All God's Creatures

by Anthony Gardner

'Hilarious, joyous and astute' – Nicholas Coleridge
Mild-mannered editor Ben Fairweather is horrified when his genteel religious magazine is taken over by a fanatical movement which holds that animals are closer than humans to God and should receive Holy Communion. Amid a national religious revival, this belief becomes mainstream and Ben is cancelled as a petphobic bigot.
He finds a new job as a pianist in a nightclub. There he meets Anita Scott, a journalist bent on exposing the Russian oligarch Oleg Ogorodnikov – newly elevated to the House of Lords – whom she accuses of cultural vandalism.
The scheming Ogorodnikov is actually involved in something far more a plot to take over London's financial system. Little realising that his fingerprints are all over the theological unrest too, Ben and Anita are drawn into a world of spies, art forgery, AI and murder, with their own lives on the line.
Anthony Gardner's ingenious caper combines madcap excitement with a deftly satirical portrayal of the crazy beliefs, chaos-spreading Russians and rise of the robots which seem to define our age.

256 pages, Hardcover

Published May 19, 2026

About the author

Anthony Gardner spent his early life between in England and Ireland, but has lived in London for most of his adult life. As soon as he started reading books, he wanted to write them - but, realising that this would be a difficult way to earn a living, he embarked on a career in journalism, with his weekends set aside for what he regarded as his real writing. As a magazine journalist he has been deputy editor of Harpers & Queen and editor of the Royal Society of Literature Review, and has written for the Sunday Times Magazine, the Irish Times Magazine and Architectural Digest among many others. His first novel, The Rivers of Heaven, was partly inspired by Wordsworth's Immortality Ode, and involves a newborn child remembering its existence before it arrived on earth. His second, Fox, is very different - a fast-moving satirical thriller about the surveillance society involving unscrupulous politicians and urban foxes

Reviews

[Literary Redhead]

A bit too fantastical for my tastes, but lovers of satirical British wit will likely adore it. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

[Ben]

Thanks to Netgalley and Lightning Books for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

All God's Creatures is a satire/political thriller about an absurd religious movement at the center of a larger conspiracy. Without giving too much more away, it slowly grows in scope until it hits the climax, and brings threads together at once in a very effective manner.

I enjoyed this book, and even though it was less funny than I expected, it was light hearted and fairly clever in a way that clicked with me. The characters were simple but filled their roles nicely, and the whole thing had a bit of a "Confederacy of Dunces" feel. Thoroughly enjoyable and worth the quick read.

One piece of criticism I had was the pacing was quick but relied heavily on brief switchbacks to alternative POVs, with even the major ones usually running only a few pages at a time. I think it worked well enough, but there was certainly space for more character development in those moments, as many of the characters didn't really shift during the story, merely appeared so briefly that it didn't feel it mattered if they grew.

[Marcie Reads]

𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🍸

A little hidden gem with an original, obscure storyline, British gangster vibes and plenty of wonderfully ridiculous moments. There’s a lot going on, but don't overthink it—just enjoy the ride.

It was a fast, easy read that I flew through, keeping a smile on my face throughout and somehow becoming even more insane towards the end. Throw in some cool twists and an ending I really enjoyed, and this was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to Anthony Gardner, Eye Books Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Maggie]

Simply adored this book. It is very very funny. Very very clever.

[William Neal]

A chaotic and bizarre plot from start to finish with twists and new characters around every corner. But ultimately a page turner in the truest sense of the word