Fluke by Christopher Moore

Humor

Nate and his crew work out of Hawaii, studying whales and trying to figure out why they sing. While out studying, he notices some odd markings on the tale of one whale. When the whale surfaces again, he notices that it says 'bite me'. From there, things get weirder and weirder as Nate gets closer to breaking the mystery.

Moore is known for his humor novels. Sometimes they can be a bit odd, but Moore takes this one way beyond odd. I didn't find it overly humorous and it was too over the top to enjoy. By the end of the novel, I was skimming it to get to the end.

Despite the overall weirdness, there is a good message to preserve our sea and the creatures within it.

First Line: "Amy called the whale punkin."

Rating:
(3/5)

Lamb by Christopher Moore

Humour

We know a lot about Jesus's birth and his 30s when he starts to spread the word of God. But what about his time as a kid and teenager? What was he like? Enter Biff, Jesus' (or Joshua) childhood friend. Biff follows Josh around as he searches for what it means to be the Messiah. Biff invent sarcasm, the two make a tradition of eating Chinese food as Jews on Jesus' birthday, and they figure out that coffee tastes much better with milk.

This isn't an easy book to write a review for. I enjoyed how smart this book was. Moore did a good job of coming up with things that Biff and Josh discovered, created, or were part of starting traditions for. His descriptions of these events made complete sense in the context he wrote them and were entertaining.

I've read quite a few Moore books now and think this ranks up there in the top 3.

First Line: "The angel was cleaning out his closet when the call came."

Rating:
(4/5)

Fool by Christopher Moore

Fool by Christopher Moore
Humour

Based loosely on Shakespeare's King Lear, Pocket is Lear's fool, hired for the purpose of keeping youngest daughter Cornelia entertained. Pocket falls in love with her and is sad when she is sent away because she won't profess her love for her father like her two older sisters. The fortune is split between the older sisters and with the help of a ghost, Pocket devises a way to destroy them. With the help of a big oaf Drool and his puppet Jones, Pocket sets in motion the King Lear tale, told from a completely different and at time hilarious angle.

I had originally read The Serpent of Venice which is the follow up to this book. It was nice to go back for this book and learn about Pocket's background and his relationship with Cordelia. Moore has an incredible imagination. Inserting a new character in to an existing story and figuring out how to get that character to mastermind everything takes a bit of work. Even having not ever read King Lear before, I had no trouble following and enjoying this story. It was lots of fun and I'm looking forward to a third book (if there will be one) about Pocket!

First Line: "'Tosser!' cried the raven."

Rating:
(4.5/5)

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore
Humour/Fiction

Written as a spoof of Othello and The Merchant of Venice (with some Edgar Allen Poe thrown in), The Serpent of Venice follows Pocket, the fool, after his fair Queen Cordelia has died. Originally thought to have died of natural causes, Pocket soon learns that his Queen was murdered by merchant Antonio, senator Brabantio, and naval office Iago. Yes, you should recognize those names! As the three leave Pocket for dead, the fool is rescued by a dragon of the water. Washing up near the Jewish lender Shylock, Pocket wants his revenge and finds it through twists in the stories of Othello and The Merchant of Venice.

Spoofs are not easy to pull off. They require a lot of planning and thought so they don't fall flat. Moore did a brilliant job with this one. Some liberties were taken to bring the characters of the two plays together but in the end it strengthened the story. Even better, all of the characters got their just desserts, unlike what you get from Shakespeare! I read Othello in university and would often wonder what would happen if a few things had happened differently. The Serpent gives you a satisfying alternative.

Pocket, the fool or court jester, is a character that Moore uses to help bring the two plays together. He's crude, raunchy, and freakin' hilarious! Pocket makes his first appearance in Moore's Fool, which I have not yet read, but I found that this didn't make any difference to me. You can pick this book up as a stand alone. That being said, I will definitely be going back to read Fool and hope that there's another in the series to follow after this.

This book is exactly what I've come to expect from Moore though: humour, whit, and satire. I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for letting me be a part of this tour.

First Line: "They waited at the dock, the three Venetians, for the fool to arrive."

Rating:
(4.5/5)