Title: Wrestling with Jesus- Author: Stephen Osborne
- Series: N/A
- Genre(s): Contemporary, M/M
- Publisher: Dreamspinner Press, April 2012
- Source: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley ($5.38 ebook)
- Length: 210 pages
- Trope(s): Beta Heroes, Big Misunderstanding (heh)
- Quick blurb: Small-time pro wrestler hits the big-time when his under-hypnosis recitation of the Sermon on the Mount in Aramaic is sold to the tabloids.
- Quick review: The author was able to pull off the satire, but the head-hopping and character inconsistencies drove me crazy.
- Grade: C
“All I know is that I tried hypnosis to stop smoking, and the next thing I know I’m in a tabloid proclaimed as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.”
The satirical premise was inspired (heh), with some truly funny scenes and dialogue. If only the rest of the writing held up – every character, no matter how minor, gets a POV, and the language of the internal monologuing is often inconsistent with the character. I kept comparing the main characters to Larry and Al in J. L. Merrow’s brilliant Muscling Through, and Randy and Kyle are just pale imitations.
