Incoherent Gods

Russo’s third Gods, Inc. fantasy novel (after Inclement Gods) grounds a goofy, multipantheon save-the-world story in lighthearted interpersonal drama. Vampire CEO-Queen Louhi’s annual visit to the Lemuria Zoo is causing stress on manager Hercules, not only because he is in love with her, but also because all of the animals, including god avatars such as baboon Thoth, are going uncontrollably insane. When the issue proves to be a side effect of a witch poisoning the World Tree Yggdrasil in a gambit to extend her own life, teamwork among all of the gods is required to create an antidote and put everything to rights. Russo’s administrative Limbo, in which Athena attempts to get a dispensation, has an arbitrary whimsy that echoes Lewis Carroll’s aesthetic while being distinctly 21st-century. Giving Yggdrasil an internal monologue cleverly makes it a sympathetic character and not just an object. But Russo’s gods feel more like college students solving a generic puzzle game than forces of the universe, and readers may wish she would balance humorous mundanity with more dramatic moments. The story serves well enough as a series continuation but is nothing spectacular. (Nov.)