The Night Life of the Gods
#8233.78 adjusted 3.88 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1931 Reading commitment Low Thorne Smith Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Thorne Smith's The Night Life of the Gods was published in 1931. Its hero, the scientist Hunter Hawk, invents a process that turns living things to stone and statues back to life, and uses it on his disagreeable relatives and, later, on statues of Greek gods from a New York museum. The comic fantasy was adapted as a 1935 film. It is a standalone novel and not part of the Topper books.
Comic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Night Life of the Gods Thorne Smith
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Night Life of the Gods | 1931 | 1 | core | 3.78 (598 ratings) |
A standalone comic fantasy about statues brought to life.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Night Life of the Gods? The Night Life of the Gods's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Night Life of the Gods finished? Complete (1931).
- How much reading does The Night Life of the Gods take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Night Life of the Gods ranked? #823 in this site's official ranking, based on 598 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #823?
Ranked #823 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.78 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (598 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.09 behind #822, Ghost Talkers.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 598 ratings · Ranks #823 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment comic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.78 across 598 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 29 universes; Inda widened to Sartorias-deles; 5 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- Amazing Stories Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Night Life of the Gods (1931).