All The Gods Against Me: The Story of Clarence Manning

Clarence Manning is a working stiff and a borderline alcoholic whose only solace is gazing out his window at mankind with a drink in his hand. Love and beauty are dead and gone. Yet he smells rose petals on the night wind . . . sees them falling from the sky. When three sentient beings invade his life, Clarence scoffs at their divine nature. The Blue God, Trujillo, matches Clarence's apathy with divine, razor-like arrogance. Lenore, the god of yellow light, bestows the most beautiful, loving companion. And Donatello, The Red God, offers loyalty and friendship in a way he's never experienced. But Clarence wants no part of divine intervention, and he rebukes the gods with a vengeance. When Trujillo proposes war, Clarence taps into his own god-like power, unleashing a darkness from his very own past, a creature of shadow that spells annihilation for mankind, the gods, and the very fabric of reality.

From the Inside Flap

"If you want a war, then let's go to war. Tell me the time and place.'I'll scrap anytime you say,'" Clarence said, quoting one of hisfavorite movies.The Blue God smiled. "The time," he said,leaning toward Clarence, "is now. The place . . . is this mightybattlefield you see around you: Earth, the galaxy, perhaps the entireuniverse itself. What say you to such a proposition? Are you ready for battle,Mr. Manning? Are you ready to jeopardize those who live aroundyou, those snot-nosed wailing infants and their domineering mothers youscoff at every day? Are you willing to pay the price for theirsurvival? Wait!Let me speak for you . . . in the words of ClarenceManning, 'I think not.' You do not care if they live or die, just asyou are unconcerned with your own salvation. Think, Mr. Manning, forjust a moment, about the fate of the world and all that binds it.Air.Water. Gravity.Yes. Explanations for science. Perfect. It gives youunderstanding. But what about the thousand and one billion unansweredquestions? Too difficult to describe? Or too simple? Perhaps, evendisappointing. Think for just a moment, Mr. Manning, that the earth and the stars, the sun and the sea, the galaxies, the universe, are boundby . . . ""Gods," Clarence said."Whatever you want to call it. And think for just a minute--quite funny if you will--about the law of this 'binding.' Perhaps, if I could, I could not only create a creature such as yourself withharm and brutality for his fellow man, but the power to make ordestroy--not merely what lies around him--but in fact, everything that lies around him. What if I gave the power of the gods to you, Mr. Manning? A soul who wants nothing more than to die? A soul who wants everything around him to die? Who wants to sleep and never wake? What would be your answer then?"

About the Author

Brandon Berntson was born in Boise Idaho, but grew up in various towns throughout Colorado, where most of his stories take place. A fan of dark fantasy, horror, magical realism, and young adult fantasy, he is the author of Castle Juliet and When We Were Dragons, enchanting, magical reads for all ages. He is also the author of Body of Immorality, a cryptic collection of horror stories, and the raw, adult-themed, All The Gods Against Me. His influences include Stephen King, Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, Jonathan Carroll, Anne Rice, Robert McCammon, Peter Straub and countless classics. A fan of ice hockey, Beethoven, Ronnie James Dio, classic horror films, and Star Trek, he makes his home in Boulder, Colorado.

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