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Fool #2
The Serpent of Venice
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Humor (2014)New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore channels William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe in this satiric Venetian gothic that brings back the Pocket of Dog Snogging, the eponymous hero of Fool, along with his sidekick, Drool, and pet monkey, Jeff
Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy of Britain and France, and widower of the murdered Queen Cordelia: the rascal-Fool Pocket.
This trio of cunning plotters-the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago-have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.
But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.
Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy of Britain and France, and widower of the murdered Queen Cordelia: the rascal-Fool Pocket.
This trio of cunning plotters-the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago-have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.
But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2014
889 people are currently reading
18219 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Moore
114 books91.3k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Christopher Moore is an American writer of absurdist fiction. He grew up in Mansfield, OH, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters suddenly struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. Inheriting a humanism from his love of John Steinbeck and a sense of the absurd from Kurt Vonnegut, Moore is a best-selling author with major cult status.
Christopher Moore is an American writer of absurdist fiction. He grew up in Mansfield, OH, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters suddenly struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. Inheriting a humanism from his love of John Steinbeck and a sense of the absurd from Kurt Vonnegut, Moore is a best-selling author with major cult status.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,797 reviews
April 30, 2014
Some might think that William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe would be rolling in their graves at the way Christopher Moore has used their works, but it’s just as likely that they’d be laughing their asses off.
Moore has (In his own words.) ‘stitched together an abomination’ out of The Merchant of Venice, Othello and The Cask of Amontillado using the character of Pocket as the thread. Pocket was the hero of Moore’s last Shakespeare spoof Fool, and while he may be a Fool by training and inclination, that doesn’t mean that he’s not smart enough to get some well-deserved revenge when he gets caught up in a sinister plot in Venice involving a trio of conspirators. While the merchant Antonio, the senator Brabantio and the soldier Iago are powerful enemies, Pocket has an ally in the mighty general Othello as well as being a friend to the Jewish money lender Shylock and his daughter Jessica. Oh, and since this is a Christopher Moore novel there’s some kind of mysterious creature lurking in the canals of Venice….
There was a lot to like about this one, and as you’d expect with a Moore book, there’s plenty of laughs of a bawdy nature as well as genuine cleverness at how he integrated the three classic works of literature together. Pocket remains one of his best characters in the way that he uses his smart mouth and a sneaky nature to make up for a his lack of size.
The one complaint I’ve got is similar to the one that left me dissatisfied with Moore’s last book Sacre Bleu, and it’s the way he incorporates flashbacks. As with Sacre Bleu he starts mid-plot and doles out the history in bits and pieces throughout the book, and it can be confusing at times. For example, this book begins with Brobantio, Antonio and Iago waiting on a dock for the arrival of Pocket so they can take revenge for him. Why are the characters from two different plays working together? Why do they want revenge on Pocket? Why does he act so contemptuous of them when he arrives? You only find that out later, and it had me scratching my head so much that I actually stopped to check and see if I had missed another book featuring the Fool.
That flashback mechanism can work well when trying to build mystery or suspense, but it’s more than a little confusing when you’re already trying to establish a story that blends three works together using characters from a spoof of another play. Moore probably wanted to get right into the meat of the story, but this is the kind of thing where some time spent establishing the ground rules would make things flow better. It didn’t bother me as badly as it did in Sacre Bleu, but it was a distraction.
Still, if you want to read a tale of ‘Heinous Fuckery, most foul’ and laugh a lot while doing so, this is the book for you.
Moore has (In his own words.) ‘stitched together an abomination’ out of The Merchant of Venice, Othello and The Cask of Amontillado using the character of Pocket as the thread. Pocket was the hero of Moore’s last Shakespeare spoof Fool, and while he may be a Fool by training and inclination, that doesn’t mean that he’s not smart enough to get some well-deserved revenge when he gets caught up in a sinister plot in Venice involving a trio of conspirators. While the merchant Antonio, the senator Brabantio and the soldier Iago are powerful enemies, Pocket has an ally in the mighty general Othello as well as being a friend to the Jewish money lender Shylock and his daughter Jessica. Oh, and since this is a Christopher Moore novel there’s some kind of mysterious creature lurking in the canals of Venice….
There was a lot to like about this one, and as you’d expect with a Moore book, there’s plenty of laughs of a bawdy nature as well as genuine cleverness at how he integrated the three classic works of literature together. Pocket remains one of his best characters in the way that he uses his smart mouth and a sneaky nature to make up for a his lack of size.
The one complaint I’ve got is similar to the one that left me dissatisfied with Moore’s last book Sacre Bleu, and it’s the way he incorporates flashbacks. As with Sacre Bleu he starts mid-plot and doles out the history in bits and pieces throughout the book, and it can be confusing at times. For example, this book begins with Brobantio, Antonio and Iago waiting on a dock for the arrival of Pocket so they can take revenge for him. Why are the characters from two different plays working together? Why do they want revenge on Pocket? Why does he act so contemptuous of them when he arrives? You only find that out later, and it had me scratching my head so much that I actually stopped to check and see if I had missed another book featuring the Fool.
That flashback mechanism can work well when trying to build mystery or suspense, but it’s more than a little confusing when you’re already trying to establish a story that blends three works together using characters from a spoof of another play. Moore probably wanted to get right into the meat of the story, but this is the kind of thing where some time spent establishing the ground rules would make things flow better. It didn’t bother me as badly as it did in Sacre Bleu, but it was a distraction.
Still, if you want to read a tale of ‘Heinous Fuckery, most foul’ and laugh a lot while doing so, this is the book for you.
September 4, 2019
Chorus: And so, from the anointed pen of yon modern bard, comes a re-telling of the Merchant of Venice, Othello, and Cask of Amontillado, what doth pretend to amuse with glad tidings!
Iago: Tis truly spoken, the knave Moore has again made sporting use of the fool Pocket.
Bassanio: Ha!, but a jest, he has made loutish amusement of Will’s Venetian comedy.
Jessica: The jester doth make rude jest.
Pocket: Well I am a flippin’ tosser, ain’t I? This is a hero’s tale, ain’t it? There is a might bit of swashing my buckles.
Antonio: Yet, does not the cast a fool’s play make? Speaking in English accents among the noble Venetians?
Drool: Except for a line or two in f***ing French.
Desdemona: And borrowed of a scene from black Edgar’s murderous mason.
Othello: A moor?
Michael Cassio: Black as in gothic my lord general.
Iago: To what fool’s purpose is this black motley of high drama and comedy mixed?
Pocket: The black fool, that moniker is mine!
Shylock: If I am pleased, will I not laugh?
Emilia: The dark harlequin was roughly used, and wrongly.
Iago: Tis truly spoke, untrue wife, and by a mossy beast more akin to a cold Scottish lake.
Bianca: The lust lizard?
Portia: Spoilest thou not the knave’s raucous intrigue!
Othello: Indeed, wanton wench (where’s your knickers?), the green eyed monster what craves the hand that feeds it.
Jessica: The fool a puzzling hero makes, and who doest love himself overly much.
Pocket: Not all English are wankers!
Lorenzo: Indeed, and rightly said, for like Denmark’s melancholy regent, Fortunado was by Britain’s dreamy shade accosted.
Chorus: There’s always a bloody ghost!
Iago: Tis truly spoken, the knave Moore has again made sporting use of the fool Pocket.
Bassanio: Ha!, but a jest, he has made loutish amusement of Will’s Venetian comedy.
Jessica: The jester doth make rude jest.
Pocket: Well I am a flippin’ tosser, ain’t I? This is a hero’s tale, ain’t it? There is a might bit of swashing my buckles.
Antonio: Yet, does not the cast a fool’s play make? Speaking in English accents among the noble Venetians?
Drool: Except for a line or two in f***ing French.
Desdemona: And borrowed of a scene from black Edgar’s murderous mason.
Othello: A moor?
Michael Cassio: Black as in gothic my lord general.
Iago: To what fool’s purpose is this black motley of high drama and comedy mixed?
Pocket: The black fool, that moniker is mine!
Shylock: If I am pleased, will I not laugh?
Emilia: The dark harlequin was roughly used, and wrongly.
Iago: Tis truly spoke, untrue wife, and by a mossy beast more akin to a cold Scottish lake.
Bianca: The lust lizard?
Portia: Spoilest thou not the knave’s raucous intrigue!
Othello: Indeed, wanton wench (where’s your knickers?), the green eyed monster what craves the hand that feeds it.
Jessica: The fool a puzzling hero makes, and who doest love himself overly much.
Pocket: Not all English are wankers!
Lorenzo: Indeed, and rightly said, for like Denmark’s melancholy regent, Fortunado was by Britain’s dreamy shade accosted.
Chorus: There’s always a bloody ghost!
May 15, 2014
CHORUS
Gondola knifes through vasty night
Past dying stars of lantern light
And distant cries of tart’s delight
Ride drunken songs to bawdy heights.
Beneath a bridge doth stand the fool,
Crafting plans to free young Drool.
By stealth or guile or cutting throats,
No plots commence without a boat.
We find Pocket at the beginning of this novel in a bit of a pickle. He is shackled and chained in a room that is so close to the sea that when the tide comes in water rises to his armpits. His enemies have left him there to die much the same way enemies always seem to leave James Bond in a precarious situation, but never stick around to actually see the hero eviscerated, drowned, crushed, impaled or sliced by a laser.
If Pocket were a foot taller and not so much the fool he’d be Bond, James Bond.
Do you expect me to talk Brabantio?
NO, Mr. Pocket, I expect you to die.
wahaha
Before Pocket can manufacture his magnificent escape he has a wee bit of problem with a sea creature, a serpent, a black dragon in fact, who has a powerful lust for Pocket’s knob. Pocket is potentially one of the horniest fools in existence, but even he finds the claws and the rough foreplay exhausting. It goes on for night after night. It will turn out to be the least he can do because this black serpent turns out to be the instrument of his revenge on those that are trying to kill him. He also has an issue in true Shakespearean style with a less than helpful chorus who is filling his ears with doom and gloom.
CHORUS:
And so, chained in the dark, naked and bedeviled by a hellish creature unknown, after five changings of the tides, the fool went mad.
I am not mad!
CHORUS:
Fear did twist the jester’s tiny mind--stretch it past the limits of sanity until it snapped--and shivering and pale, he went mad.
I am not mad!
CHORUS:
Stark, raving mad. Bonkers. Drooling, frothing, barking mad.
I am not bloody mad, you berk!
CHORUS:
You’re shouting at a disembodied voice in the dark.
Oh fuckstockings. Good point. Well, a bit knackered, perhaps, but not bloody mad.
The Bloody Chorus is trying to drive poor Pocket MAD!!!
Did I mention that Pocket is a FOOL? Not a fool in the same sense as most people you may know, but really truly a King’s fool. He is temporarily out of work, but then it seems everyone has a job for him. All he wants to do is mourn the loss of the great love of his life Cordelia, maybe shag something other than a sea serpent, drink copious amounts of alcohol, and stuff his gullet with a buffet of rich foods.
First he has to liberate his friend Drool, a mountain of a man, from captivity. Pocket meets a pretty Jewish girl who has exactly what he needs, or rather her father Shylock has exactly what he needs...a big bag of gold. Now Drool is a special case who asks every woman he meets if he can see her tits and is constantly needed to relieve the strain that his breeches can barely contain. He does have some strange skills more in line with Rainman.
”It’s a gift, nature’s way of compensating him for being an enormous, beef-brained child. He can remember whole conversations, hours long, and recite them back word for word, in the voice from which they sprouted, and not have a fluttering notion of what he’s been saying.”
To make the duo a trio there is also a monkey named Jeff who has a special predilection for humping headwear. It is very disconcerting for the person wearing a hat. As an afterthought Pocket liberates a young man by the name of Marco Polo.
There are also plenty of women populating this novel who are performing the world’s oldest profession.
”Shag a virgin, five shillings. Sail you off the edge of the world* for six,” she called by routine, bored.
*It’s AD 1299. “Around the World” hasn’t been invented yet.
Pocket doesn’t usually hang out with the best class of citizen, but as dangerous as that might seem it isn’t half as dangerous when he becomes caught up in the schemes surrounding Othello and the wicked man named Iago whispering in his ear. It wasn’t Pocket’s idea, but the bloody ghost finally showed up, and she happened to be his lost love Cordelia who knows perfectly well the right sentiments to motivate Pocket into being helpful. As usual Pocket, through the dint of his unusual skills (pissing everyone off), will have to figure out a way to save the world once again and more importantly keep himself alive in the process.
Christopher Moore attired properly to tell this tale.
Christopher Moore has taken the plays The Merchant of Venice and Othello added a dash of The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe and produced another adventure for the most unlikely of heroes The Fool Pocket. As Carl Hiaasen says on the front cover: ”Shakespeare and Poe might be rolling in their graves, but they’re rolling with laughter. Moore is one of the cleverest, naughtiest writers alive.” I enjoyed this book, but it suffered in comparison to the first book with Pocket titled Fool. I certainly caught myself chuckling reading this one, but when I was reading Fool I would occasionally have put the book down because I was laughing too hard to hold it. Certainly read Fool first and if you enjoy that one you won’t be able to resist this one.
April 29, 2014
Hot on the heels of finishing
Fool
, I couldn't have been more pleased to hear that I was mere days away from another bawdy tale of heinous fuckery most foul featuring our pal Pocket. (Thanks Amanda!) And, as usual, Christopher Moore (below) delivers another raucous ride in the most Moorish of ways (Othello pun).
So what's in store for Pocket and friends? Well, once again Moore is borrowing from good old Will ( Othello and The Merchant of Venice , with bits and pieces from elsewhere in the canon). But, this time around, he's tossing in a bit of Poe for good measure, from his short story The Cask of Amantillado. However, not to worry if you haven't the foggiest as to the contents of those earlier tales, Moore's work always stands well on its own two feet (even if they're a bit wobbly when shod in chopines - little stilt shoes of which Pocket partakes for a time).
I'm not sure that I loved this one quite so much as I did Fool, but that doesn't mean I wasn't laughing all the way through. Pocket's dialogue with the bothersome chorus who pops in now and again for a bit of expository language was especially clever. So, go grab your motley, your enormous codpiece and your monkey (called "Jeff"), and get on with the intrigue.
So what's in store for Pocket and friends? Well, once again Moore is borrowing from good old Will ( Othello and The Merchant of Venice , with bits and pieces from elsewhere in the canon). But, this time around, he's tossing in a bit of Poe for good measure, from his short story The Cask of Amantillado. However, not to worry if you haven't the foggiest as to the contents of those earlier tales, Moore's work always stands well on its own two feet (even if they're a bit wobbly when shod in chopines - little stilt shoes of which Pocket partakes for a time).
I'm not sure that I loved this one quite so much as I did Fool, but that doesn't mean I wasn't laughing all the way through. Pocket's dialogue with the bothersome chorus who pops in now and again for a bit of expository language was especially clever. So, go grab your motley, your enormous codpiece and your monkey (called "Jeff"), and get on with the intrigue.
November 2, 2016
Ode to the Bawdy Bard
This is Shakespeare turned to eleven, and while there's no Spinal Tap reference there are an enormous amount of tweaks and nods from Poe to The Princess Bride. Frankly, this is too clever and I too dull of wit to do justice to the absurdist skewering.
Nonetheless, I shall sally forth. I'll be blunt, as soon as a dragon named Vivian makes an appearance and decapitation takes the front seat I was pretty much invested in this story and it was going to be hard to shake me. Plus, the touch with the Chorus is pretty hysterical.
Vulgar and coarse, the humor pays homage to Shakespeare by faithfully exploiting his audience base, which was anything but highbrow. I really got my kicks out of the sheer audacity and dedication to the insults and slander--it really was refreshing to see real effort on those fronts. Fool is a master of foul language.
He's also a genius, a manipulator, and anything but a fool. Filling the true role of a jester in medieval times, he is both the comic and the critic. I adore him.
This is satire and there are some stark demonstrations of bigotry exposed. In some ways, it reads rather like Candide, like opening the hems of a silk kimono to brush away the detritus, to clean it before stitching it back up.
Parting advice to readers: To look beyond the frolicking and fancy is a fool's quest.
This is Shakespeare turned to eleven, and while there's no Spinal Tap reference there are an enormous amount of tweaks and nods from Poe to The Princess Bride. Frankly, this is too clever and I too dull of wit to do justice to the absurdist skewering.
Nonetheless, I shall sally forth. I'll be blunt, as soon as a dragon named Vivian makes an appearance and decapitation takes the front seat I was pretty much invested in this story and it was going to be hard to shake me. Plus, the touch with the Chorus is pretty hysterical.
Vulgar and coarse, the humor pays homage to Shakespeare by faithfully exploiting his audience base, which was anything but highbrow. I really got my kicks out of the sheer audacity and dedication to the insults and slander--it really was refreshing to see real effort on those fronts. Fool is a master of foul language.
“Oh fuckstockings. Fine, I’ll put on some trousers. I’m wearing my daggers, aren’t I?” (I was. Little point having my fool suit fitted if I couldn’t conceal my daggers underneath.) “A gentleman can’t even discuss fucking philosophy without you puritanical twats casting judgmental glances at his tackle d’amore.”
He's also a genius, a manipulator, and anything but a fool. Filling the true role of a jester in medieval times, he is both the comic and the critic. I adore him.
“We will bring your guilt as well. You wouldn’t have escaped it anyway. It is a parent’s gift. I was orphaned as a babe, yet carry the curse of my parents’ guilt like a woodpecker around my neck.”
“You mean an albatross. The curse is supposed to be an albatross around your neck.”
“You’re positive?”
She nodded. “Albatross.”
“I was a very poor child. The nuns that took me in couldn’t afford an albatross, so they just put a bit of string on a woodpecker the cat brought in.”
“Well, that’s not the same, is it?”
“An albatross is a crashing huge bird, innit? You can’t just go garroting a small child with it, that would be heinous, even for nuns.”
This is satire and there are some stark demonstrations of bigotry exposed. In some ways, it reads rather like Candide, like opening the hems of a silk kimono to brush away the detritus, to clean it before stitching it back up.
Parting advice to readers: To look beyond the frolicking and fancy is a fool's quest.
December 13, 2013
I have been a huge fan of Christopher Moore for years, so when I saw this available, I snapped it up. Sadly, I must say it is *not* one of his better books.
Pocket is back, though without his sidekick Drool and pet monkey Jeff for most of the book. In 'Serpent of Venice', Pocket is busy getting mostly dead, working with Othello, and saving a Jewess. Among other things. Oh, and revenge (as is common is most Shakespeare related writing) is a main component of the story.
I really didn't find the humor in this book. One of the things I have always enjoyed about Moore's books is the sly sense of humor that often makes terrifically valid points. I didn't really feel that in this book - and even the humor that existed felt...forced. Honestly, if you are just now starting to read Moore, I would start with Lamb or Fluke - both far better books.
Pocket is back, though without his sidekick Drool and pet monkey Jeff for most of the book. In 'Serpent of Venice', Pocket is busy getting mostly dead, working with Othello, and saving a Jewess. Among other things. Oh, and revenge (as is common is most Shakespeare related writing) is a main component of the story.
I really didn't find the humor in this book. One of the things I have always enjoyed about Moore's books is the sly sense of humor that often makes terrifically valid points. I didn't really feel that in this book - and even the humor that existed felt...forced. Honestly, if you are just now starting to read Moore, I would start with Lamb or Fluke - both far better books.
October 18, 2017
“Stay back from the edge for a bit, would you matey?”
“The Serpent of Venice” disappointed me. No other way to say it. Its predecessor, “Fool”, was clever and an enjoyable read. This one just did not do it for me.
Christopher Moore seems unable to give up a lame joke. This novel is his standard vulgarity (mix and repeat and repeat and repeat…) distasteful sexual jokes (am I the only person not interested in a protagonist who has sex with a sea serpent? In addition, Moore has used this motif in more than a few texts, enough to make me worry about him a little) and stories that seem to not have an end in mind.
Too many times in this book I would read a clever moment that was too quickly followed by something just painful and ridiculous to read. There were moments where I was embarrassed for the writer. A novel should not make me feel like that. Frustratingly, the premise is fun, the Fool from “King Lear”, now in the Venice of Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Merchant of Venice”. What a great idea! Moreover, there are moments that are good. But they are not sustained, and the stuff that follows each one detracts in such a manner that the book just does not recover.
“The Serpent of Venice” is mainly not good because Mr. Moore uses no original ideas in executing his concept. He is recycling jokes and motifs from earlier texts. I enjoyed them (usually) then. Not so much now.
Give us something new sir. Please!
“The Serpent of Venice” disappointed me. No other way to say it. Its predecessor, “Fool”, was clever and an enjoyable read. This one just did not do it for me.
Christopher Moore seems unable to give up a lame joke. This novel is his standard vulgarity (mix and repeat and repeat and repeat…) distasteful sexual jokes (am I the only person not interested in a protagonist who has sex with a sea serpent? In addition, Moore has used this motif in more than a few texts, enough to make me worry about him a little) and stories that seem to not have an end in mind.
Too many times in this book I would read a clever moment that was too quickly followed by something just painful and ridiculous to read. There were moments where I was embarrassed for the writer. A novel should not make me feel like that. Frustratingly, the premise is fun, the Fool from “King Lear”, now in the Venice of Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Merchant of Venice”. What a great idea! Moreover, there are moments that are good. But they are not sustained, and the stuff that follows each one detracts in such a manner that the book just does not recover.
“The Serpent of Venice” is mainly not good because Mr. Moore uses no original ideas in executing his concept. He is recycling jokes and motifs from earlier texts. I enjoyed them (usually) then. Not so much now.
Give us something new sir. Please!
May 23, 2014
An excellent, most humorous, and quite bawdy amalgamation of The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and The Cask of Amontillado.
Moore brings back everyone's favorite court jester, Pocket of Dog Snogging from Fool, as well as his apprentice Drool and his monkey Jeff, and sends them to Venice to intertwine with Othello, Iago, Shylock, Antonio, and even Marco Polo, among other senators, merchants, soldiers and whores. It was a deftly plotted romp, with plenty of deceit, treachery, and villainous plotting -- which Moore has a habit of referring to as "heinous fuckery most foul" -- which is never allowed to overshadow the riotous humor, and the occasional appearances of a bloody ghost and a sea serpent that likes to shag.
I feel compelled to point out that I listened to the audio book, since the performance by Euan Morton was out of this world. I had thought it odd that this wasn't listed as "read by" or "narrated by," but as "performed by," but the flourish is more than earned, as this is a marvelous performance. The character's distinct voices, especially the fourth-wall-breaking Chorus, made this like listening to a radio play.
In summation, I highly recommend this book, and if you are the audio book type, I strongly recommend listening to the audio book performance of it.
Moore brings back everyone's favorite court jester, Pocket of Dog Snogging from Fool, as well as his apprentice Drool and his monkey Jeff, and sends them to Venice to intertwine with Othello, Iago, Shylock, Antonio, and even Marco Polo, among other senators, merchants, soldiers and whores. It was a deftly plotted romp, with plenty of deceit, treachery, and villainous plotting -- which Moore has a habit of referring to as "heinous fuckery most foul" -- which is never allowed to overshadow the riotous humor, and the occasional appearances of a bloody ghost and a sea serpent that likes to shag.
I feel compelled to point out that I listened to the audio book, since the performance by Euan Morton was out of this world. I had thought it odd that this wasn't listed as "read by" or "narrated by," but as "performed by," but the flourish is more than earned, as this is a marvelous performance. The character's distinct voices, especially the fourth-wall-breaking Chorus, made this like listening to a radio play.
In summation, I highly recommend this book, and if you are the audio book type, I strongly recommend listening to the audio book performance of it.
November 21, 2014
I'm thrilled and a little humbled that, through the kindness of the author, I got to read the story six months before its release date.
Having said that... Othello and the Merchant of Venice meet over a Cask of Amantillado? With a snake monster thrown in? Sounds awful, right? And from any other author, it might *be* awful.
But Serpent is...magical. The three stories blend together more or less seamlessly. I totally bought that Desdemona and Portia were sisters, and that the father's anger by the one daughter marrying someone "unacceptable" spurred on his business with the caskets and the lottery to win Portia's hand. It's genius. (I don't like to spoil people's surprised delight or horror when they discover plot twists, so I don't do spoiler-y reviews... The previous sentence shouldn't be a spoiler though, if you have any acquaintance with the source plays. My apologies if I accidentally salted your game.)
I also love that there's a Chorus in this story. Shakespeare uses a Chorus in Henry V and other plays, who goes wandering occasionally through the action to narrate what someone was thinking or was about to do. The characters (and actors in stage versions) completely ignore the Chorus. But not this one. The characters interact with, contradict, and occasionally threaten the Chorus in this book. It's delightfully refreshing. At one point, the Chorus takes a paragraph to set the scene that will follow, and someone asks who that is. The response is that he's "Just a grandiose nutter who can't help himself bursting through the 4th wall like a great dim-witted battering ram.". Really, who hasn't thought that at some point?
Having said that... Othello and the Merchant of Venice meet over a Cask of Amantillado? With a snake monster thrown in? Sounds awful, right? And from any other author, it might *be* awful.
But Serpent is...magical. The three stories blend together more or less seamlessly. I totally bought that Desdemona and Portia were sisters, and that the father's anger by the one daughter marrying someone "unacceptable" spurred on his business with the caskets and the lottery to win Portia's hand. It's genius. (I don't like to spoil people's surprised delight or horror when they discover plot twists, so I don't do spoiler-y reviews... The previous sentence shouldn't be a spoiler though, if you have any acquaintance with the source plays. My apologies if I accidentally salted your game.)
I also love that there's a Chorus in this story. Shakespeare uses a Chorus in Henry V and other plays, who goes wandering occasionally through the action to narrate what someone was thinking or was about to do. The characters (and actors in stage versions) completely ignore the Chorus. But not this one. The characters interact with, contradict, and occasionally threaten the Chorus in this book. It's delightfully refreshing. At one point, the Chorus takes a paragraph to set the scene that will follow, and someone asks who that is. The response is that he's "Just a grandiose nutter who can't help himself bursting through the 4th wall like a great dim-witted battering ram.". Really, who hasn't thought that at some point?
May 9, 2014
What can I say....I loved Fool. It was tightly written, crisp,and hilarious. This sequel....not so much. I can't say I am sorry I read it. It's part of the story I guess. It seemed like Chris had too many irons in the fire,and he was trying a bit too hard in this one...... this book has it's great moments,and some funny stuff. Just not enough, I didn't feel. I laughed outloud some, but not nearly as much as I have with other of Chris's wonderful books and stories. That disappointed me. Too disjointed,and not cohesive enough this time around.
So, should you read it? Yes, if you're already read Fool and want to see how this progresses. If you've not read Fool,and don't intend to, skip it.It won't make much sense. That's my suggestion. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. It was ok. Hope your next book adventure, Chris, is back to the old you, that I dearly love and enjoy. Keep the faith, buddy!
So, should you read it? Yes, if you're already read Fool and want to see how this progresses. If you've not read Fool,and don't intend to, skip it.It won't make much sense. That's my suggestion. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. It was ok. Hope your next book adventure, Chris, is back to the old you, that I dearly love and enjoy. Keep the faith, buddy!
November 16, 2014
Guys, Pocket is back!
I heard about this book ages ago, then promptly forgot it existed, and rediscovered it at my library. (Libraries are awesome that way.) My first reaction was, “Ooh, a Christopher Moore novel I haven’t read.” My second reaction was, “Bloody hell, it’s a semi-sequel to Fool!” (No English accent though. Two years in England and I still can’t do a decent English accent. *sigh*)
Fool was the first Christopher Moore book I read and in many ways one I consider the funniest. That’s probably because I love metafiction. If you don’t, then neither Fool nor The Serpent of Venice are for you. Moore once more takes a metafictional approach to the stage; this time he combines Othello and The Merchant of Venice with an Edgar Allan Poe story I haven’t read. With a Chorus as the narrator whom everyone seems to overhear, we plunge into fourteenth-century Venice, where Pocket is killed, rescued by the eponymous serpent, and gets to serve up some sweet, sweet revenge.
Of course, as exciting as a sequel to Fool might be, I was also a little worried. What if it wasn’t as good? What if it ruins Pocket? These might be silly worries, but I think most fans of a novel that gets a sequel much later down the line can understand it. It’s akin to the worries fans of the original Star Wars had about the prequels, though in their case, they unfortunately turned out to be right.
To be honest, The Serpent of Venice isn’t quite as bright a spark as Fool. It’s difficult to bottle lightning once, let alone twice. But Moore takes a fair stab at it, and the result is still a very good book. Not every Shakespeare play is a King Lear, and even Shakespeare’s good plays are still, in some ways, great.
My favourite thing about this book is just the richness of the language. And by language, I mean the profanity. Moore uses words such as “bonkilation” and “fuckstockings”—and of course, don’t forget “holy ripened fuckcheese!”—without any hint of shame or irony. Moore doesn’t pass up the chance—ever—to shoehorn in a joke as an aside. When Pocket is posing as a young Jew seeking employment from Shylock, the merchant asks him if what languages he speaks:
Or, a little later:
This is where Moore truly establishes himself as a skilled writer. Anyone, really, can rip off jokes and rip off plots (Moore points out that Shakespeare did this himself all the time). But it takes cleverness to come up with a turn of phrase like “an apoplexy of the second person”—and even if Moore happened to lift that from somewhere else, it takes skill to then embed that phrase in an appropriate context. It wouldn’t work just anywhere. For a book like this, the author needs a sense of comedic timing down to the paragraph.
This is a book that is unrepentantly trying to be funny to the point of absurdity, and I love that. Iago is still a cunning bastard, but he’s also a raging misogynist who accuses everyone of having slept with his wife. (She is, practically, but that’s beside the point.) Pocket, once again, is a frustrating combination of annoying yet perceptive, somehow managing to win over tough customers like Shylock and his daughter, Jessica, who don’t really like him but seem to grow dependent upon him. I love the evolution of Jessica from a love-struck, fairly small-minded woman into a pirate. I mean, that’s just awesome.
And the plot of The Serpent of Venice?
The setting of The Serpent of Venice is fascinating because…
… no, I’m not avoiding talking about the plot.
Fine.
The plot is probably the weakest part of this book. I think the best way I can describe it is as a “romp”. It’s supposed to be Pocket’s tale of revenge, but Moore has to juggle subplots like spinning plates. Everything culminates in a drawn-out and very unsatisfactory court scene that should have been far funnier than it was. The resolution is nominally satisfactory, but at the end of the day it feels like Pocket didn’t really “win”. I suppose part of the theme to this book, as well as the first one, is that Pocket doesn’t fit the standard protagonist pattern: as his job and his nickname of Fortunato suggest, he survives on luck and trickery and jest. The essence of Pocket’s success as a hero is that he isn’t heroic, and indeed, I suspect that he finds all this heroism he ends up doing by accident quite exhausting and bad for his health.
Unlike Fool, which had the benefit of being able to ride along the rails of King Lear, even if Moore took … liberties, The Serpent of Venice is a mash-up. Consequently, Moore has to figure out how to resolve the book on his own—and although he tries to allude to the endings of the original stories in some ways, the tricky part is really combining them together to make a satisfying ending to this story. I don’t know if he succeeds fully, but I did like how this ends for Pocket and Jessica, if that makes sense.
As with many of Moore’s books, this one made me laugh out loud. It’s a perfect read if you need something hilarious and very irreverent, especially if you’ve just come off a Shakespearean Lit course and your brains are still crammed full of Shakespearean insults and plot points. You will feel right at home with Moore. You definitely don’t have to read Fool first—but you should read Fool, at some point, because it’s awesome. As much as I would like this book to be it, it’s not—but it’s certainly no Phantom Menace, know what I’m saying?
I heard about this book ages ago, then promptly forgot it existed, and rediscovered it at my library. (Libraries are awesome that way.) My first reaction was, “Ooh, a Christopher Moore novel I haven’t read.” My second reaction was, “Bloody hell, it’s a semi-sequel to Fool!” (No English accent though. Two years in England and I still can’t do a decent English accent. *sigh*)
Fool was the first Christopher Moore book I read and in many ways one I consider the funniest. That’s probably because I love metafiction. If you don’t, then neither Fool nor The Serpent of Venice are for you. Moore once more takes a metafictional approach to the stage; this time he combines Othello and The Merchant of Venice with an Edgar Allan Poe story I haven’t read. With a Chorus as the narrator whom everyone seems to overhear, we plunge into fourteenth-century Venice, where Pocket is killed, rescued by the eponymous serpent, and gets to serve up some sweet, sweet revenge.
Of course, as exciting as a sequel to Fool might be, I was also a little worried. What if it wasn’t as good? What if it ruins Pocket? These might be silly worries, but I think most fans of a novel that gets a sequel much later down the line can understand it. It’s akin to the worries fans of the original Star Wars had about the prequels, though in their case, they unfortunately turned out to be right.
To be honest, The Serpent of Venice isn’t quite as bright a spark as Fool. It’s difficult to bottle lightning once, let alone twice. But Moore takes a fair stab at it, and the result is still a very good book. Not every Shakespeare play is a King Lear, and even Shakespeare’s good plays are still, in some ways, great.
My favourite thing about this book is just the richness of the language. And by language, I mean the profanity. Moore uses words such as “bonkilation” and “fuckstockings”—and of course, don’t forget “holy ripened fuckcheese!”—without any hint of shame or irony. Moore doesn’t pass up the chance—ever—to shoehorn in a joke as an aside. When Pocket is posing as a young Jew seeking employment from Shylock, the merchant asks him if what languages he speaks:
“Latin, Greek, and English, plus a smattering of Italian and fucking French.”
“Fucking French, you say? Well …”
“Oui,” said I, in perfect fucking French.
Or, a little later:
Shylock repointed his twitching, accusatory digit at his daughter.
“You do not say such things in my house. You—you—you—you—”
“Run along, love, it appears that Papa’s been stricken with an apoplexy of the second person.”
This is where Moore truly establishes himself as a skilled writer. Anyone, really, can rip off jokes and rip off plots (Moore points out that Shakespeare did this himself all the time). But it takes cleverness to come up with a turn of phrase like “an apoplexy of the second person”—and even if Moore happened to lift that from somewhere else, it takes skill to then embed that phrase in an appropriate context. It wouldn’t work just anywhere. For a book like this, the author needs a sense of comedic timing down to the paragraph.
This is a book that is unrepentantly trying to be funny to the point of absurdity, and I love that. Iago is still a cunning bastard, but he’s also a raging misogynist who accuses everyone of having slept with his wife. (She is, practically, but that’s beside the point.) Pocket, once again, is a frustrating combination of annoying yet perceptive, somehow managing to win over tough customers like Shylock and his daughter, Jessica, who don’t really like him but seem to grow dependent upon him. I love the evolution of Jessica from a love-struck, fairly small-minded woman into a pirate. I mean, that’s just awesome.
And the plot of The Serpent of Venice?
The setting of The Serpent of Venice is fascinating because…
… no, I’m not avoiding talking about the plot.
Fine.
The plot is probably the weakest part of this book. I think the best way I can describe it is as a “romp”. It’s supposed to be Pocket’s tale of revenge, but Moore has to juggle subplots like spinning plates. Everything culminates in a drawn-out and very unsatisfactory court scene that should have been far funnier than it was. The resolution is nominally satisfactory, but at the end of the day it feels like Pocket didn’t really “win”. I suppose part of the theme to this book, as well as the first one, is that Pocket doesn’t fit the standard protagonist pattern: as his job and his nickname of Fortunato suggest, he survives on luck and trickery and jest. The essence of Pocket’s success as a hero is that he isn’t heroic, and indeed, I suspect that he finds all this heroism he ends up doing by accident quite exhausting and bad for his health.
Unlike Fool, which had the benefit of being able to ride along the rails of King Lear, even if Moore took … liberties, The Serpent of Venice is a mash-up. Consequently, Moore has to figure out how to resolve the book on his own—and although he tries to allude to the endings of the original stories in some ways, the tricky part is really combining them together to make a satisfying ending to this story. I don’t know if he succeeds fully, but I did like how this ends for Pocket and Jessica, if that makes sense.
As with many of Moore’s books, this one made me laugh out loud. It’s a perfect read if you need something hilarious and very irreverent, especially if you’ve just come off a Shakespearean Lit course and your brains are still crammed full of Shakespearean insults and plot points. You will feel right at home with Moore. You definitely don’t have to read Fool first—but you should read Fool, at some point, because it’s awesome. As much as I would like this book to be it, it’s not—but it’s certainly no Phantom Menace, know what I’m saying?
July 10, 2024
___________________________________
“Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.”
― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
What fresh hell is this in which the scribbler Moore doth abduct the Moor Othello for his tome, doth purloin from the sepulchered Poe, and slice a pound of plot from the foully maligned Shylock. Yes, this Moore, this devil with a smiling cheek, doth quote Shakespeare for his purpose. Oh what ebon-hued humours flood this tale. Here lies torture and murder and bestiality, fuckeries most heinous, and jokes most vile and vexing. 'Tis a tale told by an idiot (in Elizabethan English, or some semblance thereof, degrees in literature are not included).
Have pity on us poor mortal Fools, thou motley-headed, goat-suckling Moore. If you tickle us, do we not laugh? I didst, most fully, though this book must surely cause Reverend Bowdler to tumble in his priggish grave.
“Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.”
― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
What fresh hell is this in which the scribbler Moore doth abduct the Moor Othello for his tome, doth purloin from the sepulchered Poe, and slice a pound of plot from the foully maligned Shylock. Yes, this Moore, this devil with a smiling cheek, doth quote Shakespeare for his purpose. Oh what ebon-hued humours flood this tale. Here lies torture and murder and bestiality, fuckeries most heinous, and jokes most vile and vexing. 'Tis a tale told by an idiot (in Elizabethan English, or some semblance thereof, degrees in literature are not included).
Have pity on us poor mortal Fools, thou motley-headed, goat-suckling Moore. If you tickle us, do we not laugh? I didst, most fully, though this book must surely cause Reverend Bowdler to tumble in his priggish grave.
May 2, 2014
Where do I begin?
I'll start with the good. I tested the limits of my Kindle's highlighter function while reading this book. There are some absolutely hilarious lines and thoughts and paragraphs--as you become accustomed to in any Christopher Moore novel. There are lines in this book that will leave you shaking your head, lines that will have you chuckling, lines that will double you over and make your stomach hurt and lines that will test your bladder control. I don't know if my most favorite line was when Moore, in the voice of one of his female characters describes not being able to have sex due to her period by saying, "...the monkey has a nosebleed and the circus, sir, is closed." or if it was the part when he described a monkey throwing poop as "flinging rhesus feces," but the book was filled with these little bits that had me laughing openly. And I cannot wait to use "Thou mendacious fuckweasel!" on someone.
The story is a mashup of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Othello with Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, starring some of the characters from Moore's previous take on Shakespeare, Fool. Maybe it's too many stories? Maybe it's just that I don't like these original stories as much as I do King Lear, the source material for Fool, but this story just wasn't AS good for me. Please note, I'm not saying it wasn't good--just not AS good at Fool.
Part of the problem was the characters. In Fool, there were a lot of very likable, fun, interesting characters. In Serpent of Venice, it's basically Pocket and a bunch of mendacious fuckweasels. There are other characters who have a little potential, like Jessica, but I think she's underused--as are holdovers from Fool like Drool and the Monkey Jeff.
So, for me, this is a 3.5 star book. I round up to 4 because I'm an unabashed Mooreon. It's probably unfair to Moore though because it's hard to rank his books against others works--in which his worst come out smelling like roses. Instead, though, I feel compelled to rank this book in the pantheon of Moore books and in that lofty air, I'd say that this one is toward the middle.
Do I recommend it? Of course I do. If you're a Moore fan, you'll enjoy it. If you're not--you should still read this one, but just ask me and I'll give you a list of better places to start.
I'll start with the good. I tested the limits of my Kindle's highlighter function while reading this book. There are some absolutely hilarious lines and thoughts and paragraphs--as you become accustomed to in any Christopher Moore novel. There are lines in this book that will leave you shaking your head, lines that will have you chuckling, lines that will double you over and make your stomach hurt and lines that will test your bladder control. I don't know if my most favorite line was when Moore, in the voice of one of his female characters describes not being able to have sex due to her period by saying, "...the monkey has a nosebleed and the circus, sir, is closed." or if it was the part when he described a monkey throwing poop as "flinging rhesus feces," but the book was filled with these little bits that had me laughing openly. And I cannot wait to use "Thou mendacious fuckweasel!" on someone.
The story is a mashup of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Othello with Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, starring some of the characters from Moore's previous take on Shakespeare, Fool. Maybe it's too many stories? Maybe it's just that I don't like these original stories as much as I do King Lear, the source material for Fool, but this story just wasn't AS good for me. Please note, I'm not saying it wasn't good--just not AS good at Fool.
Part of the problem was the characters. In Fool, there were a lot of very likable, fun, interesting characters. In Serpent of Venice, it's basically Pocket and a bunch of mendacious fuckweasels. There are other characters who have a little potential, like Jessica, but I think she's underused--as are holdovers from Fool like Drool and the Monkey Jeff.
So, for me, this is a 3.5 star book. I round up to 4 because I'm an unabashed Mooreon. It's probably unfair to Moore though because it's hard to rank his books against others works--in which his worst come out smelling like roses. Instead, though, I feel compelled to rank this book in the pantheon of Moore books and in that lofty air, I'd say that this one is toward the middle.
Do I recommend it? Of course I do. If you're a Moore fan, you'll enjoy it. If you're not--you should still read this one, but just ask me and I'll give you a list of better places to start.
May 9, 2014
Once again, I’ve been misled by bestseller status. So many people LOVE Christopher Moore. He’s hilarious, I’ve heard. He’s been recommended to me multiple times as an author I simply must read. All those people couldn’t be wrong, right? Yes, yes, they can. Christopher Moore’s fiction, if this book is anything to go off of, is so completely not the sort of humor I enjoy that I read this book with a big frown permanently on my face, except for those moments where it put me to sleep. The Serpent of Venice sounded like something I should love, what with the Shakespeare references and the humor, but, if you don’t appreciate his form of humor, it’s merely tedious.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
April 27, 2014
Christopher Moore's novels are a bit hit and miss for me, but the ones I love I love. And FOOL, a retelling of KING LEAR, is absolutely one of my favorites. I was quite excited to see that Moore was returning to the character of Pocket. (Jeff and Drool are back as well.)
In THE SERPENT OF VENICE, Moore throws OTHELLO, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, and "The Cask of Amontillado" into a pot with a dragon and lets loose with the results. Pocket goes to Venice on Cordelia's orders, to try to prevent another Crusade, but everything starts going awry when Cordelia is murdered. (This, sadly, means that there is very little Cordelia in the book, though of course her ghost does get to make an appearance.) After a rather odd misadventure, Pocket is sheltered by the Jewish community of Venice and makes his plans for revenge.
If you're familiar with the Shakespearean plays, it's quite interesting to see what Moore makes of them. Some heroes become villains, for instance. I didn't agree with all of his changes, but others made perfect sense. And I quite enjoyed the note at the end where he explains what guided him to his interpretation of certain characters, like Portia.
I think THE SERPENT OF VENICE isn't quite as good as FOOL, but it does have a high bar to clear there. However, it is just as hilarious, twisted, and perverse as I could've hoped. I don't normally have a vulgar sense of humor, but something about Moore's writing brings it out in me. THE SERPENT OF VENICE is more violent than some of his other books, but that suits the setting.
One of the things I think THE SERPENT OF VENICE does best is with Shylock, Jessica, and the other Jews. There just as much a part of the humor as anyone else, but Moore doesn't back down from showing that they are treated is wrong. The historical truths are there (often footnoted), and the modern sensibility is fairly scathing about it. At the same time, Shylock and Jessica are still allowed to be flawed characters.
I do recommend reading FOOL before THE SERPENT OF VENICE. THE SERPENT OF VENICE is capable of standing alone, but I think it is probably more fun if you know who Pocket and his companions are. If you enjoyed FOOL, then you should definitely read THE SERPENT OF VENICE. I'm very happy Moore decided to revisit these characters and their setting.
In THE SERPENT OF VENICE, Moore throws OTHELLO, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, and "The Cask of Amontillado" into a pot with a dragon and lets loose with the results. Pocket goes to Venice on Cordelia's orders, to try to prevent another Crusade, but everything starts going awry when Cordelia is murdered. (This, sadly, means that there is very little Cordelia in the book, though of course her ghost does get to make an appearance.) After a rather odd misadventure, Pocket is sheltered by the Jewish community of Venice and makes his plans for revenge.
If you're familiar with the Shakespearean plays, it's quite interesting to see what Moore makes of them. Some heroes become villains, for instance. I didn't agree with all of his changes, but others made perfect sense. And I quite enjoyed the note at the end where he explains what guided him to his interpretation of certain characters, like Portia.
I think THE SERPENT OF VENICE isn't quite as good as FOOL, but it does have a high bar to clear there. However, it is just as hilarious, twisted, and perverse as I could've hoped. I don't normally have a vulgar sense of humor, but something about Moore's writing brings it out in me. THE SERPENT OF VENICE is more violent than some of his other books, but that suits the setting.
One of the things I think THE SERPENT OF VENICE does best is with Shylock, Jessica, and the other Jews. There just as much a part of the humor as anyone else, but Moore doesn't back down from showing that they are treated is wrong. The historical truths are there (often footnoted), and the modern sensibility is fairly scathing about it. At the same time, Shylock and Jessica are still allowed to be flawed characters.
I do recommend reading FOOL before THE SERPENT OF VENICE. THE SERPENT OF VENICE is capable of standing alone, but I think it is probably more fun if you know who Pocket and his companions are. If you enjoyed FOOL, then you should definitely read THE SERPENT OF VENICE. I'm very happy Moore decided to revisit these characters and their setting.
July 21, 2014
I always feel a bit of pedantic guilt when I give a book like this four stars. But you know what, for all the pretentious posturing I can't hide who I am, and dammit I "really liked it." How could I not laugh when Othello, yes the Othello, is called a "twat"? Or when Brabantio insists that Desdemona is enchanted by magic to be met with the rejoinder "Or [by] his crashing huge cock...It swung out of his robe last week and nearly concussed the landlady's dog" (162). This is like the perfect marriage for the side of me that cracks a beer and loves shows like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League-- because I still just think swear words are really, really funny--and the side of me that sips scotch out of a tumbler whilst ruminating on the masters like Shakespeare and Poe. For someone who knows his Othello and his "Cask of Amontillado" incredibly well having taught each countless times, I love how Moore was able to incorporate the source texts and still make them work. In fact, he even paraphrased (adding the necessary obscenities that Shakespeare left out) whole exchanges from some of the more famous scenes. Add to that countless little snippets of Hamlet's soliloquy dropped in and even one character being referred to as an "upstart crow" (211), and the literary snob has plenty of easter eggs to discover. I have, embarrassingly, never read the other primary source text, The Merchant of Venice, but will likely pick it up this evening. One final pat-on-the-back for Moore: think of how layered (better word than convoluted) each of Shakespeare's plays are. Now imagine stitching two together to add an even more layered (convoluted) story that is both enjoyable and logical...logical to the extent that there is a voracious and horny dragon involved.
August 1, 2015
A surprisingly enjoyable, hilarious, and irreverent take on several Shakespeare classics.
October 23, 2014
"Well, that's a bloody great bundle of bull bollocks!"
And if you like that, you'll like this book.
A Christopher Moore parody of The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and The Cask of Amontillado, this book is a bawdy, raunchy ride through 13th century Venice. (It's good to know that ahead of time so you don't recommend this book to your book group consisting of nice, lovely, church ladies who probably aren't aware that Shakespeare himself can be bawdy and raunchy.)
There's a few extra characters not found in Shakespeare - the dark, creepy serpent for one. And the monkey Jeff. And Drool. Oh, and Fortunato (Pocket) the Fool. He may be the hero, but he can definitely get on one's nerves after a bit.
And the language! At times very formal, very Elizabethan, and then at other times totally like 21st century English. I struggled with this at first. Finally, I got used to the rhythm (and there is a rhythm, I read to the end which was like riding out to sea on a serpent's undulating back.) I admit I chuckled a few times in spite of myself (Rhesus feces? Should I burst out laughing or is that just really in bad, bad taste?).
And the language! I think I squirmed a bit reading this at work, wondering if the bodily function jokes ever ceased. (Hint: They never do.) I can now exclaim (to hopefully, just my husband) "Holy ripened f***cheese!" when I am astounded by an amazing feat. We read this together. As I mentioned in one of my comments, we'll always have Venice.
But the confounding confusion. So many characters. So many. If you're familiar with these plays, so much the better. I read Othello so long ago and I haven't read The Merchant of Venice. I had a hard time figuring out what was going on and who all these people were. Most are evil, most will die. That helps. Every time someone died, I though - Thank goodness!! One less person to keep track of! And there's some flash backs and some fast forwarding - yeh, time to flip through pages or rewind the audible and try to figure out "What just happened??"
Toss between 2 or 3 stars. Moore is clever, no doubt about that. And smart. And full of witty one liners that you probably can't say in church. Or even 50 feet from church. Or even within, say, 1000 feet of the parking lot. Maybe you can say them to your significant other when no one is listening, but then - dang! Before you know it, you'll be walking down the mall and out of your mouth will come "Thou wretched pillar of syphilitic pheasant-f***!" to the security guard which might garner you a few stares. (And 86 you from Macys.)
You've been warned. Read at your own peril. She just might come looking for you (the serpent, I mean) and whether she kills you or ***** you, well, you'll find out.
And if you like that, you'll like this book.
A Christopher Moore parody of The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and The Cask of Amontillado, this book is a bawdy, raunchy ride through 13th century Venice. (It's good to know that ahead of time so you don't recommend this book to your book group consisting of nice, lovely, church ladies who probably aren't aware that Shakespeare himself can be bawdy and raunchy.)
There's a few extra characters not found in Shakespeare - the dark, creepy serpent for one. And the monkey Jeff. And Drool. Oh, and Fortunato (Pocket) the Fool. He may be the hero, but he can definitely get on one's nerves after a bit.
And the language! At times very formal, very Elizabethan, and then at other times totally like 21st century English. I struggled with this at first. Finally, I got used to the rhythm (and there is a rhythm, I read to the end which was like riding out to sea on a serpent's undulating back.) I admit I chuckled a few times in spite of myself (Rhesus feces? Should I burst out laughing or is that just really in bad, bad taste?).
And the language! I think I squirmed a bit reading this at work, wondering if the bodily function jokes ever ceased. (Hint: They never do.) I can now exclaim (to hopefully, just my husband) "Holy ripened f***cheese!" when I am astounded by an amazing feat. We read this together. As I mentioned in one of my comments, we'll always have Venice.
But the confounding confusion. So many characters. So many. If you're familiar with these plays, so much the better. I read Othello so long ago and I haven't read The Merchant of Venice. I had a hard time figuring out what was going on and who all these people were. Most are evil, most will die. That helps. Every time someone died, I though - Thank goodness!! One less person to keep track of! And there's some flash backs and some fast forwarding - yeh, time to flip through pages or rewind the audible and try to figure out "What just happened??"
Toss between 2 or 3 stars. Moore is clever, no doubt about that. And smart. And full of witty one liners that you probably can't say in church. Or even 50 feet from church. Or even within, say, 1000 feet of the parking lot. Maybe you can say them to your significant other when no one is listening, but then - dang! Before you know it, you'll be walking down the mall and out of your mouth will come "Thou wretched pillar of syphilitic pheasant-f***!" to the security guard which might garner you a few stares. (And 86 you from Macys.)
You've been warned. Read at your own peril. She just might come looking for you (the serpent, I mean) and whether she kills you or ***** you, well, you'll find out.
November 6, 2013
This book feels like a passion project for Moore. It's one of his more multi-layered, deeply researched, finely tuned works. When Moore is in this zone he's brilliant, and The Serpent of Venice is just that.
Taking not one, but two Shakespeare tales (The Merchant of Venice and Othello) and a Poe story, Moore produced a funny and entertaining novel.
I liked Fool, and I liked the characters in Fool. This book, however, took it to the next level. I LOVED Pocket! I felt like he really came into his own out of the confines of his original tale. Loved the setting of Venice, and all the new characters we got to meet. I have no intention of spoiling anything - there is an element in Moore's books that we have all come to expect, and that element particularly worked for me in this book.
For those who thought the potty humor a bit much in Fool, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I'm not saying there isn't some (there is, and it's funny!), but not so overt. There are some great laugh out loud moments.
More than anything, this is a good solid tale with memorable characters and many laughs. What Moore has done here is really an accomplishment when you think about it ... taking a Shakespeare tragedy and a Shakespeare comedy and blending them together so seamlessly was a feat! I was engaged, I was entertained, I was satisfied. It ALMOST made me want to read some actual Shakespeare.
Taking not one, but two Shakespeare tales (The Merchant of Venice and Othello) and a Poe story, Moore produced a funny and entertaining novel.
I liked Fool, and I liked the characters in Fool. This book, however, took it to the next level. I LOVED Pocket! I felt like he really came into his own out of the confines of his original tale. Loved the setting of Venice, and all the new characters we got to meet. I have no intention of spoiling anything - there is an element in Moore's books that we have all come to expect, and that element particularly worked for me in this book.
For those who thought the potty humor a bit much in Fool, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I'm not saying there isn't some (there is, and it's funny!), but not so overt. There are some great laugh out loud moments.
More than anything, this is a good solid tale with memorable characters and many laughs. What Moore has done here is really an accomplishment when you think about it ... taking a Shakespeare tragedy and a Shakespeare comedy and blending them together so seamlessly was a feat! I was engaged, I was entertained, I was satisfied. It ALMOST made me want to read some actual Shakespeare.
May 8, 2014
I find it hard to believe that GR readers rate this 4.15 on average. I really did not find it funny at all, just tedious and silly. Murder and mayhem. The attempts to make this seem Shakespearean fell flat for me. Read Moore's Sacre Bleu instead. Moore thinks he is much more clever than he actually is.
December 13, 2014
I just couldn't get into this book. As a follow-up on Fool which I thought was okay, just didn't match up. I read about 55% of it and finally put it down for the last time. Just wasn't anything I would like to read.
September 9, 2013
Pocket is back and as funny as ever, this time playing around in Othello and the Merchant of Venice! Christopher Moore plus Shakespeare makes me just so happy.
June 16, 2014
This is not Christopher Moore's best novel.
This isn't even his best riff on Shakespeare. Fool surpasses it by miles. Though, to be fair, Fool surpasses a vast number of books by miles.
No matter the reader, I could recommend them a Christopher Moore book they would love. I have done, many a time. In fact, I'm on my fourth copy of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal and my second Island of the Sequined Love Nun. (I've loaned out every one of the others, but I never ever count on getting Lamb back.) His books (this one included) are the kind of books I tend not to read in public venues, because then I'm the crazy lady snort-laughing into her books. They are bizarre, enchanting, hysterical, bawdy, and just damn well done.
With that said, I don't think The Serpent of Venice: A Novel would be a novel I would recommend to someone who wasn't already a massive fan of Moore. Fool introduces you to Christopher Moore's humor and writing style while retelling a classic story. (I'm going to refer a lot to Fool, because 1. TSoV is a sequel and 2. both are takes on Shakespeare and there is no 3. If you haven't read Fool, go do that and then come back. Or don't come back. But read Fool anyway.) It is fairly straightforward, with a manageable cast of characters. Highly enjoyable even if you've never read the play (which at the time of my initial reading, I hadn't). The Serpent of Venice: A Novel does not necessarily live up to those standards set by its predecessor.
TSoV draws from 2 Shakespearean plays as well as an Edgar Allan Poe tale, and tosses in a historical figure or two for bonus points, not to mention the bit of the cast that was still alive at the end of Fool. It quickly becomes a tad bit unruly and hard to keep track of. I don't know if this is easier or harder if you're familiar with the original works. Prior to reading TSoV, I had read the Poe story; a few chapters in, I thought it might be easier to keep track of if I read the Shakespeare, so I skimmed Othello and half of the Merchant of Venice before I decided to hell with it, I just want my Moore. While Pocket, the titular fool of Fool, had all the page time in the previous story, due to all the characters and storylines amassed in this novel, it seemed like he wasn't there enough. Even when he was present, he wasn't necessarily THERE enough. I did love the serpent, though. Shakespeare didn't have a man-eating, pleasure-giving, ginormous black serpent-dragon-y thing, did he? Unless I missed it underneath all the subtle filthy jokes and old timey English and metaphors.
Okay, you're probably saying, hypothetical review reader (though I hope not out loud, because people tend to frown on that), why the hell did you rate this book, with its myriad flaws, 5 stars? Do you understand numbers? Yes, I do, and I'm offended that you would assume otherwise, you hypothetical being. FOR SHAME.
But really, having read all of Moore's work numerous times (yes, including The Griff: A Graphic Novel), I can't discount the passion here. The passion and sheer joy that he put into writing it comes so clearly through every page, every word, and you feel it. This book, despite all the flaws, still made me laugh, belly laughs that crinkled my eyes. Pocket is still a character that feels like some sort of home. It was convoluted, it was messy, it was faulty, but it was deeply, at the heart, GOOD. And sometimes good can't be measured by literary standards, it can just be measured by how you feel when you read it.
I can't believe how soppy that sounded. But seriously. Heinous fuckery most foul, indeed.
This isn't even his best riff on Shakespeare. Fool surpasses it by miles. Though, to be fair, Fool surpasses a vast number of books by miles.
No matter the reader, I could recommend them a Christopher Moore book they would love. I have done, many a time. In fact, I'm on my fourth copy of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal and my second Island of the Sequined Love Nun. (I've loaned out every one of the others, but I never ever count on getting Lamb back.) His books (this one included) are the kind of books I tend not to read in public venues, because then I'm the crazy lady snort-laughing into her books. They are bizarre, enchanting, hysterical, bawdy, and just damn well done.
With that said, I don't think The Serpent of Venice: A Novel would be a novel I would recommend to someone who wasn't already a massive fan of Moore. Fool introduces you to Christopher Moore's humor and writing style while retelling a classic story. (I'm going to refer a lot to Fool, because 1. TSoV is a sequel and 2. both are takes on Shakespeare and there is no 3. If you haven't read Fool, go do that and then come back. Or don't come back. But read Fool anyway.) It is fairly straightforward, with a manageable cast of characters. Highly enjoyable even if you've never read the play (which at the time of my initial reading, I hadn't). The Serpent of Venice: A Novel does not necessarily live up to those standards set by its predecessor.
TSoV draws from 2 Shakespearean plays as well as an Edgar Allan Poe tale, and tosses in a historical figure or two for bonus points, not to mention the bit of the cast that was still alive at the end of Fool. It quickly becomes a tad bit unruly and hard to keep track of. I don't know if this is easier or harder if you're familiar with the original works. Prior to reading TSoV, I had read the Poe story; a few chapters in, I thought it might be easier to keep track of if I read the Shakespeare, so I skimmed Othello and half of the Merchant of Venice before I decided to hell with it, I just want my Moore. While Pocket, the titular fool of Fool, had all the page time in the previous story, due to all the characters and storylines amassed in this novel, it seemed like he wasn't there enough. Even when he was present, he wasn't necessarily THERE enough. I did love the serpent, though. Shakespeare didn't have a man-eating, pleasure-giving, ginormous black serpent-dragon-y thing, did he? Unless I missed it underneath all the subtle filthy jokes and old timey English and metaphors.
Okay, you're probably saying, hypothetical review reader (though I hope not out loud, because people tend to frown on that), why the hell did you rate this book, with its myriad flaws, 5 stars? Do you understand numbers? Yes, I do, and I'm offended that you would assume otherwise, you hypothetical being. FOR SHAME.
But really, having read all of Moore's work numerous times (yes, including The Griff: A Graphic Novel), I can't discount the passion here. The passion and sheer joy that he put into writing it comes so clearly through every page, every word, and you feel it. This book, despite all the flaws, still made me laugh, belly laughs that crinkled my eyes. Pocket is still a character that feels like some sort of home. It was convoluted, it was messy, it was faulty, but it was deeply, at the heart, GOOD. And sometimes good can't be measured by literary standards, it can just be measured by how you feel when you read it.
I can't believe how soppy that sounded. But seriously. Heinous fuckery most foul, indeed.
September 20, 2018
When I read Fool, I was somewhat surprised that I found the ribald humor to be, well, humorous. Usually I don't go much for dick and fart jokes, or constant references to ladies breasts... but there were other aspects of the humor which helped me either overlook or even appreciate in context the more bawdy humor.
Sadly, I found a lot of the same humor in this book to wear a bit thin. It's just... it's just the same schtick, repeated over and over again. It gets old.
That said, there were other things to like about this book. I enjoyed the odd meshing of Othello, Merchant of Venice and... Cask of Amontillado? (Though the inclusion of the last bit was a bit of a stretch, with the explanation of the names.)
I also read Moore's tidbit about the end about the history and how he had to move the time period of both Othello and Merchant to fit it into the time period of Serpent and how he had to switch things around... that was all pretty interesting and pretty well done.
I also liked the story, overall, even though it dragged in a few places... and I really liked the way he would use various Shakespeare lines from all over the place, but then switch them up or change their intention and the reactions to them.
The way he both used and subverted the plots of the stories was also well done.
So, yeah... overall, I liked the story, though the humor wore a bit thin after awhile, and it could've been a bit tighter in places.
Sadly, I found a lot of the same humor in this book to wear a bit thin. It's just... it's just the same schtick, repeated over and over again. It gets old.
That said, there were other things to like about this book. I enjoyed the odd meshing of Othello, Merchant of Venice and... Cask of Amontillado? (Though the inclusion of the last bit was a bit of a stretch, with the explanation of the names.)
I also read Moore's tidbit about the end about the history and how he had to move the time period of both Othello and Merchant to fit it into the time period of Serpent and how he had to switch things around... that was all pretty interesting and pretty well done.
I also liked the story, overall, even though it dragged in a few places... and I really liked the way he would use various Shakespeare lines from all over the place, but then switch them up or change their intention and the reactions to them.
The way he both used and subverted the plots of the stories was also well done.
So, yeah... overall, I liked the story, though the humor wore a bit thin after awhile, and it could've been a bit tighter in places.
March 20, 2016
More like the Serpent of AWESOME!
This books was, hands down, a super great read. Pocket is back at it again with his tom-foolery. This was great mix between some Poe and Shakespeare and of course, Moore's wicked sense of humor.
I enjoyed this thoroughly. I can't honestly say that Moore's work has EVER let me down. Chris just has this way with his work that makes you laugh and cry, and laugh more and on occasion laugh even more.
If you're a reader of classics like Shakespeare and even Poe, or even the bible I suppose, then pick up some of Moore's work - like this one.
You shan't be disappointed!
Chris - you keep on writing them and I will continue reading them.
September 5, 2017
Bye Tyrion Pocket
We had so many good times.
Be good Jeff.
Don't get into too much trouble Drool!
Viv, don't decapitate anyone on the way home plz.
Jessica you will be a smashing pirate!
A fantastic mash up of William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe as only Moore could pull off.
Highly recommended.
We had so many good times.
Be good Jeff.
Don't get into too much trouble Drool!
Viv, don't decapitate anyone on the way home plz.
Jessica you will be a smashing pirate!
A fantastic mash up of William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe as only Moore could pull off.
Highly recommended.
February 26, 2024
3.5 stars
This is as ridiculous and chaotic as you might suppose a Christopher Moore book to be that mashes up Othello, The Merchant of Venice, The Cask of Amontillado, and much more. I slightly regret not reading Fool first, as I missed out on Pocket and Cordelia’s backstory, but I do think I can infer a lot.
Is it Moore’s funniest book? To me, nothing will top Lamb, but this was a good time. Even if it was hard to keep track of the myriad characters at times. But the audiobook narration added a lot to my enjoyment.
This is as ridiculous and chaotic as you might suppose a Christopher Moore book to be that mashes up Othello, The Merchant of Venice, The Cask of Amontillado, and much more. I slightly regret not reading Fool first, as I missed out on Pocket and Cordelia’s backstory, but I do think I can infer a lot.
Is it Moore’s funniest book? To me, nothing will top Lamb, but this was a good time. Even if it was hard to keep track of the myriad characters at times. But the audiobook narration added a lot to my enjoyment.
August 20, 2014
Do you enjoy the sketches and films of the British comedy troupe Monty Python? Can you appreciate Shakespeare's plays? Are you an Anglophile as well as an Italophile? If you answered "Yes!" to all three of those questions, then you should enjoy reading The Serpent of Venice.
In a faux British and or Elizabethan English writer Christopher Moore follows his comic creation, Pocket the King's Fool from the novel Fool, through his next adventure in his storied life. Surrounded by settings, characters, and storylines from Shakespeare's plays and one Edgar Allan Poe short story, Pocket jokes his way through Medieval Venice, Italy (1299), Venetian Corsica, and Genoa in The Serpent of Venice. The chapters often read like scripts for Monty Python sketches. I even found myself imagining the female characters as men in drag with screechy falsetto voices.
The dialog is full of period puns, and period and up-to-date vulgarity, as well as self-referential jokes. Events are not described chronologically, the language can be mindbogglingly vulgar, and the humor can wear thin after a while, since it is generally more difficult to appreciate this kind of humor reading it, as opposed to watching it performed. Those are the three reasons I found it best to read The Serpent of Venice in small doses. That kept the humor fresh, but it did make it difficult to follow the plot.
There is also violence in novel, coming mainly from the creature in the Lagoon that is The Serpent of Venice. Reading about the gore is less upsetting than seeing it, however, so if you dislike horror stories, you might still like The Serpent of Venice.
If you are up to American-Monty-Python-does-Shakespeare-in-Venice then you are ready for The Serpent of Venice. Take it in small doses, and enjoy the author's invention, his facility with language, and especially his facility with vulgarisms. If you try to picture it performed while you read, you will enjoy it more, since reading The Serpent of Venice is much like reading a Shakespearean farce, or the screenplay for Monty Python's Life of Brian; they pale compared to the performance of the text.
Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
In a faux British and or Elizabethan English writer Christopher Moore follows his comic creation, Pocket the King's Fool from the novel Fool, through his next adventure in his storied life. Surrounded by settings, characters, and storylines from Shakespeare's plays and one Edgar Allan Poe short story, Pocket jokes his way through Medieval Venice, Italy (1299), Venetian Corsica, and Genoa in The Serpent of Venice. The chapters often read like scripts for Monty Python sketches. I even found myself imagining the female characters as men in drag with screechy falsetto voices.
The dialog is full of period puns, and period and up-to-date vulgarity, as well as self-referential jokes. Events are not described chronologically, the language can be mindbogglingly vulgar, and the humor can wear thin after a while, since it is generally more difficult to appreciate this kind of humor reading it, as opposed to watching it performed. Those are the three reasons I found it best to read The Serpent of Venice in small doses. That kept the humor fresh, but it did make it difficult to follow the plot.
There is also violence in novel, coming mainly from the creature in the Lagoon that is The Serpent of Venice. Reading about the gore is less upsetting than seeing it, however, so if you dislike horror stories, you might still like The Serpent of Venice.
If you are up to American-Monty-Python-does-Shakespeare-in-Venice then you are ready for The Serpent of Venice. Take it in small doses, and enjoy the author's invention, his facility with language, and especially his facility with vulgarisms. If you try to picture it performed while you read, you will enjoy it more, since reading The Serpent of Venice is much like reading a Shakespearean farce, or the screenplay for Monty Python's Life of Brian; they pale compared to the performance of the text.
Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
April 23, 2014
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
(you may want to read this book using voices from Monty Python)
This story is a retelling of Othello with a mash up of The Merchant of Venice but with a mermaid / sea serpent / um, dragon? It includes Marco Polo, Desdemona and Portia, and of course, Fool. The Fool is sent to Venice by his lovely queen Cordelia to make the Italians stop the crusades which she thinks are stupid and costly. While in Italy, his queen dies and he is left adrift, taken in a by a (surprise!) Merchant in Venice. The intrigues of Venetian Court are well detailed in the story in true Shakespearean fashion with choruses and everything. Of course, the Fool tells them to shut up more than once.
Without ruining the Serpent angle, there are some delicate and indiscreet moments between the Fool and the Serpent, now named Vivian, because of course, you can be intimate with a sea serpent and not have be named. Ok, I probably just ruined the Serpent angle for you. Of course, the Venetians and Genoans are at war and Othello being the admiral he is, commands everything before him and helps Fool on his quest to rescue his protege Drool and Monkey, Jeff. Don't ask why the Monkey is named Jeff. As Fool schemes his way through the Italian isles, his one liners will have you laughing whole heartedly.
This makes up for Fool. OK, I was not a fan of that book. I am a huge Christopher Moore fan, but Fool lost me completely. I was probably in the minority on that one from the book signing I attended for Sacre Bleu ( pure genius) where everyone couldn't wait for this book. I take it back. I am going to try Fool again to see if it clicks. This should really appeal to hardcore Shakespeare, mash up and of course, Christopher Moore fans.
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
(you may want to read this book using voices from Monty Python)
This story is a retelling of Othello with a mash up of The Merchant of Venice but with a mermaid / sea serpent / um, dragon? It includes Marco Polo, Desdemona and Portia, and of course, Fool. The Fool is sent to Venice by his lovely queen Cordelia to make the Italians stop the crusades which she thinks are stupid and costly. While in Italy, his queen dies and he is left adrift, taken in a by a (surprise!) Merchant in Venice. The intrigues of Venetian Court are well detailed in the story in true Shakespearean fashion with choruses and everything. Of course, the Fool tells them to shut up more than once.
Without ruining the Serpent angle, there are some delicate and indiscreet moments between the Fool and the Serpent, now named Vivian, because of course, you can be intimate with a sea serpent and not have be named. Ok, I probably just ruined the Serpent angle for you. Of course, the Venetians and Genoans are at war and Othello being the admiral he is, commands everything before him and helps Fool on his quest to rescue his protege Drool and Monkey, Jeff. Don't ask why the Monkey is named Jeff. As Fool schemes his way through the Italian isles, his one liners will have you laughing whole heartedly.
This makes up for Fool. OK, I was not a fan of that book. I am a huge Christopher Moore fan, but Fool lost me completely. I was probably in the minority on that one from the book signing I attended for Sacre Bleu ( pure genius) where everyone couldn't wait for this book. I take it back. I am going to try Fool again to see if it clicks. This should really appeal to hardcore Shakespeare, mash up and of course, Christopher Moore fans.
November 7, 2013
I won an ARC from Hot @ Harper a few weeks ago, and I hadn't realized it was ostensibly the second in the series. However, even though I haven't read Fool, it was fairly easy to get up to speed -- my favourite short story is "The Cask of the Amontillado," by Edgar Allan Poe. And Moore mixes it up with two of Shakespeare's plays -- Othello and The Merchant of Venice. I've never read those plays (le gasp!) but I know the storyline of Othello.
This is also my first book by Christopher Moore. I have to say, the guy knows how to turn a phrase. I told my husband while I was reading this book that it was definitely up his alley, since it was chock full of poop jokes, mixing with the Renaissance setting. A bit crude at times, but I found it an enjoyable read. Look for this to come out next year, and if you like your poop jokes and your crude innuendos (in your endo!), you'll like this book.
This is also my first book by Christopher Moore. I have to say, the guy knows how to turn a phrase. I told my husband while I was reading this book that it was definitely up his alley, since it was chock full of poop jokes, mixing with the Renaissance setting. A bit crude at times, but I found it an enjoyable read. Look for this to come out next year, and if you like your poop jokes and your crude innuendos (in your endo!), you'll like this book.
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