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THE NIGHTLIFE OF THE GODS
THE ROWDY TALE OF WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE GODS TOOK OVER NEW YORK ON A ROMAN HOLIDAY
Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
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About the author
Thorne Smith
54 books77 followersJames Thorne Smith, Jr. was an American writer of humorous supernatural fantasy fiction under the byline Thorne Smith. He is best known today for the two Topper novels, comic fantasy fiction involving sex, much drinking and supernatural transformations. With racy illustrations, these sold millions of copies in the 1930s and were equally popular in paperbacks of the 1950s.
Smith was born in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a Navy commodore and attended Dartmouth College. Following hungry years in Greenwich Village, working part-time as an advertising agent, Smith achieved meteoric success with the publication of Topper in 1926. He was an early resident of Free Acres, a social experimental community developed by Bolton Hall according to the economic principles of Henry George in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He died of a heart attack in 1934 while vacationing in Florida.
Smith was born in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a Navy commodore and attended Dartmouth College. Following hungry years in Greenwich Village, working part-time as an advertising agent, Smith achieved meteoric success with the publication of Topper in 1926. He was an early resident of Free Acres, a social experimental community developed by Bolton Hall according to the economic principles of Henry George in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He died of a heart attack in 1934 while vacationing in Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
October 30, 2024
Hunter Hawk is an unsuccessful inventor, he has seven explosions to prove this fact, causing much damage to his home, the now destitute silly sister , Alice, incompetent brother-in -law, Alfred Lambert, who squandered all their money not a businessman, the brat nephew Junior and nice niece Daphne...oh can't forget crusty grandpa Lambert, live with their rich, reluctant relation...not very well though, except for Daphne they detest each other. The latest unfortunate incident shattered the peace of the residence, no surprise, and all ( old grandpa stays behind) , go to the basement to see the results...Hoping for the best, which to them means the worst, however the scientist, an amateurish tinker is still kicking, when the smoke vanishes, the disappointed mob were already making new plans for the mansion, when from above in the rafters, the unhurt man's, (just torn clothes) voice sounds the alarm , no joy...The niece is delighted, the rest in despair. Still Blotto, Mr. Hawk's loyal dog has quite a shock...his tail has turned to stone, the perplexed animal goes wild, wouldn't you? It seems that the great Hunter Hawk new invention a ray, can turn any kind of them into concrete, even humans. For what purpose you may ask? This makes for many funny situations...The rather tipsy, unconventional Hunter soon afterwards takes a protracted walk at night, under the yellow moon, in a neighbor's cornfield, he lives in the country, and wants to be alone, get away from his irritating relatives. He finds a disheveled, crying little man trying to steal a scarecrow's uniform, sure enough a leprechaun, thousands of years old with an un-Irish name of Ludwig Turner, who leads him to a hole in the ground, his home and the gorgeous daughter (Meg)aera... well you can guess the rest...Thorne Smith the author of many amusing books from the 20's and 30's, cornered the American market, in drunken characters doing outlandish things during Prohibition, with a little slice of spice, that is sex , naked bodies, beautiful women walking around while ordinary people gawk. Now add Greek gods and goddesses, unfrozen from a museum with the help of Mr. Hunter, coming alive, down from their pedestals and you will comprehend the mayhem unleashed, the public unprepared for Venus, Diana, Hebe, each in a state of shall we say, lack of proper attire, not to mention Mercury, Apollo, Perseus, Neptune, and Bacchus doing their best to make up for the long dry spell, drinking any potent alcoholic beverages they can discover . Mr. Hawk has taken them and a few others, a servant and friend to a posh New York City hotel, after fleeing the local police. And anything can and will happen, the always intoxicated guests even bring a cow in an elevator to their room...why? Why not...The highlight is a fish fight where fish actually fly, with happy Neptune leading the way against the merchants selling them...For readers who like to view chaos from a safe distance...and laugh.
May 22, 2020
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
I must admit, I knew very little about Thorne Smith before I picked this one up as a second hand penguin book. It is an oddity and Thorne Smith is much better known in America. He wrote semi-science fiction/fantasy novels. His best known creation is Topper, a much more well-known novel and a ghost story. Smith is a comic novelist, and has been compared to P G Wodehouse. He died in 1934 and this one was published in 1931 I think.
This offering is set in and around New York. It concerns Hunter Hawk a middle aged and eccentric inventor. He is plagued by his sister, brother-in-law and nephew who disapprove of him, but likes his niece. He invents a small portable device that can turn living things into stone and vice versa. After some fun with his family he meets a leprechaun and his daughter. He strikes up a relationship with the daughter (a mere 900 years old). They journey to New York with Hunter’s niece and her boyfriend after some unfortunate incidents at a party.
In a museum Hunter has the bright idea of bringing to life some statues of Greek gods. He chooses Diana, Hebe, Venus, Bacchus, Mercury, Neptune, Perseus and Apollo. A series of adventures follows which mainly involve lots of alcohol, fighting, sex (not explicit), fish and casual shoplifting and pickpocketing. A series of what might be described as high jinks follows.
This isn’t P G Wodehouse and isn’t really that funny. The plot has enough holes to steer a supertanker through. It’s formulaic and some good ideas are badly used. I think my 13/14 year old self may have enjoyed this more. It is essentially farce and comic book and very much of its time.
I must admit, I knew very little about Thorne Smith before I picked this one up as a second hand penguin book. It is an oddity and Thorne Smith is much better known in America. He wrote semi-science fiction/fantasy novels. His best known creation is Topper, a much more well-known novel and a ghost story. Smith is a comic novelist, and has been compared to P G Wodehouse. He died in 1934 and this one was published in 1931 I think.
This offering is set in and around New York. It concerns Hunter Hawk a middle aged and eccentric inventor. He is plagued by his sister, brother-in-law and nephew who disapprove of him, but likes his niece. He invents a small portable device that can turn living things into stone and vice versa. After some fun with his family he meets a leprechaun and his daughter. He strikes up a relationship with the daughter (a mere 900 years old). They journey to New York with Hunter’s niece and her boyfriend after some unfortunate incidents at a party.
In a museum Hunter has the bright idea of bringing to life some statues of Greek gods. He chooses Diana, Hebe, Venus, Bacchus, Mercury, Neptune, Perseus and Apollo. A series of adventures follows which mainly involve lots of alcohol, fighting, sex (not explicit), fish and casual shoplifting and pickpocketing. A series of what might be described as high jinks follows.
This isn’t P G Wodehouse and isn’t really that funny. The plot has enough holes to steer a supertanker through. It’s formulaic and some good ideas are badly used. I think my 13/14 year old self may have enjoyed this more. It is essentially farce and comic book and very much of its time.
August 2, 2007
One of Thorne Smith's better outings. When a scientist pairs up with a witch with the ability to bring statues to life, chaos ensues. The two decide it would be a good idea to bring the statues of the gods at the Metropolitan Museum to life. But the gods, it turns out, are too human by half -- they immediately start to cavort, bicker, drink, and carry on in a spree of epic proportions. The word "romp" could easily have been invented just to describe this sort of book.
I wonder whether the fairly innocuous Disney comedies of the fifties/sixties such as "The Absent-Minded Professor" were patterned on this sort of comic predecessor. Probably not, but that same spirit of befuddlement in the face of mounting chaos and delight at everything going topsey-turvey is definitely there in both. And, needless to say, everything always works out in the end.
I wonder whether the fairly innocuous Disney comedies of the fifties/sixties such as "The Absent-Minded Professor" were patterned on this sort of comic predecessor. Probably not, but that same spirit of befuddlement in the face of mounting chaos and delight at everything going topsey-turvey is definitely there in both. And, needless to say, everything always works out in the end.
December 9, 2011
Thorne Smith's The Nightlife of the Gods is the literary equivalence of a Frank Capra's screw-ball comedy film. Smith loved his drunken debaucheries, his mean-spirited pranksters, his heathenistic mythological creatures and of course all that drinking and sex. Classy double-entendre styled sex of course. This was the early 20th century. Yet he was also making lots of social commentary, much of it skewering the American upper-class and their often hypocritical morals. Thorne Smith certainly knew the territory, having hung around Dorothy Parker and James Thurber, usually with way too many cocktails. His writings were often in the same territory as his colleagues. Smith is at his peak in The Nightlife of the Gods as he successfully mixed zany humor with the battle of the classes and sexes. This is one of his best and I give it four and a half stars only because I enjoyed the Topper series just a bit more.
March 21, 2016
Thorne satirises nearly everything in this generally enjoyable bit of fluff. Sometimes he is very funny but just as often can become laboured and tiresome. The novel is episodic and I feel that it would have gained by pruning. The book is a pleasant period piece but not a classic.
October 20, 2007
The word "Madcap" was invented for books like "The Night of the Gods." The title sounds kind of serious - but it's about a doctor who invented a ray that can turn people into statues - which he gladly tested on his family. Somewhere down the line he meets a super cute nude (if memory serves me correctly) fairy - who then both went to a big museum in NYC to zap the God Statues with his ray - which made them come to life.
So with the Nude cute fairy on hand, the mad scientist, with Zeus, Mercury and others go bar hopping in Manhattan. Thorne Smith always had lots of drinking in his books as well as a touch of pure fantasy mixed in with the love of the female nude. Or nudes for that matter. Words can't describe how much I love this book. Like his "Topper" series another mess of genius is let loose in the 20th Century.
So with the Nude cute fairy on hand, the mad scientist, with Zeus, Mercury and others go bar hopping in Manhattan. Thorne Smith always had lots of drinking in his books as well as a touch of pure fantasy mixed in with the love of the female nude. Or nudes for that matter. Words can't describe how much I love this book. Like his "Topper" series another mess of genius is let loose in the 20th Century.
August 30, 2015
Was I reading the same book as those who rated it as four stars? Clunky writing and way too much scene setting. It takes half of the book to get to the gods. However there were some slightly amusing happenings once they joined the cast of characters.
I think Smith, like Nevil Shute, had better plot ideas than ability as a writer, based on this book. This might make a very funny film with good scriptwriters.
I think Smith, like Nevil Shute, had better plot ideas than ability as a writer, based on this book. This might make a very funny film with good scriptwriters.
March 13, 2012
What a fun little book. I think our culture has moved beyond the point where anything can be ribald any more. Things are either explicit or they aren't. And that's a bit of a shame, because there's some fun to be had with subtlety. You feel like you're getting away with something. At any rate, The Night Life Of The Gods was written in 1931, and it is ribald as all hell. It centers around a guy who can turn people to stone and stone statues to people. From this rather ridiculous premise comes a pretty entertaining novel that urges you to have more fun in life. There's actually some pretty deep ideas buried in there, such as a discussion about the nature of sin and the overarching idea that morality is for suckers. Thorne Smith seems to be mostly forgotten nowadays, and that's a shame. I can think of quite a few people who would benefit from a bit of ribaldry every once in a while.
September 1, 2010
This book suffers from a bad case of being nowhere near as funny as it thinks it is. The story is okay, but most of the characters are not terribly likable (and many can barely can be told apart) and the wit falls flat because it's fairly juvenille and sort of elitist at the same time (you definitely get the impression that no one is cool enough to hang out with these people- cool being defined as heavy drinking and irresponsible, naturally). Additionally, despite little moments and gems of wisdom, the narrative prose is dense and difficult to read, making what should be light-hearted and quick feel mostly like a chore with very little recompense.
June 28, 2011
It's possible you just need to be at the right point in your life for this book, and I'm too far past that.
It was zany and madcap, but for a book that was intended to be humorous, it got perhaps two chuckles from me, and that's about it. I found the characters largely mean-spirited and not the kind of people I'd want anything to do with, so their frathouse shenanigans really weren't all that entertaining.
It was zany and madcap, but for a book that was intended to be humorous, it got perhaps two chuckles from me, and that's about it. I found the characters largely mean-spirited and not the kind of people I'd want anything to do with, so their frathouse shenanigans really weren't all that entertaining.
August 26, 2017
First published in the early 30s, this comic fantasy about a drink-loving American inventor who brings statues of the gods back to life for some louche adventures is pretty creaky. He's no Wodehouse and the plot seems at times like he was making it up as he went along. However there are some nicely witty and/or sarcastic lines scattered throughout and it passed the time well enough - and the Rodin-esque final scene was charming.
January 4, 2012
This was a fun read but not nearly as funny or crazy as a P.G. Wodehouse book. Still a good read though and some scenes are hilarious:)
May 16, 2015
I read this because Thorne Smith has been compared to one of my favorite writers, P.G. Wodehouse. When I began reading The Night Life of the Gods I didn't know anything about the writer, but my dad remembered having read Topper. He didn't remember if he had liked it or not though because nearly half a century had passed.
I'll say this for The Night Life of the Gods: it begins well enough with a comic "mad scientist" scene.
The scientist succeeds in what he had been working on, and has to celebrate his grand victory. He does it very thoroughly, he basically goes on a bender, and the story slowly gets stuck on a single idea. There is drinking, then there is looking for more booze, booze found, hurrah, then there is more drinking, and then there is drinking with Greek gods who have come alive, and then . . . Well, you get the point. It's pretty much non stop drinking from start to finish.
It's all supposed to be very funny, but it just didn't work for me. I think I may have read it at the wrong time. There was a time when I watched a lot of party movies where people drink a lot a beer, drive bikes into houses, jump of roofs into the pool, and so on. At a time I thought those movies were very funny and if I had read The Night Life of the Gods at that time I might have enjoyed it immensely, but that phase had passed when I read this novel so I can't say I liked it.
It has one, or two interesting ideas, the occasional funny line, but Thorne Smith isn't Wodehouse. Far from it. Finishing it felt like waking up with a hang over after having been to a very bad party. Well almost.
I'll say this for The Night Life of the Gods: it begins well enough with a comic "mad scientist" scene.
The scientist succeeds in what he had been working on, and has to celebrate his grand victory. He does it very thoroughly, he basically goes on a bender, and the story slowly gets stuck on a single idea. There is drinking, then there is looking for more booze, booze found, hurrah, then there is more drinking, and then there is drinking with Greek gods who have come alive, and then . . . Well, you get the point. It's pretty much non stop drinking from start to finish.
It's all supposed to be very funny, but it just didn't work for me. I think I may have read it at the wrong time. There was a time when I watched a lot of party movies where people drink a lot a beer, drive bikes into houses, jump of roofs into the pool, and so on. At a time I thought those movies were very funny and if I had read The Night Life of the Gods at that time I might have enjoyed it immensely, but that phase had passed when I read this novel so I can't say I liked it.
It has one, or two interesting ideas, the occasional funny line, but Thorne Smith isn't Wodehouse. Far from it. Finishing it felt like waking up with a hang over after having been to a very bad party. Well almost.
April 19, 2012
Reasons for picking it up: Saw it on a random favorites list on GoodReads, thought it would be fun to read.
Where did I get it from: Purchased it on Amazon for the Kindle.(If you choose to read the book you can read it directly from the GoodReads website for free.)
What this book is about:
What happens when a scientist discovers how to turn living material into stone and back again at will and decides to bring the Greek Gods to life.
My opinion:
Originally written in the 1930s (published in '31)by Thorne Smith, I was uncertain if it would hold my attention long enough to finish. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. The language wasn't stale. Even though there are clear references to the time period it was written in(step-ins,Emperors,bathtub hooch), the book could have easily been written in this decade.
Smith's quick witted dialogue is really refreshing. There is never a moment where a character doesn't say what they are thinking. (Unless they happen to be related to Mr. Hawke.)
There is quite a bit of lead-up (half the book at least) to the arrival of the Greek Gods, but once they are introduced things pick up at an exponential rate. There is just enough time to enjoy meeting them and the antics that ensue before things come to an end.
If you are looking for a quick, lighthearted, and funny read I would recommend picking this up.
Where did I get it from: Purchased it on Amazon for the Kindle.(If you choose to read the book you can read it directly from the GoodReads website for free.)
What this book is about:
What happens when a scientist discovers how to turn living material into stone and back again at will and decides to bring the Greek Gods to life.
My opinion:
Originally written in the 1930s (published in '31)by Thorne Smith, I was uncertain if it would hold my attention long enough to finish. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. The language wasn't stale. Even though there are clear references to the time period it was written in(step-ins,Emperors,bathtub hooch), the book could have easily been written in this decade.
Smith's quick witted dialogue is really refreshing. There is never a moment where a character doesn't say what they are thinking. (Unless they happen to be related to Mr. Hawke.)
There is quite a bit of lead-up (half the book at least) to the arrival of the Greek Gods, but once they are introduced things pick up at an exponential rate. There is just enough time to enjoy meeting them and the antics that ensue before things come to an end.
If you are looking for a quick, lighthearted, and funny read I would recommend picking this up.
November 3, 2013
This book I just adored, about the time I was in 8th grade. The humor was 'adult' and it is clever and imaginative and still has much to recommend it. An 8th grader, it seems,is scandalized almost exactly as much by louche behaviour and sexual licentiousness as the anticipated reader in the 30s was, seemingly.
Rereading this one was a bit disappointing. It plays a bit like a 30s bedroom comedy--which makes alot of sense--but my tastes have changed long ago, and what seemed daring and smart and clever at 12 seems tired and quaint and dated to my adults eyes.
Still, a very clever and funny book, and one I am surprised was never adapted for the screen like Topper and Turnabout. It would have fared very well, and I have imagined which golden age actors might have made a good Poseidon or Bacchus. I can almost see the RKO picture header...a film by George Cuckor or Howard Hawks....
Rereading this one was a bit disappointing. It plays a bit like a 30s bedroom comedy--which makes alot of sense--but my tastes have changed long ago, and what seemed daring and smart and clever at 12 seems tired and quaint and dated to my adults eyes.
Still, a very clever and funny book, and one I am surprised was never adapted for the screen like Topper and Turnabout. It would have fared very well, and I have imagined which golden age actors might have made a good Poseidon or Bacchus. I can almost see the RKO picture header...a film by George Cuckor or Howard Hawks....
April 15, 2016
Night Life of the Gods had me rolling. Although Thorn Smith died in 1934, his humor has lost none of its edge. Perhaps that's because he focused on those timeless themes that speak to readers across the generations; sex, drinking, and non-stop partying. Highly recommended, as is his better known book Topper, in which two fun-loving ghosts attempt to pull the conservative and straitlaced banker Cosmo Topper into a life of, well… sex, drinking, and non-stop partying.
(First read in July of 2011, re-read for the MobileRead Book Club March 14, 2016.)
(First read in July of 2011, re-read for the MobileRead Book Club March 14, 2016.)
February 6, 2008
One of the few books I can read every few years and it is always makes me laugh. Thorne Smith wrote this book in 1931 and it is a classic. If you are in the mood for light reading that will make you smile this is the book for you.
October 14, 2009
Fantastic, it provides chuckles, giggles and out in the open laughter. Well written, witty without being either too dry or too earthy. Intelligent without being snobbish. Smith is the American answer to Oscar Wilde.
January 18, 2010
This book took me forever to get through, but I think that's more my fault that its. It was pretty funny (in the Wodehouse vein, but slightly less wit and quite a bit more...deviancy?) with some LOL moments, which I always appreciate.
September 26, 2012
The 1931 novel The Night Life of the Gods, by Thorne Smith, opens with a bang—literally. Once again, Hunter Hawk, a brilliant and madcap scientist, creates an explosion in his laboratory—continuing his predilection to rattle and annoy his family. Only his niece, Daffy, who loves and admires her uncle, takes an interest in his mysterious experiments, the latest of which permits him to turn flesh into stone. Various high jinx ensure as Hawk indulges his desire to annoy his family and acquaintances by turning various bits of them into stone. Soon, however, Hawk meets Meg, the mischievous daughter of a leprechaun. Meg, although she has been alive for quite some time, has maintained a youthful charm and incurs the wrath of Hawk's family with her scandalous behavior.
Meg and Hawk spend some time tormenting their high society acquaintances, but soon turn to a more exciting plan. Though Hawk can turn flesh into stone, Meg can turn stone into flesh: these two scoundrels turn their attention to the ancient statues in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, bringing the title's “gods” to life. Uproar and mayhem result, with Neptune terrifying fishmongers and Venus chasing after any men she can find. The gods, along with Hawk and Meg, consume prodigious amounts of cocktails; though this is Prohibition-era New York City, they manage to exist in two states: intoxicated and hungover.Smith's prose has the effervescent quality of Dorothy Sayers's mystery novels, with a similar emphasis on dry wit and contemporary colloquialisms—but Smith's protagonists are thoroughly American, even the ancient gods themselves.
Occasionally, the text of the novel takes on a slightly pretentious, overly-arch tone that makes readers feel like they are on the outside of an inside joke. Though Smith can be quite funny, the times of feeling excluded from the prose prevents full investment in the events of the story.
For readers looking for a light, airy novel, The Night Life of the Gods will fit the bill. Its manic humor and shenanigans will please any fan of 1930s fiction.
Meg and Hawk spend some time tormenting their high society acquaintances, but soon turn to a more exciting plan. Though Hawk can turn flesh into stone, Meg can turn stone into flesh: these two scoundrels turn their attention to the ancient statues in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, bringing the title's “gods” to life. Uproar and mayhem result, with Neptune terrifying fishmongers and Venus chasing after any men she can find. The gods, along with Hawk and Meg, consume prodigious amounts of cocktails; though this is Prohibition-era New York City, they manage to exist in two states: intoxicated and hungover.Smith's prose has the effervescent quality of Dorothy Sayers's mystery novels, with a similar emphasis on dry wit and contemporary colloquialisms—but Smith's protagonists are thoroughly American, even the ancient gods themselves.
Occasionally, the text of the novel takes on a slightly pretentious, overly-arch tone that makes readers feel like they are on the outside of an inside joke. Though Smith can be quite funny, the times of feeling excluded from the prose prevents full investment in the events of the story.
For readers looking for a light, airy novel, The Night Life of the Gods will fit the bill. Its manic humor and shenanigans will please any fan of 1930s fiction.
March 18, 2015
In Night Life of the Gods, by Thorne Smith, we meet Hunter Hawk, wealthy eccentric scientist in 1920s America, who, after numerous explosions, manages to invent an "atomic ray" that turns living beings into statues, and a second ray that restores them to their original state. He meets Megaera, the 900-year-old descendent of one of the ancient Furies and daughter of one of the last living leprechauns, and she has the magic to turn statues into living beings. Together, the two are invincible, especially when they get to New York City, where there are museums full of statues of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, waiting to come back to life.... This is a re-read from a gazillion years ago, and I must say it holds up well. Thorne Smith is a humourist in the same vein as James Thurber (indeed, the two were friends), and his wordplay and sarcastic commentary about life under Prohibition is still very, very funny. Mind you, I'm not sure that any human being (or deity, for that matter) could actually survive the amount of alcohol his characters constantly imbibe, but given that it's a fantasy anyway, why not indulge? Also in its favour is the fact that the female characters, while generally indolent, are by no means subordinate to the men; in fact, both genders are given non-traditional personality aspects. It's true that the only non-white characters are waiters in a restaurant, and there is one cringe-worthy passage of one of them speaking to another, but there isn't the kind of pervasive racism one might expect from the era. Interestingly, I found this in a Kindle version that includes nine (count 'em, 9!) novels by Thorne Smith, perhaps his whole output, for a mere US $4.59, whereas the Kindle version of this book by itself was over US $5.00. If you're interested in American humour from the 1920s and 1930s, and you have a Kindle, this is an absolute bargain. Recommended!
January 1, 2015
So what would happen if you could turn statues into living, breathing people? And what if those statues were Venus, Diana, Perseus (with Medusa's head), Apollo, Mercury, Hebe and Neptune?
You guessed it - a very bizarre story.
This is the first book I have read written by Thorne Smith (first published in 1931). However, as a kid I remember watching the TV series 'Topper" and Smith was the creator of Topper. Google Topper for more info.
Night Life is a rather wild ride starting off with our scientist/hero Hunter Hawk blowing up his lab and discovering a way to turn things into stone and back again. From there Hawk meets some - for lack of a better term - leprechauns.
Hawk and this female leprechaun become intimate and she shows him how to turn statues in living people.
A hop, skip and a jump later they are bring to life the statues of these Roman Gods - see above - (Smith used the Roman names rather than their Greek names). And then the fun really begins.
Toward the end of the book is a courtroom scene that reminded me of the Ghostbuster's scene in court. Did they get the idea from Smith?? It really seems so.
I read that they made a movie of the book back in 1935 - there is one existing copy in the UCLA libraries. I wonder if we'll ever get to see that on?
This was a slightly strange book to read - not really a full blow comedy, but with some sections that are funny and silly (good funny and good silly) and some that are just so strange and weird.
I was entertained.
You guessed it - a very bizarre story.
This is the first book I have read written by Thorne Smith (first published in 1931). However, as a kid I remember watching the TV series 'Topper" and Smith was the creator of Topper. Google Topper for more info.
Night Life is a rather wild ride starting off with our scientist/hero Hunter Hawk blowing up his lab and discovering a way to turn things into stone and back again. From there Hawk meets some - for lack of a better term - leprechauns.
Hawk and this female leprechaun become intimate and she shows him how to turn statues in living people.
A hop, skip and a jump later they are bring to life the statues of these Roman Gods - see above - (Smith used the Roman names rather than their Greek names). And then the fun really begins.
Toward the end of the book is a courtroom scene that reminded me of the Ghostbuster's scene in court. Did they get the idea from Smith?? It really seems so.
I read that they made a movie of the book back in 1935 - there is one existing copy in the UCLA libraries. I wonder if we'll ever get to see that on?
This was a slightly strange book to read - not really a full blow comedy, but with some sections that are funny and silly (good funny and good silly) and some that are just so strange and weird.
I was entertained.
August 14, 2015
To be clear, this is not the edition of Nightlife of the Gods that I read - the Ballantine edition that I haul out every few years a reread hasn't been in print for over 20 years.
Thorne Smith wrote a number of classic fantasies including Topper (made into a couple of movies and TV series) and I Married a Witch (one of the inspirations for the TV series Bewitched).
Nightlife of the Gods is the story of an eccentric, wealthy inventor who invents a ray that turns organics into stone (and back and again) and vice versa. One night he stumbles across a 'little person' - which is to say an Irish mythological small person - and his daughter (who finds him intriguing and firmly attaches herself to him).
After various misadventures, he brings statues of several Greek gods to life and the gods have a great deal of very inconvenient fun before order is (very loosely) restored.
I cannot understand why someone has not turned Nightlife of the Gods into a movie (save for it having very licentious undercurrents (nudity, very politely and delicately remarked upon sex - this was written in the 1930s, after all). Perhaps someone should slip a copy to programming people at HBO, Starz and Showwtime and let them fight over it.
I'd certainly watch that series!
Anyroad, if you can find a copy, grab it and read it. It won't take long to get used to Smith's unique style and it's a great, diabolically clever read.
Thorne Smith wrote a number of classic fantasies including Topper (made into a couple of movies and TV series) and I Married a Witch (one of the inspirations for the TV series Bewitched).
Nightlife of the Gods is the story of an eccentric, wealthy inventor who invents a ray that turns organics into stone (and back and again) and vice versa. One night he stumbles across a 'little person' - which is to say an Irish mythological small person - and his daughter (who finds him intriguing and firmly attaches herself to him).
After various misadventures, he brings statues of several Greek gods to life and the gods have a great deal of very inconvenient fun before order is (very loosely) restored.
I cannot understand why someone has not turned Nightlife of the Gods into a movie (save for it having very licentious undercurrents (nudity, very politely and delicately remarked upon sex - this was written in the 1930s, after all). Perhaps someone should slip a copy to programming people at HBO, Starz and Showwtime and let them fight over it.
I'd certainly watch that series!
Anyroad, if you can find a copy, grab it and read it. It won't take long to get used to Smith's unique style and it's a great, diabolically clever read.
July 29, 2015
The first 139 pages get 2 stars (it's just a bunch of meanless meandering, saved only by witty dialogue) but the rest of the book gets a solid 4 stars. So I'll settle in the middle and rate it a 3 overall.
The first part of the book deals with an eccentric inventor, his stuffy extended family, neighborly disputes and leprechaun-like creatures (seriously). I was mind-numbingly bored until the ancient gods & goddesses came to life in early 1930s New York City. Mercury/Hermes (my favorite god) was especially amusing with his sassy personality and sticky-fingered kleptomania. The dialogue is a winner throughout, filled with naughty double entendres & witty puns...it reads like the script of a top-notch 1930s screwball comedy. As far as plot, there really isn't one; it's just a series of various midadventures the gods & goddesses and their human friends find themselves in (when they're not swilling bathtub gin).
(If you're a fan of Greek/Roman mythology and interested in reading a take on the gods & goddesses in modern times, I would recommend reading Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips.)
The first part of the book deals with an eccentric inventor, his stuffy extended family, neighborly disputes and leprechaun-like creatures (seriously). I was mind-numbingly bored until the ancient gods & goddesses came to life in early 1930s New York City. Mercury/Hermes (my favorite god) was especially amusing with his sassy personality and sticky-fingered kleptomania. The dialogue is a winner throughout, filled with naughty double entendres & witty puns...it reads like the script of a top-notch 1930s screwball comedy. As far as plot, there really isn't one; it's just a series of various midadventures the gods & goddesses and their human friends find themselves in (when they're not swilling bathtub gin).
(If you're a fan of Greek/Roman mythology and interested in reading a take on the gods & goddesses in modern times, I would recommend reading Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips.)
August 9, 2016
i don't recall, now, how i ever came across his work. thorne smith was a contemporary of scott fitzgerald and ernest hemingway, although he didn't keep company with either, to my knowledge. he died in 1934.
this? is my absolute favorite thorne smith (since when did we drop the initial j. at the beginning of his name?) novel. as much as i loved "rain in the doorway" and "topper," "the night life of the gods" is his bawdiest, most inventive, laugh-out-loud funniest, and tenderly, wistfully heartbreaking novel; a comical excoriation of the day's social mores, this book, more than any of his others, is the summation of his genius. i've yet to read his "the glorious pool" -- or even find it -- though i've read other reviews which proclaim IT to be his best work. i'd say that if it's better than "night life of the gods," it's damned good.
this? is my absolute favorite thorne smith (since when did we drop the initial j. at the beginning of his name?) novel. as much as i loved "rain in the doorway" and "topper," "the night life of the gods" is his bawdiest, most inventive, laugh-out-loud funniest, and tenderly, wistfully heartbreaking novel; a comical excoriation of the day's social mores, this book, more than any of his others, is the summation of his genius. i've yet to read his "the glorious pool" -- or even find it -- though i've read other reviews which proclaim IT to be his best work. i'd say that if it's better than "night life of the gods," it's damned good.
April 7, 2014
This glorious comic novel is the first 'adult' book I ever read - it is my family's favourite novel. Growing up, I was sure that I was Megaera, and was permanently on the lookout for my own Hunter Hawk. It took a while to separate fiction from so-called-reality, and I'm not sure I have even yet. Nor am I sure Thorne Smith ever did, or wanted to.
I love love love Thorne Smith. Buy this book, hook up with a passionate witch, book a whole floor of a hotel and order in a flock of drinks. Lose some clothing, make some noise.
And it's a wonderful love story. I think.
ps I should say that tight plotting is not one of Thorne's absolute best skills, but who cares when he's that charming.
I love love love Thorne Smith. Buy this book, hook up with a passionate witch, book a whole floor of a hotel and order in a flock of drinks. Lose some clothing, make some noise.
And it's a wonderful love story. I think.
ps I should say that tight plotting is not one of Thorne's absolute best skills, but who cares when he's that charming.
July 11, 2007
Criticizing an Explosion, Blotto's Tail Astounds, Reluctant Statues, The Little Man and the Scarecrow, A Furious Reception, The Invasion of Hawk's Bed, Playful Petrification, Meg Removes her Pulloffs, A Nude Descends the Stairs, An Epidemic of Escapes, The Pursuing Beard, Looking the Gods Over, The Gods Step Down, The Gods Get Dressed, The Gods Get Housed, Neptune Gets His Fish, Meg, Mercury, & Betts, Inc., A Demoralizing Tank Party, The Gods Leave Town, Battle and Flight, The Gods on Trial, The Last Sigh
February 21, 2019
Hands down, this man is the funniest writer I have ever had the privilege of reading. My dad had his books. I was bored in school. I would have a Thorne Smith book open behind whatever text book I was supposed to be looking at, and I would get busted every time because I could not keep myself from bursting into laughter. Math is NOT funny. I have a first edition Thorne Smith 3-Bagger, somewhere around 80 years old. It is held together with duct tape, but still very readable and precious. Look for Skin and Bones. Some scenes just popped into me head, and I almost started laughing.
February 23, 2015
Completely charming and refreshingly lacking a starchy "moral" core. Have never read anything like it. Because it doesn't have a particular ax to grind doesn't meet it's without satiric targets or points to be made. Although at times the turns of phrase obscured the action a bit, there's so much action to be had I'm not complaining. Pleasantly surprised at how much sex, nudity and mayhem for mayhem's sake there was. Hooray for Thorne Smith!
January 18, 2019
Hmm, it's not that I ddin't enjoy this book. On the contrary, the plot is original—at least I've never encountered it before—the characters well developed and the conlcusion logical. The style is reminiscent of The Great Gatsby—indeed they're contemporaries—so don't bother picking this book up if you didn't enjoy its predecessor. All told, I prefer this book to The Great Gatsby because it has more of a storyline and doesn't tend to ramble on when there's nothing left to say.
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