Book Reviews - Practical Demonkeeping - Christopher Moore

This is Christopher Moore's debut novel, and now that he has 12 novels out, and I've read some of the later ones, I can see that this one is not quite as good, but still fun.

The books are funny, creative, and have a reasonable plot progression. Sometimes they are a little bit predictable, but you stick with it just to see what happens. They vary from light fare to tougher stuff.

I would say they are irreverent at times, but other times right down the middle of the strike zone, if you know what I mean. Perhaps the old observation is true that you see in a book what you bring to it.

For me, these books are fun, inventive, irreverent, sometimes unpredictable, wry, amusing, and sometimes inexorably predictable in a perplexing kind of way.

I commented to a friend recently that part of why I write book reviews is because I read them, and want to make the most of my limited opportunity to read books. I want to know if a book is worth slogging through for 600 pages. Sometimes you can't really tell early in a book.

I read a book many years ago by Robert Silverberg called "Dying Inside" that really illustrates this point. I had tried to read it several times. I didn't enjoy the book each time I tried, although I could somehow sense that the author was really good. Finally I made it to the last 7 pages, and the payoff was there.

I would not read "Dying Inside" again because only that last 7 pages was worth it, and the book was so impactful that I'll never need to read it again - I won't forget the lesson.

In a different way, I am glad that I read "Practical Demonkeeping", but I am equally sure that I won't read it again. Other books by Moore are better, so if I read some of his books again, it will be other selections.

Bloodsucking Fiends, by Christopher Moore

This isn't the first Christopher Moore book I've read, so I was prepared for some of the recurring characters, and I enjoyed the San Francisco setting, since I've recently traveled there.

He clearly studies the history of any topic he takes on, and then twists it to his own particular humorous bent. In this case, the topic is vampires, and love stories. There are plenty of twists and twisted humor in this book. And, perhaps it is hard to believe, but there are poignant moments in this book as well, such as the end of chapter 20.

There are also moments where you find yourself thinking: "He couldn't have made these characters up out of whole cloth, could he? He must have known some people like that, or worked at that job, or something."

One of the strengths of Moore's writing, especially well done in this book, is the depth of characterization. These characters are full of dimension, and idiosyncrasies of their own. And they behave in such a human, and humorous way, without even trying to be funny.

The book is published by Simon & Schuster, and they have a web site at http://www.simonsays.com/, where you can get more information about this and other books.

I highly recommend this book, I laughed out loud several times, and it is a fast read.

Lamb, by Christopher Moore

This is a humorous alternate gospel of Jesus Christ, as told by Biff, Christ's childhood pal.

If you are a person who views the Bible as the literal Word of God, inerrant in word and spirit, to the extent that the contradictions in the Bible are mysteries, instead of typographical errors, you will be unlikely to enjoy this book.

If on the other hand you realize that God, after all, does have a sense of humor, then you should pick up this book and read it. In fact, there is a quote from Voltaire at the beginning of Chapter 1 that expresses this idea better than I could:

"God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh."

This was the first Christopher Moore book I had ever read, and I was a bit skeptical that such a book could be respectful to the spirit of Jesus' life while still being humorous. I found that in fact, it is possible to be respectful while being side-splittingly humorous.

The story framework is that this book attempts to fill in what Jesus was doing between his famous visit to the temple and his public ministry in his 30's. It is told through the viewpoint of his childhood pal, Biff, who is the 15th apostle, depending on how you count. Biff's real name is Levi, and he met Jesus at age six, and stayed with him until the end.

There are many things that amaze me about this book. The first is how believable it all is, even the stories of the boys' misadventures in their younger years. The second is how poignant it all becomes. The third is how it illuminated my faith.

The author has a web site at www.chrismoore.com. The book is published by Harper Perennial.