Rating: 
Summary: Not Chris' best by a long shot but it has its monents...
Review: I'm a great Christopher Moore admirer. I think Bloodsucking Fiends may still be the funniest book I ever read. Fluke has its moments but on the whole is a major disappointment. The characters live up to expectations-unfortunately they deserved a better story. You know there's going to be some weird stuff in a Moore novel but here the weird stuff is just too weird. The convoluted nature of the weirdness is text draining-too much prose is devoted to explaining the weirdness-and the end result is the story becomes disjointed, diffuse and generally bogs down to the point one loses interest. On the other hand, many Moore trademarks are fully evident-interesting and enjoyable characters, exotica in terms of locale and setting, nip, laugh inducing dialog. The problem is the flaws overwhelm the positives and the end result is a rather mediocre book overall. Personally, I think Moore is overreaching. Lamb was ambitious and, on the whole, a success but some of the flaws in Fluke were making early appearances there. Moore needs to go back to letting the story carry the action and reign in his imagination a bit. If he does so, all will be well I think. But, anyway, in the meantime Fluke represents a decent but by no means typical Moore extravaganza.
Rating: 
Summary: Once Again, Chris Moore, at the Top of His Game
Review: I've been his biggest fan ever since I first read Coyote Blue. In every book I find new ways to appreciate the enormity of his talent. His books aren't just funny adventures that keep you turning the pages. They are intense, diverse and truthful explorations of human nature and all of the emotions beyond humor that we experience: Love, loss, betrayal and ultimately always redemption. And they're funny. In the past, I've tried to "rank" my favorite Moore novel, something we all do with writers we enjoy and admire. Strangely enough, they all come out tied for first. FLUKE is no exception. It's a story written by a writer who is at the very peak of his talent. It's another great collection of vintage Moore characters. In this book in particular, the character of Kona is worth the price of admission alone. It's starts simply enough, with a couple of ne'r do well Whale researchers, whose exploits bring them to a stunning realization not only about the humpback whales they've studied their entire professional lives, but the very existence of humanity as we know it. To say more would be to give away details unnecessarily, details that you simply need to savor on your own. If you love Moore, this book won't dissappoint. If you've never read Moore, then what the heck are you waiting for?
Rating:
Summary: Read Lamb Instead
Review: Christopher Moore is noramlly funny, insightful, slightly twisted and respectful of his subjects. Fluke seemed like an assignment he had to finish but needed to expand to fit a minimum requirement. I kept waiting (and waiting....) for his wonderful sense of humor to kick in. I wanted to care for any of his characters. I didn't until the last 50 papges. I do have to admit that the answers are pretty darn odd and unexpected even in a book with a whale tale that says "Bite Me." If you loved Lamb or Blue Coyote and must read this book, read the first 50 pages and just jump to the middle of the book. Better yet, try to check it out at the library.
Rating:
Summary: Moore and his book are funny --- there's no fluke about that
Review: I would read Christopher Moore based on the titles of his works alone. He has written fantastically odd and fun books for years, including ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN, THE LUST LIZARD OF MELANCHOLY COVE, and LAMB: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BIFF, CHRIST'S CHILDHOOD PAL (which, in my estimation, is his best, most bedazzlingly kooky book yet). Once I get past the title page of a Christopher Moore book, I'm never disappointed. He always delivers the goods (the goods being odd characters, odd settings, and odd happenings). The latest Moore delivery is FLUKE: OR I KNOW WHY THE WINGED WHALE SINGS, and he will not disappoint fans. The odd characters include marine biologist Nathan Quinn, a lifelong researcher of the humpback whale and their song; Clay Demodocus, his associate; beautiful research assistant Amy Earhart; and Rastaman, Kona, a white boy from New Jersey. The settings, which are varied, include Maui, a giant whale ship and "Gootown." The odd happenings are too numerous to mention. There's some discussion of a whale calling a benefactor by telephone asking for a hot pastrami and Swiss on rye. There's an escape from an amorous Samoan. There's a situation involving a super-race of piscatorial mutants. And there's that one whale that had written on its tail "BITE ME." Of course, the book is not too thick with such heavy topics as the meaning of life and love. There is, however, some discussion about Canadian hockey violence. Moore won't give you long theories about the nature of man or the political implications of the Middle East. He will, however, give us some interesting cetacean sex, which is always titillating. It's a breeze to read. The reader will sit in a hammock, a drink by their side (with an umbrella in it), and happily read along chuckling mightily (hopefully not spilling said umbrella-laden drink). The one thing that Moore does well (on top of his writing antics) is the research he puts into his books. He knows about whales and cares about them (so much so, in fact, that at the end of the book he highlights ways in which the reader can help out with and address conservation issues). Just as in LAMB, where he studied mightily about the world in Jesus's time, Moore finds many interesting nuggets about whales, the ocean, and the like. If you want Norman Mailer or Leon Uris, you've come to the wrong place. But if you're in the mood for a quick laugh (along the lines of Tom Robbins, Dave Barry and their ilk) and a fun book to read on a sunny weekend, FLUKE is the way to go. Both the book and Moore are funny --- and there's no fluke about that. --- Reviewed by Jonathan Shipley
Rating:
Summary: CHRISTOPHER MOORE DOES IT AGAIN!
Review: I fell in love with the books of Christopher Moore with the novel Practical Demonkeeping. I found myself laughing out loud again and again, usually in a public place where uncontrollable mirth was generally frowned upon. The book was hilarious, unusual, not the run-of-the-mill fiction fodder that I was used to. I was hooked. I sought out more of his books, greedy for the pure, undiluted pleasure they gave me. I read them all, and not one of them disappointed. Christopher Moore is, and probably always will be, my favorite author of all time. Here is a writer who shows great wit, unbelievable imagination and a kindness to his characters I had never seen before. His latest work, Fluke, is a wonderful tale of a man who one day realizes that the world of marine science and whale research is not what it seems. Reality gets drop-kicked out the window. Throw in some whales with unusual markings, a beautiful stranger, a Rastafarian wannabe, a powerful force that is older than man, and a mob of other memorable characters, and you have pure perfection in the humor/sci fi genre of today. I could not put this book down! I'd highly recommend this book, as well as each and every one of the other books Mr. Moore has written. If you're ready for an adventure, Fluke is for you! Buy the book, grab a beer and some sunscreen and get ready to read the best damn book of the summer! You'll never forget it!
Rating: 
Summary: A very pleasant surprise
Review: The only other book of Moore's I read before "Fluke" was "Demonkeeping for Beginners", which, while amusing, was pretty lightweight. I wasn't expecting much from "Fluke", and was very surprised to find thet Moore had written a comic novel with real characters, a great plot, and a bit of real whale science tossed in as well. "Fluke" begins with the photographing of a somehwat anomolous whale by a researcher- it's like most other whales except it has "BITE ME" printed on its tail. When he gets his film back from the lab, someone has cut out the frame with the picture. Then his labe is broken into and all his records stolen. A drunken coral fisherman reports wraiths on his boat. A batty old lady tells him the whales want a pastrami sandwich. And then things start to get weird. Really weird. Is it the military? A slightly evil promoter of dolphin tours? Aliens? You'll never guess, but you will have a wonderful time reading this book, laughing out loud at times and, oddly enough, learning a lot about whales, too.
Rating:
Summary: Whale of a Tale
Review: If there is a group of writers specializing in silly titles, it is definitely lead by Christopher Moore. This is my first Moore book to read, and after perusing the jacket copy synopsis I felt more than a little skeptical. Could such silliness really be adhered together into an actual story with a beginning, middle, and end? The answer is yes. Moore takes the ridiculous and carefully inserts it into a world in which it is rightly challenged. Imagine having, say, a Popsicle, about sixty-five feet long, fall through the ceiling of your office (this scene is not in the book, it is of my own invention, so don't worry). If such a crazy thing were to really occur, you would be forced to examine it as, first, a real situation - not fantasy - and second, as something with a probably rational explanation. That's precisely what Nate, the hero whale biologist of 'Fluke' does when he encounters his first 'mystery': a whale with "Bite Me" written on its fluke. What follows is a lot funny, a lot weird, and a lot just good story.
While things do tend to get too silly at times, and while the 'out there' element does get a little too high (pun intended), the character interactions are sound (again, pun intended) and their voices are individual and humorous. Most of the characters come across as people you know, or at least people you might like to know. Other reviewers tend to feel this is not Moore's best work, and without reading any of his other titles, I feel I can still agree. There is an amazing potential in this book, a command of the language and of humor that is rarely found together. I recommend 'Fluke' to anyone in the mood for something fun, and will likely be able to recommend some of his other titles more emphatically in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Whales and Their-uh-Songs-ahem
Review: This book should be sold at the Phallic Museum in Reykjavik Iceland, right next to the preserved whale willies in their really really big jars. In fact, the most hilarious scene in the book has to do with the aforementioned items. Fluke isn't as jam-packed with funny scenes as other Moore books, but it has plenty of unforgettable characters. Kona the ersatz Hawaiian Rastafarian was my favorite. Unfortunately, Moore couldn't quite slide his message in with the twisted humor as neatly as he has in the past (Lamb, Coyote Blue, ), so he was forced to put it in an appendix, albeit a humorous one. In general, while Fluke was well worth reading, it was missing Moore's usual go-for-broke insanity
Rating:
Summary: Not Moore's Best, But Still Laugh Out Loud At Times
Review: Having been a recent Christopher Moore fan, I've pretty much devoured everything he's written (Coyote Blue, Island of the Sequinned Love Nun, etc.) and found his comedic style to be light, breezy and a sheer joy to read. Many have compared Mr. Moore to the late, great Douglas Adams (of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame) and I think this is a fair comparison. If you like Adams' style, you're sure to enjoy Moore's. Fluke is a departure for Mr. Moore from his previous novels. He's done research for the others, but that research was always used to further the laughs you were sure to enjoy in his books. But here, Mr. Moore tended to plug whale research (a worthy cause, no doubt!) and the scouring of our ocean environments, and the comedy . . . well . . . got lost a bit. Even in the afterword to the book, Mr. Moore tells us about the extensive research he did in putting this book together. Interesting, but it's not WHY readers have been drawn to his stories. But let's get into the book. As stated above, this story focuses on whales. Particularly the Humpbacks around Hawaii. Nathan Quinn and a band of scientists (with the recent addition of a truly memorable pothead character named Kona) are trying to find out why the whales sing. And why it is ONLY the males that sing. What does the song mean? This is Mr. Quinn's life work. . . . And Mr. Quinn and his fellow scientists are about to make a hilarious and startling discovery. They soon learn WHY the whales sing (I'm not going to tell you why. You've got to read it to find out). The interactions between the characters is what sets this story apart. That and the story about the giant whale penises mixing with a zodiac inflatable boat! Is it possible that the ocean is a giant living . . . uh, thing? Or Goo? Is it possible that whales are more
intelligent 'internally' than we could have ever imagined? Is it possible to fall in love with a nonhuman sea creature? Whoa! A good read. Not great. Not Moore's greatest by a looong shot. But still a lot better than some of the junk that's out there on the shelves. I'm glad I read it. A solid 'B' rating.
Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable silly sci-fi send-up of researchers + whales
Review: I just finished listening to this in the book-on-tape format. Very enjoyable. Oh, the plot is pretty silly, but it was hard to resist the spot-on funny dialogue, and the portrayal of the science nerd filled world of research. Between luscious Amy, spoon-of-correction weilding Claire, stoned Kona, loyal Clay, and science geek Nate, this book is filled with well drawn characters that move along to a brisk plot. I really enjoyed Irwin Bill's reading and thought he did a nice job of finding the right voice for each character. His timing and intonation will make you laugh out loud, which may alarm your co-workers as you try to work and listen in stealth mode. It looks like C. Moore has written a bunch of books, all enthusiastically reviewed on Amazon -- why haven't I heard of him before? I'll be looking for his other books!
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