God of Impertinence

From the acclaimed author of The Discovery of Slowness comes a book that is "postmodernist beach reading: Apollo channel surfing, Hermes discovering french fries and the trickster god taming the gods of war" (The New York Times Book Review)

The ancient gods are still among us! After 2,187 years in chains, Hermes — the fun-loving god of stolen kisses, erotic freedom, turmoil, and thievery — is freed. He soon sets out to resurrect the long-forgotten virtues of curiosity, imagination, humor...and mischief.

Finding the modern age strange and confusing, Hermes catches up with the cultural changes of the last two millenniums by tapping the minds of everyone from graffiti artists to brain specialists. He soon learns that disempowered Zeus has retired to play golf in Missouri and that Hephaestus, the neurotic and cranky god of volcanoes, is plotting the demise of gods and mankind alike. Hermes needs all the impertinence and roguery he can muster for the game of divine poker that will decide the fate of the world, in this swift and amusing fable for the end of the millennium.