Holy Shmit!

Corey Deitz

Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)

Holy Shmit! is a funny, irreverent, and surprisingly sweet story infused with a heavy dose of technology and celebrities. The plot is so inventive and out-of-the-box different, it is sure to please millions of readers and offend millions more! This is one story that will be applauded and condemned at the same time - and only you can decide which side you're on. We all take for granted that the world we wake up to each day will pretty much go on as scheduled. The sun will rise, the traffic will be heavy, your boss will continue to be a jerk, and your home won't be the centre for the most dangerous demonic possession ever to occur in the Universe.

Until now.

Everything as we know it does hang in the balance because God, the Universe's Master Programmer, has finally been compromised by Satan. The Vatican knows of only one man who is possibly up-to-snuff for this job: a priest from Columbus, Ohio afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome named Father Shmit. And Father Shmit knows of only one other man who can help him in his quest: a nerdy computer geek by the name Fire Fox.

Holy Shmit! is a fictional romp that scrutinizes the state of religion, believers, and even atheists while advocating in the strongest spiritual sense that God is real and working overtime to keep the Universe from collapsing into itself like a cheap snack table.

Holy Shmit! is also a multimedia read. There is a companion website with additional audio, video, and graphics which can be accessed with the correct password in the book. These materials are part of the main story and provide backstories and supporting "evidence" which tend to blur the lines of reality and fiction quite a bit. This is more than a fun read: it's an experience! Once you have the password you can explore the evidence separately at the website (www.holyshmit.com) or use the hyperlinks built into the book to read, view, or hear the additional graphic, audio, and video content written by the author and provided by a cast of actors and artists.

About the Author:
Corey Deitz has done radio shows in some of the USA's greatest markets including Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Richmond, Virginia Beach and Little Rock. Deitz was nominated in 2008 for a prestigious Radio industry Marconi Award in the category of "Medium Market Personality of the Year". He also writes books. This is his sixth.

Review by Paul Lappen (310512) Rating (9/10)

Review by Paul Lappen
Rating 9/10
This novel is about your average parish priest, who is given a special assignment directly from the Pope.

Father Shmit suffers from Tourette's Syndrome. Naturally, it manifests itself at the most inconvenient times, except when he is conducting an exorcism. Some priests give wonderful and inspiring sermons week after week, and some priests are best at one-on-one contact. Father Shmit's talent is in exorcisms. His methods can charitably be called "unique," but no one can argue with his success rate.

He is called to the Vatican, and meets privately with Pope Benedict. Father Shmit is told that God is being held hostage by Satan, and that his special talents are needed (no, He is not chained to a chair in an abandoned warehouse). Father Shmit travels to the site along with a computer hacker friend (his plan involves God's e-mail address). Do they succeed? Is God freed from captivity?

As you may have guessed, this is a satire on Christianity. Those who take their religion seriously, and feel that Christianity should never be satirized, will probably skip this book. That is a very bad idea, because it also has some really good writing on the nature of God. Is He a cosmic puppeteer, controlling every bit of our lives, or is He more like a bowling alley reset machine, setting up the pins for humanity to knock down? It's normal to ask why a loving God would allow things like 9/11 or African famine to occur. Take a step back, and look at the bigger picture. For every Adolf Hitler, there is a Martin Luther King, Jr. For every Joseph Stalin, there is a Nelson Mandela. Overall, throughout history, things have gone pretty well for humanity. Atheists want their non-belief to be respected by society. Is there some reason why they can't return the favour, and respect those who do believe, especially around Christmas?

A really open mind will help when reading this book. Get past the satire, and the foul language, and this is a thought-provoking, and funny, story that will keep the reader interested.
Paul Lappen (31st May 2012)