| Title | : | Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 006056668X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780060566685 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 324 |
| Publication | : | First published June 3, 2003 |
Every winter he and Clay Demolocus, his partner in the Maui Whale Research Foundation, ply the warm waters between the islands of Maui and Lanai, recording the eerily beautiful songs of the humpbacks and returning to their lab for electronic analysis. The trouble is, Nate’s beginning to wonder if he hasn’t spent just a little too much time in the sun. Either that, or he’s losing his mind. Because today, as he was shooting an I.D. photo of a humpback tail fluke, Nate could’ve sworn he saw the words “Bite Me” scrawled across the whale’s tail. . .
Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Reviews
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If there weren´t the humor and clever writing style, I would have given this a 3 because of the loveless ending and the whole thing feeling kind of constructed and unmotivated, as if Moore just wanted to write another novel with innuendos and social criticism without much caring about the quality. It had its moment, it´s more easy fun than real fantasy comedy, but Moore can do so much better than that.
There is the criticism too, environmental topics are of course important, but because it´s mixed in a somewhat lukewarm mix of style elements and genre games, it didn´t really convince me. Moore writes in different styles, his novels have extreme differences in quality and depth, but this hybrid just doesn´t spark the reading pleasure one could wish for.
With a normal satirical, or pure comedic fantasy, setting, this could have really been something, but so it´s just showing that experiments don´t always work well. It´s a pity, because environmentalism is a very important topic, and Moore could have made it a hit as big as Lamb or a Dirty job, but so it stays far behind its true potential.
I am sure that some might still fight it highly entertaining, if one doesn´t know the other works for comparison or in general doesn´t read that much comedy and satire, it´s hilarious, but I have sadly become a bit snobbish after having devoured so many genre pearls.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph... -
Bite me?! I’m disappointed. Crazy for whales, a Moore fan and the main character’s from where I live, seemed like a no brainer. Well, not this time - I like funny crude, this is more the kind you catch 12 year olds snickering over. A third in I gave up, not due to any maiden aunt sensibilities - it was just…lame. Click spoiler for a taste if you’re undecided, this was my 'enough' point... Alrighty then...
It does have good points, Kona the surfer dude is a hoot, I’d just
rather move onto one of his tastier books -
Lamb appeals. Done slamming now, leave off on a lighter note.
“Nate had been born and raised in British Columbia, and Canadians hate, above all things, to offend. It was part of the national consciousness. “Be polite” was an unwritten, unspoken rule, but ingrained into the psyche of an entire country. Of course, as with any rule, there were exceptions: parts of Quebec, where people maintained the “dismissive to the point of confrontation, with subsequent surrender” mind-set of the French; and hockey, in which any Canadian may, with impunity, slam, pummel, elbow, smack, punch, body-check, and beat the shit out of, with sticks, any other human being, punctuated by profanities, name-calling, questioning parentage, and accusations of bestiality, usually—coincidentally—in French.”
You nailed us Mr. Moore:) -
I have yet to read a book by Christopher Moore that I did not like, that failed to entertain and enlighten and to simply be a very enjoyable good read.
Fluke is no exception.
This is the story of a couple of marine biologists who have spent decades studying humpback whales and who really just want to know why they sing. From here we get taken on another Christopher Moore ride that is as hilarious and mind bending as the last.
Is he the American Neil Gaiman?
I like them both and can see the similarities both in style and theme. Fluke is a fun book with some scientific weight to it, but it never gets bogged down in too much explanation and remains to the end just another great book by Moore.
-
After completing Fluke, I started to envision this fantasy scenario on how the novel came to be...
Book Publisher: Thank you for coming in today, Mr. Moore. I wanted to discuss the manuscript you sent us.
Christopher Moore: Yes, of course. The Song Cycles and Migratory Habits of Whales. Did you like it?
BP: Well, liking it isn't really the point. It's about whales.
CM: And?
BP. No. I mean...It's really about whales. It's non fiction. Unfunny non-fiction.
CM: But that's my point! Everybody expects me to be funny all the time. I'm so funny people do not realize how much research I do on my topics. I have a serious side. I want to inform, to research, to make a serious contribution to society!
BP. But...your contract specifies a novel... a funny novel. I'm not sure people are ready for Christopher Moore the oceanographer. Isn't there some way you can change it. Put in a plot? Make it funny? Perhaps add a Rastafarian wanna-be and a crazy lady millionaire?
CM: I'll see what I can do.
Three weeks later:
BP: I just read your new draft. I'm glad you changed the title. I must say it is really funny.
CM: So what did you like about it?
BP: I loved the Rastafarian wanna-be. And I loved the sci-fi elements. That's a little different than your previous works. I have to hand it to you. I not only laughed a lot but I learned a lot about whales. Your research really is impressive.
CM: Thank you.
BP: And I loved that gotcha moment at the beginning where the marine biologist sees "Bite Me" written on the tail of the whale.
CM: I'm glad, because you were my inspiration for that part.
BP. Why, Than...Oh.
CM: Now, lets talk about my new manuscript that I sent you recently. A Concise History of European Impressionist Artists and Their Models
BP: Uh...Yeah...I wanted to talk to you about that... -
In late May, a young, curious humpback whale swam down the St-Lawrence River all the way to the Montreal Old Port. She was by herself, exploring and frolicking, jumping around in that majestic and graceful way those amazing animals do. Humpback aren't fresh water whales, she shouldn't have been so far down the river in the first place, but she showed no sign of distress. But at some point between Sunday, when she was last seen swimming, and Tuesday morning, she died. I am completely devastated that this adventurous and playful creature didn't manage to get back to her natural habitat safely.
---
Humpback whales are my favorite animal. I’ve always been fascinated by all whales, but humpbacks have a majestic and monumental grace that inexplicably moves me to tears. Just watching a National Geographic documentary about them gives me a lump in my throat, and their haunting songs makes me shiver.
When I heard that Christopher Moore had a book featuring a lot of humpbacks and people trying to figure out why they sing, I immediately wanted to read it. Of all the Moore books I have read (and I have read almost all of them), this is the one that strikes me as the most Vonnegut-esque. It’s funny, philosophical, entertaining, instructive and to be frank, kind of a brain-fuck. But the good type of brain-fuck, where you finish the book and think: “WTF was that?! Let’s do it again!”.
Nate has been studying whales (i.e. poking them with sticks) for a long time. He’s seen it all and got a bit cynical because so far, the only thing he knows with absolute certainty is that whales are big and wet. Then one day, he sees a humpback whale with the words “Bite me” written on its fluke. His research team thinks he’s hallucinating, but Nate is determined to find that whale. He just might end up finding a lot more than he bargained for in the process… Nate is a great character, driven and passionate about what he does – and Canadian! His side-kicks are wonderful Moore creations: Clay the loyal boat guy, Amy the tiny Goth girl and Kona, the white Rastafarian. All unique, quirky, endearing and hilarious.
Moore obviously did a lot of research for this book. You will actually learn some science if you read this, which is not exactly what you’d expect from a comedic novel, but there you have it. He is obviously very passionate about his topic, he wants his readers to be just as passionate as he is, and he manages to pull that off without being preachy or pompous. Even when the story takes a zany turn into sci-fi, his world-building remains tight, concise and very creative. Moore spins one hell of a crazy yarn, but he picks up all the lose strands and ties them neatly together at the end.
I recommend this book to fans of Vonnegut, Pratchett and Adams, and to anyone who loves whales and a good laugh. If you have never picked up a Christopher Moore book before, this is a great place to start! -
Soooo, it took me about 43 years to read this book. And upon thinking for a while and discissing it with Christina for a while I've come to the conclusion that my opinion is based on a two-fold rubric. (Can rubrics have folds?)
Anyway...
Point 1. Character Development.
The character development in this book sucked balls. And not in the good way, either.
Point 2. Plot.
The plot was fuckin' awesome. Except for the fact that it didn't start until a third of the way into the book. But whatev. It's still a clever story filled with science! (I love science!!!)
Let's discuss the above two points in more depth, shall we? As far as character development goes, I'm really disappointed. I mean, really. Amy is supposed to be some quirky gal whose personal slang consists of "mook," "jeepers," and other silly stuff. But she didn't develop that characteristic until we'd met her a half a dozen times. Another example, and I'll try to spare you details, occurrs @ the end of the book. There's a reunion. And it should be romantic and touching, but it's not. It's just quick and flat. Why even bother? Pissed me off.
Alrighty, plot... Underwater city and additional theories of evolution--genius! Carbon based passenger vessels navigated neurogically--double genius! Loved it. Kick ass. Cool. And then they saved the world. No surprises there.
That's all I have to say, really. The book was ok, not great. I'll probably read another Christopher Moore, but only because Christina (et al) really love him, so I figure it's worth giving him a second chance. -
I love Christopher Moore.. this is my fifth book of his, but this one fell short for me. The story is of a scientist who studies whales and their songs. He has worked many many years in the field and when he sees the words "BITE ME" on the tail of one of his whales he is determined to find out how it is even possible. Things are further complicated when the town crazy informs him that the whale he saw called her and asked her to tell him to come visit the whale and bring a pastrami on rye sandwich. There are a few memorable characters such as the Jersey boy who claims he is Hawaiian and a Rastafarian or the assistant who is smoking hot, but slightly not human. In the end it was an interesting read, slightly humorous, but not one of my favorites.
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So far, I haven't met a book by Christopher Moore that I've disliked. Or even merely had a lukewarm feeling for. Fluke is no exception. I mean, how can you not like a writer who produces such lines as "A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since moved on once he realized that no one was ever going to bother him, so he could stand up on his hind hundred feet, hiss like a pissed cat, and deliver a deadly bite to a naked foot"?
Moore writes about things he cares about -- and there are hundreds of them, from people to whales to fruit bats to island paradises to conservation issues to the inevitable jerks who make life so interesting, and on and on and on. In Fluke he gives us whales and their lives, and those who study them. But rather than the predictably over-emotional, politically charged, and buzzword rhetoric that makes up 98% of Green hyperbola on the subject, Moore gives us real people studying real whales -- and the real catastrophes and downsides frequently accompanying such studies.
Why do humpback whales sing? Marine biologist Nate Quinn and his crew poke, chart, record, and photograph huge, wet, marine mammals trying to find answers to that question. And then, one day, a whale lifts his tail into the air to display a cryptic message on his flukes: Bite me.
The problem is that only Nate saw that message. He's beginning to wonder if Hawaii's hot sun has baked his brains a little too thoroughly. Neither his longtime partner, Clay Demodocus, nor their young research assistant, Amy, not even their other assistant, addlepated, pot-smoking, white-boy Rastafarian Kona (a.k.a. Preston Applebaum) saw it. But later, when a roll of film comes back from the film lab with the crucial frame missing, the one that shows those flukes and the message on them, and his research facility is trashed, Nate begins to think there's more to this than a mere hallucination.
What can you say about this novel? Witty, irreverent, puzzling, fascinating, and surprising, Fluke is Moore at the top of his form -- and a great incentive to track down and read everything he's ever written. -
This was just the quirky an fun audiobook that I needed such an intriguing story to listen to and very easy digestible for when I was in a bad mood
-
Good book.
Some laugh or loud moments.
Not one of his best though. -
I’ve been putting off reading Fluke. It was recommended to me by one of my uncles, who meant well but whose method of recommendation was to spoil almost every major plot point - and who then sent me a copy as a high school graduation gift. Knowing a little something about Christopher Moore’s brand of humor, I didn’t make it a priority, the end result of which is that more than five years went by between when he sent it to me and when I finally opened it. And… while I regret putting it off for that long, because that was rude to my uncle, I wasn’t wrong in my expectations of how I’d like the book.
Well… mostly.
As I was in the thick of it, I was almost unbearably frustrated with this book. Moore’s humor tends towards the absurd, with a light dusting of satire, and while I can recognize all the parts that are supposed to be wryly funny, it doesn’t work on me. At the same time, though, Fluke had a surprisingly mysterious plot, and I found myself wanting to read it, even though reading it wasn’t all that enjoyable, just to figure out what the hell was going on.
And… then I got to the end, and I read Moore’s notes and acknowledgements, and I realized that I couldn’t be angry at this book, or even all that frustrated.
The thing is that Fluke is meticulously and accurately researched. To my knowledge, almost all of the basic biology and behavior information presented here is legitimate, and the name drops of scientists who aren’t characters on the page are too. (It was a bit of a shock to see Bruce Mate, who I’ve met, mentioned offhandedly here.) Moore’s description of Japanese whaling is on point, though 13 years out of date now for obvious reasons. He writes in his notes about spending two field seasons with a humpback research team in Hawaii, which tells me that researching this book took at least two years, probably more - that’s impressive for something which, I admit, I kind of expected to be dashed off and dismissive.
He also chose to end this book with a heartfelt plea for readers to care about cetacean conservation, and suggestions about organizations to support. That, and all his notes and acknowledgements, are stunningly classy and well-written, and here - in the last seven pages of the book - I found myself actually enjoying Moore’s humor.
I did get hung up from time to time, though, on a few rather predictable things. The middle-aged male main character’s love interest is his 20-something research assistant and his ex wife divorced him to suddenly become a lesbian… and now does research with her partner, who is a caricature of feminist stereotypes and painful to read, though her pagetime is mercifully brief. A lot of the humor is sex-based, which I didn’t mind until the instances where it was rape-based, and no, that’s just not ever gonna be funny to me. And I mean… I expected to have these issues, and a whole lot more than that; but knowing it’s coming doesn’t make it any more pleasant.
I don’t think Moore’s fiction is for me, but… at the end of the day, I’m left with a hearty respect for him as an author and an artist. And if he ever writes nonfiction in the tone of his author’s notes here, I’m in.
(Postscript: at the time that Moore wrote this, I suspect the term ‘meme’ didn’t have the same meaning in internet parlance that it does today, and it did originate in science, but… the fact remains that this book has the sentence “Humpback whale songs are memes” in it and, in 2016, that is unintentionally one of the best jokes of the book.) -
Christopher Moore does it again!
Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore is a very enjoyable read! I have enjoyed every Christopher Moore book that I've read. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.
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3.5 stars
Nate is a biologist, studying whales in Hawai'i and trying to find out why they sing. He is working with Clay, a photographer; Amy, a new research assistant; and Kona, a local. One day, on the water, Nate notices something a little strange about the underside of a whale's flukes (the "wings" on the tail): it says "Bite Me". Not only that, things start happening, like the lab being trashed and one of their boats being sunk.
It was good and there were funny parts, but the second half of the book got very... um... odd. I enjoyed the first half of the book, and the focus on and information about the whales and the mystery surrounding what was going on, but the second half was just very odd. I also liked the characters and I appreciated that Moore gave us some info at the end of the book about how much about the whales was true, as well as some info about conservation. Despite the focus on whales, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the other books I've read by Moore. -
Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Wale Sings was pretty good. Eventually. Once I got into it.
Christopher Moore is hard to review. He strikes me as more of a comedian than an author. As such, if he keeps me entertained and makes me laugh out loud, I consider his book to be a success. Fluke is a typical Christopher Moore story in that it involves a group of wacky people working together in a preposterous situation. The whale and conservation info presented here was cool. And chapter eighteen wins best chapter title ever award: Chapter Eighteen, Heinous Fuckery Most Foul! =) I’m glad I went with the audio version of this book. Narrator Bill Irwin did a great job with the different voices and accents and gave the characters a lot of life. (Which sounds totally lame, but Christopher Moore’s characters all tend to be sarcastic and kind of snarky people. He writes the sort of characters which I think work fantastically in the right movie, but can fall flat in print.)
Christopher Moore fans will enjoy this one. While I don’t feel that it was as well written as
Bloodsucking Fiends,
You Suck or
The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror it made me laugh quite a bit. That’s gotta count for something =) -
5 Ooks
Do you like mysteries?
Do you like to laugh?
Have you ever wondered why whales sing?
Did you ever wish you lived in Hawaii?
Did you ever wish you could see one of those white-boy poser Rastafarians get a bit of a stomping?...Hey now, don't be a hater...
Moore evokes beach people and the islands in this fun and fast moving tale. It's filled with his usual wit and wacky, but lovable characters, and leavened with a bit of a message (but, not preachy).
This is a book that will draw you in and leave you wanting more (no pun intended). Even though it's a mystery, it's just as good on the second reading. -
Diverting.
I've read a few Moore, and this seems to follow the formula of the others: centered on a nebbish man, his struggles to comprehend, survive an increasingly outrageous situation aided and abetted by a cast of kooky guy friends and a more competent, slightly dangerous woman who, nevertheless, unabashedly flirts with him. The story this time derives its humor more from the situation and narrative voice than the characters, and there's a few too many info dumps to move the plot along, but it was all in good fun. -
Why do humpback whales sing?
This is the basic theme behind the story contained in this book. I picked it up because whales are one of my favorite animals, and I have always loved listening to their singing. Also, I hadn't read a funny book in a while, and needed a break from the 'serious' stuff.
I have to say it: It's a whale of a tale!
The book starts out fairly normal, but then, takes a turn into the land of the zany. Really. You will have no idea what hit you. And that, truly, is the best part.
It's a pretty fast-paced read, and the humor is great! I especially loved the subtle humor and the innuendo. Always fun.
Author's Note (from the official site):
What do most people know about whales beyond that fact that theyre big and wet? Not much, right? Well, having been a scuba diver for a long time, and lived next to the ocean for some twenty-five years, I thought, I really should learn more about these big wet things that keep swimming by. So I started learning about whales, and more important, the people whose business it is to learn about whales.
Something happens when you spend any amount of time on the ocean with people who have a less than conservative view of how one should make his living: you begin to feel that adventure is its own reward. You begin to measure experience, rather than sustenance, as the goal; and you begin to get a feeling for those adventurers you left behind in your childhood: those salty rapscallions sprung from the imaginations of Jack London and Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson -- even the twisted eccentrics of Joseph Conrad and the ancient undersea beings of H.P. Lovecraft. (And you begin, too, to wish youd brought along some Dramamine.) As a writer, you get it, the same way that you got it when you were a kid, and theres not much you can do but share the adventures.
So I got it, and Im passing it on to you, that "fear recalled in comfort" that is called the adventure story.
Have fun.
Sincerely,
Christopher Moore
My Note: Save the whales! Don't allow whaling! -
Whale research gone weird. I have read or listened to this book so many times I can't count them, and I still find it an entertaining and delightful read. I honestly don't know why this book never palls as so many other favourites have over the years, maybe someone can come up with a good theory. In any event, I was having a bad patch and decided to go through it all the way and in order again, and it was another wonderful ride. I've no idea if anyone else would likes it as much as I do, but I would say it is worth a try.
-
Amy called the whale punkin.
Nate Quinn is studying humpback whales when he sees an odd message on the tail of one.
Christopher Moore is a greatly disturbed man whose books I usually love. This one is the exception. The first third was good and kept my attention. After that things got very strange and I completely lost interest.
The quirky characters got to be too much and I found myself skimming just to find something that kept my attention.
I'm sure I will pick up something else to read by Christopher at some point. Just not in the near future. -
Avendo letto quasi tutti i suoi libri, di Christopher Moore ormai ho due scaffali distinti:
Lo scaffale wow e lo scaffale poteva-essere-wow.
Questo libro lo colloco nello scaffale...
*rullo di tamburi*
Wow!
Un'idea balzana, come sempre, ma cotta a puntino.
Non so perché, ma stavo lasciando questo libro per ultimo (penultimo, alla fine, mi manca ancora The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove), m'ispirava non troppissimo, e per giunta avevo visto per sbaglio la copertina della versione inglese, dove rappresentavano il giovane Kona pedalando in una specie di balena-risciò, dandomi l'idea che ci sarebbe stato un rasta malvagio che attacca la gente da dentro a una balena con scritto BITE ME sul sedere (vabbé, pinna, non sedere).
Odio le copertine fuorvianti (e pare che anche Chris le odi, ma che gli editori l'abbiano sempre vinta).
Leggendolo invece, mi sono dovuto ricredere, è uno dei suoi lavori più ispirati, tra quelli meno famosi e spesso considerati (almeno da me) minori.
Non è ai livelli di Lamb e Dirty Job (che forse si meritano uno scaffale a parte), ma mi ha fatto morire dal ridere e ha dei personaggi davvero azzeccati. Anzi, pensandoci bene direi che tutti i personaggi sono ben riusciti e credibili.
Il difetto che gli trovo, e che purtroppo riscontro in molti dei suoi libri, è che il finale quasi sempre non è all'altezza del libro. Non c'è mai una grande minaccia, né uno scontro, né niente di particolarmente avvincente, bensì una risoluzione piuttosto lineare degli eventi e un happy ending a effetto. Purtroppo in Fluke si nota in particolar modo, l'ultimo 10% del libro perde un po'. Ma almeno è solo un 10%, e tutto quanto lo precede è invece di ottima fattura.
Peccato soprattutto perché me l'ero immaginato un bel finale coi fiocchi e infatti, mentre adocchiavo con timore la percentuale di completamento, pensavo: "Ahi ahi ahi, mica c'è spazio per tutto quello che vorrei che accadesse". -
The story starts with marine biologist Nate Quinn studying humpback whales when, all of a sudden, he sees one with "Bite me" written across its tail, which jump starts a whole series of increasingly odd events until things take a turn for the science fictional.
It's this turn that seems to bother people in other reviews I've read, but I thought it was intriguing, and Moore deserves credit for describing these otherworldly elements as quickly and effectively as he does. Worldbuilding can easily weigh a novel down, especially when it begins over one hundred pages in. Instead I felt that, after wandering around giggling at itself for fifteen chapters, Fluke was finally going somewhere.
However, the vast majority of the story goes by with little to no real conflict and, once the danger finally presents itself, it disappears shortly afterwards doing almost no damage whatsoever. It feels like something really cool could have happened here, but we wound up with an otherwise decent yarn truncated by a clunky, poorly-tied knot. Everything is fine. Everything always was, for the most part, fine.
Full review
here. -
This is the second Christopher Moore book I've read, but it was certainly enough to get a handle on his typical plot line: Random guy gets involved in a strange situation he can't understand that relates to some type of odd deity, he falls for a very attractive girl who is involved in the weirdness, after very silly plot twists the couple find a way to "ride off into the sunset" together. While this type of explanation would usually put me off reading more of his books, his writing is done so well and the stories so inventive and hilarious that I can't help but enjoy them.
This book is about hump back whale researchers living in Hawaii, and while I'm no marine biologist the facts all seemed very well researched. A group of researchers are involved in figuring out why the hump backs sing and what they may be saying to each other, which throws the head researcher into a crazy adventure he could never have imagined. The hot girl is a research student working with the team, but she turns out to be much more. The plot is just so ridiculous you can't help but feel entertained.
If you're looking for something smart and funny, I would definitely recommend you give this a read. -
Christopher Moore is brilliant. He is so smart, it's insane and this book is proof of that. The fact that he can take a well-researched topic and turn it into this bizarre and magical adventure is pretty amazing. Honestly, I picked up this book so as to "get that one out of the way" as the plot didn't really interest me.
Boy, was I wrong.
The story is super bizarre but it's highy enjoyable and the characters are really well-developed (which so far seems to be a constant with this author and possibly the reason I like him so much). There are a ton of really fun moments in this book, Moore never disappoints.
It flops here and there and a few things don't make sense within the plot and that's why I'm not giving it five stars.
Also, the Conservation section at the end of the book is fantastic and I was really glad I read that. It shows not only his talent at writing but also how smart he is and how aware he is of dangerous environmental practices and the relatively easy ways in which we can help change them. I respect this man a lot, but these few pages just put him on a whole other level. -
"Nate wouldn’t have been more surprised if he’d walked in on a team of squirrels building a toaster oven." - a quote worth repeating.
I’m giving this one 5 stars because it was simply a delightful read from beginning to end. Christopher Moore tackles the scientific mystery of whale song in his own unique way. This book is wildly creative and funny while being surprisingly well researched. It appears that Mr. Moore spent a fair amount of time with biologists and whale researchers in Hawaii preparing to write this book.
In Fluke Moore takes a serious topic and blends in just the right amount of absurdity. The story is intriguing and well-paced. I loved the characters, loved the whales, laughed aloud and just had a lot of fun with this book. I especially enjoy Moore's gift for simile and visual imagery.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and/or Kurt Vonnegut – all masters of absurd humor and keen observers of humanity. Moore sits comfortably in their ranks and I’m glad someone suggested his books to me. -
I liked Lamb so much that I immediately purchased another Christopher Moore novel to start reading. I will admit that this one was quite a bit more bizarre, but I enjoyed it just as much. There was a lot of interesting facts about whales and biology thrown in so seamlessly that before you realized it, you had learned something. Furthermore, there were many parts of this story that were laugh-out-loud funny and, like Lamb, I found it hard to put it down once I started. I found Christopher Moore to be capable creating multidimensional characters that you can actually empathize with as the story progresses. I definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of Moore's other stories.
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I'm not sure if I should give this book two or three stars. The characters were a little flat, the tone could get a little preachy, and I'm left thinking the book isn't quite as clever as the author thinks it is. I did finish it however, and I didn't want to stop reading it in the sense of a did not finish book. I also enjoyed the whole conversation about memes and genes. At the very least, the book has made me want to try another Moore book at some point.
