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Gods Inc
What if you had the chance to make amends for everything you had done wrong in your life? What if you find out your partner is being stalked by a sadistic serial killer, who has marked them as their next victim? And what if you have the power to save them? But there is one major problem.
You are dead.
Davids Sands, an arrogant high flying business executive finds himself waking up after an horrific car accident, in a strange, technically advanced world run by cutthroat companies. It is a world where the dead are known as Players and control a number of accounts for the companies they work for. Accounts are living people.
David is surprised to find that the afterlife is not that different from the real live world. That is, until he starts to uncover its disturbing secrets. And there is one secret that will shock him to the core.
The story follows David’s struggle, firstly to come to terms with his own death and the and the shocking reality that life is a game, and then, discovering his mortal wife is in grave danger, to do all in his power as a Player to save her from a torturous death.
Gods Inc is allegory about the struggles of modern life, from infidelity, regret and redemption, to global power and man’s exploitation of the world. Gods Inc manifests as a hypothesis about life after death that logically explains phenomena such as reincarnation, ghosts, incubi, and UFOs as real and scientific rather than fanciful or supernatural.
Full of twists you won't see coming, and with a sting (or two) in the tail, Gods Inc is a fast paced page turner.
You are dead.
Davids Sands, an arrogant high flying business executive finds himself waking up after an horrific car accident, in a strange, technically advanced world run by cutthroat companies. It is a world where the dead are known as Players and control a number of accounts for the companies they work for. Accounts are living people.
David is surprised to find that the afterlife is not that different from the real live world. That is, until he starts to uncover its disturbing secrets. And there is one secret that will shock him to the core.
The story follows David’s struggle, firstly to come to terms with his own death and the and the shocking reality that life is a game, and then, discovering his mortal wife is in grave danger, to do all in his power as a Player to save her from a torturous death.
Gods Inc is allegory about the struggles of modern life, from infidelity, regret and redemption, to global power and man’s exploitation of the world. Gods Inc manifests as a hypothesis about life after death that logically explains phenomena such as reincarnation, ghosts, incubi, and UFOs as real and scientific rather than fanciful or supernatural.
Full of twists you won't see coming, and with a sting (or two) in the tail, Gods Inc is a fast paced page turner.
263 pages, ebook
First published May 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
1135 people want to read
About the author
Sarah King
2 books11 followersSarah King lives in Lincolnshire with her husband and two sons. She has a degree in psychology and has worked at a senior level in two retail companies. Sarah wrote her first book, 'Gods Inc', in 2010 (though it wasn't released until 2014),and her second novel, 'What Laura Saw', was published in July 2014.
Sarah's writing is characterised by its fast pace and unexpected twists. Writing mainly psychological thrillers, she likes her books to be engaging and to challenge the reader to second guess the plot twists. Her aim is to create a story that will leave the reader thinking about what they have read for a long time afterwards.
Sarah's writing is characterised by its fast pace and unexpected twists. Writing mainly psychological thrillers, she likes her books to be engaging and to challenge the reader to second guess the plot twists. Her aim is to create a story that will leave the reader thinking about what they have read for a long time afterwards.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 19, 2014
I won the paperback version of Gods Inc as a Goodreads' Giveaway. My rating takes into account this is a debut, self-published novel. While the story's delivery would do well with practice and a development editor, I award the stars based on imagination and character development. The premise is an interesting concept that addresses all the weird experiences people have which cause them to look over their shoulders, or wake up in a cold sweat. The afterlife scenario hangs together fairly well and kept my interest up to the end, where Ms. King delivered a nice twist, or two. Not a bad start. I hope folks will take notice and keep an eye out for her next works as well.
September 23, 2015
I won the paperback version of Gods Inc as a Goodreads' Giveaway. My rating takes into account this is a debut, self-published novel. While the story's delivery would do well with practice and a development editor, I award the stars based on imagination and character development. The premise is an interesting concept that addresses all the weird experiences people have which cause them to look over their shoulders, or wake up in a cold sweat. The afterlife scenario hangs together fairly well and kept my interest up to the end, where Ms. King delivered a nice twist, or two. Not a bad start. I hope folks will take notice and keep an eye out for her next works as well.
July 14, 2016
This book was given to me free of charge in return for an honest review.
“Gods Inc.” is a creative thrill ride with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers engaged from start to finished, but its unstable world building and bland protagonist hold it back from being anything truly spectacular, which is rather unfortunate considering its potential.
David Sands never believed in the afterlife until he wound up there. After a terrible car accident cuts his life short, David finds himself knocked from his high-flying business executive position down to the rank of ‘rookie’ in a realm called First World. Here, spirits of the dead are called ‘Players’ and control the lives of living people, which are called ‘accounts.’ These spirits compete to prove themselves valuable to the companies of First World so that they can move up the ranks, avoid reincarnation, and even become gods. Give the life he just left, David figures he can climb the spiritual corporate ladder in no time, but when he finds out that a devious Player is in control of his wife’s account, David sends his new career off the tracks and avows to do everything in his power to protect her.
“Gods Inc.” has a strong enough story to keep readers engaged from beginning to end. Regardless of the world and the characters in it, it felt crucial that I saw the book to the end to see if David won, his wife ended up safe, and how many mysteries of First World were solved. Thankfully, the answers for all those plot elements were incredibly satisfying and surprising. Not everything or everyone was what they seemed and First World and King knew exactly what to reveal and when. The twists were set up perfectly, but weren’t obvious, they never broke any of the rules the author set up, and they moved the story along beautifully. She even kept enough mysteries up her sleeve to write a sequel if she wants, which I think could actually be pretty good. The nice thing about fantasy/sci-fi stories like this is that their stories have endless potential and “Gods Inc.” is no exception. Hopefully, if King does write that sequel, she’ll take time to flesh out First World and David, because they both could use some work.
I tried to be open to the idea of a soul’s existence in the afterlife being dependent on nine-to-five desk jobs because I thought it had some pretty funny potential. If David had been disappointed in First World or if other characters were used to make some decent commentary on modern Western society, I think First World could have been a lot of fun, but King takes the idea completely seriously, which is a bit disappointing. Even if it is in the afterlife, who wants to read about the daily goings on of a normal office? Not to mention, if it’s meant to be taken seriously, it doesn’t hold up. It sounds like souls all over the world end up in First World, but how are souls from different regions of the world supposed to adapt to an afterlife where the culture and customs are clearly based on England? Do they just get reincarnated? That’s problematic for obvious reasons. The way demons and guardian angels work isn’t explained very well either. It sounds like there’s a need for balance between the two, but towards the end a character mentions that too many guardian angels are running accounts, but the Gods mainly work for the demonic side. So why not get rid of the guardian angels and only keep spirits who clearly have a darker energy? As engaging and exciting as the story was, the flimsy world building kept pulling me out to ask questions that weren’t answered very well. Hopefully, if King writes another book, she can take the time to work all of that out, because it really does have some potential. Sort of like David.
I understand that David is supposed to be a jerk and is supposed to get a redemption arc when he’s in First World, but redemption arcs don’t work very well when the character in question keeps being a jerk. Maybe it’s because we didn’t see enough of David when he was alive, but his life in First World doesn’t strike me as a huge improvement. His only real redemptive actions involve saving his wife, but that doesn’t feel like a huge stretch since, as a married person, you’re supposed to protect your spouse. Yes, he was never very nice to her, but he never said or did anything that would lead me to believe he would let anything life-threatening happen to her. If he had stuck his neck out for more people who didn’t really benefit him at all, the redemption arc could have worked but, as is, it falls flat.
All that being said, I still think the story alone is worth checking out. It’s simple enough to follow and get invested in, but has enough surprises to keep you guessing and curious. If you just want an exciting story filled with unexpected twists, “Gods Inc.” is an enjoyable read. Just don’t think about any of it too hard.
Review by Tay Laroi from Truth About Books
“Gods Inc.” is a creative thrill ride with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers engaged from start to finished, but its unstable world building and bland protagonist hold it back from being anything truly spectacular, which is rather unfortunate considering its potential.
David Sands never believed in the afterlife until he wound up there. After a terrible car accident cuts his life short, David finds himself knocked from his high-flying business executive position down to the rank of ‘rookie’ in a realm called First World. Here, spirits of the dead are called ‘Players’ and control the lives of living people, which are called ‘accounts.’ These spirits compete to prove themselves valuable to the companies of First World so that they can move up the ranks, avoid reincarnation, and even become gods. Give the life he just left, David figures he can climb the spiritual corporate ladder in no time, but when he finds out that a devious Player is in control of his wife’s account, David sends his new career off the tracks and avows to do everything in his power to protect her.
“Gods Inc.” has a strong enough story to keep readers engaged from beginning to end. Regardless of the world and the characters in it, it felt crucial that I saw the book to the end to see if David won, his wife ended up safe, and how many mysteries of First World were solved. Thankfully, the answers for all those plot elements were incredibly satisfying and surprising. Not everything or everyone was what they seemed and First World and King knew exactly what to reveal and when. The twists were set up perfectly, but weren’t obvious, they never broke any of the rules the author set up, and they moved the story along beautifully. She even kept enough mysteries up her sleeve to write a sequel if she wants, which I think could actually be pretty good. The nice thing about fantasy/sci-fi stories like this is that their stories have endless potential and “Gods Inc.” is no exception. Hopefully, if King does write that sequel, she’ll take time to flesh out First World and David, because they both could use some work.
I tried to be open to the idea of a soul’s existence in the afterlife being dependent on nine-to-five desk jobs because I thought it had some pretty funny potential. If David had been disappointed in First World or if other characters were used to make some decent commentary on modern Western society, I think First World could have been a lot of fun, but King takes the idea completely seriously, which is a bit disappointing. Even if it is in the afterlife, who wants to read about the daily goings on of a normal office? Not to mention, if it’s meant to be taken seriously, it doesn’t hold up. It sounds like souls all over the world end up in First World, but how are souls from different regions of the world supposed to adapt to an afterlife where the culture and customs are clearly based on England? Do they just get reincarnated? That’s problematic for obvious reasons. The way demons and guardian angels work isn’t explained very well either. It sounds like there’s a need for balance between the two, but towards the end a character mentions that too many guardian angels are running accounts, but the Gods mainly work for the demonic side. So why not get rid of the guardian angels and only keep spirits who clearly have a darker energy? As engaging and exciting as the story was, the flimsy world building kept pulling me out to ask questions that weren’t answered very well. Hopefully, if King writes another book, she can take the time to work all of that out, because it really does have some potential. Sort of like David.
I understand that David is supposed to be a jerk and is supposed to get a redemption arc when he’s in First World, but redemption arcs don’t work very well when the character in question keeps being a jerk. Maybe it’s because we didn’t see enough of David when he was alive, but his life in First World doesn’t strike me as a huge improvement. His only real redemptive actions involve saving his wife, but that doesn’t feel like a huge stretch since, as a married person, you’re supposed to protect your spouse. Yes, he was never very nice to her, but he never said or did anything that would lead me to believe he would let anything life-threatening happen to her. If he had stuck his neck out for more people who didn’t really benefit him at all, the redemption arc could have worked but, as is, it falls flat.
All that being said, I still think the story alone is worth checking out. It’s simple enough to follow and get invested in, but has enough surprises to keep you guessing and curious. If you just want an exciting story filled with unexpected twists, “Gods Inc.” is an enjoyable read. Just don’t think about any of it too hard.
Review by Tay Laroi from Truth About Books
July 14, 2016
“Gods Inc.” is a creative thrill ride with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers engaged from start to finished, but its unstable world building and jerky protagonist hold it back from being anything truly spectacular, which is rather unfortunate considering its potential.
“Gods Inc.” has a strong enough story to keep readers engaged from being to end. Regardless of the world and the characters in it, it felt crucial that I saw the book to the end to see if David won, his wife ended up safe, and how many mysteries of First World were solved. Thankfully, the answers for all those plot elements were incredibly satisfying and surprising. Not everything or everyone was what they seemed and First World and King knew exactly what to reveal and when. The twists were set up perfectly, but weren’t obvious, they never broke any of the rules the author set up, and they moved the story along beautifully. She even kept enough mysteries up her sleeve to write a sequel if she wants, which I think could actually be pretty good. The nice thing about fantasy/sci-fi stories like this is that their stories have endless potential and “Gods Inc.” is no exception. Hopefully, if King does write that sequel, she’ll take time to flesh out First World and David, because they both could use some work.
I tried to be open to the idea of a soul’s existence in the afterlife being dependent on nine-to-five desk jobs because I thought it had some pretty funny potential. If David had been disappointed in First World or if other characters were used to make some decent commentary on modern Western society, I think First World could have been a lot of fun, but King takes the idea completely seriously, which is a bit disappointing. Even if it is in the afterlife, who wants to read about the daily goings on of a normal office? Not to mention, if it’s meant to be taken seriously, it doesn’t hold up. It sounds like souls all over the world end up in First World, but how are souls from different regions of the world supposed to adapt to an afterlife where the culture and customs are clearly based on England? Do they just get reincarnated? That’s problematic for obvious reasons. The way demons and guardian angels work isn’t explained very well either. It sounds like there’s a need for balance between the two, but towards the end a character mentions that too many guardian angels are running accounts, but the Gods mainly work for the demonic side. So why not get rid of the guardian angels and only keep spirits who clearly have a darker energy? As engaging and exciting as the story was, the flimsy world building kept pulling me out to ask questions that weren’t answered very well. Hopefully, if King writes another book, she can take the time to work all of that out, because it really does have some potential. Sort of like David.
I understand that David is supposed to be a jerk and is supposed to get a redemption arc when he’s in First World, but redemption arcs don’t work very well when the character in question keeps being a jerk. Maybe it’s because we didn’t see enough of David when he was alive, but his life in First World doesn’t strike me as a huge improvement. His only real redemptive actions involve saving his wife, but that doesn’t feel like a huge stretch since, as a married person, you’re supposed to protect your spouse. Yes, he was never very nice to her, but he never said or did anything that would lead me to believe he would let anything life-threatening happen to her. If he had stuck his neck out for more people who didn’t really benefit him at all, the redemption arc could have worked but, as is, it falls flat.
All that being said, I still think the story alone is worth checking out. It’s simple enough to follow and get invested in, but has enough surprises to keep you guessing and curious. If you just want an exciting story filled with unexpected twists, “Gods Inc.” is an enjoyable read. Just don’t think about any of it too hard.
“Gods Inc.” has a strong enough story to keep readers engaged from being to end. Regardless of the world and the characters in it, it felt crucial that I saw the book to the end to see if David won, his wife ended up safe, and how many mysteries of First World were solved. Thankfully, the answers for all those plot elements were incredibly satisfying and surprising. Not everything or everyone was what they seemed and First World and King knew exactly what to reveal and when. The twists were set up perfectly, but weren’t obvious, they never broke any of the rules the author set up, and they moved the story along beautifully. She even kept enough mysteries up her sleeve to write a sequel if she wants, which I think could actually be pretty good. The nice thing about fantasy/sci-fi stories like this is that their stories have endless potential and “Gods Inc.” is no exception. Hopefully, if King does write that sequel, she’ll take time to flesh out First World and David, because they both could use some work.
I tried to be open to the idea of a soul’s existence in the afterlife being dependent on nine-to-five desk jobs because I thought it had some pretty funny potential. If David had been disappointed in First World or if other characters were used to make some decent commentary on modern Western society, I think First World could have been a lot of fun, but King takes the idea completely seriously, which is a bit disappointing. Even if it is in the afterlife, who wants to read about the daily goings on of a normal office? Not to mention, if it’s meant to be taken seriously, it doesn’t hold up. It sounds like souls all over the world end up in First World, but how are souls from different regions of the world supposed to adapt to an afterlife where the culture and customs are clearly based on England? Do they just get reincarnated? That’s problematic for obvious reasons. The way demons and guardian angels work isn’t explained very well either. It sounds like there’s a need for balance between the two, but towards the end a character mentions that too many guardian angels are running accounts, but the Gods mainly work for the demonic side. So why not get rid of the guardian angels and only keep spirits who clearly have a darker energy? As engaging and exciting as the story was, the flimsy world building kept pulling me out to ask questions that weren’t answered very well. Hopefully, if King writes another book, she can take the time to work all of that out, because it really does have some potential. Sort of like David.
I understand that David is supposed to be a jerk and is supposed to get a redemption arc when he’s in First World, but redemption arcs don’t work very well when the character in question keeps being a jerk. Maybe it’s because we didn’t see enough of David when he was alive, but his life in First World doesn’t strike me as a huge improvement. His only real redemptive actions involve saving his wife, but that doesn’t feel like a huge stretch since, as a married person, you’re supposed to protect your spouse. Yes, he was never very nice to her, but he never said or did anything that would lead me to believe he would let anything life-threatening happen to her. If he had stuck his neck out for more people who didn’t really benefit him at all, the redemption arc could have worked but, as is, it falls flat.
All that being said, I still think the story alone is worth checking out. It’s simple enough to follow and get invested in, but has enough surprises to keep you guessing and curious. If you just want an exciting story filled with unexpected twists, “Gods Inc.” is an enjoyable read. Just don’t think about any of it too hard.
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March 29, 2015Author's notes.
The idea for Gods Inc. came to me whilst I was mucking out stables and listening to my iPod. The song 'Spirit in the Sky' came on and it got me thinking about a subject I had spent many other times mulling over, and I expect others have too.
DEATH.
Of course 'Spirit in the Sky' is a rocking Christian song. But you don't have to be religious for it to lift your spirits. It paints a glorious and optimistic picture of death and what happens to us when we die, and I'm not dismissing that. None of us know for sure what happens when we leave this life, but there are some common occurrences recounted by many who have had near death experiences. For example, the feeling of being out of your body and going into a bright light. So I kind of take that as read. I reckon that does happen. All those people can't be wrong, can they?
But another thing which has stayed with me since childhood, is a fascination with reincarnation. How could it work? What about all the coincidences in life? What about things that many people experience such as thinking about someone they haven't seen in a long while, and the phone rings; it's them? What about things which we label as 'paranormal'? What if they were all real? And then... what if they were not paranormal at all, but scientific reality? How could it all work?
What if we don't truly die? What if we actually progress, either back into another life, or go somewhere else? What if there is no death, no heaven or hell, but a place where we go to work?
What if the dead control the living?
That is the essence of Gods Inc. A hypothesis of life after death set against the backdrop of a psychological thriller. The main character, David, is not the most likeable of protagonists, but I really hope he redeems himself in the end. His wife, Georgina, is a much more sympathetic character. She really is his better half. He doesn't treat her too well in life, but this book is also a love story about regret and redemption, and so I hope you will see how much life can get in the way sometimes. David is only able to mature emotionally when it is all taken away from him.
Of course, no thriller would be complete without a true villain, and there are two in Gods Inc. One alive and one dead.
I hope that you enjoy.
The idea for Gods Inc. came to me whilst I was mucking out stables and listening to my iPod. The song 'Spirit in the Sky' came on and it got me thinking about a subject I had spent many other times mulling over, and I expect others have too.
DEATH.
Of course 'Spirit in the Sky' is a rocking Christian song. But you don't have to be religious for it to lift your spirits. It paints a glorious and optimistic picture of death and what happens to us when we die, and I'm not dismissing that. None of us know for sure what happens when we leave this life, but there are some common occurrences recounted by many who have had near death experiences. For example, the feeling of being out of your body and going into a bright light. So I kind of take that as read. I reckon that does happen. All those people can't be wrong, can they?
But another thing which has stayed with me since childhood, is a fascination with reincarnation. How could it work? What about all the coincidences in life? What about things that many people experience such as thinking about someone they haven't seen in a long while, and the phone rings; it's them? What about things which we label as 'paranormal'? What if they were all real? And then... what if they were not paranormal at all, but scientific reality? How could it all work?
What if we don't truly die? What if we actually progress, either back into another life, or go somewhere else? What if there is no death, no heaven or hell, but a place where we go to work?
What if the dead control the living?
That is the essence of Gods Inc. A hypothesis of life after death set against the backdrop of a psychological thriller. The main character, David, is not the most likeable of protagonists, but I really hope he redeems himself in the end. His wife, Georgina, is a much more sympathetic character. She really is his better half. He doesn't treat her too well in life, but this book is also a love story about regret and redemption, and so I hope you will see how much life can get in the way sometimes. David is only able to mature emotionally when it is all taken away from him.
Of course, no thriller would be complete without a true villain, and there are two in Gods Inc. One alive and one dead.
I hope that you enjoy.
March 28, 2015
David dies and starts to work for a company in the afterlife, where he observes the 'accounts' of the living. He becomes distressed when a murderer targets Georgie, his widow, but has little power to help her.
I enjoyed this book. The idea is really inventive and I loved some of the details, like sadistic account holders being behind hauntings and demon-manifestations on earth. The notion that when you die, you end up in just another job, is both ironic and a bit depressing! I liked that David was such a twonk, but then reformed a bit after he died.
At times the writing is a bit facile, and there were few grammatical errors. The plot sometimes fell just short of being convincing, when complexities were glossed over (ie when David convinced the evil Greg to duplicate the incriminating data but it wasn't explained how he managed this). This isn't the most complex or nuanced writing, characterisation or plot in the world, but after a wobbly start, I found it enjoyable. I might even read further about David and what happens to him.
I enjoyed this book. The idea is really inventive and I loved some of the details, like sadistic account holders being behind hauntings and demon-manifestations on earth. The notion that when you die, you end up in just another job, is both ironic and a bit depressing! I liked that David was such a twonk, but then reformed a bit after he died.
At times the writing is a bit facile, and there were few grammatical errors. The plot sometimes fell just short of being convincing, when complexities were glossed over (ie when David convinced the evil Greg to duplicate the incriminating data but it wasn't explained how he managed this). This isn't the most complex or nuanced writing, characterisation or plot in the world, but after a wobbly start, I found it enjoyable. I might even read further about David and what happens to him.
March 10, 2015
This is an intriguing concept, with some interesting characters and some good twists and turns. Still, I found the plot a little shallow at times, with more telling than showing. All things that a first time author can improve with more writing, critique groups, and structural editors. Best of luck to Sarah on the next book.
October 1, 2014
David is not a nice person, so even spending a little time with him at Corporation Afterlife is a downer.
I give it 2 stars because the interesting premise kept my attention to the end. Thank goodness it was short!
kindle version full of typos, misspelled words, sentence fragments.
I give it 2 stars because the interesting premise kept my attention to the end. Thank goodness it was short!
kindle version full of typos, misspelled words, sentence fragments.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews