it's chapters would come up. The ending where the two plots meet feels very rushed and the solution feels unearned because no where is it hinted that that is something Bob can do (at least not that I'm aware of).
What really earns the stars though is the characters. I loved all of the main characters but especially Bob. They're diverse, they're interesting and i genuinely cared about them. I thought Varen especially was an interesting character (im listening to the audiobook, not 100% sure that's what his name is). He has some internal conflict introduced later in the book and i would have loved to see that explored more.
baskerville_book_reviews's review
5.0
Bob was a god. I occasionally mention in my reviews that I prefer to go into books without knowing anything about them. I pick review copies based on genre and ignore the summary, other reviews, or ratings. In the Image of Man was one of those rare cases. I listened to the sample and viewed the ratings on Scumazon and they were overwhelmingly 4 and 5 stars, positive. Wow. When the hell does the internet ever agree on something that much? I had to know.
First off, In the Image of Man gets extra points for being extremely creative. Bob, an eternal spec of nothingness who wasn’t aware of anything until he was. From there, he gained his power from belief. The lore of this world explains every other religion, cult, and even schizophrenia in some cases in the context of its world. Bob doesn’t know of and can’t find any other gods. It raises the question. Did they stop existing because belief in them waned? Maybe!
Every aspect of this story seems well thought out. Even his name has a sensible origin story. He had to learn about humans as he goes along. He blunders and makes mistakes along the way, but he’s always trying to do better. The characters are all human. Obviously not bob, but what I mean is they’re all real. They’re believable. They have thoughts, feelings, and emotions past the current plot contrivance that makes them relatable. It’s rare that I talk about or appreciate characters because they’re usually bland, uninteresting, and forgettable to me. Even if I enjoy them or the story, they’re almost always puddle deep.
The plot starts out a little slow and builds up until the end where you’re sitting on the edge of your seat, desperate to know how things play out. In the Image of Man is one of those stories that sticks with you and leaves you thinking about it after you’ve finished it. Maybe that’s the case for most people. But I tend to finish a story and move on.
The narrator is overall pretty damn good. She mispronounces a couple of words, which readers of my reviews know, I find completely insufferable. I don’t know where the hell people get ape out of Apricot. What I find 10x more insufferable is when people say “Nukeuler”, which much to my annoyance, cums up several times in the story.
The review from this point on will contain spoilers. You’ve been warned.
Mary’s cat is alright. You’re welcome. I know you don’t know what that means yet, but I just saved you a lot of anxiety.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
First off, In the Image of Man gets extra points for being extremely creative. Bob, an eternal spec of nothingness who wasn’t aware of anything until he was. From there, he gained his power from belief. The lore of this world explains every other religion, cult, and even schizophrenia in some cases in the context of its world. Bob doesn’t know of and can’t find any other gods. It raises the question. Did they stop existing because belief in them waned? Maybe!
Every aspect of this story seems well thought out. Even his name has a sensible origin story. He had to learn about humans as he goes along. He blunders and makes mistakes along the way, but he’s always trying to do better. The characters are all human. Obviously not bob, but what I mean is they’re all real. They’re believable. They have thoughts, feelings, and emotions past the current plot contrivance that makes them relatable. It’s rare that I talk about or appreciate characters because they’re usually bland, uninteresting, and forgettable to me. Even if I enjoy them or the story, they’re almost always puddle deep.
The plot starts out a little slow and builds up until the end where you’re sitting on the edge of your seat, desperate to know how things play out. In the Image of Man is one of those stories that sticks with you and leaves you thinking about it after you’ve finished it. Maybe that’s the case for most people. But I tend to finish a story and move on.
The narrator is overall pretty damn good. She mispronounces a couple of words, which readers of my reviews know, I find completely insufferable. I don’t know where the hell people get ape out of Apricot. What I find 10x more insufferable is when people say “Nukeuler”, which much to my annoyance, cums up several times in the story.
The review from this point on will contain spoilers. You’ve been warned.
Mary’s cat is alright. You’re welcome. I know you don’t know what that means yet, but I just saved you a lot of anxiety.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
farahmendlesohn's review
4.0
I’d just given up on a Big Name novel and this was simply the next on my tbr pile. It’s quirky not comic, taking Pratchett’s idea of Small Gods and thinking about a modern scenario. I really enjoyed it. Very sweet
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