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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
If you love Shakespear and wanking this is the book for you!
Strewn with Shakespeare quotes, tropes, characters, and assorted references. Bawdy and rude as all get out. Highly diverting.
It is clear that Christopher Moore is clever and funny — the book really isn’t. The Author’s Afterward s the best part, and I do have a new appreciation for squirrels.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kind of fun, although a bit confusing at the points where the story diverges from the original. I think I remember AMSND fairly well, but it has been 30 years... so I was foggy on certain specifics and wasn't sure whether they were from the original or if Moore took some license.
I liked the first couple of acts pretty well, although it is always tough to keep up with a complex storyline, especially since some of it does differ from the original. Loved the bawdy fairies. Loved that he gave Bottom more intelligence and depth than Will S. did. And I even liked the serious bits, where Pocket contemplates the evils of slavery.
However, I lost track of everything by the third act. Too many moving parts. Moore's shamelessly invented device "Rumour" ties everything together in a Poirot-esque way to a spellbound audience. The difference being that in this book, the reader isn't given nearly enough clues to solve the whodunit (waaaay more backstory needed) whereas while reading Agatha Christie, a diligent reader has a tiny chance of deducing their way through.
I wonder where Pocket will end up next. Denmark or Scotland, one supposes. Wait, did the witches make an appearance in the first book? Maybe a pit stop on the isle of Prospero on the way to ancient Rome.
I liked the first couple of acts pretty well, although it is always tough to keep up with a complex storyline, especially since some of it does differ from the original. Loved the bawdy fairies. Loved that he gave Bottom more intelligence and depth than Will S. did. And I even liked the serious bits, where Pocket contemplates the evils of slavery.
However, I lost track of everything by the third act. Too many moving parts. Moore's shamelessly invented device "Rumour" ties everything together in a Poirot-esque way to a spellbound audience. The difference being that in this book, the reader isn't given nearly enough clues to solve the whodunit (waaaay more backstory needed) whereas while reading Agatha Christie, a diligent reader has a tiny chance of deducing their way through.
I wonder where Pocket will end up next. Denmark or Scotland, one supposes. Wait, did the witches make an appearance in the first book? Maybe a pit stop on the isle of Prospero on the way to ancient Rome.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for a review)
This is actually my first go at a Christopher Moore book, and due to my initial unfamiliarity, I ended diving in headfirst without realizing that Moore has an array of different ongoing series and recurring characters like Pocket the Fool. But my entrance into this particular series quite out of order ended up proving to be no detriment. The bigger challenge was getting used to the surprisingly raunch-heavy style of humor that permeates the book from beginning to end. At times it definitely felt a little too thickly layered onto everything, to say the very least. But eventually, I was able to accept the book's setting for what it was - an absurd, magic-laced place seemingly populated almost entirely by jerks of all types and species, where everyone is so blatantly flawed in their own way and where most everything is varying degrees of ridiculous that not even the main characters can take their world very seriously. And once I was able to embrace this, not only was I able to enjoy the cheeky ludicrousness that permeated everything, but I was quickly able to become unexpectedly and deeply engaged in the A Midsummer Night's Dream-themed mystery at the heart of the plot, with all its twists and turns that sent Pocket and a bizarre cast of supporting characters dashing about a fantastical medieval Athens enduring no small amount of misadventures.
All in all, it was very absurd and very irreverent fun. If Moore’s other works are anything like this, then I definitely plan on giving his other works a try the next time I find myself in the mood for a light, coarsely comical, and very readable romp.
This is actually my first go at a Christopher Moore book, and due to my initial unfamiliarity, I ended diving in headfirst without realizing that Moore has an array of different ongoing series and recurring characters like Pocket the Fool. But my entrance into this particular series quite out of order ended up proving to be no detriment. The bigger challenge was getting used to the surprisingly raunch-heavy style of humor that permeates the book from beginning to end. At times it definitely felt a little too thickly layered onto everything, to say the very least. But eventually, I was able to accept the book's setting for what it was - an absurd, magic-laced place seemingly populated almost entirely by jerks of all types and species, where everyone is so blatantly flawed in their own way and where most everything is varying degrees of ridiculous that not even the main characters can take their world very seriously. And once I was able to embrace this, not only was I able to enjoy the cheeky ludicrousness that permeated everything, but I was quickly able to become unexpectedly and deeply engaged in the A Midsummer Night's Dream-themed mystery at the heart of the plot, with all its twists and turns that sent Pocket and a bizarre cast of supporting characters dashing about a fantastical medieval Athens enduring no small amount of misadventures.
All in all, it was very absurd and very irreverent fun. If Moore’s other works are anything like this, then I definitely plan on giving his other works a try the next time I find myself in the mood for a light, coarsely comical, and very readable romp.
Another bawdy, raunchy, and hilarious take on Shakespeare with Pocket, Drool, and Jeff. I was constantly laughing out loud at the clever word play and insults. So much fun, and the audiobook narrator is fabulous. I have Pocket to thank for a favorite swear: fuckstockings!