Review: 'Who Let The God's Out' by Maz Evans

What if, behind our thin veil of reality, there lied a whole other world, a world of gods and constellations, of fairies and demons....

Overview

Elliot is a normal boy, trying to balance school and looking after his increasingly ill mother. With an important test at school looming, and threatening bills in the post, Elliot only has one week to raise £20,000 to save his home and protect his mother from the clutches of their swarmy next-door neighbour Patricia Porshley-Plum, a woman who always gets what's she wants and who right now, wants their home. When he gazes into the sky and wishes for a solution, he doesn't expect the constellation Virgo, to fall from the sky and land in his cow shed. Although not the solution to his problems, Elliot quickly finds himself helping Vrigo compete her (self-assumed) task, visiting the infamous Prisoner 42 to give him a special drink to keep him immortal. But their trip to the prison - hidden under Stonehenge - doesn't go to plan, and they accidentally release the prisoner Thantos, the evil Deamon of Death. Imprisoned by Zeus for thousands of years, Thantos has one plan - to find who betrayed him, reclaim the chaos and wreak havoc on mankind. With no help from the other constellations, Elliot and Virgo turn to the Gods - to Zeus (and Pegasus), Hermes, Athens and Aphrodite. With their help, Elliot and Virgo race against time, and Thantos, to get the first of the chaos stones - the Earth stone. Together, they go on an adventure, transforming Elliott's life, meeting the Queen of England (who has some exciting hidden skills) and going head-to-head with Thantos's brother, the Deamon of Sleep over the Earth Stone.

Synopsis

When Elliot wished upon a star, he didn't expect a constellation to crash into his dungheap. Virgo thinks she's perfect. Elliot doesn't. Together they release Thantos's, evil Deamon of Death. Epic fail. They need the King of the Gods and his noble steed. They get a chubby Zeus and his high horse Pegasus. Are the God's really ready to save the world? And is the world really ready for the Gods?

Overall

This book is great fun. Maz has a great writing style and he creates a really exciting world! Elliot is a really well-created character, and I love how Maz creates multiple sides to him - showing his struggles to balance both home and school life. The world of the Gods is great fun, and full of crazy surprises - like the Marshmallow Meadows and Honey River (which sound delicious) but also the mundane and human aspects of life - from organising the stationary cupboard to staying connected via the iGod, which Hermes has a definite addiction too!