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Big Change Gonna Come
Vic has a genie that he’d like to lock in a box and dump in the ocean. Well, maybe that’s going a little too far. But he’d sure like lock him in a box anyway. Still, who could blame him? Omar, a 1200 year old genie, is about as unlikable as a genie can get – to men. But not to women. And when he’s not charming women, he’s making Vic’s life a living hell. What with all of the pranks, the insults, and – hey, is he really going after Vic’s girlfriend? But there’s an easy fix for Vic. All he’s got to do is come up with three perfect wishes really fast, and Omar is out of his life, forever. Sure. It sounds easy. But what does Vic want? What should he wish for? And how should he wish for it? Because if Vic doesn’t say his wishes just right, Omar could steal from somebody… or hurt somebody… or kill somebody… or kill lots of people… or destroy the planet… or… Well, that would suck. What would you wish for?
238 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2015
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 22, 2018
This is a very humorous story. It brings magic into contemporary life with all of its implications and outcomes.What would you do it you fund a Jinn (Genie) and had three wishes? This novel starts from there and leads the reader on an entertaining and thought provoking adventure. Vince drops hints through the book, but the outcome is not what the main character considered likely.
An interesting feature of the novel, for me, was the exploration of wishes and their moral and ethical implications. It starts with the realization that what it takes to fulfill a wish must already exist somewhere. So a wish for money means the money must come from somewhere. Then in an interesting twist, Vince shows how all wish fulfillment must be aid for.
Traditionally Jinns (Genies) fulfill wishes in the most literal way, creating untold problems for the wisher. Vince incorporates that legend in a way that brings much of the humor to the book. It also causes angst and quandaries for his main character.
This is a very entertaining and humorous book. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a well-told and humorous story.
An interesting feature of the novel, for me, was the exploration of wishes and their moral and ethical implications. It starts with the realization that what it takes to fulfill a wish must already exist somewhere. So a wish for money means the money must come from somewhere. Then in an interesting twist, Vince shows how all wish fulfillment must be aid for.
Traditionally Jinns (Genies) fulfill wishes in the most literal way, creating untold problems for the wisher. Vince incorporates that legend in a way that brings much of the humor to the book. It also causes angst and quandaries for his main character.
This is a very entertaining and humorous book. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a well-told and humorous story.
April 15, 2016
This was a book club pick, and the author came to our meeting to discuss the book with us, which was pretty cool. It’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to directly ask an author questions about their book.
The premise of the story is this: A contractor named Vic becomes master to a Jinn (genie, essentially) named Omar. Omar is a tad disgruntled in his several-thousand-year-old existence and is rather mean-spirited and quite the prankster. Vic, along with help from his friends, has to decide on three wishes that will in no way backfire on him or impact anyone else--that won’t take away from another person, cause destruction, etc.
I liked the ideas explored in this story. It had a bit of philosophical discussion, great use of sarcasm, and a just-right ending. Omar was a bit much for me. In the beginning, he was funny, but he got to be a bit annoying for my tastes. Fortunately, as the story progressed, he slipped into the sidelines as the other characters developed a plan.
The author, Vince Dowdle Jr., was delightful in person and shared some of his personal inclusions in the novel—a couple of familiar diners and his own previous contracting work, for example—as well as the theme of coins and some of the more obscure references to coin-collecting. He also said that the history mentioned in the book is drawn from real-life history, with the spin of Jinn-destruction added to true events.
This is a fun read that will likely get you thinking about what you would wish for, and therefore, makes for fun discussion.
In our conversation with the author, we tried to place the genre of the book and decided it would be something like comedic urban fantasy.
The premise of the story is this: A contractor named Vic becomes master to a Jinn (genie, essentially) named Omar. Omar is a tad disgruntled in his several-thousand-year-old existence and is rather mean-spirited and quite the prankster. Vic, along with help from his friends, has to decide on three wishes that will in no way backfire on him or impact anyone else--that won’t take away from another person, cause destruction, etc.
I liked the ideas explored in this story. It had a bit of philosophical discussion, great use of sarcasm, and a just-right ending. Omar was a bit much for me. In the beginning, he was funny, but he got to be a bit annoying for my tastes. Fortunately, as the story progressed, he slipped into the sidelines as the other characters developed a plan.
The author, Vince Dowdle Jr., was delightful in person and shared some of his personal inclusions in the novel—a couple of familiar diners and his own previous contracting work, for example—as well as the theme of coins and some of the more obscure references to coin-collecting. He also said that the history mentioned in the book is drawn from real-life history, with the spin of Jinn-destruction added to true events.
This is a fun read that will likely get you thinking about what you would wish for, and therefore, makes for fun discussion.
In our conversation with the author, we tried to place the genre of the book and decided it would be something like comedic urban fantasy.
March 23, 2016
This author will grab your interest after a slow start of subject. He obviously researched some historic research on things you might find actually hidden in the story. I wanted to continue to read this to the end to find out how the story was going to develop and how it would end. Fun subject. What would one do with a genie who shows up in your life with 3 wishes?
It is a quick read, I read it slowly but know others who read it in 2 days.
You will laugh throughout it.
If you are from South Jersey, there are many familiar references that made it even more enjoyable.
It is a quick read, I read it slowly but know others who read it in 2 days.
You will laugh throughout it.
If you are from South Jersey, there are many familiar references that made it even more enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews