Book Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

 

Goodreads Summary: The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.

Goodreads Rating: 4.46 stars with over 390,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Humor, Dystopia, Adventure, LITRPG

Goodreads/Storygraph challenge: 9/48

2026 Reading Challenge: #6 Read a book that was either given to you or recommended by someone who means a lot to you (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers. I hope everyone is doing well! Let's get into Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. This one has been on my radar for a while, but I hadn't really gotten around to reading it. I finally caved when two very good friends and two co-workers all harassed me in the same week to read it. This is a good one for prompt #6. 

I'll start by saying that I really did enjoy the book, but I think that it got over-hyped, at least to me. I expected to enjoy it a lot more than I did because of it. I liked Carl, and I felt bad for what he'd been through before the dungeon. I liked that he tries to be a good person even in the dungeon. I liked the mechanics. The lootboxes have me cracking up throughout the entire book. I liked Mordecai a lot. I'd actually love to read more about his story if possible. 

I think what kept me from enjoying the story as much was the reality TV aspect. I would be super into a scene and then lose interest because they had to go do an interview or there was a bunch of nonsense about the TV network. Also, and I realize this is going to be a controversial take, I don't love Donut. I tolerate her. She has her moments where I like her, but for the most part, I feel like she's trying too hard and just comes across as fake. I realize she's supposed to be a show cat, but her personality feels so forced. 

Overall, I enjoyed it. It's a fast-paced story with interesting game mechanics. I do think that I set my expectations too high to really, truly love it. That being said, I did buy the rest of the series to read. It's a quick read, and I am curious to see what happens next. 

Book Review: The General of Izril by Pirateaba

 

Goodreads Summary: Clowns, Goblins, and Erin Solstice. Not all in the same place, mind you.
Erin Solstice trusts a lot of people—even some lost Redfangs survivors of Esthelm—but can she handle being friends with Goblins when every hand is turned against them and the tribes are on the rampage?

Liscor is in the path of Goblin Lord's inexorable march north, and the fates of Rags, Garen Redfang, and Tremborag's Goblin tribes are all tied to an impending war. Who will survive?
Tom the [Clown] is facing Demons in Rhir while Zel Shivertail is facing Wall Lord Ilvriss and an uncertain future. Faced with the knowledge of the Necromancer's return, who can the two Drakes turn to?
Contains bonus content, an exclusive account of the 2nd Antinium War by famed [Writer], Krsysl Wordsmith.

Goodreads Rating: 4.63 stars with over 1400 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Magic, Humor, Adventure, LITRPG

Goodreads Challenge: 8/60

2024 Reading Challenge: #32 Read a book with the name of a place in the title (see the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

I don't typically do two posts in a day (hell, lately, I don't even do one post in a day...Sorry!), but I finished the audiobook of The General of Izril this afternoon. I took notes and want to get better at reviewing the audiobooks I listen to. Let's see how well I can do on not giving spoilers.

As I have with the previous books, I enjoyed it thoroughly. There's a lot of me thinking (sometimes yelling), "What the ****, why?" while listening to this book. I've said multiple times at this point that I've just given up on figuring out where the story will go. At this point, I'm just hoping Erin makes popcorn or something. 

The General of Izril provided a lot of information to answer my questions and promptly gave me even more questions regarding other details. Pirateaba gives you just enough information to keep a reader interested and then dangles a different carrot in front of their face. However, the first few chapters of this book were definitely a knowledge bomb. 

Honestly, I can't give this series enough praise. It is definitely not something I would have gotten into if it wasn't recommended, but I'm so glad I got into it. I can't speak for how it reads in the e-book or web novel, but the audiobooks narrated by Andrea Parsneau are fantastic. I already have books 7-11 and Book 12 pre-ordered if that shows how much I'm enjoying it. The General of Izril ends with a cliffhanger, and I'm curious to see where it leads. There's so much more I want to say, but it would be filled with spoilers, and I don't want to ruin the element of surprise that these books have. 

 

This is not book-related, but I wanted to share these photos from my trip. They are pictures over Indianapolis while I was coming back home. 

Book Review: The Humans by Matt Haig

 

Goodreads Summary: When an extra-terrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. Taking the form of Professor Andrew Martin, a prominent mathematician at Cambridge University, the visitor is eager to complete the gruesome task assigned him and hurry home to his own utopian planet, where everyone is omniscient and immortal.

    He is disgusted by the way humans look, what they eat, their capacity for murder and war, and is equally baffled by the concepts of love and family. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to this strange species than he had thought. Disguised as Martin, he drinks wine, reads poetry, develops an ear for rock music, and a taste for peanut butter. Slowly, unexpectedly, he forges bonds with Martin’s family. He begins to see hope and beauty in the humans’ imperfection and begins to question the very mission that brought him there.

    Praised by The New York Times as a “novelist of great seriousness and talent,” author Matt Haig delivers an unlikely story about human nature and the joy found in the messiness of life on Earth. The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable tale that playfully and movingly explores the ultimate subject—ourselves.

Goodreads Rating: 4.09 stars with over 82,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Contemporary, Fantasy, Aliens

Goodreads Challenge: 5/48

2022 Reading Challenge: #2 Read a book under 350 pages (You can find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

I read a book?  I read a book! This feels more and more like a surprising feat lately. I'm still not really back in the full swing of reading as I had hoped. I'm still working through The Octunnumi, but I think other than that I'm going to take a break from the really heavy books for a while. It will be interesting to see what I can find that my brain will actually process.

Anyways, on to the book review. I thought the whole concept of The Humans by Matt Haig was really interesting and unique. I don't really read a lot of books about aliens, but based on some movies I've seen, it was a nice change from the Aliens are invading trope. I found myself interested in it pretty quickly. The way it is written is very easy to read. 

There is a lot of humor in the book, and it reminded me a lot of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I love humor that's a little dry, dark, and sarcastic, and this really fit in well with that. There were parts where I was actually laughing out loud and would have to read the funny part to my husband. I really needed the laugh it provided.

Even though it was humorous, there were some dark parts as well. The book does discuss teenage suicide. I'll try to get better at pointing out subjects I know can be a concern for others. If you are considering reading a book I've reviewed and have a specific trigger, by all means please ask in the comments or by using the contact form. Really, if you have any questions about the books I review, please ask. I don't mind answering, I just try to keep the reviews as spoiler free as I can.

I think this book is one that could be enjoyed by a lot of people, even if Science Fiction or Fantasy isn't really their thing. At the core of a book is a character who ventured out of their comfort zone and experienced new things for the first time. I thought the way the main character was able to experience music, food, and love for the first time was beautifully written. There is a lot of growth and development, and a lot of setting preconvieved biases aside and seeing the good in someone. 

One last point on this book. It didn't dawn on me that since the person the alien impersonatees is a mathematician that there would be math. 

Math trauma aside, I loved the book, which surprised me. I did not expect to.

Book Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

 

Goodreads Summary: Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox—the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

Goodreads Rating: 4.22 stars with over 1.4 million ratings

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Adventure

Goodreads Challenge: 41/60 books

2020 Reading Challenge: #56 A book that takes place in space/on another planet (find the full challenge here) 

Book Review:

Happy belated Halloween, Ghouls, and Goblins! I hope everyone had a lovely Halloween. I spent the day binge-watching some of my favorites. Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, and The Addams Family (2019 version) were all on the list. I was going to watch some more but ended up doing some Christmas shopping since I'm going home for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas this year. Aside from my husband and a couple of friends, I am DONE. Woohoo!

Alright, so The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a gimmie for #56. I'd been planning on reading this for it all along, which probably makes it one of the few books that have been read as planned. The movie is actually in my top ten favorite movies (Ooo, top ten list idea.) It's been a while since I've watched it, but I was surprised at how close the movie was to the book. Now that I've read the book, I can say it's probably one of the closest book to movie adaptations I've encountered. 

Because the movie was so close, it felt a lot like I had already read the book before. The only huge differences I felt were the description of Ford and maybe a couple of additional conversations. I think the movie may have ended slightly differently, but like I said, it's been a while since I've watched it. Otherwise, it all seemed familiar, which made it pretty quick to read through when I could sit down and read. 

It was funny and light, and I really enjoyed the story. I was surprised that the book was published in 1979 because many of the technology descriptions felt fairly modern. At less than 220 pages, it's great if you just want something humorous and quick. Great science fiction to get lost in for a few hours.

Book Review: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Goodreads Summary: According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.
So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except for a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

Goodreads Rating: 4.25 stars with over 490,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads Challenge: 12/60
2020 Reading Challenge: #50 A book with two or more authors (see the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Yay. I finally finished this book. I had wanted to read Good Omens since I burned through the Amazon series as soon as it came out. For only 388 pages, this book took me FOREVER to read. Now that I've experienced both the book and the show, I can say that the show reads precisely how the book is written. Hopefully, that makes sense. There weren't too many differences between the two, though I think the ending in the show is a little different.

Given that I loved the show, I thought I'd really like the book. This, unfortunately, did not end up being the case. I know. I know. The book is always supposed to be better, but for me, this just wasn't the case. Good Omens features a lot of different characters and perspectives, which makes it really hard for me to follow. I like Crowley and Aziraphale, and I loved following their parts of the story. Having to read from the perspective of Anathema, Newt, Shadwell, Adam and The Them, The Four Horsemen, and probably some Satanist Nuns just made it too hard for me to follow. It's a lot of people to follow in under 400 pages.

I forgot how much I disliked Adam and his cronies of friends. I guess it's fitting that I don't like the Anti-Christ. He seems like such a spoiled brat for most of the book (which he was in the show as well), and it made me not want to read his scenes. The dialogue with Adam and The Them is so hard to read. I also forgot how much I wanted to skip through the Four Horsemen in the show. After a while, I ended up skimming their scenes as quickly as I could. If you took the Four Horsemen out of the book, I honestly don't think the story would have changed all that much. 

I will say there were a lot of bits that I quoted in this book. These were just things I found interesting or funny. You can find anything I highlight on my Goodreads (Feel free to follow me here). These are probably the bits I liked the most about the book. The aspects I like about this book are kind of weird. I liked the beginning and the end, but I found the middle almost unbearable. I needed more Crowley and Aziraphale. Less Adam and the Four Horsemen. Anathema, Newt, and Shadwell were okay. Fewer pages of footnotes at the very end of the book. 

I'm going to be smitten (attacked use, not in love with) by an angry mob for this, I'm sure, but I actually enjoyed the show more than I enjoyed the book. Having read the book, I can firmly say that the show's casting was excellent. David Tennant makes the perfect Crowley. Michael Sheen was a great Arizaphale.

Book Review of The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

Goodreads Summary: Loch is seeking revenge.

It would help if she wasn’t in jail.

The plan: to steal a priceless elven manuscript that once belonged to her family, but now is in the hands of the most powerful man in the Republic. To do so Loch—former soldier, former prisoner, current fugitive—must assemble a crack team of magical misfits that includes a cynical illusionist, a shapeshifting unicorn, a repentant death priestess, a talking magical Warhammer, and a lad with seemingly no skills to help her break into the floating fortress of Heaven’s Spire and the vault that holds her family’s treasure—all while eluding the unrelenting pursuit of Justicar Pyvic, whose only mission is to see the law upheld.

What could possibly go wrong?

The Palace Job is a funny, action-packed, high-fantasy heist caper in the tradition of Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series, from debut author Patrick Weekes.

Goodreads Rating: 3.83 stars with just over 6,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Adventure, Magic
Goodreads Challenge: 34/30
2018 Reading Challenge: #4 a Comedy or Satire (Check out the 2018 challenge here and get ready for the 2019 challenge here.)

Review:

I'm not entirely sure where 2018 went. Since it's nearing the end of the year, I wanted to try and squeeze out another book to put towards the 2018 reading challenge. Since I still needed a Comedy, I figured this would be one of the more easier challenges to get done quickly. Being able to shop by genres on kindle unlimited is a beautiful thing.

I wasn't really sure how I was going to feel about this book. The description seemed interesting, and it had decent reviews, so I figured I'd give it a shot. At one point in time, while I was still early into it, I described it on Facebook as "the weird love-child of Ocean's 11 and World of Warcraft." After finishing the book, I still feel that's a pretty apt way to describe it.

Initially, I was kind of confused and kept checking to see if I was actually reading the first book in the series or if it was a spinoff series. The first chapter is really captivating, but there's a lot of info that just went over my head while reading it. I felt like I was missing simple explanations of the world and why things were how they were. Eventually, it gets more into the action, and I stopped caring about the background of it. This was the case for most of the book. I still had questions, but I was entertained, so I didn't necessarily care about getting the answers. Towards the end, I feel like a lot of initial problems I had were answered. I read more Urban Fantasy than "high-fantasy" so I could have probably done with a crash course.

I was really impressed with the humor in the book. I'll share some quotes I liked at the end of the review. I've been awful at doing that lately. Sorry about that. I do post all of my highlights on Goodreads, so feel free to follow me on there! I'm always cautious about things labeled as humorous because I tend to think it's going to be more slapstick than genuine wit. I hate slapstick or things that are funny because of how stupid they are. With The Palace Job, I actually found myself having to silence my laughter since it was late at night when I was reading. It was really well done, even the "your mom" jokes from Kail. I think what really surprised me is that within the humor Weekes hit a lot of really controversial issues like the division of political parties, racism, corruption, etc. I was immensely amused by the fact that citizens got their news from a puppet show. 

I really liked the set of characters in this The Palace Job. Loch is a pretty badass main character. I felt like she was fairly clever. I liked the bond that she and Kail had and as a reader you really got a feel for how close they were. I liked all of the characters in the band of misfits, however, Desidora was my favorite. I think that a full story on her would be something I would love to read. Her character actually has given me an idea for a discussion topic for a later post, so I'm not going to dive too much into why I was so drawn to her here. I will say that the idea of a Love Priestess turned Death Priestess just immediately grabbed my attention.

Plot-wise, I was highly entertained by all of the twists and turns. The Palace Job is heavy in action, which is nice. I don't think there was ever a moment when I felt like the story was dragging or that I was bored. I found myself wanting to get done with whatever responsible thing I had to do so I could pick it up and read some more. The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes is about 400-500 pages. So it's not incredibly long, but not so short where you're feeling like part of the story is missing. I did read that it's apparently based off of another author's series, so I'm wondering if that may be why I felt confused in the beginning. Overall, entertaining read and would definitely recommend to fantasy lovers!

Quotes:

“I’m just saying, as someone who occasionally rigs fights, I’m offended by the lack of professionalism.” - around 13%

"This was not a technical falsehood, which was good, as Hessler preferred to remain truthful when daring the gods to slay him if he were lying." around 19%

“I am a death priestess,” Tern’s voice echoed out of the vault, “but I’m bouncy and I have pretty hair.…" - around 39%

“Are we, in fact, Imperial agents?” Icy asked curiously. “If so, I will adopt the necessary patriotism.”- around 61%

Book Review of A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez

Goodreads Summary: A tale of vengeance, true love, and cannibalism

Being born undead can have its disadvantages, such as eternal youth and flawless beauty ---things most unsuitable for a witch. Hiding behind the guise of a grimy old crone, the witch is content living outside Fort Stalwart with her unlikely band of allies: a troll named Gwurm, an enchanted broom, and a demonic duck named Newt. She leads a simple life filled with spells, potions, and the occasional curse.

So when a White Knight arrives at Fort Stalwart, the witch knows her days of peace are at an end. The Knight is just days in front of a horde of ravenous goblings, and Fort Stalwart lies right in the horde's path. But the goblings are just the first wave of danger, and soon the witch and the Knight must combine forces on a perilous quest to stop a mad sorcerer from destroying the world.

Filled with menace, monsters, and magic, A Nameless Witch, is a properly witchly read by the award-winning author of Gil's All Fright Diner and In the Company of Ogres.
Goodreads Rating: 3.89 stars with just over 4,000 reviews
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Paranormal, Witches, Magic, Romance
Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Goodreads Challenge: 12/30
2018 Reading Challenge: #14, Reread a favorite (find the challenge post here).

Review:

I was recently able to sign up for the county library since I was a member of my township's smaller library, and it's probably the best book thing to ever happen to me. The massive county library uses Overdrive for their e-books and even lets you request books for them to order. I had really been wanting to read A Nameless Witch again, and when I requested it, they instantly ordered an e-book copy. This ended up being a perfect addition to #14 on the challenge list, reread a favorite. 

I've previously mentioned A Nameless Witch on the blog but hadn't reviewed it. I believe I read it long before the creation of my site. It was previously mentioned on my segment called Recommendation Tuesday. You can find the post here. It's one of two posts I tried to do for this segment. 

I'm really glad I decided to reread this book, as so much of it was forgotten. I thought I remembered the plot, but I was so wrong that it was almost like reading a new book. I remembered the characters well enough and still enjoyed their story. "Witch," the main character gives creative names to forces in her life like Nasty Larry, Ghastly Edna, and Soulless Gustav (although, that last one wasn't actually given by her.) The story follows an accursed witch with no name, those close to her end up just calling her Witch.  Her companions are her familiar, Newt, a demon duck with a thirst for blood, an animated broom, Penelope, who's obsessed with sweeping, A troll, Gwurm, who keeps his unmentionables in a bag, and the sickeningly noble (just ask Newt) White Knight, named Wyst of the West.

One thing that I really enjoyed reading in A Nameless Witch that I had forgotten about was the fact that everything in the world that A. Lee Martinez has created has a spirit of some sort. The woodland creatures, the Earth, even a cranky old dirt road which has been neglected. I don't know what it is, but I love stories that do this with the scenery and animals. 

The main plot of the story is a quest that Witch and her friends have to go on. It starts as a quest for vengeance but becomes so much more than that. More than anything the quest, at least for Witch, is about self-discovery. The trials are really set to make her look at her self and figure out the balance between her curse (being a beautiful cannibal) and being a witch, but also having her own identity. 

The curse is probably my least favorite part of the story. It was more a page filler than anything for me, and I think the story would be mostly the same if it weren't there. Or, I guess half of the curse really seemed pointless. The cannibal twist is interesting, but her having to be just like some beautiful entity is eye-rolling worthy to me. I will say that this was probably meant to be a little more tongue and cheek, poking fun at books that do this with the character. It still was a little annoying to read. 

My favorite thing about this story is the humorous wit throughout. There are a lot of witchy things said that were just generally great lines. Here are some of my favorites:

"It was not fate, she'd explained once, but rather the past yet to be. Not to be confused with the future that might come or the present that never was." - Page 2

"I wondered if this was perhaps the magic finally talking to me. Ghastly Edna said that it talked to everyone, but most were unwilling to listen." - page 21

"Second, remember that people, human or otherwise, are, with rare exception, basically good at heart. Treat them as you would be treated, and you'll almost never go wrong." - page 26

"Your destiny is always wherever you go," I replied. "Usually a day or two ahead of you," I added because it seemed a witchly turn of phrase." - page 52

"It's easy not to kill people who don't deserve it. It's keeping from killing the people who irritate you that is the task." - page 57

"No one can catch tomorrow." - page 125

"But Magic, by its very nature, defies true understanding. It follows its own rules, and often ignores those rules when it feels like it." - page 128

"To worry is to acknowledge that the world is unpredictable, and there is power in understanding one's own powerlessness at times. But too often, worry takes on a life of its own. Men are quite prone to this. They'll plague themselves with so many 'what if's' and 'if only's' that they soon forget to ponder the true possibilities before them. Which inevitably leads to poor decisions. Whatever happens, will happen. Sometimes we have say over the future. Sometimes we do not. Either way, worrying alone never accomplishes anything." - page 139 (as someone with horrendous anxiety, this one really hit close to home.) 

"Like all lost things, he was in the last and most obvious place I looked." - page 202

"Certainty is for fools and death." - page 231

"We all save ourselves, child, even if we are fortunate enough to have help along the way." - page 240

"I liked playing with words, watching how they might say so much and so little at once." - page 242 (this one tugged at the writer heartstrings in me.) 

"Only you can decide whether to take offense or not."- page 257

"Destiny was constantly setting designs in motion, most of which would never achieve fruition. Fate was an energetic child with a short attention span." - page 261

"The Truth is rarely comforting. If it were, lies would not be as well received as they usually are." - page 262

"It's easy to defeat life -or- death ordeals. Such tribulations demand success. It's the small tests that require something more from us. When we can turn and walk away is when we find what we're made of." - page 283

When I previously read this book, I gave it a four on Goodreads. I think that's a pretty solid place for my thoughts to stay. I hope you all will check it out, it's a really great story.

Book Review of Fool by Christopher Moore

Goodreads Summary: “Hilarious, always inventive, this is a book for all, especially uptight English teachers, bardolaters, and ministerial students.”

—Dallas Morning News

Fool—the bawdy and outrageous New York Times bestseller from the unstoppable Christopher Moore—is a hilarious new take on William Shakespeare’s King Lear…as seen through the eyes of the foolish liege’s clownish jester, Pocket. A rousing tale of “gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity,” Fool joins Moore’s own Lamb, Fluke, The Stupidest Angel, and You Suck!as modern masterworks of satiric wit and sublimely twisted genius, prompting Carl Hiassen to declare Christopher Moore “a very sick man, in the very best sense of the word.”

Goodreads ratings: 3.96 stars with over 45,000 reviews
Genre Listing: Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository

Goodreads Challenge: 11/30
2018 Book Challenge: #23 A book by an Author named Chris or Christopher (See the challenge here)

Book Review:

I've wanted to read one of Christopher Moore's books for a while now, and I'm glad I picked this one up. I'm going to preface my review with this is apparently based off of Shakespeare's King Lear. I've never read King Lear, so I have no idea how Fool stacks up. I will say that if you are someone who does not enjoy a ton of swearing or laughing at dark things that should not be laughed at, this book is most definitely not for you. I, on the other hand, am a filthy little heathen, so I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I think I mostly enjoyed this book for the sheer humor of it and creative cursing. I thought that Pocket was hilarious, and I enjoyed his witty banter. Beyond the humor, Pocket was just mainly a horny slut who slept with almost as many people as Drool, his apprentice did. Spoiler, Drool "had a laugh with" several people in the story, a ghost, a tree, and possibly an animal. Like I said if you are easily offended this is not the book for you. There's also a fair bit of incest and a dash of necrophilia. 

Plot-wise, the story was interesting but not great. I think without the humor it'd be a lot worse. It was pretty predictable. None of the characters had much depth, but given that it's a comedic take on a play I wasn't suspecting much at all. The story was pretty quickly paced, I didn't really ever feel bogged down by the story and ready for it to end. 

Overall, it was a light comical read, and I spent most of my time reading it laughing. I enjoyed it, and I think if this is the type of humor is present in all of Moore's books I could definitely be a fan. If you're not easily offended, definitely check it out. Since I was reading this on the Kindle, I'm going to share some quotes that I enjoyed. This is your warning for Profanity. I'm also going to post some questions after the quotes and rating, so feel free to answer in the comments!

"Sorry. And a dozen other nobles, as well as the Earl of Kent, are here. Kent doesn't want to kill you, does he?" "Not that I know of. But it is only lunchtime." - Page 12

"Precisely. What good are princesses? Dragon food and ransom markers- spoiled brats to be bartered for real estate" - Page 13. This is probably my favorite line in the book. 

"Heinous fuckery most foul, lad. Heinous fuckery most foul." - Page 18

"I am chief cheeky monkey to the King of Bloody Britain!" - Page 63

"The dull always seek to be clever at the fool's expense, to somehow repay him for his cutting wit, but never are they clever, and often are they cruel." - Page 101

"The fool's number is zero," she said, "but that's because he represents the infinite possibility of all things. He may become anything. See, he carries all of his possessions in a bundle on his back. He is ready for anything, to go anywhere, to become whatever he needs to be. Don't count out the fool, Pocket, simply because his number is zero." - Page 159

"Sarcasm will make your tits fall off," said I. - Page 255 (Good thing this isn't true. I'd be in trouble. 0_0) 

"Sorry, Gloucester, old chap. Most excellent hat." "He's not wearing a hat," said Curan. "Well he's blind, isn't he? If you hadn't said anything he might have enjoyed his bloody hat, mightn't he?" - page 270

"It's not proper to dry-hump the deceased, love." - Page 348. I mean, good life advice, I suppose.

Discussion Questions

1.) If you've read both Fool and Shakespeare's King Lear how does Christopher Moore's comedic version compare to the original classic?

2.)  What did you like the most or the least about this story? 

3.)  If you've read other books by Christopher Moore are there any others you would recommend?

Book Review of Graveyard Shift by Angela Roquet

Goodreads Summary: The Inferno has Evolved… Lana Harvey is a reaper and a lousy one at that. She resides in Limbo City, the modern capital of the collective afterlives, where she likes to stick it to the man (the legendary Grim Reaper himself) by harvesting the bare minimum of souls required of her. She’d much rather be hanging out with Gabriel, her favorite archangel, at Purgatory Lounge. But when a shocking promotion falls in her lap, Lana learns something that could unravel the very fabric of Eternity. If the job isn’t completed, there could be some real hell to pay.

Goodreads Rating: 3.97 with 223 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Angels, Reapers, Romance, Demons, Humor, Adult,
Get the Book: Amazon
My other reviews of Angela Roquet's books: For The Birds, Pocket Full of Posies

Review:

Edited 11/24/2016

I found this book free on Amazon, and let me tell you; it is an absolute gem. Lana's a likable character and Grim Reaper. She does what she has to get by in her job, but breaks the rules to help good souls she reaps that are destined for the Sea of Eternity. In the story, we see Lana go from this do the bare-minimum type of reaper to an ass-kicking reaper who fights off demons. If you're looking for a quick read with a strong female character, this might be for you.

This book has a lot of comedic value in it. For example, Lana and her friends, Josie and the archangel Gabriel, play poker. They don't play just any poker, though, they play with a grim reaper set of cards, and the winning combination of cards are given a death name- like the electric chair, stabbed, and a gunshot wound. There's also a lot of puns and satire. It's a great read.

I felt that Angela Roquet created an incredibly unique world in this story. She didn't just put Reapers into the human world; she also gave them their world. There are so many details set into this world. I think that the thing I loved the most about this book is that it combined so many beliefs and gave them all a place in the afterlife. Whatever you believe, there's a place for you in the Afterlife that Angela Roquet dreamed up. Because of that, there's a crash course in a variety of different beliefs and mythologies.
I figured out how to highlight things on my Kindle Fire finally. I know, I'm a smart cookie. I'm so excited to be able to highlight quotes in books I love now. To celebrate, I'm going to try to share some of the ones from the book. Also, to the ones below each chapter starts off with a quote about life, death, or religion. It's neat.
About one of the Goddesses, "She obviously fancied herself a temptress, but nagging hussy would have been more accurate."
About the Egyptian gods being related/ married to each other, "Whatever floats your boat, I guess. As long as it doesn't sink mine."
"Humans may fear death, but they never pass up an opportunity to gawk at it."
These are just a few of the statements in the book I enjoyed. I think this is still free on Amazon, but please do not let that fool you. I know some free books can be questionable at best, but this is an excellent read. It's quick, it's light, it's funny, but it's fantastic. I'm probably going to get the second and read it here pretty soon. I like Grim Reaper stories lately.

                            Five out of Five Moons