On another plane of existence, a dimension where thought and emotion create and shape matter, God stirs from Its enforced slumber. In divine anguish It recalls Its ancient promise of retribution: to annihilate that which created It in its own image, that which drove It mad—a dissonant and blinded mankind, the Godmakers.
Two ancient secret societies guard the secret of God. One of these occult Orders seeks to enslave the abominable thought form of God despite the deadly risk to humanity should their grand scheme fail. Opposing this menace, another Order, whose progenitors jailed God a millennium ago and forced Its slumber, strive to destroy God and to liberate humanity from the shackling beliefs capable of creating such monsters of unholy destruction—their directive: What Man created, Man must destroy.
Caught in the midst of these dark and turbulent cosmic forces is the sleeper incarnation of Kirt Tucker, a neurotic, semi-suicidal used-car salesman, and his companions: Roland, the lackadaisical country club golf pro, and Celia, the talented and beautiful psychic. Kirt Tucker must awaken from the mundane sleep masking his identity and discover reality is far more than a dead-end life and he is far more than a broken excuse of a man. Join him and his companions on this quest in their frantic race to stay alive and to learn what hunts them—a psychotic deity and Its God-awful minions!
God Attacks! is the tale of a world turned upside down—a world where the definition of good and evil, and the shades of gray in between, blur in a belief-bending thrill-ride of a read.
Paranormal fantasy thriller; Supernatural horror; Occult fiction. Intended for mature readers.
J.R. Kiefer currently resides in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.
After being a technical, non-fiction ghostwriter for many years, he decided to change up and write about ghosts…and other such things that venture into the outré and the occult.
In addition to writing fiction, Kiefer has also either worked or done time: as a linguist in the U.S. Navy; as a writer and editor for a travel guide publisher; in psychiatric nursing and group home facilitation; in sales of several varieties; and as a legal assistant to a trial attorney.
Disclaimer: I picked this book up after seeing a comment the author made on a discussion board.
I’ll be honest; this is the type of book that I most likely would have passed on. I tend to be wary of self published or small publishing houses, preferring to read them for the first time when the book comes up as a freebie some place. This is because when I first got my Kindle I spent money that could’ve been better spent on coffee (or even paint chips) than the books I brought with it. But I wanted to support the author because of his comments and I had just finished reading Literature and The Gods, and this book seemed to be bouncing around a few ideas brought up there. The premise is simple – Kirt finds himself caught in a fight between god, who isn’t what you think he/she/it is, and the forces battling against god –who aren’t what you think they are either. It’s actually a very interesting question and does cut right to the heart about religion – is God a being or simply a construct – and it is a question that most people have wrestled, thought about, drunk about, or had long conversations over dying fires about (usually when drinking a nice Rose). I suppose if you are a very religious person you might be offended by this novel. I didn’t find it offensive. The idea is interesting. It’s true that this is a first novel – and I will say now it is the first volume (I have to wait until the fall. UNFAIR!) - And there are some problems. In places, not many but it is noticeable, there are info dumps. At times the pacing seems a little slow, but it picks up long before I would be tempted to put the book down. I loved the first sentence. Quite frankly, any book that mentions the original Star Trek crew right away is deserving of a chance. The best thing about the book, besides the good action sequences, is the dialogue. All too often novels (regardless of publishers) characters will tell us that they are finds, best buddies and so on. Very rarely in novels is this truly shown in terms of dialogue. Mr. Keifer does this very well. Even with without being told about the relationship between Kirt and Roland, the reader can tell simply because of the conversation between the two men. The same is true of the relationship between Celica and Roland. Even true when one looks at the conversation between the antagonists. I cannot stress how much I love this fact. In some ways, this book would be the literary equivalent of a good B movie. I kept thinking about Snakes on a Plane when I read it. And I don’t mean this in a bad way. Snakes on a Plane worked because it was a B movie that knew what it was. In many ways this book is like that. It doesn’t aspire to be great literature. It aspires to be fun. And it is fun.
Unlike a lot of the indie books I've been reading as of late, God Attacks was right up my alley. A sci-fi thriller with some horror and occult elements? Yes, please!
Though it started out a bit slow, God Attacks soon ramped up into a chilling tale of our unlikely heroes battling the forces of pure evil.
Kiefer keeps us rooting for Kirt Tucker, the ne'er-do-well borderline alcoholic protagonist who is pressed into service due to an unlikely ancient connection (Kiefer did his research).
Where the book really shines are the various fight scenes. I don't want to seem like a typical "gore-hound," but I do appreciate some good action in the books I read. Kiefer nails it here, especially when he combines the eerie, pure evil of some of our protagonists' foils.
Like I said, it started out a bit slow, and Kiefer really "hides the ball" as to what's going on for a good long while. But if you stick with this exciting book, you won't be disappointed. Looking forward to the sequel this fall.
Oh, yes he did. Kiefer has written a rollicking apocalyptic thriller based on a uniquely blasphemous premise: God is not humanity's creator, but its creation . . . and, locked away by spells for millennia, It has become a hateful, barely-contained psychotic as a result of the mixed messages it receives from us every minute of every day. Now, two factions as old as time are at war; one wants to contain God, the other to unleash It. Caught in the middle of the apocalyptic muddle is our hero Kirt Tucker, a chronically depressed used-car salesman . . . and a (very surprised) sleeper agent for the forces of humanity. Will Kirt and friends prevail, or will God be unleashed to destroy Its tormentors?
I bought God Attacks! as a lark -- loved the goofy title and the unusual premise -- and was surprised to find a very good book. Both funny and dark, and crazy action-packed, with battling secret societies, marauding, body-thieving angels, a healthy dollop of gore, and a main character so well-drawn that the reader can feel his gob-smackedness emanating from the page. I was, however, slightly annoyed to discover, as the gripping action mounted, careening toward a climax . . . that there wasn't one, because God Attacks! is only the first of two parts. (Read the fine print much?) Anyway, I'll be back for part two, but I'll hate the wait.