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miscamy's review against another edition
4.0
I checked this book out of the library numerous times when in college. Perhaps it was because I felt a bit scandalous reading some of the bits - though they are certainly much more tame by my current standards. I just love the quirky characters, magical moments, and ultimately I'm a sucker for an unlikely love story.
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
2.0
This is a wacky book. I'm not even sure how to classify it really - fantasy/contemporary/comedy. In a nutshell it's about a guy, Jack, who is in love with a moon goddess. His friends, neighbors, and local cops all think he's a loon because he spends one night a month outside, naked as can be, awaiting his lover from the moon (it's the only way she's able to find him).
In an attempt to save him from a permanent stint in jail his friends spend each full moon with him in a cabin located way out in the boonies. It's not long before his friends begin to become affected by the presence of Jack's moon goddess and they begin to have relationship troubles. The book started out funny and the premise was wild but eventually the story turned dull as more and more time was spent on Jack's self-centered, annoying friends who were lusting after each others' wives/boyfriends/etc. etc. I really liked Jack and his moon goddess Lily - they were the only compassionate characters in the bunch - but his friends hogged up most of the book
In an attempt to save him from a permanent stint in jail his friends spend each full moon with him in a cabin located way out in the boonies. It's not long before his friends begin to become affected by the presence of Jack's moon goddess and they begin to have relationship troubles. The book started out funny and the premise was wild but eventually the story turned dull as more and more time was spent on Jack's self-centered, annoying friends who were lusting after each others' wives/boyfriends/etc. etc. I really liked Jack and his moon goddess Lily - they were the only compassionate characters in the bunch - but his friends hogged up most of the book
gengelcox's review
4.0
If authors were like rock bands, Bradley Denton would be Talking Heads. With every book, he completely changes his subject, style, and composition, yet remains the same fun, eclectic author. It’s invigorating to approach a new Denton novel, akin to meeting an old friend who’s been on an extended safari—you can’t wait to see what he’s brought back. In Lunatics, Denton’s gone hunting in the fertile range of fantasy’s past, wrestled with the ghosts of [a:Thorne Smith|171139|Thorne Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1358230465p2/171139.jpg] and [a:James Branch Cabell|92665|James Branch Cabell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207156655p2/92665.jpg], and returned with the trophy of a screwball sex romp that will put a smile on your face and touch your heart.
Jack’s friends are worried. Ever since his wife’s death, he’s withdrawn from them, given up his job and his house, and become a hermit. That is until one January night when the police pick him up in front of his apartment for public indecency. It seems that he was standing nude in the moonlight because that’s the only way his new lover, Lily, the goddess of the moon, can find him. His friends make it their duty to watch over him during these regular bouts of insanity every full moon, to help him regain his senses, but they discover Jack’s sanity is the least of their worries.
With a winged, taloned moon goddess as a central character, it’s hard to classify Lunatics as anything but fantasy, but the book’s heart is realistic character interaction. This interplay is reminiscent of The Big Chill, complete with sexual liaisons gone awry and friendships that sometimes hang on the most tenuous of threads. The fantastical element is the spark that moves the plot, but is otherwise lost in the shuffle of bodies and minds.
Straight-laced readers should beware: this is a novel about sex and how it affects people. Although Lunatics is never pornographic, Denton’s approach to the subject (as in [b:Blackburn|363228|Blackburn|Bradley Denton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312051507s/363228.jpg|3003364]) is forthright. The characters talk like real people and do things that real people do. It’s a refreshing change of pace from fantasies where characters have the physiognomy of Barbie dolls and the bedroom life of The Dick van Dyke Show.
Lunatics is Denton’s strongest novel—an impressive feat given the strengths of [b:Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede|709610|Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede|Bradley Denton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1187191936s/709610.jpg|764165] and [b:Blackburn|363228|Blackburn|Bradley Denton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312051507s/363228.jpg|3003364]. You can’t call Denton a promising author anymore. The promise has been fulfilled; the man has arrived.
Jack’s friends are worried. Ever since his wife’s death, he’s withdrawn from them, given up his job and his house, and become a hermit. That is until one January night when the police pick him up in front of his apartment for public indecency. It seems that he was standing nude in the moonlight because that’s the only way his new lover, Lily, the goddess of the moon, can find him. His friends make it their duty to watch over him during these regular bouts of insanity every full moon, to help him regain his senses, but they discover Jack’s sanity is the least of their worries.
With a winged, taloned moon goddess as a central character, it’s hard to classify Lunatics as anything but fantasy, but the book’s heart is realistic character interaction. This interplay is reminiscent of The Big Chill, complete with sexual liaisons gone awry and friendships that sometimes hang on the most tenuous of threads. The fantastical element is the spark that moves the plot, but is otherwise lost in the shuffle of bodies and minds.
Straight-laced readers should beware: this is a novel about sex and how it affects people. Although Lunatics is never pornographic, Denton’s approach to the subject (as in [b:Blackburn|363228|Blackburn|Bradley Denton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312051507s/363228.jpg|3003364]) is forthright. The characters talk like real people and do things that real people do. It’s a refreshing change of pace from fantasies where characters have the physiognomy of Barbie dolls and the bedroom life of The Dick van Dyke Show.
Lunatics is Denton’s strongest novel—an impressive feat given the strengths of [b:Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede|709610|Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede|Bradley Denton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1187191936s/709610.jpg|764165] and [b:Blackburn|363228|Blackburn|Bradley Denton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312051507s/363228.jpg|3003364]. You can’t call Denton a promising author anymore. The promise has been fulfilled; the man has arrived.
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