The Must Read of the Week: Bite Me

If you've read Christopher Moore, you already know what you're getting into: rapid fire dialogue, extremely comical situations, a fog of irony and sarcasm that wafts around the reader.  Some people have accused Moore of putting out fluff.  They say "fluff" as if it's a bad thing.  I read "fluff".  And, yes, I'll say some of Chris Moore's earlier work fell into the "fluff" category (I'm thinking of "Practical Demonkeeping"), I'll argue that his work has a deeper core that is lacking in most books out there.  This started with "Coyote Blue" and has been present ever since.


"Bite Me: A Love Story" is the third in the San Francisco vampire trilogy.  It also happens to be my favorite of the three.  Once again, all the players are present (with a surprise cameo from a past Moore book), and once again hilarious antics ensue.  But unlike before, there's something darker lurking.  This is some of the best writing I've seen from Christopher Moore...and it's probably one of his darker books.


I'm not a huge fan of Abby Normal.  I find her journal entries to be grating at best.  Or rather, did.  This book really did change my mind on that front.  I was a little surprised by this.  The first chapter is a re-cap of the first two books through Abby's voice.  This was an instant turn-off.  But, the other journal entries were fine and less annoying.


Abby's still up to her armpits in vampires (and Skankenstein boots).  Accompanied by the ever patient Foo Dog, her Manga-haired lover, Abby once again gets mixed up in vampire complications.  This time the vampires are cursed vampire kitties, who prowl the streets of San Francisco creating more hassles for Cavuto.  Oh the drama!  As if!  Once Jody and Thomas are freed from their bronze enclosures (which is pretty fun, in itself) we get a fast-paced thrill ride that does not let up until the very end.  And, what a surprise the ending is as well.  It did not end the way I was hoping or expecting, and I was pleasantly surprised by that.


The Animals are back.  As is the Emperor.  As is Elijah.  As are the countless antics.  Christopher Moore has an innate ability to find and keep the funny in the most tragic of situations.  After a dozen books, Christopher Moore still improves, and does so with the simplest of materials.


It's been fascinating to see Christopher Moore's "worlds".  Between his Pine Cove books and his San Francisco books, I'll take the San Francisco books in a nanosecond.  Moore's San Francisco tales (A Dirty Job, Bloodsucking Fiends, etc.) have a love letter to the city beneath their narrative.  I've been to San Francisco.  I love the city.  Each time I read one of his San Francisco books, I am instantly drawn into the city - I can smell the scents, taste the fog, and relish memories I've shared there.


So, if you're a Chris Moore fan, you've probably already read this.  If you're not, pick this up, though go ahead and grab Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck to read them first.  If you're looking for laugh-out-loud funny, OR some vampires that are not in the Twilight realm, then you must read this book.