Anima Rising by Christopher Moore

March 8, 2026

Anima Rising by Christopher Moore

On his way home from an evening on the town, artist Gustav Klimt sees a naked dead girl lying on the bank of a canal. Fascinated by the color of her skin, he stops to draw her, and then realizes that she isn't dead. He takes her home to his studio, where one of his regular models Wally takes her under her wing and nurses her back to health. But the drowned girl can't remember her name or how she got into the canal, so Klimt takes her to see his friend Dr. Sigmund Freud, and under hypnosis, the girl tells a fantastic tale of being murdered and reanimated by none other than Victor Frankenstein. Who also brings a Malamute named Geoff who loves croissants back to life.

Another out-there tale of history/fantasy/horror from Christopher Moore, featuring a number of real-life characters including artist Gustav Klimt and his favorite model Wally, Egon Schiele, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung (Adolf Hitler even does a walk-on), and incorporating the story of the bride of Frankenstein (coincidentally, the movie The Bride starring Maggie Gyllenhall is just about to be released). Moore also incorporates Inuit mythology and stories of shapeshifters. The humor is darker than in many of his books and there are darker themes at work here as well, including sexual and physical abuse, sex work, some animal death that is mostly off-stage, murder, and mental health. My favorite character by far is Geoff the pastry-loving dog, who is Judith's protector, and yes, he is fine at the end of the story.

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt - he was known for the mosaic costumes on his models

Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore

June 10, 2022

Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore

The characters from Christopher Moore's Noir are back for a new adventure. In post World War II San Francisco, Sammy Two-Toes Tiffin, his pals from Cookie's Coffee, and his girlfriend Stilton (aka The Cheese) are following new pursuits. Sammy and Eddie are trying to open a driving school while saving Eddie's uncle's opium den from falling into the hands of a vicious gangster. Stilton and her gal pals from the welding crew are especially up to something mysterious at night, after they get done slinging hash at their daytime gigs. Plus there is a new head of SFPD vice who is cracking down on activities like Mabel and the girls from her brothel going up to the state hospital for the annual Christmas party, like they do every December. There might also be a dragon who is waking up from a long sleep, ready to wreak havoc on the city.

This is a really fun sequel to Noir. There is so much happening that there's no way to describe it and do it justice. How can you not love a book where the highest compliment a man can give a woman is to call her a stand-up dame? Fast, funny, zany.

What Cookie's Coffee must have been like in 1940's San Francisco

Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore

May 16, 2020

Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore

(Yes, I know, another Shakespeare book.  I read them in the order that they are going to be published and try to stay ahead of the pub date.  The next one will be historical fiction.)

This is the 3rd outing for Christopher Moore's Pocket the fool/jester in this parody of one of Shakespeare's plays..  This time, he finds himself shipwrecked just outside Athens, where he soon encounters Robin Goodfellow (the Puck) and the rest of the cast of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  Mayhem ensues when Puck is killed by an arrow and Pocket is arrested for the crime (even though he doesn't have a crossbow).  To save himself and his apprentice Drool, Pocket agrees to carry out tasks for the king, the Amazon queen, the night king and the fairy queen (quite a lot of tasks) while trying to unravel who murdered Puck.

After parodying first "King Lear," and then "The Merchant of Venice," Christopher Moore takes on what is probably Shakespeare's best-loved play.  It is fun and witty with lots of references to Shakespeare's plays, good escapist fiction if you're tired of hearing about the pandemic, rising grocery prices, unemployment, etc.  Moore does use the f--- word at least once a paragraph, as well as many sexual references, so be aware in advance if you are offended by obscene language or vulgar references.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in return for a review.