Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings (2003)

Fascinating! Way far out and wacky, but, fascinating. I will say no more. You must read this book if: you have an open mind, you love that science can break its own rules, and you are able to suspend all disbelief and spend some time swimming in a totally impossible fantasy. I thought it was pretty cool. This book takes you to another world. I think it's called Gooville... ( )

Christopher Moore is hilarious. This is one of those books that you're going to annoy your friends, your family, your spouse, the person sitting next to you on the bus because not only are you going to be laughing out loud you're going to want to share with everyone just what is so hilarious. ( )

Meh...
I don't know what else to say about it.
I read it a few days ago. I'll forget it tomorrow. ( )

Christopher Moore is one of the most consistently funny authors working today. He’s written about hungry demons, turkey-bowling supermarket night crews, magic fruit bats, and a lonely sea beast named Steve. This book is about whales, but in typical Chris Moore fashion, it’s also about environmental issues, a scientist in love with his research assistant, Amelia Earhart, a rastafarian surfer dude from New Jersey, and some sentient pink goo that may be the earliest form of life on the planet. Somehow Moore ties this all together into an imminently readable, side-splittingly funny tale. I don’t know how he does it, but I’m sure glad that he does. ( )

A respected cetacean biologist, whales that aren't really whales, a Hawaiian Rastafarian from New Jersey, and a hot intern who isn't who (or what) she appears to be are just some of the many odd components of this story. But this one isn't just slapstick funny. This one has a point. It's informative. You could learn stuff (about whales and whale research). Well, a little, anyway.

I've read a few books by Christopher Moore, and although I always get a smile from them, the humor tends to be a bit too crude for my personal taste. It's his characters' in-your-face foul language, sex obsession, juvenile behavior, and fondness for frying their brains that rather puts me off. I really can't like or admire people like that, either in fact or fiction. This book is different. It's more Science Fiction than Fantasy, a bit more grounded in reality, and the characters are pursuing a worthwhile goal. Yeah, there is a fair amount of absurd silliness in Fluke. The characters are still pretty goofy, but they're a bit more believable than Moore's normal cast of clowns.

This is probably my favorite of Christopher Moore's books so far. I can recommend it to readers who have enjoyed Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett.

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