Bloodsucking Fiends

BLOODSUCKING FIENDS (Christopher Moore) - Four Stars

Chris Moore books are like candy. They are breezy, quick, delightful reads. They don't kid themselves (or the reader) by trying to delve very deeply into matters of great importance. The plotlines aren't terribly complicated or convoluted, though there's usually one or two surprising plot-twists towards the end. But, in both of Moore's books that I've read so far, they've kept me very entertained (in part by being quite funny) and I've come to care for the characters very much. That's what makes the books a success. His novels are little more than clotheslines upon which are hung one set piece after another, but it works because I care for the characters and am interested in finding out what happens to them next.

Moore's take on the vampire mythos covers some old ground, but makes a few interesting changes while good-naturedly ribbing some of its forebearers (like Bram Stoker and Anne Rice). One of Moore's earlier novels (his third, first published in 1995), his writing style isn't quite as refined as in A Dirty Job: the absurdist wit isn't as sharp, although the humanist elements are still present. I'm glad he wrote a sequel to this novel (You Suck, 2007) as I enjoyed Jody and Tommy even more than Charlie in A Dirty Job.

This book also has the best author bio line I've even seen...

Christopher Moore is the author of seven novels, including this one. He began writing at age six and became the oldest known child prodigy when, in his early thirties, he published his first novel. His turn-ons are the ocean, playing the toad lotto, and talking animals on TV. His turn-offs are salmonella, traffic, and rude people. Chris enjoys cheese crackers, acid jazz, and otter scrubbing. He lives in an inaccessible island fortress in the Pacific.