The Week in Books Part 2

Yesterday I was such a downer on Goodnight June that I decided to post about a book I am Loving at the moment.  Several years ago I downloaded Fool, a novel by Christopher Moore that told the story of King Lear from the point of view of his fool, Pocket of Dog Snogging.  I have been a fan of Christopher Moore since around 2003 when I read Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.  It made me laugh so hard, and kept me company during an ALA Midwinter in Boston where I spent most of the weekend frozen.  Moore's imagination has, in turns, impressed and disgusted me ever since, and I'm always on the lookout for his new stuff.

Fool caught my eye, and then my ear because it was narrated by the fantastic Euan Morton, whose accents made the story so much more alive for me.  I looked for other audiobooks where he was the narrator, and was disappointed.  It seems that he only did that one.

When I picked up a galley copy of the Serpent of Venice a few months ago at PLA, I knew I'd be in for a treat with the audiobook.  I avoided reading it in advance, because I wanted all of the narration to be in Euan's voice, not mine.

And I have not been disappointed.  The book is a retelling of the Merchant of Venice from the point of view of the Fool, who has been sent to Venice from England on a diplomatic mission.  There's a serpent, a ghost (there's always a bloody ghost) and lots of characters, typical of Moore.  But you really should listen to it to get the full affect.  Plus, it helps if you know the story of the Merchant of Venice.  I still have a few chapters, so I'm not sure how it will end, and if Shylock will get his proper revenge or not, but I'm guessing he will if the Fool has anything to do with it.

Seriously, this is a book worth reading (or, ideally, listening to).