The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty by Steve LeBel

We've all heard of the fabled perfect being, the Greek God.

Well, how about a geek god?  Named Bernie, yet.

Fresh with his diploma from God School, determined but unsure, bright but without confidence, Bernie faces the challenge of building his own universe.  If only it were that easy...

An old school rival will do whatever it takes to ensure Bernie's failure, even if it means destroying his world.

It's god vs. god, guile vs. goodness, where only one of them plays by the rules.  Bernie must find a way to outwit his evil foe.  If he fails, it will cost him everything. (taken from the back of the book)

I was really intrigued by this book, simply for the ingenuity behind it.  I love when someone has an idea that's new and just runs with it.  Plus, Steve is just a really nice guy! And you all know how I feel about authors that are nice!

So, Steve has this unusual talent in his character creation.  He forces a primitive reaction towards the character from you.  It's not like you're in the book, you're a third person watching from another world, but you feel such intense emotions towards the characters.  Seriously, there were several times I nearly threw my copy of the book against the wall out of sheer frustration.  I wanted to take a weed eater and give someone an all over body shave with it.  More specifically, one of the characters. I don't normally get that involved, but I seriously despised this character with a depth that surprised me.  On the other hand, there were other characters that I simply adored, and I can't pinpoint why. At the end of the book, I actually felt like I was saying good bye to some dear friends.  However, I have faith that this is just the beginning of the Universe Builders and Bernie and the rest of the cast will return.

This is a fresh fantasy with some wonderful new species never before seen.  Not only that,Steve's concept for universe building and the god world, though simple, is magnificent.  As I was reading, I kept wondering why nobody has done this before.  It all makes complete sense.