FOOP! by Chris Genoa Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of FOOP!
Book Review: A funny first effort from an up-and-coming author
Summary: 4 Stars
Someday Chris Genoa may look back on this novel as sophomoric and simple. Someday, Chris may even cringe at the editing and typography. Maybe. Then again, he may look at it and laugh his head off. While Chris has all the potential in the world to stand in the literary shadows of Christopher Moore, there's something just not completely right with this book.
I liked it, mostly. It's a fun read, if not a little tired at times. I feel like I've read most of the storyline before in one form or another. It's almost like Chris was paying homage to Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, though just coming up a bit short.
Foop is a fun read, and at times engaging. The characters constantly find themselves in weirder and weirder situations that seem to lead to an inevitable, though pat, conclusion.
Not enough to satisfy my Christopher Moore withdrawals, but fun enough to forget the hunger pangs for a while.
Book Review: A great book... for an undergrad
Summary: 2 Stars
I think that Chris Genoa is going to be an excellent writer once he takes some more writing classes (or actually pays attention to them), or hires a really good editor. There was a lot going for the book, but not nearly enough to hold it together. Genoa is unfortunately a little too enamoured of himself and his own sense of humor to fully flesh out the story. That being said, I think he has a lot going for him (hell, his reviewers alone were enough to make me pick up the book, although I questioned their taste a bit afterward), and once he matures a bit and his writing style coalesces, I think he will really be a writer worth reading.Book Review: Absurd & moderately funny but fails the "fiery car crash" test
Summary: 3 Stars
More absurd than Christopher Moore, but not as lighthearted or funny. Surreal, like Phillip Dick but without a cohesive point (at least not that I could figure out), but to be fair the theme that seemed to run throughout the book was the importance of human interaction and the slow erosion in our society of humans connecting with each other in meaningful ways. The plot itself was thin, but intriguing.
Ultimately the book failed my "fiery car crash" test - that is that none of the characters were very likeable, so it wouldn't have bothered me if all of them, including the protagonist, died in a fiery car crash at the end.
Recommendations:
* If you like lighthearted and funny read Christopher Moore's books or Pest Control by Bill Fitzhugh
* If you like convoluted, absurd and just a bit dark then read Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
Book Review: Amusing - but no Chistopher Moore
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this based on the Amazon recomendation. It was favorably compared to Christopher Moore's books. My assessment may be colored by the expectations set in comparing it to Christopher Moore. However, while it is mildly amusing, I found it to be a tedious read. The main character induges in far to much introspection which is not all that amusing nor does it seem to facilitate the plot line. I would recomedn it as worthy airplane reading, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get another Chris Genoa book based on my experience with this one.Book Review: An example of controlled insanity
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very strange book that will leave some people shaking their heads in confusion and others laughing their heads off. Like with most comedy, people either get it or they don't. And if you fall into the latter category then I am afraid you won't enjoy this book. Genoa takes a big gamble by making the humor a do or die aspect of Foop!, packing jokes into almost every page. If the comedy doesn't work, then the whole book comes crumbling down for the reader. But if it succeeds (it did for me) then the book works really well and is a heck of a read.
It was nice to read something so different and original from an author who doesn't always take himself so seriously. There's smart humor in Foop! right up alongside slapstick and off-color humor. And for people who like oddball characters and weird stuff there's PLENTY of that in Foop! There's also plenty of thoughts and feelings that are well grounded in reality, so the reader can relate to the strange events in the book. For me, that is what made the book. You get a sense that Genoa actually cares about the characters--as crazy as they are.