Michael G. Munz

The official website of Seattle sci-fi/fantasy author and geek Michael G. Munz

Wanted: Zeus Is Dead Launch Team Members!

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Zeus Is Dead cover

Help me get the word out and get to read the book before anyone else (except for, ya know, my publisher, and the editor, and my parents, sister, a few trusted friends)!

NOTE: The Launch Team is now full and closed. Thanks to everyone who responded!
You can still read Chapter One online, and get access to Chapter Two by subscribing to the mailing list!

As I’m sure many of you already know (and, really, how is it you could be on my blog and NOT know?), my upcoming novel — a comedic contemporary fantasy titled Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure — will be released on July 21st. I am looking for people who are interested in being a part of an exclusive social marketing team dedicated to providing feedback and helping spread the word about Zeus Is Dead.  Your feedback is invaluable and I’m hoping you’re interested in joining the team.

“A hilarious mythological tale of god-like proportions. Munz has crafted a tale of bizarro comic fantasy that sits comfortably among the ilk of Gaiman and Pratchett.” —Andrew Buckley, author of Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish

[Read more…]

Early Praise for Zeus Is Dead!

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Warning: This post may contain bragging and/or excitement and/or near-insufferable pride.

The advance reviews are in! Have a look at what these published authors have to say about Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure!

“Zeus Is Dead is full of laugh-out-loud moments, lashings of sly wit, moan-worthy puns, and a complex, fast-paced storyline. There aren’t very many humorous fantasy murder mysteries out there, especially not as intricately constructed as this one. Michael G. Munz takes a ’What if,’ and runs with it like a toddler with Mom’s smart phone. He evokes a pantheon of characters including, well, the actual Pantheon, plus modern characters who will ring the bell of familiarity without being trite or clichéd. Munz knows his craft as well as his Greek mythology, pop culture, and dysfunctional family dynamics. The guffaw-worthy throwaway bits (stay tuned for the battle sundae) will remind you of Douglas Adams. A very enjoyable read.”

—Jody Lynn Nye, author of View from the Imperium and co-author of the Myth Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve

[Read more…]

Presenting Chapter One of Zeus Is Dead!

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Presenting Chapter One of Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure!

~  ~  ~

zues_cv_sm

Grab it now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and elsewhere!

“The question of who killed Zeus is unimportant. Trouble neither us nor yourselves further with this. It is only for you to know that the gods of Olympus have returned.”

“’Cept I’d also add that it was me. Next question?”
                      —Hera and Ares (live press conference, June 18, 2009)

“Though none of them ever went into details publicly, it seems clear that the Olympian gods’ return was sparked by whatever happened to Zeus.”
                      —excerpt from The Gods Are Back and How It Affects Your 401(k)

Zeus watched his child stumble through a rain-drenched wilderness, the victim of a mudslide that had lamed an ankle and snatched a pack containing food, water, and a spectacularly nifty smartphone. The child winced with every step back to the trail, but did not stop. The king of the gods swelled with pride at his offspring’s courage even as his immortal heart broke: no aid could he ever give.

Long ago, it would have been simple for him to help. He could have stopped the rain, ordered Artemis to lead the child to safety, or even dispatched a full squadron of rescue helicopters. (Okay, so helicopters weren’t an option 3,000 years ago—save once, and that was a very special case—but he had used the other options a dozen times over.) Now, he could not risk even dropping a granola bar into the child’s pocket as encouragement. [Read more…]

Movie review: Godzilla

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Warning: This review WILL have spoilers. I came into this movie without knowing hardly anything about it (except, ya know, it’s GODZILLA), and I would’ve hated to have certain knowledge ahead of time. For those not wanting spoilers, I’ll just say that I really enjoyed it, it’s far, far better than the last time Americans made a Godzilla movie, and if you think it’s at all up your alley, I recommend you see it. Now go off and read some other non-spoilery stuff on this blog, like things about my upcoming book Zeus Is Dead!

For the rest of you, I’ll see you below the image…

This did not actually happen in the movie. Yet.

“When someone asks you if you’re a Godzilla, you say, ‘YES’!!”
Note: This did not actually happen in the movie.
Yet.

[Read more…]

Zeus Is Dead: Cover Reveal

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Big news! I’m excited!

Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure now has an official cover!

Subscribe to the mailing list and see it before anyone else!

Subscribe to the mailing list and see it before anyone else!

What’s that you say? What’s it look like? Well, to quote Bill Cosby quoting Noah: “I can’t tell you. Ha ha ha ha ha.”

Well, okay, that’s just mean. I want to show you! I want to tell you! But I can’t. Not just yet. But soon!

Wednesday, June 11th, to be exact. At noon, Pacific Standard Time, we’ll reveal the front cover for my comedic contemporary fantasy set in a world where reality TV heroes kill harpies in northern California and the Greek gods have their own Twitter feeds.

But wait, there’s more! (You probably figured that out already, what with all the other text below this, huh?) Are you familiar with Goodreads, the fantasti-huge site for readers, book reviews, and general book-related awesomeness? (It’s like Facebook for books, but, ya know, good!) Well, if 40 people add Zeus Is Dead to their “to read” bookshelf by June 11th (click that link to to the book’s Goodreads page and click the “Want to Read” button), I’ll release online an exclusive chapter from the book!

I need your help to get the word out, so please tell your friends! Heck, tell your enemies! (And that woman you always see at the grocery store with whom you can’t think of a good way to start a conversation? Now you have a way!) Add the book to your to-read shelves! Why am I using so many exclamation points?! Because I’m excited!

By the way, here’s what author Jonathan Charles Bruce had to say about Zeus Is Dead after reading an advance copy:

Delivering us from a sea of endlessly morose and self-important supernatural fiction, Zeus Is Dead understands that Greek mythology is more than a little bit insane and—rather than ignore the unseemly aspects—embraces them with the appropriate level of snark and style. Munz’s tale echoes the bureaucratic insanity of Douglas Adam’s creations, the banter of Grant and Naylor’s Red Dwarf, and the grudging cynicism of Ben Croshaw in order to bring us a clever, hilarious tale of adventure and grudging heroism.

I guess what I’m saying is that unless you really like your supernatural fiction all mopey and dull, you’ll find something to love here.

I quite like the cover (designed by artist Greg Simanson at Booktrope Publishing). I can’t wait to show it to you!

Soon…