Who Let the Gods Out
Part of the collectionWho Let the Gods Out→A wildly funny four-book quest with a gang of squabbling Greek gods — getting bigger, bolder and more moving as it races to an epic, tear-jerking finale.
- Books4 / 4
- Arcs1
- Span2017–2019
- StatusComplete
The series
At a glance.
Maz Evans's four-book comedy-adventure follows Elliot Hooper and the immortal Virgo as they accidentally unleash Thanatos, the daemon of death, and must recover the four Chaos Stones before he and his terrifying mother Nyx destroy the mortal world. Book by book the quest grows wilder and the stakes higher — from Stonehenge to the Natural History Museum to the underworld itself — with an ever-larger cast of gloriously chaotic Greek gods and set-pieces that gallop along. But the true theme deepens too: Elliot is a young carer, and his fierce love for his ailing mum gives the slapstick real weight, building to a finale that is laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely tear-jerking in the same chapter. A rousing, big-hearted quartet that lands its ending with heart.
A wildly funny four-book quest with a gang of squabbling Greek gods — getting bigger, bolder and more moving as it races to an epic, tear-jerking finale.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Funny
- Irreverent
- Exciting
- Heartwarming
Read in order (1, 2, 3, 4): it is one continuing quest for the Chaos Stones, and the emotional arc of Elliot and his mum runs across all four to the finale.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- INarrative arcBooks 1–4 · 2017–2019Moderate sensitivity
Who Let the Gods Out
Elliot and the gods hunt the four Chaos Stones before the daemon of death destroys the world.
The quartet is one continuing quest. It begins when Elliot and the zodiac girl Virgo accidentally free Thanatos, the daemon of death, and must team up with a gang of rusty Greek immortals to put things right. Across the next three books they chase the four Chaos Stones — into the Natural History Museum, down into the underworld, and finally into an almighty last battle — while Thanatos and his mother Nyx plot the end of the mortal world. Running beneath the ever-escalating comedy is Elliot's love for his seriously ill mum, which raises the emotional stakes book by book until the finale forces him into an impossible bargain. The jokes never stop, but the story lands its ending with real, tear-jerking heart.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 9–12
Reluctant-reader friendliness
High
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Designed to
Sensitivity envelope
Moderate overall, and consistent.
Content notes
- Death of parent
- Grief
- Illness or disability
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
About the author