Who is Christopher Moore?

Christopher Moore is an absurdist novelist with an ever growing cult following. Born and raised in Ohio, Moore would attend Ohio State before moving to Santa Barbara, California to enroll in photography school. For the next sixteen years, Moore would work as everything from a roofer to a DJ. However, in 1992, it all changed when his first novel Practical Demonkeeping was published to relative success.

He laid dormant for awhile, all the while slowly developed a strong cult and then reaching bestseller status with novels such as You Suck: A Love Story, A Dirty Job, and Lamb. A number of his works have been optioned for film, but thus far none have been begun any serious work towards production; the closest being The Stupidest Angel which is supposedly in pre-production by Swim Pictures for a 2010 release.

Also known as The Author Guy.

What is Christopher Moore's style?

Being an absurdist, Moore attempts to weave together whimsy with just about anything you can imagine. Abusrdist fiction centers on the behavior of ridiculous characters, situations and subjects. A character's behavior and the story's plot are not meant to make full sense, nor behave within reason. While aburdism doesn't always mean comedy, Moore's brand most certainly does.

His works, despite treading into dark and often sacred areas, are nothing if light-hearted fun and honest-to-goodness laugh-out-loud funny. Moore has a self-deprecating sense of humor and a way of rewriting even the most serious stories with an irreverent flair. Whether he is tackling Shakespeare or the Gospel, Moore tends to focus on an everyman (or in his words the Beta Male) that is thrust into supernatural circumstances. He will regularly employ horror and science fiction elements into his stories, although he is on no level to be considered a horror or science fiction writer.

While Moore is a satirist in every sense of the word, he more or less skewers society on a whole. I've seen very few particular targets for his lampoons, as he will attack just about anything that takes themselves too seriously. He has a strong preference for beach culture and an obvious amount of Californication. If Moore is a true advocate for anything, it is for hot girls getting with geeky guys. And maybe putting sunglasses on fruit bats....

Why should I care about Moore's work?

A casual fan can probably pass up many of his early novels, but should pay close attention to his later ones. The man has noticeably refined his craft over the years, becoming more efficient, witty, and humorous. His style and humor should appeal to people who like the whimsical writings of both Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams. Around the time he wrote A Dirty Job, Moore developed a discernible edge that should resonate with both beta males and appreciators of alternative lifestyles.

Foremost though, Christopher Moore is one of those rare authors who is legitimately fun to read.

What authors or works are similar to Moore's?

• Tim Dorsey
• Dave Barry
• Carl Hiaasen
• Tom Robbins
• Tony Vigorito
• Mykle Hansen
• Douglas Adams
• Robert Rankin
• Kurt Vonnegut (his more satirical works)
• John Steinbeck (his lesser known comic works)

Anything Else?

Christopher Moore is extremely self-referential. He is worse than an episode of Lost, bringing characters from past stories in for cameos and making unexplained references to past novels. He holds a particular fondness for his Pine Cove trilogy - Practical Demonkeeping, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, and The Stupidest Angel - as well San Fransisco - Bloodsucking Fiends trilogy and A Dirty Job. If you turn out to be a fan you'll want to read his books in relative order to gain a full understanding of his universe.


How would one get started reading Chris?

I'd recommend picking up A Dirty Job, Practical Demonkeeping, or Lamb to get started into the zany world of Christopher Moore. These three works make up my favorites by the author and also are excellent starting points for getting used to his style. There are some self-references in A Dirty Job that may leave you scratching your head, but if anything they should whet your appetite to delve further into his works. The only two novels I can't fully recommend by Moore are Fluke and Coyote Blue.

I'd recommend you check out Christopher Moore's website. He keeps it very up to date and has a fairly thriving community. You'll also be able to check out sample chapters and early short stories by the Author Guy.

For now, meet me over in our forums and let's talk more about how practical demonkeeping really is and absurdism in detail.

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