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calville's review
1.0
DNF on page 1 upon encountering the simile "as inviting as a drunken prom queen." Learning that this book is apparently intended for readers who find underage girls incapacitated by alcohol "inviting," I concluded that it was probably not for me. It's a bummer! I really liked "Lamb," one of this author's other novels.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
4.0
How else but in a mad lib could you have a book involving an idiot angel, a pot smoking sheriff, a zombie Santa, a talking fruit bat, and Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland? From the mind and pen of Christopher Moore, that's how!
This is typical Moore fare, which is to say, atypical, irreverent, and funny as hell. It's a short, quick read that never takes itself the least bit seriously, and, best yet, it's a Christmas story (I really hope they make a movie out of this, as is allegedly in the works. I would watch it every holiday season, assuming they didn't fuck it up).
I honestly don't want to say more about the plot, because it's probably funnier if you don't know what is coming, but I will leave this quote, which comes from the end of Chapter One, to give you an idea of the tone of the book.
This is typical Moore fare, which is to say, atypical, irreverent, and funny as hell. It's a short, quick read that never takes itself the least bit seriously, and, best yet, it's a Christmas story (I really hope they make a movie out of this, as is allegedly in the works. I would watch it every holiday season, assuming they didn't fuck it up).
I honestly don't want to say more about the plot, because it's probably funnier if you don't know what is coming, but I will leave this quote, which comes from the end of Chapter One, to give you an idea of the tone of the book.
In another Christmas story, Dale Pearson, evil developer, self-absorbed woman hater, and seemingly unredeemable curmudgeon, might be visited in the night by a series of ghosts who, by showing him bleak visions of Christmas future, past, and present, would bring about in him a change to generosity, kindness, and a general warmth toward his fellow man. But this is not that kind of Christmas story, so here, in not too many pages, someone is going to dispatch the miserable son of a bitch with a shovel. That's the spirit of Christmas yet to come in these parts. Ho, ho, ho.
silentcat7135's review against another edition
5.0
Time to start reviewing some of my seasonal favorites, starting with my absolute favorite Christmas book, at least my favorite modern Christmas book. Subtitled A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, this book doesn't stint on the seasonally heartwarming. Or the terror. Or the laughs!
"Fear not...for I bring you tidings of great joy. Behold, your Christmas wish has been granted...Not what I would have wished for..."
By the time Raziel, the common sense challenged angel of the title, makes this proclamation, a bizarre cautionary tale has spun out. In this season of not just giving, but of asking Santa for stuff, being careful what you ask for is excellent advice. Even the simplest wish can have unintended consequences.
Christmas is coming, and in this neck of the woods...
"Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christmas thing: dragging garland, ribbon, and sleigh bells, oozing eggnog, reeking of pine, and threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe."
Into this cozy setting comes Raziel, a Nativity angel on a mission to fulfill the Christmas wish of a child. He finds Josh, who believes he has seen Santa Claus killed (in reality, a local asswipe in a Santa suit). And he wishes...
I don't want to spoil the ensuing mayhem other than to say I can't believe I didn't figure out this particular part of the chaos until it was actually spelled out that this tale would involve...
A subplot of the book alludes to one of my favorite Christmas classics, The Gift of the Magi. It doesn't really give away much if I mention that See? Heartwarming! O. Henry would be proud.
Anyone who has read other Christopher Moore books will recognize many of the characters from several of his other books. Lena, Theo, and the town of Pine Cove itself feature in The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Tucker and Roberto the Fruit Bat are from Island of the Sequined Love Nun, etc. Even Raziel the angel made an appearance in Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. While it's fun seeing all these characters thrown together if you've read about them before, it's not at all necessary to know anything about them going in.
Lastly, one small warning. The cover art could lead to the impression that this might, just might, be a book for children. It's not. In fact, there's an author's warning at the very beginning...
"If you're buying this book as a gift for your grandma or a kid, you should be aware that it contains cusswords as well as tasteful depictions of cannibalism and people in their forties having sex. Don't blame me. I told you."
In fact, the phrase "I-AM-SO-GOING-TO-WASH-YOUR-VOLVO..." may enter your lexicon.
Enjoy!
and
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"Fear not...for I bring you tidings of great joy. Behold, your Christmas wish has been granted...Not what I would have wished for..."
By the time Raziel, the common sense challenged angel of the title, makes this proclamation, a bizarre cautionary tale has spun out. In this season of not just giving, but of asking Santa for stuff, being careful what you ask for is excellent advice. Even the simplest wish can have unintended consequences.
Christmas is coming, and in this neck of the woods...
"Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christmas thing: dragging garland, ribbon, and sleigh bells, oozing eggnog, reeking of pine, and threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe."
Into this cozy setting comes Raziel, a Nativity angel on a mission to fulfill the Christmas wish of a child. He finds Josh, who believes he has seen Santa Claus killed (in reality, a local asswipe in a Santa suit). And he wishes...
I don't want to spoil the ensuing mayhem other than to say I can't believe I didn't figure out this particular part of the chaos until it was actually spelled out that this tale would involve...
Spoiler
zombeeeez!A subplot of the book alludes to one of my favorite Christmas classics, The Gift of the Magi. It doesn't really give away much if I mention that
Spoiler
Lena, former B-movie actress known for playing Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland, saves money by going off her antipsychotic meds in order to buy her husband Theo, a cop, a hand-blown glass bong, and Theo, the cop, starts his own little grow op to get enough money to buy Lena an authentic broadsword, which totally feeds into her Kendra-Warrior-Babe-of-the-Outlands delusions.Anyone who has read other Christopher Moore books will recognize many of the characters from several of his other books. Lena, Theo, and the town of Pine Cove itself feature in The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Tucker and Roberto the Fruit Bat are from Island of the Sequined Love Nun, etc. Even Raziel the angel made an appearance in Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. While it's fun seeing all these characters thrown together if you've read about them before, it's not at all necessary to know anything about them going in.
Lastly, one small warning. The cover art could lead to the impression that this might, just might, be a book for children. It's not. In fact, there's an author's warning at the very beginning...
"If you're buying this book as a gift for your grandma or a kid, you should be aware that it contains cusswords as well as tasteful depictions of cannibalism and people in their forties having sex. Don't blame me. I told you."
In fact, the phrase "I-AM-SO-GOING-TO-WASH-YOUR-VOLVO..." may enter your lexicon.
Enjoy!
and
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
ardaigle's review
5.0
And this is now my 6th read of this funny little book! I missed last year due to moving, and thought maybe I didn't want to read it again, as this is by far the most I have ever reread one book. But, with the holidays in a place with actual winter, I longed for something a little tropical.
This time I changed it up and did the audio version and I HIGHLY recommend it! Sometimes an audio version will detract from a book, or at best leave your experience at neutral, but on rare occasion it actually improves it and this was one of those times. The reader has a voice with significant gravitas which makes gives a drop of grandeur to a fun and funny book. Think of it as if one of those movie narrators with a booming "in a world" voice was doing the narration to a lighthearted kids movie. The juxtaposition enhances the humor.
Moore's tale of horrors at the holidays never fails to make me smile. If you are looking for a VERY nontraditional holiday story that contains many traditional elements, look no further. And if you enjoy it, check out the rest he has to offer.
(Listened to and reviewed December 2017)
Wow, five years in a row! Love this little book and its irreverent look at the holidays. This year I had my book club read it, as they really enjoyed "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove" and it is a quick read, which is perfect for the busy holiday season. Reviews from my club were mostly favorable, though one person who was listening on audio wasn't a big fan, though her criticism was that with so many characters, it was hard to keep track. I do think this is better for reading, as it jumps in POV quite often. If you are looking for something that is NOT your average Hallmark Channel Christmas treacle, but still has a happy(ish) ending, look no further than Christopher Moore's book. :)
(Read and reviewed Dec 5, 2015)
This marks what I believe is my fourth year in a row of reading this as my annual holiday tradition. This year for a new spin on it I actually read it aloud to my boyfriend, who had never read it before, or anything else of Moore's (one of my favorite authors). Is there anything more fun than sharing something you love with other people? If so, I don't know what it is. And I discovered that reading out loud to someone is pretty fun! But I digress.
This book has it all: Santa, holiday cheer, booze, angels, and zombies. What more could you want to warm your heart during this holiday season? Christmas may be over, but if you want yours to continue, pick this up and laugh out loud. Especially recommended if your holiday wasn't the best because trust me, things could be worse, as it is unlikely you were shot in the head by an undead Kris Kringle.
(Read and reviewed Dec 25, 2014)
And I just completed another re-read, wrapped up at the end of Christmas Day. Irreverent and clever and a reminder no matter your day, things could always be worse if a dumb angel was involved, and El Niño. The characters are thrown together in a comedy of errors, and a final act that takes an unexpected turn. It is the perfect thing to cozy up with after the gifts are open and dinner is behind you
Merry Christmas to all!
(Read and reviewed Dec 25, 2013)
Read this, read it now. I'm going to re-read it around the holidays to give me some perspective around that busy time of year.
(Read and reviewed, December 2012)
Moore, you've done it again. This book was laugh out loud hilarious: truly a joy from cover to cover. Many of the characters in this novel first appeared in other books so it would be neat if you could read all the others first and then watch them interact in this odd little world. I had only read one other so most of the characters were knew to me but I loved knowing more back story than was provided. (Read and reviewed, 2010 September 5)
This time I changed it up and did the audio version and I HIGHLY recommend it! Sometimes an audio version will detract from a book, or at best leave your experience at neutral, but on rare occasion it actually improves it and this was one of those times. The reader has a voice with significant gravitas which makes gives a drop of grandeur to a fun and funny book. Think of it as if one of those movie narrators with a booming "in a world" voice was doing the narration to a lighthearted kids movie. The juxtaposition enhances the humor.
Moore's tale of horrors at the holidays never fails to make me smile. If you are looking for a VERY nontraditional holiday story that contains many traditional elements, look no further. And if you enjoy it, check out the rest he has to offer.
(Listened to and reviewed December 2017)
Wow, five years in a row! Love this little book and its irreverent look at the holidays. This year I had my book club read it, as they really enjoyed "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove" and it is a quick read, which is perfect for the busy holiday season. Reviews from my club were mostly favorable, though one person who was listening on audio wasn't a big fan, though her criticism was that with so many characters, it was hard to keep track. I do think this is better for reading, as it jumps in POV quite often. If you are looking for something that is NOT your average Hallmark Channel Christmas treacle, but still has a happy(ish) ending, look no further than Christopher Moore's book. :)
(Read and reviewed Dec 5, 2015)
This marks what I believe is my fourth year in a row of reading this as my annual holiday tradition. This year for a new spin on it I actually read it aloud to my boyfriend, who had never read it before, or anything else of Moore's (one of my favorite authors). Is there anything more fun than sharing something you love with other people? If so, I don't know what it is. And I discovered that reading out loud to someone is pretty fun! But I digress.
This book has it all: Santa, holiday cheer, booze, angels, and zombies. What more could you want to warm your heart during this holiday season? Christmas may be over, but if you want yours to continue, pick this up and laugh out loud. Especially recommended if your holiday wasn't the best because trust me, things could be worse, as it is unlikely you were shot in the head by an undead Kris Kringle.
(Read and reviewed Dec 25, 2014)
And I just completed another re-read, wrapped up at the end of Christmas Day. Irreverent and clever and a reminder no matter your day, things could always be worse if a dumb angel was involved, and El Niño. The characters are thrown together in a comedy of errors, and a final act that takes an unexpected turn. It is the perfect thing to cozy up with after the gifts are open and dinner is behind you
Merry Christmas to all!
(Read and reviewed Dec 25, 2013)
Read this, read it now. I'm going to re-read it around the holidays to give me some perspective around that busy time of year.
(Read and reviewed, December 2012)
Moore, you've done it again. This book was laugh out loud hilarious: truly a joy from cover to cover. Many of the characters in this novel first appeared in other books so it would be neat if you could read all the others first and then watch them interact in this odd little world. I had only read one other so most of the characters were knew to me but I loved knowing more back story than was provided. (Read and reviewed, 2010 September 5)
kasiako's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
A light plot used as an excuse for very backwards not funny jokes that try to be edgy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Misogyny, Antisemitism, and Racism
mhfarmer's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't expecting zombies!!! I always love a book that can make me laugh out loud this much.
ninakay's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5