shmoo1's Full Review: Christopher Moore - Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Wing...
*Author’s Note: The Author of this review is aware of the fact that Penii is not an authentic word and that the plural of penis is, in actuality, penises. However he must point out that Penises is not only harder to pronounce but also decidedly less funny to look at when written down. The author hopes that you understand, that you forgive his indiscretion and that you appreciate his usage of penii.
I must admit, I put off reviewing Fluke: Or I Know Why The Winged Whale Sings for quite some time. I didn’t procrastinate because I was unsure what I thought of it (it’s stellar, in case you get bored with me and don’t want to read further or I fly off in to some weird unending tangent and never complete my thought) but because it’s almost impossible to talk about in any depth with out giving away the surprises, and the surprises are aplenty. I’m not a huge fan of tackling the hard chores first, I never have been. This bad trait carries right down to my eating habits. If you load my plate with mashed potatoes and raw carrots, I’ll eat the potatoes first because I don’t have to chew them. If food came in only liquid form I’d be a much happier (and possibly blobbier) Shmoo. I’m lazy, I know, so sue me. (That last statement isn't entirely accurate. I'd scarff down the potatoes first because I just truly love mashed potatoes). The problem is that I have to tackle this one if I’m going to declare myself a Moore fan. It’s a good piece of work, one of his better, so before I write about The Stupidest Angel, or The Lust Lizard Of Melancholy Cove, I have to try and give a synopsis of a story that starts on the day when an Oceanographer named Nate Quinn see the words BITE ME scrawled in four foot letters across the tail-fin of a submerging Humpback Whale. Nate was almost positive he had seen all that Maui had to offer up until this point, however he, and his crew, are about to learn that every thing they ever thought was true is actually not and that all his marine research is pretty much useless.
Nate snaps a shot of the whale graffiti to prove that he’s not insane, but the film is returned to him missing his pics. Then the office gets broken in to. Then his boat is sunk. Then a message comes down to him from The Old Broad, who has been financing his work, that the whale called and he wants Nate to bring him a pastrami sandwich… with Swiss…on rye.
Then Nate is lost at sea.
Nate’s crew refuses to accept the great probability that he is dead. His photographer, partner and best friend Clay Demodocus throws himself in to the search for Nate’s remains. His alabaster skinned love interest Amy (who looks damn good for her age) is doing what she can to find out the truth. Preston Applebaum, the young, painfully Caucasian, ship mate from New Jersey who has grown out his dread locks, changed his name to Kona, converted to Rastafarianism and looks for any reason to spark up a spliff, has consulted every dank bud that Ja has provided maaan in hopes that a mystical journey will reveal all the universe can tell him. And in the meantime we are given answers to questions that we have rarely (or in some cases never) thought of asking. Who truly rules the world? What goes on across the ocean’s floors? What is a whale’s anus actually used for? Will we be able to devour seafood with the same vigor ever again?...and most of all, Why is it that a woman can win any argument if she is lounging naked on a bed saying "...and furthermore, Look at my butt!"?
This is the most bizarre story that Moore has ever put down on paper. I’m not going to say In My Humble Opinion or possibly; I’m going to state it as a fact. He has never written anything weirder. That’s saying something. We’re talking about a guy who created a talking fruit bat and a giant lizard that makes people horny when they’re near it. He let his imagination have free reign on this tale. If you can accept it, if you can put aside your urge to scream out AWWW... COME ON!!!! half way through the book, then you are in for a great, fun, unpredictable ride. Every character is strong and memorable and you will find yourself hoping that he trots them out again in another book as he does with so many other folks he creates. The dialogue is whip smart and snappy, the humor is abundant (with the characters of Amy and Kona providing the lion’s share of the laughs) and the twists are unexpected. If you are a fan of Moore’s obsession with spirituality you won’t be disappointed, however even that is presented in a way that is completely off kilter to anything he has done before. Oh sure, the worship is still there, but this time it’s the worship of ecology instead of Christianity or Cargo Cults. Moore, who has always done his homework has not glossed over any aquatic detail or shied away from technical expertise. It is obvious that he didn’t just wing it here. The detail is fine, the characters are rich, the waves are high and Ja be lookin’ down upon this book with blessin’s.
On a side note, Chris Moore, Facebook buddy and sometime Shmoo correspondent has let me know that he uses ePinions often when researching electronics. For those of you who write in that category, well, you can go to bed tonight knowing that there is at least one author reading your work.
Just why do humpback whales sing? That's the question that has marine behavioral biologist Nate Quinn and his crew poking, charting, recording, and ph...More at HotBookSale
From the Publisher: Just why do humpback whales sing? That s the question that has marine behavioral biologist Nate Quinn and his crew poking, chartin...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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