A "Fool" for Merriment

Christopher Moore has to be one of the funniest authors I have ever read. I stumbled across his books one day in our library, and after reading the first one I was hooked! Each book he writes is full of unique characters who end up in the most bizarre situations, and whose narratives are delivered with a droll wit and plenty of hilarity. Moore's latest is Fool, and it is a satiric romp through the world of Shakespeare and King Lear. The book is a twisted and funny tale of the deranged king and his conniving daughters, with the addedd benefit of Moore's unique twists. The hero of the story is Pocket, King Lear's "small-statured" jester and his side-kick apprentice Drool (his nickname aptly describes him), who decide to make events turn out right when King Lear stubbornly takes away his youngest daughter Cordelia's inheritance and banishes her from the kingdom. Pocket and Drool travel across the kingdom, consult with three witches (has anyone read MacBeth?), cast magic spells and encounter a ghost (there's always a bloody ghost) while orchestrating enough wars and murders to make the readers' head swim. It took me a couple of chapters to get used to the English slang but don't worry--Moore has included plenty of footnotes with definitions of each slang word. Christopher Moore is the author of ten other novels and I think any one you pick up will be a joy to read. Christopher Moore invites readers to e-mail him at BSFiends@aol.com and check out his website located at http://www.chrismoore.com/.