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dtab62's review against another edition
4.0
I’m not sure how to rate this. Just in general, compared to every other book I’ve read I would give it 5 stars. But compared to Chris Moore’s other books, and Dirty Job specifically (as this is its sequel) I think 4 stars is more accurate.
I recommend this, but I highly recommend reading A Dirty Job first.
I recommend this, but I highly recommend reading A Dirty Job first.
capincus's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite as brilliant as A Dirty Job but still a must read for any fans of Charlie Asher, The Emporer, or Christopher Moore.
themahtin's review against another edition
4.0
It took a long time to get into this book because I had not re-read his previous book that had these characters in it. The usual humor, weirdness, and San Francisco scenery. A nice diversion, but too short.
rachelellyn's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, but not the “OMG! This is fabulous!” that the first one was.
fantaiil's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
2.0
Sophie seems to have lost her mojo at the same time that some freaky stuff starts going down again in San Francisco. The Squirrel People are restless, ghosts are swarming the Golden Gate Bridge, and there's a man in a yellow suit drifting around stirring up trouble. What's going on this time?
2.5 Starsbut I'm feeling generous but I'm not feeling generous after getting my thoughts down.
What this feels like is a contractual obligation. My guess is that Christopher Moore signed a deal for a follow-up to A Dirty Job, time was up, so he knocked this out. I wasn't impressed.
I laughed/cried/snorted my way through A Dirty Job. Seriously. I may have chuckled once or twice this go 'round. Charlie's new body was funny at the end of the first book but once it's sustained for a while and some obvious drawbacks are pointed out, it just got disturbing. Like, I-wish-I-could-scrub-this-image-from-my-mind disturbing. And, yes, thank you, I do actually have an overdeveloped sense of potty humor. But too far is actually too far.
The characters were just kind of more of the same. That should be good since I loved them before, but everybody changes at least a little bit over a year or so. Not these characters. The bad guy(s) are back. Well, there's a different, surprising, leader but the rest is the same. I think we got all the laughs we could out of beating these villains up the first time. I miss Mrs. Ling and Mrs. Korchev. They got a scene or two and they were amusing but that was it. There was a lot more of Lily this time around, and she was funny. Abby Normal shows up for a couple of pages in a throwaway scene. I could go on, but I guess I'll sum this up with "Same characters, only slightly different story."
The ghosts on the bridge confused me. I was probably jet-lagged while I read this, so maybe I just missed it. But they tell these long stories, some funny, some sad, some just random, for no apparent reason. Padding the page count? I don't know. I saw absolutely no purpose.
Somehow, A Dirty Job was funny and crass in a way that I liked but it still had heart. Charlie was doing his best despite being overwhelmingly unprepared for the job. The Emperor is trying to save his city. Death is more than a punchline, and hospice workers are angels on earth. I found that all to be missing now.
I have loved Christopher Moore in the past, and luckily I still have quite a few books from his back catalog left to read, because I think I may be done with him now. I haven't really enjoyed any of his work since 2007. Wow. Except for Bite Me. I do love Abby Normal.
As I write this, the average rating on GoodReads is almost 4.0, so I'm obviously in the minority, but there you go. This one just wasn't for me. Christopher Moore fans will obviously read it. I do highly recommend A Dirty Job but I personally wish I had stopped there.
2.5 Stars
What this feels like is a contractual obligation. My guess is that Christopher Moore signed a deal for a follow-up to A Dirty Job, time was up, so he knocked this out. I wasn't impressed.
I laughed/cried/snorted my way through A Dirty Job. Seriously. I may have chuckled once or twice this go 'round. Charlie's new body was funny at the end of the first book but once it's sustained for a while and some obvious drawbacks are pointed out, it just got disturbing. Like, I-wish-I-could-scrub-this-image-from-my-mind disturbing. And, yes, thank you, I do actually have an overdeveloped sense of potty humor. But too far is actually too far.
The characters were just kind of more of the same. That should be good since I loved them before, but everybody changes at least a little bit over a year or so. Not these characters. The bad guy(s) are back. Well, there's a different, surprising, leader but the rest is the same. I think we got all the laughs we could out of beating these villains up the first time. I miss Mrs. Ling and Mrs. Korchev. They got a scene or two and they were amusing but that was it. There was a lot more of Lily this time around, and she was funny. Abby Normal shows up for a couple of pages in a throwaway scene. I could go on, but I guess I'll sum this up with "Same characters, only slightly different story."
The ghosts on the bridge confused me. I was probably jet-lagged while I read this, so maybe I just missed it. But they tell these long stories, some funny, some sad, some just random, for no apparent reason. Padding the page count? I don't know. I saw absolutely no purpose.
Somehow, A Dirty Job was funny and crass in a way that I liked but it still had heart. Charlie was doing his best despite being overwhelmingly unprepared for the job. The Emperor is trying to save his city. Death is more than a punchline, and hospice workers are angels on earth. I found that all to be missing now.
I have loved Christopher Moore in the past, and luckily I still have quite a few books from his back catalog left to read, because I think I may be done with him now. I haven't really enjoyed any of his work since 2007. Wow. Except for Bite Me. I do love Abby Normal.
As I write this, the average rating on GoodReads is almost 4.0, so I'm obviously in the minority, but there you go. This one just wasn't for me. Christopher Moore fans will obviously read it. I do highly recommend A Dirty Job but I personally wish I had stopped there.
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
5.0
I was SO WORRIED about this book. I ADORE "A Dirty Job," and, when I found out there would be a sequel, I went right to pre-orders. But what if Moore missed? What if the comedy was lost? What if my memories of the original novel were forever TAINTED?
Nope! This is a worthy sequel in all ways! The old cast came back, the humor was maintained, and I have another book I have to shove at anyone who comes asking for a recommendation.
Sophie is, as always, the focus of my love, though she appears in very little of the book. Where she does feature, though, it's little girls cursing and proclaiming they are Death. Which is ADORABLE. I'd be so interested in reading another book just about her, because Moore writes her perfectly. You can just imagine this little girl running around, commanding life and death with her big puppies.
Granted, the book has a bit of a slow start, but if you're doing the audiobook, as I did, you'll get through it soon enough and then make sure you're not driving and listening, or you will die.
This is going to be on my bookshelf permanently. And it so deserves the spot.
Nope! This is a worthy sequel in all ways! The old cast came back, the humor was maintained, and I have another book I have to shove at anyone who comes asking for a recommendation.
Sophie is, as always, the focus of my love, though she appears in very little of the book. Where she does feature, though, it's little girls cursing and proclaiming they are Death. Which is ADORABLE. I'd be so interested in reading another book just about her, because Moore writes her perfectly. You can just imagine this little girl running around, commanding life and death with her big puppies.
Granted, the book has a bit of a slow start, but if you're doing the audiobook, as I did, you'll get through it soon enough and then make sure you're not driving and listening, or you will die.
This is going to be on my bookshelf permanently. And it so deserves the spot.
diana_blackmoon's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I loved the first book and I feel like it made more sense than this one. I generally understand that this particular author is going for lack of sense+ lack of reason = dealing with serious topics in a smart way. However, this book did not hit for me.
gingirl7001's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jlbates's review against another edition
3.0
Still funny, but not as funny as the first book. It also had a lot of moments that were just kind of hanging (why didn't someone mention that? how did they get that knowledge? etc)