Moore, Christopher 1957-

PERSONAL:

Born 1957, in Toledo, OH; son of a highway patrolman and department store worker. Education: Attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. Hobbies and other interests: Ocean kayaking, scuba diving, photography, and sumi-e ink painting.

ADDRESSES:

Home—HI; and San Francisco, CA.

CAREER:

Writer. Previously worked as a roofer, a grocery clerk, a hotel night auditor, an insurance broker, a waiter, a photographer, and a rock-and-roll DJ.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Practical Demonkeeping: A Comedy of Horrors, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1992.

Coyote Blue, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1994.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1995.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1997.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Spike (New York, NY), 1999.

Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, W. Morrow (New York, NY), 2002.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2003.

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2004, revised edition published as Stupidist Angel, 2005.

A Dirty Job, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2006.

You Suck: A Love Story, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to Procedure Writing: Principles and Practices, IEEE Press (Piscataway, NJ), 1993.

ADAPTATIONS:

Film rights for Practical Demonkeeping have been sold to Hollywood Pictures.

SIDELIGHTS:

Christopher Moore held various jobs, from roofer to insurance broker, before his first comic novel, Practical Demonkeeping: A Comedy of Horrors, was published in 1992. Since then the author has penned numerous comic novels that have been well received by both readers and the critics. Writing in Reviewer's Bookwatch, Terry Mathews described Moore as "a New Age Hunter Thompson. Irreverent. Cheeky. Cynical. And thought-provoking."

Practical Demonkeeping features Augustus Brine, a bait-and-tackle shop owner in Pine Cove, California, who finds himself recruited to return a demon to Hell. Named Catch, the demon is eating more and more of the local inhabitants and looking for a new master in the process. Catch soon sets his eyes on Rachel, a witch and member of the Pagan Vegetarians for Peace. Referring to Moore's first novel as an "offbeat, witty debut," a Publishers Weekly contributor went on to write that the author "sustains a brisk pace in his complex plot."

Chameleon-like insurance salesman Sam Hunter is the protagonist in Moore's second novel, Coyote Blue. An insurance salesman who can be whomever his clients, friends, and acquaintances want him to be, Sam is, in reality, a Crow Indian on the run after killing a policeman when he was fifteen. Sam has gone on to do well for himself until he meets the trickster spirit named Coyote. In a 1994 review in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Charles de Lint wrote that Coyote Blue "is one of the most invigorating, funny, serious, outrageous and fascinating novels you'll read this year." Eloise Kinney, writing in Booklist, commented that the author's "spin on Coyote is delightful."

In Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story, Moore provides a vampire tale introducing Jody, who is made a vampire by the ancient Elijah and afterwards finds herself living with Tommy, an aspiring writer researching vampires. When Tommy learns that Elijah is out to snare Jody into his coven of vampires, he sets out to destroy the powerful vampire. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted the author's "seemingly off-the-cuff narrative and plotting."

Island of the Sequined Love Nun features Tucker "Tuck" Case, a corporate pilot who crashes the company's jet while drunk and cavorting with a prostitute. Fired from his job, he ends up flying corrupt missionaries to a Micronesian island where he then sets out to save the locals from the missionaries' nefarious plans to use them as organ donors. Nancy Pearl, writing in the Library Journal, called the story for Island of the Sequined Love Nun "a recipe for one very funny book." Booklist contributor Joanne Wilkinson commented that Moore "spins a skillful comic caper that is bolstered by his ditzy logic and hysterical dialogue."

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove takes place in the Pacific coast town of Pine Cove, in which one-third of its inhabitants are on antidepressants thanks to town psychiatrist Dr. Valerie Riordan. When a local on antidepressants commits suicide, Dr. Riordan fears that she may be to blame and blackmails the local pharmacist into giving all her patients a placebo instead of the real drugs. The novel follows the townsfolk as the antidepressants wear off and they are faced with a new reality. In a review of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, a Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the author "has written the definitive Prozac allegory." James Sallis, writing in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, noted: "Moore gives us, as does all the best comic writing, something beyond jokes, caricature, spinning plates and crazy-tilt towers, something intangible that vanishes whenever we try to look directly."

The resurrected childhood friend of Jesus Christ tells the Lord's story in Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. Levi bar Alpehus, commonly known as Biff, tells of his friendship with Christ as they travel together and encounter Eastern spiritual teachings. Biff also recalls the story of the Gospels from his own intimate perspective. Writing in the School Library Journal, Paul Brink noted that Moore "manages to share a variety of the world's spiritual insights while creating interesting and vivid characters." Booklist contributor John Green wrote that readers "will find it simply impossible not to laugh."

In Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, whale songs researcher Nate Quinn spots the words "Bite Me" on a humpback whale's tale and then faces mockery and worse as he tries to convince other people of what he saw. To prove his vision was real, Nate and an assorted crew of misfits set out to hunt down the whale. "This amusing pastiche cobbles together elements from all the classic sea yarns," wrote Michael Gannon in Booklist. A Kirkus Reviews contributor referred to Fluke as "smooth as a pina colada, and just about as substantial." The reviewer added: "Still: let Moore be Moore, and he will show you a good time."

A Dirty Job features Charlie Asher, who discovers Death taking his wife and quickly signs on as Death's helper in parts of San Francisco. It turns out that Charlie is just one of many of Death's human helpers, but he soon learns more than he bargained for when he faces the Forces of Darkness and other otherworldly beings and creatures. Ken St. Andre, writing in the Library Journal, noted that the author "is superb in this mock epic of death and love." Booklist's Ray Olson wrote of A Dirty Job: "The comedy's in the fine points: of character … of dialogue … of physical detail."

In You Suck: A Love Story, a sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends, Moore continues the story of Tommy, an Indiana youth who goes to San Francisco and is made a vampire by his girlfriend, Jody. As Tommy weighs the pro and cons of being a vampire, he and Jody are hunted by the powerful and ancient Elijah. "Moore writes with the jittery energy of a brilliant, charming class clown," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor in a review of You Suck. Ken St. Andre, writing in the Library Journal, noted: "Moore is in top form, and this reviewer laughed all the way."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Analog Science Fiction & Fact, June 1, 2001, Tom Easton, review of Island of the Sequined Love Nun, p. 137; June 1, 2001, Tom Easton, review of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, p. 137.

Book, July 1, 2003, Eric Wargo, review of Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, p. 83.

Book World, April 2, 2006, "The Undertaker's Understudy: A Bumbling Beta Male Finds His Inner Tough Guy When He Become Death's Deputy," p. 4.

Booklist, January 15, 1994, Eloise Kinney, review of Coyote Blue, p. 901; August 1, 1997, Joanne Wilkinson, review of Island of the Sequined Love Nun, p. 1880; March 1, 1999, Ray Olson, review of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, p. 1160; March 1, 2002, John Green, review of Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, p. 1093; March 15, 2003, review of Lamb, p. 1297; April 15, 2003, Michael Gannon, review of Fluke, p. 46; March 1, 2006, Ray Olson, review of A Dirty Job, p. 46; November 1, 2006, Ray Olson, review of You Suck: A Love Story, p. 6.

Entertainment Weekly, March 24, 2006, Whitney Pastorek, review of A Dirty Job, p. 75; January 19, 2007, "Got Blood?," p. 86.

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2002, review of Lamb, p. 69; April 15, 2003, review of Fluke, p. 563; November 1, 2006, review of You Suck, p. 1097.

Library Journal, January 1, 1992, Eric W. Johnson, review of Practical Demon-Keeping: A Comedy of Horrors, p. 176; April 15, 1992, review of Practical Demonkeeping, p. 152; January 1, 1994, Thomas L. Kilpatrick, review of Coyote Blue, p. 163; August 1, 1995, Rebecca House Stankowski, review of Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story, p. 119; September 1, 1997, Nancy Pearl, review of Island of the Sequined Love Nun, p. 219; April 15, 2003, Robert E. Brown, review of Fluke, p. 123; March 15, 2006, Ken St. Andre, review of A Dirty Job, p. 63; December 1, 2006, Ken St. Andre, review of You Suck, p. 108.

Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, October 1, 1994, Charles de Lint, review of Coyote Blue, p. 48; December 1, 1999, James Sallis, review of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, p. 33; October 1, 2006, Charles de Lint, review of A Dirty Job, p. 37.

New York Times Book Review, May 15, 1994, Jennifer Howard, review of Coyote Blue, p. 20; January 15, 2007, Janet Maslin, review of You Suck.

Publishers Weekly, November 29, 1991, review of Practical Demonkeeping, p. 41; October 25, 1993, review of Practical Demonkeeping, p. 58; January 17, 1994, review of Coyote Blue, p. 400; May 29, 1995, review of Coyote Blue, p. 82; June 12, 1995, review of Coyote Blue, p. 59; July 17, 1995, review of Bloodsucking Fiends, p. 218; September 9, 1996, review of Bloodsucking Fiends, p. 80; July 28, 1997, review of Island of the Sequined Love Nun, p. 55; February 22, 1999, review of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, p. 66; February 4, 2002, review of Lamb, p. 53; February 4, 2002, review of Lamb, p. 53; March 31, 2003, review of Fluke, p. 38; February 20, 2006, review of A Dirty Job, p. 133; November 6, 2006, review of You Suck, p. 36.

Reviewer's Bookwatch, March 1, 2005, Terry Mathews, review of Fluke.

School Library Journal, December 1, 2002, Paul Brink, review of Lamb, p. 173.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December 1, 2002, review of Lamb, p. 388.

ONLINE

BlogCritics,http://blogcritics.org/ (January 12, 2007), Richard Marcus, review of You Suck.

BookSense.com,http://www.booksense.com/ (June 25, 2007), Gavin J. Grant, review of Lamb.

Christopher Moore Home Page,http://www.chrismoore.com (June 25, 2007).

Christopher Moore My Space Page,http://www.myspace.com/theauthorguy (June 25, 2007).

Mostly Fiction,http://www.mostlyfiction.com/ (June 4, 2006), Mary Whipple, review of A Dirty Job.

SciFi Weekly,http://www.scifi.com/sfw/ (April 16, 2007), Michael McCarty, "Christopher Moore's Comic Novels of the Supernatural Have Him Laughing all the Way to the Blood Blank."