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Why the Winged Whale Flipped Us Off


Christopher Moore has tapped into the weird and wonderful in every book, and Fluke is no exception. From middle-aged “action nerd” Nate Quinn with his angst over and attraction to nubile research assistant Amy, the joyously strange blond Rasta stoner Kona ( Preston Applebaum), and marine photographer Clay and his “pirate booty” girlfriend Claire, Moore has woven another sleigh-ride through the land of odd.

Nate is in Maui researching whale behavior, specifically, why humpback whales sing. So what is he supposed to think when he spots a humpback male whose flukes sport the legend “Bite Me”? Someone is so threatened by his research that they trash his office, format his hard drives, sink Clay’s boat and cause his only photo of the fluke graffiti to vanish. And why does the Old Broad who provides his funding insist he needs to take a pastrami sandwich with hot mustard along on his next dive?

If you haven’t run into Moore before, be warned! Nothing is sacred, everything is fair game for his humor. I guarantee you’ll howl over the tale of why Nate’s ex-wife became a lesbian… (The last time I was taken over the edge so uncontrollably was when I read the turkey-bowling scene in Moore’s Bloodsucking Fiends.) It’s not what you expect; in fact, it’s nothing you can expect. Just strap in for the ride.

Infinity Plus has a brief review that takes the Fluke story much too seriously, IMHO. Moore has a better squib at his “official web site”. And Rick Kleffel warns us to scroll over the Amazon booklist review “unless you want it ruined.”

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