Review: Fated

Fated by S.G. Browne

Publication Date: November 2010
Publisher: Penguin Group
Format: Paperback, 368 pp
ISBN-13: 9780451231284
ISBN: 0451231287

(Received for review from Berkley NAL)

Synopsis (Book Blurb):

Rule # 1: Don't Get Involved

Over the past few thousand years, Fabio has come to hate his job. As Fate, he's in charge of assigning the fortunes and misfortunes that befall most of the human race- the eighty-three percent who keep screwing things up. And with the steady rise in population since the first Neanderthal set himself on fire, he can't exactly take a vacation.

Fabio is frustrated with his endless parade of drug addicts and career politicians, and it doesn't help watching Destiny guide her people to winning Nobel Peace Prizes and Super Bowl MVPs. To make matters worse, he has a five-hundred-year-old feud with Death, and his best friends are Sloth and Gluttony. And Worst of all? he 's just fallen in love with a human being.

Sara Griffen is on Destiny's path, but Fabio keeps bumping into her - by accident at first, and then on purpose. Getting involved with her breaks Rule # 1, and about ten others setting off some cosmic-sized repercussions that could strip Fabio of his immortality or lead to a fate worse than death.

Thoughts:

This is a quirky little novel with lots of fun and a healthy dose of "karma"! Author S. G. Browne a master at satire, gives the reader a light and comedic take on Fate. Are you fated or destined to be with one person? To what links will you go for love? Browne's portrayal of the human condition will strike a cord with readers. Destiny, justice, fate, sloth, gluttony all personified in this book, make for a very unusual cast of characters, that readers will love.

Fabio is getting really tired of his day job. He is Fate, who has the task of setting the fortunes and misfortunes for the 83% of people who are destined to be losers. The drug addicts, the politician's and the other dregs of society. He seems to be disillusioned with having to deal with the same problems since the dawn of time. He reports directly to Jerry, God for all intents and purposes, who isn't what one would expect. He has had a feud for about a thousand years with Dennis, more formally known as death and now he has gone and broken a big rule. He has fallen in love with Sara, a human woman.

Fabio is joined by a cast of characters unlike any other. Truth the klepto, Justice the sociopath and his best friends Sloth and Gluttony. When Fabio reveals to Sara his true identity he sets in motion a cycle of events that could risk not only Fate's immortality but the life of his beloved, Sara. With a little sprinkling of Destiny and a whole lot of Love, this book is Fated for success.

I had a few qualms when I first started reading this book. I wasn't too sure if I would appreciate the way that certain characters are portrayed in the book, namely God and Death. So I was skeptical. I was able to get past my initial feelings shortly after I started reading. S.G. Browne has a way of making the reader understand up front that this is a comedic take on things, it's all satirical and not meant to be serious or deeply thought provoking. It's a funny look at the forces that sometimes shape our lives. I really enjoyed the way each character was personified. Truth was a hoot as well as Justice. God really didn't seem like God and the name Jerry seemed to fit the character. And Death didn't have the punch you'd usually expect, so Dennis was an apt name as well.

Fabio was interesting character and I could sympathize with his frustration. Anyone doing the same job for eons is gonna have to get bored at some point. The fact that he falls for a human woman is interesting. That is very much out-of-the-box for Fabio and puts him in hot water. How far is he willing to go for forbidden love? What is the real attraction to loving someone you really can't have... who ever figures that one out, will be considered a genius! I can't say that this book was really my cup of tea, but it was funny and interesting. I recommend it to readers who enjoy comedy and satire, but I don't think it will appeal to everyone. As I said, I kind of had to take it with a grain of salt and look at it from a purely satirical point of view.

Fated is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 3 out 5 apples, it was good, but not my cup of tea!





S.G. Browne is the author of Breathers. He graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and worked for several years in Hollywood. He currently lives in San Francisco.