TLC Book Tour & GIVEAWAY! The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

The Serpent of Venice.

TLC Book Tour here.  I want to thank TLC for providing a book for the giveaway!

Venice, a really long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from Britain who also happens to be a favorite of the Doge: the rascal-Fool, Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters—the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago—have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising a spirited evening with a rare Amontillado sherry and a fetching young noblewoman. Their invitation is, of course, a ruse. The wine is drugged; the girl is nowhere in sight. These scoundrels have something far less amusing planned for the man who has consistently foiled their quest for power and wealth. But this Fool is no fool . . . and the story is only beginning.

Once again, Christopher Moore delivers a rousing literary satire and a cast Shakespeare himself would be proud of: Shylock; Iago; Othello; a dozen or so disposable villains; a cadre of comely wenches; the brilliant Fool; his sidekick, Drool; his monkey, Jeff; a lovesick sea serpent; and a ghost (there’s always a bloody ghost).

Wickedly witty and outrageously inventive, The Serpent of Venice pays cheeky homage to the Bard and illuminates the absurdity of the human condition as only Christopher Moore can.

If you haven’t tried a Christopher Moore novel then you haven’t tried everything.  My first Moore reading was Lamb:The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal and I was amazed at the quality of the story and storytelling.  Irreverent is how I often describe it.  And with this novel, I am back on board the Moore bandwagon.  As I mention any chance I get, I love Venice.  It was my first overseas trip and that amazing city will always have a place in my heart so when I saw that Moore was taking on Venice AND Shakespeare (another love of mine) I knew I’d have to read it.

The sheer amount of talent it took to connect some of Shakespeare’s more recognizable characters from The Merchant of Venice, Othello and King Lear (with a little Edgar Allen Poe walled in) is impressive.  Moore’s sense of humor and wit is on prominent display in this over-the-top homage.

One of the main characters, Pocket, a favorite of the Doge who shows up first in Fool, grew on me as did this whole assembly of colorful characters.  There was sex, murder, revenge, resurrection, a monster, Marco Polo, and love.  Not bad for a few hours of delightful reading.

I don’t think Moore’s comic genius is for everyone.  You have to be willing to buy into the crazy.  And then you have to be able to tolerate, if not appreciate, quite a bit of juvenile boy language.  If you can do those two things I think you are a candidate for the Christopher Moore bandwagon.  Hop on in!

I HAVE A COPY TO GIVE AWAY!  To celebrate the release of the paperback edition I will randomly select one lucky winner on February 28th.  You’ll want to enter even if you are on the fence about the story because the cover is gorgeous and fun and you’ll want it on your shelves.  Open internationally.

To enter just tell me you want entered in a comment and you’re done.  If you want an extra entry you can Tweet about it and/or post about it on your blog.  Just let me know you did.  Good luck!