Rating: 
Summary: A Good Rollick
Review: I've always wanted to say "Rollick," but never had the guts to do so in public. I'm not even sure its a word, but...rollick rollick rollick rollick!!! Woo-hoo. I am complete.Meanwhile, if you like funny books with silly characters and light-hearted shenanigans (there, I did it again), try this one out. You won't be disappointed. Remember, laughter is good medicine too.
Rating:
Summary: Impractical for anything but laughing yourself silly
Review: The jacket copy on this first novel says that it has already been "bought by Hollywood Pictures for Disney Studios." Which doesn't necessarily mean that you'll see a movie of this anytime soon, given Hollywood's tendancy to buy more than they produce. But it is interesting to think of Disney making a film in which a Demon eats people. Again, that isn't to say that this wouldn't make a good film, although I thought the best aspects here were things that wouldn't translate well. There is, however, a good book here. Travis O'Hearn is a young (in features) man with a problem--back in the early 1900s he accidentally summoned a demon and he can't get rid of it. The real catch--or should I say, Catch, for that is the demon's name--is that the demon feels the same way about Travis. What the demon would really like is a master that would let him do some real damage. There's also a small town that's about to meet these two in an intimate way, and your "wild card" player, who's something like a djinn. The way Moore intermixes myth and characters in this story is akin to James P. Blaylock's The Last Coin, yet with a touch less style. That is, Moore's got the plot, characters, and humor down, but he can't match Blaylock's literary wordsmithing. This is only his first novel, remember, and he could very well gain that style as he matures as a writer. There's some clever literary in-jokes here for the horror fan, nicely done so that the non-fan won't be left scratching their head. Definately a delight.
Rating: 
Summary: practical demonkeeping
Review: Practical Demonkeeping grabs your attentinon right from the start with its colorful descriptions and holds it till the end with its fast paced story line. You're always wanting to know more. The author cleverly leaves off every chapter with something to wonder about, then picks up on it later through a different character's views give the book unusual conclusion and adds to the many twists and turns in the story line. The character's personalities are heroic, quircky, and believable. Christopher Moore gives us a story less serious with tons of dark comedy. Practical Demonkeeping is a great book and I recommend it to everyone who wants a great story and a great laugh.
Rating:
Summary: Quick, pleasant, mostly concise, funny
Review: This was my first Christopher Moore book and I was pleasantly surprised. I'd call this book a comedic drama rather than a dramatic comedy. The "Sears Catalog" and "the Dark One is retarded" comments really stuck *me* as funny. I can count on one hand the times I actually laughed out loud while reading a book... the "Sears Catalog" was one of them. As pointed out by a previous reviewer, humor is very subjective. In retrospect, I can see why the reviewer made the tie-in with Douglas Adams but, IMHO, I wouldn't have made it myself. I liked Moore's humor but think Douglas Adams' is about eight coats too think. To those contemplating reading this book but put-off by some reviewers commenting on difficulties keeping the characters straight, take heart. I was overly prepared for keeps dibs on the cast of characters. Only 15 people really need to be tracked - not in great detail, mind you, just remember a one sentence description of who they are. If you're really concerned, write these names down: Billy "Roxanne" Winston, Charles "The Breeze" Belew, Robert Masterson, Augustus Brine, Gian Hen Gian, Catch, Travis O'Hearn, Detective Sergeant Alphonso Rivera, Jennifer Masterson, Howard Phillips, Mavis Sand, Rachel Henderson, Effram Elliot, Amanda Elliot, Spider. When you see the name, write a sentence or two. Why four stars and not five? For *me*, the book needed some editing: 1) In chapter 13, the "The Breeze" section should have been deleted. 2) Towards the end of the book, all references of Vandenberg Air Force Base, owls and field mice should never have made it to print. And finally, 3) the ending was just too happy to not be contrived, even given the premise.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and twisted read
Review: This book was a delight to read. It took me about 60 pages to really start getting into it and the characters. There are a lot of characters in this book and they are all well developed. Christopher Moore is great at weaving a story together from other characters points of view. His twisted sense of humor was very entertaining. If you like the sort of sci fi mystery that doesn't quiet take everything so seriously, you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Got me hooked on Christopher Moore novels
Review: Practical Demonkeeping was my first exposure to the novels of Christopher Moore. I have been a devoted reader ever since. Christopher Moore creates entertaining cocktails with equal parts adventure, dark humor, and a liberal dose of social commentary. If you have a sense of humor, a fine appreciation for the absurd, and enjoy a good read, then this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Imagination...
Review: In this fantastic debut, Moore creates a group of hilarious characters, including the unlikely duo Travis and Catch. Travis is a svelte looking 100-year-old man and Catch is his invisible demon companion who can only be seen by others when he is eating. When the two arrive in the seaside town of Pine Cove, a local man known as The Breeze becomes Catch's first meal. Moore introduces you to the other bizarre inhabitants of Pine Cove who all become involved in trying to take control of Catch or send him back to the Netherworld. The only thing you know for sure is that none of their lives will ever be the same. Christopher Moore has secured his place among my favorite authors and I cannot wait to read more of his zany adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Absurd fun!
Review: If you have a love of good writing, a few twists and turns and wickedly sly humor then you're in for a treat with this one. I stumbled across Christopher Moore a few years ago and now heartily recommend him to all my friends with an eye for the absurd. This one drew me in and I couldn't stop until I was done with the next one, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove. Have fun (oh wait, I don't have to say that, if you read this you definitely will!)
Rating:
Summary: A great debut
Review: I read an interview where Christopher Moore said that, with this novel, he wanted "to do for horror what Douglas Adams did for science-fiction." He hasn't come far off the mark, although the Hitchhiker series was palpably science-fiction whereas this is hardly horror. It has all of the trappings but never produces a real scare. That is my only complaint. The other author I kept thinking of while reading this was Terry Pratchett, whose work I prefer over Adams'. In Adams' work, you could always see the joke coming, where Pratchett often sneaks up on you. Moore's humor is similarly situational. I especially like the description of the contents of Jenny's bathwater and its comparison to the contents of a lab experiment going on across town. It's a light, quick read, but well worth it. This is my first Moore book, and I will definitely be searching out the others.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and unique
Review: This was the first of Moore's books that I read. I found the characters interesting and pleasantly consistent between chapters. They were each portrayed from the perspective of one or two other characters, which gave them an interesting dimension sometimes missing in other novels. This is not, however, a novel exploring the insights into people - it is more about the highs and lows of dealing with a demon from hell, which is slightly different. My partner and I read this book aloud to each other, so I feel I caught some details (and humor) that a more conventional read would have missed. So, while some reviews found the story overly complex, I did not notice that at all. This book comes highly recommended.
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