Foop!

I tried to like it. I wanted to like it. Christopher Moore has a blurb on the front cover, which was the main reason I decided to pick up the book. Even though I was intrigued by the possibilities for the plot, the protagonist didn't inspire any interest in me and even after 100 pages I decided that this was one of the few books I didn't want to finish reading. The humor is coarse and crude, which I generally don't mind, but there didn't seem to be any smarts behind it, which is the difference between this book and those of Christopher Moore. Also, the numerous typos made it feel more like I was reading an ARC than a final, proofed copy.

The main weakness of this book is the lack of any coherent plot. There is a plot line, but its barely a single thread. The majority of the book is various situations the main character finds himself in that seem to be constructed mainly for the purpose of creating gags. Some are funny, some are funny if you are a 13 yo boy, and some just don't seem to have a punch line. In any case, without a coherent plot, they come off as a bunch of gags loosely strung together.

This is a very difficult book to review, so I am just going to clarify what this book is and is not for those who are thinking of checking it out.

The many reviews comparing this to Hitchhiker's Guide are unfair and misleading - although the book is similar in the sense that both are absurdist sci-fi, "Foop!" takes the absurdism to an entirely new level (which is sometimes good, sometimes bad), and its style is patently different.

The comparisons to Moore are more accurate, but I don't think Genoa is as good as Moore is at hiding the fact that the plot is almost completely incidental to the experience of reading the book (or at least is secondary to the wit and absurdity).

If the story and pacing was a little better, this would be a five show more star book. It is a very good debut novel, and I am looking forward to reading the next thing Genoa gets published. show less

Foop! by Chris Genoa is an appealing science-fiction farce with healthy doses of amusing social commentary. I liked Foop! but wanted to like it more. All the ingredients were there, and it did taste good, but I couldn’t help but think that a dash more of this and a little less of that would have really made it a great read.

The story follows a rather overwhelmed and juvenile Joe, a time travel tour guide. We join Joe in crisis, having to step in for John Wilkes Booth and assassinate Abraham Lincoln. (I can’t help but think of Sarah Vowell right out of the gate and have to believe she’s read Foop!) It’s in these first few chapters that we’re introduced to how time travel works in Foop! and the ’shaved cat’ principle that show more ensures that any changes made in the past do not effect the future. Or do they?

Read my full review on the Used Books Blog:
http://usedbooksblog.com/blog/foop-by-chris-genoa/ show less

Aliens, robots, other planets, time travel, dystopias. All these archetypes of science fiction make their appearance in one fashion or another in Foop!, a first novel by Chris Genoa.

Foop! is a comedic and at times scatological look at where the Earth may be headed and why. Its hero is Joe, who, as the name implies, is just an average guy. Joe is a tour guide for the world's first time travel tourism company. He is assigned the task of discovering why persons unknown seem to be abusing past versions of his boss. Along the way Joe has to cope with an evil-looking pair he is convinced are out to cause him harm and encounters with the adherents of a new religion that seems to be sweeping the country. Even more problematic are the seemingly show more increasing glitches in the space-time continuum.

Foop! is satirical social commentary on a wide range of issues and everyman Joe is a perfectly likeable guide on this surreal tour. Even if the book doesn't entirely succeed, it is at least a relatively pleasurable trip.

Originally posted at http://prairieprogressive.com/?p=406 show less

I liked it, it was amusing in an interesting idea sort of way. I get the proximity to Christopher Moore's work, but I didn't attach myself to the narrator as much as I do with CM. I think only people who like SciFi and Christopher Moore will enjoy this.