New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore channels William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe in this satiric Venetian gothic featuring the irresistibly mischievous Pocket of Dog Snogging, the eponymous hero of Fool
Venice, a really long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from Britain who also happens to be a favorite of the Doge: the rascal-Fool Pocket.
This trio of cunning plotters-the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago-have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising a spirited evening with a rare Amontillado sherry and a fetching young noblewoman. Their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged; the girl is nowhere in sight. These scoundrels have something far less amusing planned for the man who has consistently foiled their quest for power and wealth. But this Fool is no fool . . . and the story is only beginning.
Once again, Christopher Moore delivers a rousing literary satire, a dramedy mash-up rich with delights, including (but not limited to): foul plots, counterplots, true love, jealousy, murder, betrayal, revenge, codpieces, three mysterious locked boxes, a boatload of gold, a pound of flesh, occasional debauchery, and water (lots of water). Not to mention a cast Shakespeare himself would be proud of: Shylock; Iago; Othello; a bunch of other guys whose names end in "o"; a trio of comely wenches-Desdemona, Jessica, Portia; the brilliant Fool; his large sidekick, Drool; Jeff, the pet monkey; a lovesick sea serpent; and a ghost (yes, there's always a bloody ghost).
Wickedly witty and outrageously inventive, The Serpent of Venice pays cheeky homage to the Bard and illuminates the absurdity of the human condition as only Christopher Moore can.
Note: The book, too, is a veritable work of art. Rich creamy stock is enhanced by two-color printing, featuring part/chapter titles, running heads, and folios printed in red ink. The text block has blue-stained edges. The book opens to reveal two-page spread endpapers decorated with a sepia-toned antique map of Venice; an antique map of Italy graces the book's front matter, printed in red. The jacket sports a matte finish with embossed author and title type; gold foil embellishes the title and illustration detail.
What I’m reading right now…
Southern Cross the Dog, by Bill Cheng
My favourite book growing up (why?)…
The Mysterious Island, by Jules Verne – I think I consider this my favourite book because it transported me to a different time and a place like nothing I’d read before. It also took me so long to read it, that I sometimes remember it as the only book I was reading while I was growing up.
My all time favourite book is (why?)…
Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck – This book taught me that you could be funny and sweet at the same time. Steinbeck writes about his flawed characters with great affection and forgiveness. I can’t think of a book that has influenced me more.
The book I would recommend everyone to read (why?)…
Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, for the reasons above. I think many of us experience Steinbeck through The Grapes or Wrath or Of Mice and Men, which can leave readers with a feeling of despair. Steinbeck’s comedies, on the other hand, leave us with a sense of amusement at the flaws of our fellow human beings, or at least that’s how they affect me.
The book I wish I wrote…
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee – There’s simplicity and honesty that comes through this book that evinces either incredible skill or incredible natural talent, I don’t know which, but it’s a beautifully crafted slice of the human condition. I think if I’d written a book as good as To Kill a Mockingbird as my first novel, I too would have quit after one.
My guilty reading pleasure is…
Poetry. I guess I feel if I pick up a book of T. S. Elliot or W. B. Yeats I feel a bit like I’m goofing off. There’s always something, usually many, many things I’m supposed to be reading for comment or research, so to just jump into the middle of a collection of poems and rattle around in the language feels as if I’m eating forbidden candy (to completely thrash a metaphor).
The book on my bookshelf that I have never read…
The Brothers Karamazov. I have a terrible time with the Russians. I have a friend who is quite literate in Russian literature who believes that Russian novels should only be read when one is suffering a hangover. I blame my inability to finish any major Russian novel on having quit drinking twenty-seven years ago.
The book that never should have been turned into a film…
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins.
My book is…
The Serpent of Venice.
I’ll never forget…
the feeling of heartbreak.
My favourite place is…
the Musée D’Orsay, Paris.
The most dangerous thing I have ever done is…
free dive alone off a reef in the Ulithi Atoll, Yap.
The first time I…
swam with a singing humpback whale I nearly peed I was so excited.
I regret…
not giving more.
I remember…
hitting a golf ball through the kitchen window when I was five and broken glass falling into my mother’s rhubarb pie, which was just out of the oven. Instantly I was distraught, crying. My father fell down in the yard laughing. I think I learned about tragedy and comedy in that moment.
The one piece of advice I should have listened to but didn’t…
“You need to write every day to get the work done.” I fought that advice for ten years. When I finally took it, I finished and sold my first book.
I love…
talking animals on TV.
I hate…
stupidity (unless it’s from a talking animal on TV).
I wish…
I had more time.
I can’t say no to…
pizza.
Yesterday, I…
wrote three pages.
Share This Book: