Rating: 
Summary: Kept me up nights...
Review: Quick personal note; My wife and I have twin 18 month old boys. I stay home with them during the day and work until 1:30 AM. Time is at a premium in my life right now. There's not much to spare and whatever spare time I can get a hold of would most likely be better spent sleeping. That being said, Christopher Moore's Blood Sucking Fiends hooked me the first night I opened the cover and kept me up until nearly 4AM.I am a long time fan of horror and it would take quite some book to unnerve me to the point of insomnia. It wasn't a late night case of the heeby-jeebies that kept me up. It was the laughter and engaging characters. Moore has a relaxed witty style that translates to a very fast read. All of the characters in Fiends are incredibly likeable (save one) and the story is humorous and engaging. This fresh take on the joys and advantages of being a vampire set in San Franscisco made me want to walk the city and see the sites. I longed to meet a vivacious red-headed blood sucker who would set me up in an apartment and treat me like a cross between Stoker's Renfield and one of Cher's boy toys. I wanted to take the emperor to lunch with his dogs and become engaged to seven Chinese brothers so they could get their green cards. I wanted to work late nights stocking shelves in a supermarket and go bowling with frozen turkeys. (Oh, wait a sec. I have worked in a supermarket overnight and Moore knows exactly what goes on there.) Christopher Moore weaves all of the above seamlessly and with great humor and affection to create one of the most enjoyable reads of recent memory. More Moore is on it's way to my house as we speak and I can't wait to read his advice on "Practical Demonkeeping" and see what happens in his world when a giant reptile is awakened by radioactive waste in "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove". I may have a new favorite author.
Rating: 
Summary: Adventures in Sang-froid Cisco
Review: I was planning to move back to San Francisco and I picked up "Bloodsucking Fiends" because of the SF connection. This is the first Christopher Moore 've read, but it won't be the last. Moore pegged the City by the Bay and its peculiarities exactly and managed to tell a humorous and engaging story, to boot. I particularly loved the casting of the eccentric Emperor Norton and his dogs, Bummer and Lazarus, as modern-day vampire hunters (for those who don't know, Emperor Norton was a famed SF eccentric from the 19th century. He lost all his money, went mad and declared himself the first emperor of the United States. Always happy to be in on the joke, San Franciscans treated him like an emperor, accepting his home-printed currency, giving him uniforms, feeding him, etc.) I also liked the real feeling of the vampirism - the reactions of the new vamp, Jody, to being turned are hilarious. C.Thomas Flood, grocery store night manager, is less interesting, almost forced in his wackiness. I like this book and, from the reactions I've seen on Amazon, Moore manages to keep it up in later books.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I am a collector of vampire/lycanthorpe novels. I have been collecting them for years. An employee at my local bookstore suggested this novel by Christopher Moore. I must admit this is definitely a different take on becoming a vampire. Jody is leaving work one night when she is dragged into an alley, attacked by an unknown person, and left under a trash can with a blouse full of money. Once Jody awakens and makes her way home to her wimpy and useless boyfriend, she finds out that she has become a vampire. Now Jody does not know the first thing about being a vampire or how she should handle this situation. Also, if that's not enough, she has some crazy calling her who seems to know what she is. Lucky for Jody, she runs into C. Thomas Flood, an innocent from Indiana who just moved to the big city to become a writer. And Jody will definitely need Thomas, as she will need all the help she can get while she adjusts to her new life and stay clear of the police as bloodless bodies start to pop up in her neighborhood. I found this book very cute and funny and definitely a different take on the vampire lifestyle. Although near the end I felt the story line was a tad bid monotonous, I would still highly recommend. A fun quick read.
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest books I have ever read.
Review: This book should come with a warning label: Read this book alone! Constant chuckling and laughing out loud in public will lead people to think you are crazy! Ostensibly, this is a spoof of a "vampire" tale. That's like saying Gone with the Wind was about farm life in the south. It utterly fails to convey the substance of the novel. That substance is derived from the characters--the usual well defined and full blown whackos that inhabit all of Moore's novels. As with all of Moore's novels the locale is a major character as well, and while most of his work is set in small, quirky towns, this one is set in San Francisco, lending an additional element of urban wackiness to the whole thing. The thing with Moore that most astounds is his characters are cartoons in many ways-but have no cartoonish sense about them. Instead, they remind you of all your best friends, and, like your best friends, you care about these people. That makes the story compelling and, interestingly, the humor more intense. Make no mistake--this is light, recreational reading. But is it light, recreational reading of the highest order. I have read all of Moore's books (save the one just issued) and while all are humorous and enjoyable, this one is his best by far.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Comedy of Events
Review: Jody, a semi-attractive redhead, is walking home one evening when she's attacked by someone. When she wakes up two nights later under a dumpster with a burned hand, some superhuman observation skills, and incredible strength, she knows that something is amiss. Come to find out, Jody was attacked by a very old vampire who was looking for some company. Trouble is, this old vampire has had problems with past humans who he turned into his kind. But Jody is different. She quickly learns (through some hilarious trial and error) what she can and cannot do. And thanks to C. Thomas Flood, a would-be writer who came to San Francisco to become 'the starving artist and find some excitement,' Jody will become all that she can be. From Midnight frozen turkey bowling at the local Safeway, to drinking binges with massive hangovers and turtles who's demise is determined by bronze sculptors, this book has something for even the most hum-bug reader. This book will remain on my shelf to be read again and again whenever I need a good tickling of my funny-bone. A+ rating.
Rating:
Summary: Light-Hearted Vampirism
Review: This book is essentially about vampires, but it is quite different than your typical dark gore-filled vampire novel. This one is actually full of Moore's special brand of humor, and that is all it takes to really set this one apart. Character development is great....I actually found myself caring about what happened and pulling for the two main characters. And when I got to the end of the book, I really didn't want it to end. This book definitely has some sequel potential.
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest books I have ever read.
Review: This book should come with a warning label: Read this book alone! Constant chuckling and laughing out loud in public will lead people to think you are crazy! Ostensibly, this is a spoof of a "vampire" tale. That's like saying Gone with the Wind was about farm life in the south. It utterly fails to convey the substance of the novel. That substance is derived from the characters--the usual well defined and full blown whackos that inhabit all of Moore's novels. As with all of Moore's novels the locale is a major character as well, and while most of his work is set in small, quirky towns, this one is set in San Francisco, lending an additional element of urban wackiness to the whole thing. The thing with Moore that most astounds is his characters are cartoons in many ways-but have no cartoonish sense about them. Instead, they remind you of all your best friends, and, like your best friends, you care about these people. That makes the story compelling and, interestingly, the humor more intense. Make no mistake--this is light, recreational reading. But is it light, recreational reading of the highest order. I have read all of Moore's books (save the one just issued) and while all are humorous and enjoyable, this one is his best by far.
Rating:
Summary: Absurdist humor with a great plot
Review: This book has everything going for it...laugh out loud lines AND a great story-line. Our main protagonists, young arrivals to San Francisco, explore love and the Big City while simultaneously dealing with the fact that one of them has unexpectedly become a vampire. It's as great a tribute to SF as Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City...only a great deal more absurdist. It's outrageously funny no matter what your opinion of vampires or San Francisco, but if you enjoy reading about either it's a must read. I also heartily recommend Christopher Moore's other books, especially Island of the Sequined Love Nun.
Rating:
Summary: Let The Laugh Riot Begin!
Review: I truly can't recall the last time I laughed out loud while reading a book. Smirking, groaning, eye-rolling...these yes. Laughing, no. Until I opened up Bloodsucking Fiends. A supernatural novel with plot, love, action and humor rolled up into a superb tight little package. The Plot: Our lead female of the story, Jody, gets changed to a vampire within the first chapter. In her struggles to get supplies and a new apartment, she finds Tommy Flood, a night-shift worker who turns into her new gopher and her new roomie. In the middle of all of this, we have Tommy's story of trying to start over, Jody and Tommy's budding relationship, Jody's struggle with trying to destroy the vampire who created her before he destroys her, and uh... oh yeah...Turkey Bowling. This is a wonderful supernatural story that isn't completely out there. It's a solid read for fantasy/sci-fi people, run-of-the-mill fiction readers, or anybody in need of a good laugh. The characters are strong, the dialogue is brilliant, and the monkey wrenches thrown in along the way (murders pointing to Jody, a dead body in Tommy's freezer) keep you glued to the pages. Cons: I can't really come up with any other than those who might be prudish at a few minor sex scenes or some drainage of blood. But then again, I would imagine those people would turn away from a book with the title Bloodsucking Fiends. The Verdict: An immediate favorite. I enjoyed this so much that I'm adding it to my Love It list. When I'm running into another room every 10 minutes to share a great passage with my husband, it's a good book. When I can't put it down for such an extended period of time that my vision gets blurry when I'm done, it's a good book. Trust me. You'll like this book so much you'll be wanting to give somebody a hickey. Along with this book, I recommend THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez, another wacky impulse Amazon buy that I greatly enjoyed!
Rating:
Summary: Would have made a great first book in a series
Review: I devoured this book in one sitting and was disappointed when I was done, simply because there wasn't any more! Witty book with wonderfully quirky characters: Jody, Tommy, the Animals, the Emperor, and the tough gay cop. Those who have read Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series and Mary Janice Davidson's Undead and Unwed are sure to enjoy this book as well. Come to think of it, this book would make an excellent movie, too.
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