The Trouble With Being God

New Review from J. Kaye’s Book Blog

Posted by William under book, reviews

Recently one of the more popular book blogs online took the time to read The Trouble With Being God, and write up a review.  The review is up on Amazon, but you can also read it in its entirety on J. Kaye’s site.

Here’s a bit of what the reviewer had to say:

Although the book says it’s a philosophical thriller it’s a psychological thriller as well. Steven and Miles’ conversations allow a philosophical debate, but the dreams, ramblings of the characters, and the killings bring the out the psychological horror aspect. We look into a mind slowing going insane, becoming devolved.

Again, you can read the full review here.

New Press Quote

Posted by William under reviews

Haven’t had anywhere else to use this yet, since it just came in… but thought it was worth sharing. Got a press quote today from Lise Avery, the host of “Everything Goes!! Internationally Syndicated Radio.”

Here’s what she had to say:

“The Trouble with Being God is a great summer read that keeps you glued to its pages! Now we’ll wait with breathless anticipation for the next novel from the very talented Bill Aicher.”

Thanks Lise!  I’m working on my next one!

New Reader Review at WeRead

Posted by William under reviews

In my ongoing effort to try to share all the reviews of The Trouble With Being God that keep popping up online, I have another review to share - this time from reader “Clyde’ at WeRead.com.  Here’s a bit of what he had to say:

This is an incredible novel especially for a debut. It reminds me of early Chuck Palahniuk with the tone and the unexpected twist. The story seems very simple at first, but gets complex. … As a reader, you will find yourself going back and re-reading parts just to make sure you understand what is happening because there are turns, and in the end it will all click. Then you will realize that this is more than a thriller novel, it has multiple levels. So if you are interested in reading something that is smart please check out The Trouble With Being God. William F. Aicher I look forward to reading more of your work.

Have you written a review, or found any reviews or discussions online that I’ve missed?  Let me know.  My goal here is to give all you potential readers the best overview of what others have thought of the book so you can make an informed decision as to if you should or shouldn’t buy a copy for yourself.

Review at Self-Publishing Review, Plus New Reader Comments

Posted by William under reviews

Another online review site has read and reviewed The Trouble With Being God.  This latest review comes to us from Henry Baum at Self-Publishing Review.

Henry Baum is the author of The American Book of the Dead (coming in 2009), North of Sunset, listed as the #1 self-published novel in Entertainment Weekly and winner of the Hollywood Book Festival Grand Prize, and The Golden Calf. He’s also a songwriter and blogs at Ash Tree.

Here’s a bit of what he had to say about TTWBG:

The novel begins with the brutal murder of a Catholic priest – a scene described in gory detail.  In this day and age, the murders in this book – while grotesque – aren’t much more shocking to the system than the series of murders in the movie “Seven.”  They’re effective and well-drawn, but nothing that is entirely shocking to the system, given how violent movies and horror fiction has been for some time.

… as a novel about a reporter covering a series of brutal murders, this is an enormously fast-paced, thought-provoking, and entertaining read.  Steven covers the murders for the newspaper, his personal life unravels, and his behavior becomes progressively more erratic - making for a multi-layered mystery into who committed these murders.  The movie “Seven” is a good comparison - as that was a story about a serial killer that was also a study on the nature of sin, and even celebrity. If this book was fleshed out, it could be on that level.

You can read the full review online here.

In addition to this review, we have a few more reader comments to share:

Joe [last name preserved for Anonymity]:

(via email) I must say that, “The Trouble With Being God”, is one of the best books I have read in years. In my opinion, its up there with older Palhniuk, Clevenger’s Dephamoria, and Baer’s Phineas Poe Trilogy. … there are fewer and fewer “original” authors out there that challenge you think about what you have just read.  The other problem is that there are too many people that try to copy this style of writing, and its becoming harder to find the authors that are “legit”.

Danny Moody says:

(via Twitter) I just finished your book, I really liked it! … I might be disturbed, but I have many of the same religious views steve has in your book, Is this life destiny or choice?

(via Amazon) “The Trouble With Being God” is exactly what a Philosophical Thriller is supposed to be. It will challenge your beliefs on all things religion with points of view those Hayseed religious folk tend ignore, or can’t answer. The morale decisions Steven is faced with is something we all can learn from, everybody lives with a dark side and the way we control it is ultimately how we are defined. The serial killer in this novel is very creative with a very sick and twisted mind that will leave you breathless. Aicher is a rising author that will be mentioned with the best and this book is a must read.

Amy Satzinger:

(via Twitter) I loved it!  … Good job.

The Trouble With Being God Reviewed at Horrornews.net

Posted by William under reviews

Dr. Acula over at Horrornews.net has read and reviewed The Trouble With Being God. It’s a quite fair review, in my opinion, and I’m happy to see Horrornews enjoyed the novel and picked up on the story’s essence.

Here’s a bit of what they had to say:

The novel is a very quick read, both physically and from a mental standpoint. Most chapters are no more than a couple pages long, forcing the story, in a way, to move fast. When I first started reading it, I thought this aspect would get annoying, as with each new chapter usually comes a different character, making the novel jump from different sub-story to different sub-story. But, all of the sub-stories come together well in the end to create a solid novel. In retrospect, the style is very similar to that of Dan Brown’s (if there are any fans of his novels out there). Aicher uses the style very successfully, keeping the reader constantly wanting more.

The full review is available online at Horrornews.net.

New Review by Todd Fonseca (Author of The Time Cavern)

Posted by William under reviews

Todd Fonseca, author of The Time Cavern, has read The Trouble With Being God and written a review of the book, giving it four out of five stars.

Here’s a bit of what he had to say:

… for those expecting neat and tidy closure to the various story arcs, you may be a little frustrated at the end. But realize Aicher’s focus isn’t necessarily the slayings themselves, though this provides the novel’s backbone pushing the plot forward, but the inner journey of our own occasional brutal thoughts and passions and how we choose to manage them.

Click here for the full review.

Comments from a Twitter Follower

Posted by William under book, reviews

If you’re following me on Twitter, you know that in fits of blind generosity, I’ve given away a few copies of my books to some of my followers. One of the recipients of the book, user lrntoswim, has just finished reading The Trouble With Being God and sent me a nice long response as to her thoughts on the book.

Here’s some of what she had to say:

The questions you asked through your characters made me pause and ask them both of the characters and my own grasp on life.   “Can one know a truth without having experienced it firsthand?”  “Where did fault lie?”  They could be considered every day thoughts, but are the kinds of profound questions that shouldn’t always be thought of and discarded quickly.

<SPOILER ALERT (HIGHLIGHT TO READ)>When the story ended I wanted to know whodunit.  Why would Steven write the letter saying Karen should die?  Did he think he was God and could decide?  Did he think he was the killer?  Fully understanding why Steven was presumed the serial killer, I questioned why I believed this, what I had been suspecting the whole time. </END SPOILER> It made the truth clearer.  The truth, that we do not really know the truth unless we know everything.  Knowledge has seemed like a drug my whole life and your story made me understand, again, why.  We can’t leave big problems assuming we know the whole story, until we do.