A Dirty Job: A Novel by Christopher Moore Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Dirty Job: A Novel
Book Review: Death and Dying, What a Hoot!
Summary: 5 Stars
In `A Dirty Job' author Christopher Moore creates a wildly imaginative, often hilarious world of Death that somehow manages to be poignant at the same time. How does he do that?? I don't know, but it's a lot of fun, a great read, and yet touches the human spirit.
Moore's protagonist Charlie Asher, a mild-mannered recently widowed dealer in used goods is unsettled to discover that he has somehow become a Death Merchant. He has to track down people who have just died or are about to die and collect their soul vessel so it can be passed on to somebody else who really needs it. Simple enough, or so it seems until the Morrigan show up. The Morrigan are large black bird-like creatures who live in the storm sewers of San Francisco. They are at odds with Asher and his colleagues. And then some of the people who are supposed to die don't. Lack of death causes a Death Merchant a lot of trouble. It turns out that the lack of death is no accident, but is the result of a third-party intervention that involves really strange creatures made up of parts of dead animals sewn together and wearing nightgowns.
So, how does all that rollicking weirdness get poignant? Well, underneath all the weirdness, his book really is about Death, the death of spouses and mothers and lovers and how we deal with it.
Moore's Note and Acknowledgement explain his inspiration for some of his ideas, including the dead animals in dresses. Check out art by Monique Motil. It can be found on the web and it's, uhh interesting.
A Dirty Job is a lot of fun, a quick read, that's sure to brighten your day (hey, you're not dead yet, are you?).
Book Review: Death can be a laughing matter
Summary: 4 Stars
Author Christopher Moore has a wild, protean imagination that has very few rivals. In "A Dirty Job" he manages to seamlessly combine the preposterous with some pretty true to life observations about the one thing most humans
In the opening pages we are introduced to Charlie Asher, a sympathetic nebbish of a man who loses his wife (the love of his life), finds he must raise his infant daughter alone, and discovers quite by accident that wherever he goes people around him seem to be dying like flies. Charlie's once tranquil life becomes a nightmare as he begins to hear voices calling to him from sewer grates, sees strange alien creatures and fears he is under attack by the supernatural beings. Could Charlie be suffering from a case of galloping paranoia or is there another explanation?
Utilizing his unique brand of perverse humor and snappy repartee, Moore engages the reader and invites us to join him in this fantasy world where good and evil collide and our "everyman" hero interacts with a cast of characters whose attributes run the proverbial gamut.
This story is vintage Moore and all aficionados of dark humor and irony will find this serving of the absurd to be completely satisfying.
Book Review: Death is Hilarious
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first Christopher Moore book that I read and I originally bought it because the cover was hilarious but as I started to read it I started to realize that it is a great book. Christopher Moore does an execellent job describing the characters, I especially like when he talks about the main characters "Beta Maleness". I will admit that this story has a plot that is very unique and that's what makes it such a great book to read. How many people would about writing a book about a guy who becomes death? If you like humor or you are slightly macabre than this book is a good pick for you. WARNING THIS BOOK IS NOT RECOMENDED FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE SERIOUS OR LACK A SENSE OF HUMOR.Book Review: Death is a Beta Male
Summary: 4 Stars
A Dirty Job isn't your typical story about Death (the Grim Reaper). It takes the concept of death and puts a new spin on it. Charlie has been chosen, unwillingly, to carry out his duties as a Death Merchant, someone who collects souls and then passes them on to their future destination. These souls are contained in possessions of the deceased after they die. If you think that sounds weird, it only gets weirder.
This is the first Christopher Moore book I've read. I was actually searching for The Stuppidest Angel which was reccommended to me but came across this instead. What I admire about Moore is his ability to write some genuinely emotinal scenes that will have your heartbreaking for his fictional characters and by the next page have you laughing again. His sense of humor is very sarcastic and twisted which is perfect for the tone of the subject matter.
Although there are a few surprises, it isn't completely unpredictable, but the ending is quite satisfying tying up loose ends quickly. The cast of supporting characters are all pretty good for the most part but it's the main protagonist that stands out with his thoughts on being a Beta Male and his warped sense of reality. The villains manage to be quite interesting as well, but I won't ruin it.
The subject did remind me of other mediums that tackled the same issue such as the Showtime series "Dead Like Me" and even to a slight extent "Grim Fandango" a Lucasarts adventure game, but A Dirty Job is different enough that it stands on its own. I can't say if you enjoyed Moore's books before that you'll love this one, but I will be checking out his other work after this.
Book Review: Death, Someone has to do it.
Summary: 5 Stars
I was introduced to this book by a friend who claimed it was laugh out loud funny. She was not joking.
This book had me laughing and crying in the first 5 pages. Any book that can take you from one emotion to the next so quickly is worth your time.
Christopher Moore weaves a tale of one man's journey as death. Though there have been many novels about this subject, none have really looked at the humorous side of death and what it entails. This books makes death more approachable and less of a frightening thing to the reader.
Characters created by Moore take on a life of their own. His development of characters is superb. Not only do they add to the story, you find yourself either relating to the characters or knowing someone just like them. His gift to make the characters real makes the book even more enjoyable.