Saturday, August 05, 2006

A Dirty Job -- Christopher Moore


Charlie Asher is a Beta Male, and he knows it. He deals in secondhand goods and feels lucky to be married the the lovely Rachel. Unfortunately, Rachel dies in childbirth, leaving Charlie to bring up their daughter, Sophie. Sounds hilarious, right? Well, believe it or not, it is. Christopher Moore can make even death funny, which is a good thing since that's what the whole book is about. After his wife's death, Charlie discovers that not only does have have a daughter to raise but that he's a Death Merchant, a person who gathers the souls of the recently deceased so that they (the souls, not the deceased) don't fall into the wrong hands. Those hands would belong to the Morrigan and to Orcus, who are living in the sewers of San Francisco, waiting to return to power and take over the world. Charlie believes that only he can stop them. (If the plot sounds a little similar to the one of Gil's All Fright Diner, well, it is.) I've enjoyed all Christopher Moore's novels, and this one's no exception, though it did seem a little bit long. If you're in the mood for something really strange, but hilarious, check it out.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I told you it was great. I loved the girl who worked for him in the shop too.

mybillcrider said...

Not to mention Minty Fresh.