Just why do humpback whales sing? That's the question that has marine behavioral biologist Nate Quinn and his crew poking, charting, recording, ... read full description
reviews
Dec 12, 2008
Amanda
rated it: 
Soooo, it took me about 43 years to read this book. And upon thinking for a while and discissing it with Christina for a while I've come to the conclusion that my opinion is based on a two-fold rubric. (Can rubrics have folds?)
Anyway...
Point 1. Character Development.
The character development in this book sucked balls. And not in the good way, either.
Point 2. Plot.
The plot was fuckin' awesome. Except for the fact that it didn't start until a More...
Anyway...
Point 1. Character Development.
The character development in this book sucked balls. And not in the good way, either.
Point 2. Plot.
The plot was fuckin' awesome. Except for the fact that it didn't start until a More...
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Mar 09, 2011
Dan
rated it:
"Nate wouldn't have been more surprised if he'd walked in on a team of squirrels building a toaster oven."
"'I'm telling you, it's like baby-sitting a bunch of horny toddlers.'"
I would love to be able to see what wanders through Moore's head when he's just sitting around having a beer with friends.
I'm not sure yet whehter this or Coyote Blue is my favorite from Moore. Fluke feels more "grown up" than his other books. That's just More...
"'I'm telling you, it's like baby-sitting a bunch of horny toddlers.'"
I would love to be able to see what wanders through Moore's head when he's just sitting around having a beer with friends.
I'm not sure yet whehter this or Coyote Blue is my favorite from Moore. Fluke feels more "grown up" than his other books. That's just More...
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Feb 01, 2009
Omar
rated it: 
I love Christopher Moore.. this is my fifth book of his, but this one fell short for me. The story is of a scientist who studies whales and their songs. He has worked many many years in the field and when he sees the words "BITE ME" on the tail of one of his whales he is determined to find out how it is even possible. Things are further complicated when the town crazy informs him that the whale he saw called her and asked her to tell him to come visit the whale and bring a pastrami on
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(3 people liked it)
Oct 30, 2007
Steve
rated it: 
5 Ooks
Do you like mysteries?
Do you like to laugh?
Have you ever wondered why whales sing?
Did you ever wish you lived in Hawaii?
Did you ever wish you could see one of those white-boy poser Rastafarians get a bit of a stomping?...Hey now, don't be a hater...
Moore evokes beach people and the islands in this fun and fast moving tale. It's filled with his usual wit and wacky, but lovable characters, and leavened with a bit of a message (but, not preach More...
Do you like mysteries?
Do you like to laugh?
Have you ever wondered why whales sing?
Did you ever wish you lived in Hawaii?
Did you ever wish you could see one of those white-boy poser Rastafarians get a bit of a stomping?...Hey now, don't be a hater...
Moore evokes beach people and the islands in this fun and fast moving tale. It's filled with his usual wit and wacky, but lovable characters, and leavened with a bit of a message (but, not preach More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 02, 2009
Mikah
rated it: 
This is the first book I have read by Christopher Moore, and I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It is about Nate Quinn, a biologist who is studying humpback whales trying to figure out the meaning of their song. Odd things start to happen, though, like finding a whale with ‘Bite Me’ painted on its tale and somebody breaking in and trashing his lab. While trying to figure out who would want to sabotage his research he starts to question how much anybody could even care about the
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(3 people liked it)
Aug 06, 2008
Armand
rated it:
People swear by this guy, in a devotional sort of way. I was excited to try one of his novels, and frankly, I’m usually a sucker for otherwise human stories with some elements of the unexplained (see Tom Robbins, “Magnolia”, or Lost). Moore’s “Fluke” started out as no exception. I was engaged by the characters, laughed out loud a few times, and was hooked into these mysterious events and the promise of something larger. The insertion of scientific fact (mostly marine biology and humpback whales)
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Aug 01, 2011
Tracey
rated it:
We meet Nathan Quinn, a marine behavioral biologist, who's currently in Hawaii, studying the humpback whale's song. Along with Clay Demodocus, a fellow researcher and long-time friend, they recruit Amy, a fresh young intern from the East Coast, and Kona, a wanna-be native & Rastaman. Several episodes of bad luck/vandalism make them suspicious of other researchers who have allied themselves with the US Navy. Their suspicions are justified, but it's not who they think.... not at all.
Moo More...
Moo More...
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Mar 10, 2009
Preeti
rated it:
Why do humpback whales sing?
This is the basic theme behind the story contained in this book. I picked it up because whales are one of my favorite animals, and I have always loved listening to their singing. Also, I hadn't read a funny book in a while, and needed a break from the 'serious' stuff.
I have to say it: It's a whale of a tale!
The book starts out fairly normal, but then, takes a turn into the land of the zany. Really. You will have no idea what hit you More...
This is the basic theme behind the story contained in this book. I picked it up because whales are one of my favorite animals, and I have always loved listening to their singing. Also, I hadn't read a funny book in a while, and needed a break from the 'serious' stuff.
I have to say it: It's a whale of a tale!
The book starts out fairly normal, but then, takes a turn into the land of the zany. Really. You will have no idea what hit you More...
Feb 08, 2009
Yael
rated it:
So far, I haven't met a book by Christopher Moore that I've disliked. Or even merely had a lukewarm feeling for. Fluke is no exception. I mean, how can you not like a writer who produces such lines as "A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since moved on once he realized that no one was ever going to bother him, so he could stand up on his hind hundred feet, hiss like a pissed cat, and deliver a deadly bite to a naked foot"
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(2 people liked it)
Sep 16, 2011
Peebs
rated it:
I got this as an advanced reader's copy when I worked at Borders. I hadn't read anything about this particular author, so I was curious. I didn't read this all in one go. I had started much earlier and used the book as a paperweight once in a while. One day I decided I had to finish reading it.
It didn't disappoint. So the premise is that this older guy is researching the whale song in Hawaii. His team has the expected hot assistant (who happens to be too young for him) and a wanna-be R More...
It didn't disappoint. So the premise is that this older guy is researching the whale song in Hawaii. His team has the expected hot assistant (who happens to be too young for him) and a wanna-be R More...
May 21, 2010
Booksthailand
rated it:
Christopher Moore writes funny books. His recent titles have been likened to the novels of Terry Pratchett but perhaps better comparisons can be drawn with Carl Hiassen and Douglas Adams. His novels have dealt with demons, Jesus’ best pal, bloodsucking fiends, death and sequined love nuns amongst other improbable subject matter. Clearly this is an author in no danger of taking himself too seriously.
Fluke is all about Whales, kind of. It is also about half-whale half-human beasts, st More...
Fluke is all about Whales, kind of. It is also about half-whale half-human beasts, st More...
Mar 23, 2010
Jackie
rated it:
What's funny about Christopher Moore is that he basically writes light reading--humorous novels that are easy to read and that all kinds of people can enjoy--except that the amount of research that obviously went into this "light reading" (which was clear even before I read his afterwords detailing the research he did) is staggering, and the number of pages he produced here is twice the amount I'd expect for a book of this type. On top of that, he somehow makes the admittedly monotono
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Jun 19, 2009
Marcie
rated it:
Still not as great as The Stupidest Angel, but it has some awesome moments, great characters, great dialogue. Just too much science...and too much "magic" (as in magic vs. science).
I understand how difficult it is to decide how much research-reality to use to get your reader to suspend their sense of reality and follow along on the writer's journey of imagination. At first I thought Moore used too much, now I think what he did use didn't really address my issues, so it was More...
I understand how difficult it is to decide how much research-reality to use to get your reader to suspend their sense of reality and follow along on the writer's journey of imagination. At first I thought Moore used too much, now I think what he did use didn't really address my issues, so it was More...
Jun 25, 2011
Megan
rated it:
Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Wale Sings was pretty good. Eventually. Once I got into it.
Christopher Moore is hard to review. He strikes me as more of a comedian than an author. As such, if he keeps me entertained and makes me laugh out loud, I consider his book to be a success. Fluke is a typical Christopher Moore story in that it involves a group of wacky people working together in a preposterous situation. The whale and conservation info presented here was cool. And chapter ei More...
Christopher Moore is hard to review. He strikes me as more of a comedian than an author. As such, if he keeps me entertained and makes me laugh out loud, I consider his book to be a success. Fluke is a typical Christopher Moore story in that it involves a group of wacky people working together in a preposterous situation. The whale and conservation info presented here was cool. And chapter ei More...
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May 04, 2009
Lisa
rated it:
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Mar 09, 2009
Noe
rated it:
I wasn't as crazy about this book as I was the other Christopher Moore books I have read, but it is important to note that I still love him with all of my heart. ;)
There were a few weird Hawaiian history references in this that got under my skin, and it was a bit too Sci-Fi for my taste, but it was still a great read. And I loved that it was set on Maui in Hawaii. The character Kona, while a bit over the top at first, was much fun. I grew up around a few guys like him, and his charac More...
There were a few weird Hawaiian history references in this that got under my skin, and it was a bit too Sci-Fi for my taste, but it was still a great read. And I loved that it was set on Maui in Hawaii. The character Kona, while a bit over the top at first, was much fun. I grew up around a few guys like him, and his charac More...
Jun 13, 2009
Laura
rated it:
My first Christopher Moore book. I had him on my list to read, but not this particular book. It was loaned to me by a friend. I suspect that he is one of those authors that you're either going to love or hate. Obviously, I love him. Along with it that thrill of finding a "new" author who has a whole reprotoire of books to be discovered, and this guy is prolific.
I can't say too much without giving the plot way, but it's a mystery, a love story, a statement on conservation a More...
I can't say too much without giving the plot way, but it's a mystery, a love story, a statement on conservation a More...
Jun 26, 2011
Chris
rated it:
I am a big fan of Christopher Moore, and have been for some time. He has the gift of being able to mix the sophomoric humor of a teenage boy (which I never really outgrew) with sophisticated subject matter and then weave it into a coherent plot with interesting characters. In other words, Moore can keep a lot of plates spinning at the same time.
Fluke is, essentially, about a bunch of whale researchers in Hawaii who get caught up in some things about whales they never imagined. I w More...
Fluke is, essentially, about a bunch of whale researchers in Hawaii who get caught up in some things about whales they never imagined. I w More...
Mar 24, 2011
Libby
rated it:
"Nate wouldn’t have been more surprised if he’d walked in on a team of squirrels building a toaster oven." - a quote worth repeating.
I’m giving this one 5 stars because it was simply a delightful read from beginning to end. Christopher Moore tackles the scientific mystery of whale song in his own unique way. This book is wildly creative and funny while being surprisingly well researched. It appears that Mr. Moore spent a fair amount of time with biologists and whale resear More...
I’m giving this one 5 stars because it was simply a delightful read from beginning to end. Christopher Moore tackles the scientific mystery of whale song in his own unique way. This book is wildly creative and funny while being surprisingly well researched. It appears that Mr. Moore spent a fair amount of time with biologists and whale resear More...
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Jan 21, 2010
Rachel
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 24, 2009
Ben
rated it:
This is my second Christopher Moore novel, the first being Fool. I'm still getting a handle on Moore's style and how to gauge him, but I don't think I'm off when I say that Fluke is not one of his better works. Sure, it has that distinctive sense of zaniness that any Moore fan comes to expect; you won't be disappointed if you read this book. Yet neither the story nor the characters are as entertaining as Fool's. The jokes are there, but they're less cohesive; they're funny moments that fail
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Oct 04, 2011
Joyce
rated it:
I admit. I was totally and completely lured in by the cover of this book, which features the tail of a whale with the words "Bite Me" written on the flukes. Even so, it delivered.
In this quirky, irreverent story, Christopher Moore tells the "tail" of whale scientist Nathan Quinn in his quest to decode the meaning of the humpback whale's song. We also meet Nathan's off beat team: his best friend, Clay - a nature photographer and all around likable guy; his new a More...
In this quirky, irreverent story, Christopher Moore tells the "tail" of whale scientist Nathan Quinn in his quest to decode the meaning of the humpback whale's song. We also meet Nathan's off beat team: his best friend, Clay - a nature photographer and all around likable guy; his new a More...
Aug 02, 2011
Christopher Moore is funny, Tom Robbins funny or Carl Hiaasen funny. A couple of my friends who have a better sense of my sense of humor than most recommended this one to me as an introduction to Moore. Overall, it was up my alley in the sense that it took the absolutely bizarre and made it seem commonplace. The story centers around a whale scientist in Hawaii who spots the words "Bite Me!" on the tale of a whale when he is out conducting research and proof escapes him. From there it f
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Apr 25, 2011
Mike
rated it:
This is one of the more bizarre stories I've ever read. I guess the only thing I can compare it to is Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy—very dry humor, very strange storyline, and lots of science that gets bent and warped in pretty imaginative ways. Unfortunately, I don't think Moore pulls this off in a story quite as well as Adams. The characters in Fluke are pretty flat and don't go anywhere, save for 2-3 scenes where they act so out of character it doesn't make any sense at all
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Feb 28, 2010
Vicky
rated it:
Anyone who has read a Christopher Moore book has come to expect the unexpected way a tale can be told. Replete with unmatched imagination few authors can touch you become entwined in Moore’s Fluke: Or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings. The story is full of twists, humor and of course a very odd love story.
I became enamored with the characters and the story line fairly quickly. I mean who wouldn’t want to read a book that has an action nerd/biologist, photographer, 2 lesbians, a Rast More...
I became enamored with the characters and the story line fairly quickly. I mean who wouldn’t want to read a book that has an action nerd/biologist, photographer, 2 lesbians, a Rast More...
Dec 21, 2009
Stephen
rated it:
It seems to be hit or miss with Christopher Moore. I loved Lamb and A Dirty Job, while Practical Demon Keeping left something to desire. This book falls somewhere in the middle. It took almost a third of the novel for me to finally get into it. I like a story to dive right in. This one tested the water with a toe and slowly got in, and nearly chickening out once it got waist deep. Once I reached that point, I was dedicated to finish and not abandoned to the "Never To Finish" pile
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May 13, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
I was in love with book right up until the biological whale ship part. That is--about halfway through. I was so loving it! Marine biologists, the majesty of whales, Hawaiian islands, gruff but lovable 50s divorcee...How could you do this to me, Chritopher Moore? I kept reading, because I have to, and because some tiny part of me was holding out for, "wow, that was a funky dream!" Alas. Basically, the whole underwater city off the coast of Peru was bizarre. The concept of the bio
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Jan 06, 2009
Jess
rated it:
I am a big Christopher Moore fan, so when I saw this book for 50 cents at a used book sale, I had to buy it. It was pretty disappointing.
The book is about Nathan Quinn, a whale researcher, who's professional goal in life is to figure out why whales sing. However, bad things keep happening to his team and their research, and Nate thinks he's losing his mind after he sees a whale with "Bite Me" on it's fluke (what I would call a tail because I'm not a biologist). Things More...
The book is about Nathan Quinn, a whale researcher, who's professional goal in life is to figure out why whales sing. However, bad things keep happening to his team and their research, and Nate thinks he's losing his mind after he sees a whale with "Bite Me" on it's fluke (what I would call a tail because I'm not a biologist). Things More...
Feb 12, 2011
Darbi
rated it:
this was my first Christopher Moore book. And it took me on a roller coaster of opinions. My father-in-law is the one who handed it off to me, saying, "I couldnt' get past the first chapter..." So I gave it a go. And for the first 1/5 of the book, I was smitten with the witty, cynical tone and the sassy characters. OVerall the narration never lost its appeal. But the turn the plot took, when the book went from suspenseful and refreshing to suspiciously out there, flirting with sci-fi..
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Apr 03, 2009
Atomicgirl
rated it: 
I can't help it. Anytime I read a book that supposedly takes place in Hawaii, I have to hold the book to a different standard, and Moore's book fails miserably. Even if I could get past the grating character of surfer, who I accept is a completely fictionally-based character and therefore has no model in reality, I feel so isolated from the setting and society. Where am I in this story? Where are the locals? Locals, true locals born and raised in Hawaii aren't seen in the story in any real capac
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