Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
In days such as these when British politics is doing its level best to provide its own particular brand of satire and absurd-ism, laughter, a look into the eyes of the strangely bizarre and reasonably silly is all the more important; for all what life throws at us, we have to have the ability to look the script provided by the cosmic joker and laugh.
If we don’t even crack a wry smile at the injustice of a being without care, compassion or the capacity to work out that taking a vacation once in awhile is good for the soul, then we may as well bow our heads to any being that comes along with a plan of rapture; for in The Management Style of the Supreme Beings, life is the hands of the creator and we all end up paying for it.
Tom Holt’s latest novel is one that sees the return of Kevin Godson, the erstwhile hero of Tom Holt’s 1993 novel, Here Comes The Sun, the tale about failing bureaucracy and the need for a good oiling of the big yellow fiery ball once in a while, and in this particular outing, the sense of continuation is a joyous affair and one that completes a 24 years cycle of life and one peppered with books that have truly caught the imagination and installed Tom Holt as one at the very top of his specific genre of literature.
When God and his son Jay decide to sell the family partnership to a couple of businessmen, it seems that all their troubles are over; having gone from being the top dogs in humanity’s mind and being able to smote those who commit sins, the gentle approach has not been particular successful, God is fed up, tired, feeling old and not even his friend Nick can help the old man see beyond retirement.
The Management Style of the Supreme Beings is a tale of beautiful absurdity, of heroes and heroines and the warning of wishing for a day when peace and goodwill to all is achieved as it will come with the price of profit and the sense of free will gone. Imagine a world where each sin committed has its price, not with eternal damnation but with pounds and pence, the mighty dollar and with credit cards, imagine needing to have a good swear, to have the thought of an affair run through your mind and not being able to afford it, that a murder is a million pounds and punching someone on the nose is beyond your wallet and means; yes there is no crime but free will and happiness have been devoid of meaning.
Tom Holt once again provides the wit and wisdom which is sorely missing in a world consumed with hate and suspicion. Mr. Holt brings levity and insight to fantasy and once again has found the perfect template to make the story not only wildly amusing but one in which he cannot be matched in modern fiction.
Ian D. Hall