The Trouble With Being God

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.

More Reviews of The Trouble With Being God

Posted by William under book

Over the last few weeks several more reviews of The Trouble With Being God have been popping up across the Internet, both from readers and from professional publications. Here are a few of the highlights:

From Horror Bound Online Magazine:

The juxtaposition of Steven and one of the victims as dramatic foils is very interesting. They are both emotionally involved with Karen, and one could say that they are both preaching, albeit about very different things.

Overall, it was an interesting story. If the main characters had been more likeable, the ending would have had more impact. The killer twist ending was very good, as was the red herring. This is definitely a book to read on a rainy day and an author to watch out for in the coming years.

(read the full review)

From Flames Rising:

Dubbed a “philosophical thriller,” The Trouble With Being God delves into heady themes while we watch Steven’s struggle with one question, “Did he do it? Did he really commit those murders?”

…

The best written parts of this story were the descriptions of the murders. Poetic and languid, Aicher has a flair for describing the things that lurk in the dark. The weakest parts of this story happened toward the end; I don’t want to give anything away, but I felt that it was not an appropriate ending for this sort of a novel. Give me justice, give me conflict, but don’t give me open questions.

(read the full review)

From Readers:

Aicher’s novel is very well-crafted and extremely well-written. The soundtrack aspect of it also added a great bit of extra insight and was a feature I particularly enjoyed. The book is indeed a thriller, and held my interest to the very last page.
(by Eric at Goodreads :: full review)

[William] dove right into it with a climax. His flow of words captured me from the beginning. I greatly enjoyed his descriptions as well as commitment to the back story. He let me get to know the characters personality along with their mannerisms. Overall I thought the character development was great, but for some reason I had a hard time with Karen. Maybe I just did not like her.  Either way, I felt like I knew them personally, which is something that is very important to readers!
(by Tracy at Goodreads :: full review)

This story is full of suspense & murder. It touches on a serial killer. Follow along in the day to day life of Steven Cavelle, a local news reporter journalist as he tries to report the news from his first hand view.
(by Abigail Christy at Shelfari :: full review)

Have you read The Trouble With Being God yet? If so, send me your comments and reviews.

If not, isn’t it time you bought your own copy?

Author Praise for The Trouble With Being God (Authonomy)

Posted by William under book

As part of my experiment to self-publish and take advantage of all the different forms of distribution that are available with the Internet, I have made The Trouble With Being God available on Harper Collins social media experiment, Authonomy.com.

The site, which they refer to as a digital slush pile, is basically a social network where aspiring authors can upload their works and then receive feedback from other authors and readers.  Harper Collins has designed it as a way for them to sort out and find new talent, using a community approach to the agent/editor process, and many writers have posted their work there in the hopes of getting signed by Harper Collins.

Others, like myself, have made their work available to receive insight from other authors from a social network setting, so they can either apply this feedback to their book (a group edit process, much like what I did by putting The Trouble With Being God up for free in an early draft, asking for reader feedback as my editors), or so they can use this feedback to just simply become better writers.

Since The Trouble With Being God is currently considered to be a completed work, and is self-published, my main interest is in receiving feedback so I can apply that feedback to the writing of my next novel, The Unfortunate Expiration of Mr. David S. Sparks. Still, I have received some very positive feedback and comments from other authors regarding The Trouble With Being God, and I thought it fitting to share these comments with my readers.

And so, a few comments from fellow authors regarding The Trouble With Being God as posted on Authonomy.com.

William, this is great stuff. Really. I was going to read 5 chapters but am now on chapter 12. I just couldn’t leave it. The opening chapter is very powerful, with sparse, but sharp, descriptive writing. Just Perfect. And I loved the short chapter intros. I am not an experienced enough writer to comment on grammar etc. and anyway I found nothing that tripped me up. As a reader this is very exciting. Your introduction of the characters works well and your desciptive writing is fantastic. A very well written book that goes onto my rotating bookshelf. Great Stuff and I know that this would sell well when it’s published. (wallynosox)

I’d thought at first the (sometimes very) short chapters would lead to a rather broken, disrupted journey, but the effect is to up the pace considerably and up what would be the page-turner factor if we had pages to turn on this screen. You, sir, are a sick but creative individual and there’s a remarkable and intimidating power in your writing. (Simon A Forward)

Now, where did I put my razor…?” So gripping, so intense, so vivid - even when the line is said out of context of the gore and violence, I am so conditioned, so involved, that I find my own heart skip a beat. The way you link the opening to Steven’s dream in 10, is a clever move. The prologue reminds me of the way James Herbert placed his opening in “Moon”, and your writing is no less talented.

There is a dark captivation in the opening that means even the vivid description used does not feel like overkill (if you’ll pardon the pun). Often in horror, I find less is more, and atmosphere can be more persuasive than the guts and glory approach. But you have bravely decided to go straight for the jugular from the go (deliberate pun this time), and it works well. You bring the story back down again, and I am drawn quickly into the plot and the tale surrounding Steven. He seems to have a hidden edge to him - a darkness that underlies his personality.

There is a lovely fast pace to this - are your actual chapters clipped in the finished book, or is it just to help with the speed of reading? Either way, it works, and the draw to move on hits you constantly. I only stop because I need to get on with other things, but I love this. The violence, the aggression, the heart stopping guts and gore of it. The spaces between the scenes of horror, and the way you spin the plot fill these gaps, are strong and direct, and I would love so much for a book like this to get picked up.  (Jed Sparks)

So I humbly suggest you buy a copy for yourself to see what all the fuss is about