Myths help keep the forces of the cosmos in balance; we let you see them in perspective. We are stories and stories have endings. When you mortals face small tastes of Chaos…just knowing it all has to end sometime can save you from feeling completely helpless.
My daughter is big into Greek mythology so when I saw Temping Fate by Esther M. Friesner–about girl who gets a job temping for the Fates–I picked it up.
What I Liked
– The premise. Sometimes the gods need someone to help out with the boring tasks (like typing up official death certificates) or the low level tasks (boring hero work).
– The temps get an opportunity to sit down and talk to each other and share notes, which is kind of cool.
– Some interesting characters are introduced, especially as it relates to which gods they work for.
What I Didn’t Like
– I honestly couldn’t tell you that much about the main character except that she caught smallpox in Africa (no particular country, just Africa), and her sister used to work at her old job.
– The plotting is horrible. The villain is introduced a third of the way from the end.
– Also, it’s just really boring. Nothing happens until the end, and even then, I didn’t care what happened to anybody. Except maybe Corey.
In conclusion: Great premise, messy and lifeless execution.
YA Challenge: 19/75
The Englishist 