The Handbook for the New God

by Corwin Michaels

Kip MacGuffin just blew up his planet.

Accidentally rocketed into the divine realm, Kip thinks becoming a God sounds pretty awesome... until he meets the Department of Celestial Creations. Now, endless forms, pointless rules, and the Planar Regulation Enforcement Department stand between him and building the world of his dreams.

But Kip's not the only one tired of the red tape. With the help of a misfit crew of outlaw deities, He discovers a long-buried truth: power-hungry PRED locked away the original Titans who created everything. And if Kip doesn't act fast, he and his new family might be next.

170 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2026

About the author

Corwin was raised in foster care in rural Kentucky where he taught himself to read and write. He read just about any book he could get his hands on but found himself gravitating to fantasy books where orphans could wield magic and fly with dragons. Now he wants nothing more than to add his own stories to the world so another child somewhere will find an escape in a magical world.

Reviews

[HighLadyPitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of quirky and cozy adventure stories, this one totally hits the mark! Kip is a newly ascended god and is happily building as many inventions as he wants when Nivarra, a new Junior Agent for the Planar Regulation Enforcement Department (PRED), walks through a portal. She scolds him for not submitting the proper paperwork and then lectures him that he needs to attend the “Welcome to Godhood” seminar.

The delightful bureaucracy of the PRED reminds me of going to the DMV with the absurdity of all the forms that need to be filled out for seemingly dubious reasons. The novel includes graphics of the forms that must be filled out by Kip and his new found family. They are hilarious and show the different personalities of each newly ascended God.

Junior Agent Nivarra’s world comes crashing down when she realizes that the PRED and the world she lives in is deceiving. Kip and his band of gods come to that same conclusion after they go rogue and decide to build a world without the required forms.

I adored the relationships between the gods and how they accept each other for their idiosyncrasies and work together though each challenge. I also loved seeing Nivarra’s evolution as a do-gooder to a rebellious ‘good girl’ who realizes she has agency over her life and does not have to follow the rules.

This is a wonderful tale for lovers of Percy Jackson, Strange World and the TV series Loki. I know I will absolutely be gifting this to my son and nephew to get lost in the lovely, eccentric world of Kip and the Planeverse!

[PenelopeDawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful story. There’s SO much action. Honestly? I don’t know if there was a quiet moment once in the book. (Except that one moment with Giz 🥹) The adventures these characters go on are imaginative and grand to a scale I wouldn’t have been able to come up with on my own. There were numerous times that I wished I were an artist so that I could transfer the imagery that was so rich in my head down onto paper.

There were points that, for me as an adult, seemed redundant or lacking conflict. Every scene has the perfect piece for each character and every conflict has an obvious answer - but they’re gods so 🤷🏻‍♀️ maybe that’s the way it should be! I do think this story would be a wonderful, inspirational read for anyone between the ages of 8-16.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advanced Review Copy Review!!

The Handbook for the New God by Corwin Michaels is an incredibly imaginative ride that hooked me from the very beginning. The world feels truly magical, and the brilliant concepts introduced make you want to step through the pages and explore it yourself. A huge part of the book's charm comes down to Kip, who is hands-down such a fun character to follow. My only real critique is that the pacing felt a bit rushed at times, leaving me wishing for deeper world-building throughout. For example, I wanted to spend much more time in the library learning about the fascinating history of the Titans rather than just scratching the surface. It is a world I won't soon forget, and I highly recommend trying it out!

[Charline Hendrickx · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is so fun and delightful. It did make me giggle a couple times, and I really liked it at first, but it fell off a bit near the middle. Got repetitive and there wasn't really any sort of tension. The characters figured their way out of everything and the characters themselves felt a little 2 dimensional. But still, it was creative...gods having to go through so. much. paperwork. It is a very light read. And there were some sick illustrations!! I loved that. Overall I did enjoy it. I liked the idea even if the execution perhaps wasn't as strong as I wish it had been.

[Matthew Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Handbook for the New God is a wondrous ride from start to finish. Each turn of the page left me wanting to know more, and to experience everything the author had laid out for me. With the perfect mesh of Guardians of the Galaxy and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the story had me laughing, gasping, cursing, and at one point, wooping with joy. My only wish was that it was longer because I did not want it to end. I cannot wait to see where this story may go next!

[Carly Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a great premise and had some good writing and fun ideas, but overall it didn't really work for me. The characters all felt very one note, and there was precisely zero tension - as soon as an obstacle arose, the characters instantly had the perfect idea and the tools and expertise to execute it. 
Still some fun stuff happening, but missed the mark for me. 
Thank you to the author for the ARC!

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick paced book and I really enjoyed reading about Kip and the Planeverse!!

I think for middle grade readers this is a fun, stretch yourself kind of book is a young person is moving from graphic novels to chapter/less image focused literature. It's a good intro to fantasy!

The imagery is really fun and the characters feel distinct and real.

Thanks for letting me read an advanced copy!!

[Meghan Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was so much fun from start to finish, definitely a great lighthearted read with lots of action and humor (and some extremely cool illustrations!). All of the characters are very endearing with their little quirks and their different ideas for building their individual worlds, I found myself rooting for all of them to succeed right from the very first pages. I would absolutely LOVE to play a D&D campaign set in this universe!

Thank you so much for the ARC!

[Jennifer Poliwoda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to snag an ARC and I am so happy I did.

This is giving Percy Jackson meets Guardians of the Galaxy meets DnD in the best possible way.

The characters are quirky, the world is fun, and it’s so action packed! I didn’t want to put it down!