Practical Demonkeeping
by Christopher Moore
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holy crap,
this book. was. bad.
so effing bad there must be a logical explanation for it. the logical explanation is: christopher moore, you used to be a very stinky writer. i'm not sure what happened between "practical demonkeeping" and "a dirty job", but i'm guessing it was nothing short of an earth quaking, baby shaking, holy sweet mother of pearl miracle.
all the raw elements are there. the slightly deranged yet interesting menagerie of character...more
this book. was. bad.
so effing bad there must be a logical explanation for it. the logical explanation is: christopher moore, you used to be a very stinky writer. i'm not sure what happened between "practical demonkeeping" and "a dirty job", but i'm guessing it was nothing short of an earth quaking, baby shaking, holy sweet mother of pearl miracle.
all the raw elements are there. the slightly deranged yet interesting menagerie of character...more
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This novel was a surprisingly quick read, it is short and although not action packed, it manages to keep your attention from beginning to end. The writing style is very casual and humorous, slightly vulgar but not so much as to gain an "R" rating or to turn off the casual reader. There are drugs, but they are not glorified, there is sex, but it is not explicit and there is profanity, but it is not overwhelming.
The story itself is simple enough, one man (Travis) is cursed with bein...more
The story itself is simple enough, one man (Travis) is cursed with bein...more
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Read in May, 2006
I've been a fan of Moore's for a while now, having read Bloodsucking Fiends, The Stupidest Angel and, my favorite, Lamb - The Gospel According to Biff. While I was in the States, I noticed that his earlier books had been reprinted in new editions, so I thought I'd pick up the one that started it all - Practical Demonkeeping.
Th...more
Th...more
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Read in October, 2003
After reading and thoroughly enjoying Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal , I decided to take a look at some of Christopher Moore's other books. The library had a copy of this, which I checked out & read in about a day and a half.
We meet Augustus Brine, Zen practitioner and proprietor of a general store in a sl...more
We meet Augustus Brine, Zen practitioner and proprietor of a general store in a sl...more
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Read in December, 2006
This is the first Moore book that I have read, and I have to say, I am a fan. I've read a lot of Tom Robbins (Jitterbug Perfume, Still Life With Woodpecker) and his style is very similar, but more straightforward I think. And just as funny. I haven't laughed so hard at a book in a long time.
The premise is fairly simple... A young man, Travis, conjurs a demon on accident while cleaning the accolyte candles at a Catholic church. He is stuck with the demon, who does not have to tell him how he c...more
The premise is fairly simple... A young man, Travis, conjurs a demon on accident while cleaning the accolyte candles at a Catholic church. He is stuck with the demon, who does not have to tell him how he c...more
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Read in April, 2008
Here's the first introduction to the main character, Travis, and his demon, Catch:
"Travis O'Hearn was driving a fifteen-year-old Chevy Impala he had bought in L.A. with money the demon had taken from a pimp. The demon was standing on the passenger seat with his head out the window, panting into the rushing coastal wind with the slobbering exuberance of an Irish setter. From time to time he pulled his head inside the car, looked at Travis, and sang, "Your mother sucks cocks in he-...more
"Travis O'Hearn was driving a fifteen-year-old Chevy Impala he had bought in L.A. with money the demon had taken from a pimp. The demon was standing on the passenger seat with his head out the window, panting into the rushing coastal wind with the slobbering exuberance of an Irish setter. From time to time he pulled his head inside the car, looked at Travis, and sang, "Your mother sucks cocks in he-...more
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Read in January, 2008
What the...?
I read Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal as my first Christopher Moore book and LOVED it! So I figured I would start reading his books sequentially as I heard many of his characters appear in subsequent books. I thought the first book must be good otherwise who'd give him the opportunity to do anot...more
I read Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal as my first Christopher Moore book and LOVED it! So I figured I would start reading his books sequentially as I heard many of his characters appear in subsequent books. I thought the first book must be good otherwise who'd give him the opportunity to do anot...more
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I know people have been hard on Moore for this book. I do agree that it has shortcomings. But having read his works mostly backward -- started with Lamb then A Dirty Job and now to Practical Demonkeeping with stops at others along the way -- I see more in this book than perhaps meets the eye. Moore lays a lot of groundwork for future books in this one. Some of it is direct, such as using some characters who will show up in later works. In other cases, you can see him developing his story te...more
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Read in March, 2008
After reading A Dirty Job, I was looking forward to reading more by this author. Going back to his early books and "starting at the beginning" is NOT the way to go on this one.
It's not that the book was BAD, it was just a huge yawn. I finally stopped reading at a little past the halfway point, when I realized that I could put it down after a couple of pages and not be all that anxious to get back to the book to see what happens next. I just plain didn't care.
Don't dis...more
It's not that the book was BAD, it was just a huge yawn. I finally stopped reading at a little past the halfway point, when I realized that I could put it down after a couple of pages and not be all that anxious to get back to the book to see what happens next. I just plain didn't care.
Don't dis...more
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Read in February, 2007
Overall this book was...okay. When I was first introduced to Christopher Moore by my co-workers at the bookstore, I was told to read Lamb, then A Dirty Job, whatever else I wanted, and end with The Stupidest Angel. Figuring that the best place to start would be the beginning, I picked this one up.
It was not bad to the point where I st...more
It was not bad to the point where I st...more
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Read in December, 2007
A quick read and devilishly funny. Moore is a master of the irreverently humorous story with large splashes of the supernatural. The story follows Travis, a guy in his 90's who accidentally called up a demon named Catch when he was in his twenties and hasn't aged a day since. He's spent the past 70 years minimizing the damage caused by Catch and trying to find a way to get rid of him. Throw in several of Moore's typical oddball characters, a subplot involving a drug sting gone awry, a stiff ...more
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Read in July, 2007
Pretty quick read here; I started and finished this one on my way from Reno to Anchorage last week. It's the first Christopher Moore book set in Pine Cove, CA, which becomes a recurring location in other books like Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove and The Stupidest Angel. It also introduces a few characters that reappear in other books, like the cop, Rivera, who we see in his two latest, A Dirty Job and You Suck. Didn't realize that I'd read this before until almost the end. Pretty fun little stor...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
die-hard Christopher Moore fans
This is a fun and fast read. I read it in less than a week. However, out of all the Christopher Moore books I've read so far, this is my least favorite. It's evident reading it that it was his first book written.
The characters are funny and quirky - yet, I never felt a strong attachment to any of them. I was hoping to get to "know" the demon a little better but he is a very static character. The storyline was a bit scattered.
Nevertheless, this book was entertaining -- just not his ...more
The characters are funny and quirky - yet, I never felt a strong attachment to any of them. I was hoping to get to "know" the demon a little better but he is a very static character. The storyline was a bit scattered.
Nevertheless, this book was entertaining -- just not his ...more
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Ummmm....this was like the Harlequin romance version of a mythological tale wannabe. But with more characters than the usual star-crossed lovers and actually...maybe...less story. But then I would have to admit to having read my mom's Harlequins.
It took about as long to read as it took for Catch the Demon to eat his persons - er, dinner.
But it is interesting to have read this on the heels of having read Lamb, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and to see how Moore has evolved as a writer.
It took about as long to read as it took for Catch the Demon to eat his persons - er, dinner.
But it is interesting to have read this on the heels of having read Lamb, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and to see how Moore has evolved as a writer.
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Read in February, 2007
I read this after Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck on my quest to find a Christopher Moore book that's have as funny any near as genius as A Dirty Job. Failed again. This was a funny little tale. I did enjoy it, but at times it felt hokey, and well, A Dirty Job is just so much better. I tried reading Fluke too and was thinking out Lamb, but I think I might have to give up and accept A Dirty Job as Moore's best work.
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Read in July, 2007
I hadn't read any Christopher Moore except for Lamb, so when this appeared on the new book shelf at the library, I snagged it. And when I finally picked it up, I snarfed it down in a day and a half. It was excellent, absurd, and literally laugh out loud funny, and I loved the characters and the redemption found in the end. Christopher Moore is like Douglas Adams but in Earth-based settings, and it's fantastic.
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
people riding trains, in planess, locked in hotel rooms, and lovers of absudist fiction.
Christopher Moore is still my default when I need a quick read and he never lets me down. Practical Demonkeeping is bizarre, funny, and extremely typical Moore.
Others knock it in the reviews, but if you keep in mind that this was his first book, and 15 years old, and that everything after this just gets better - then you will enjoy it.
If this is your first Moore experience go for Lamb first.
Others knock it in the reviews, but if you keep in mind that this was his first book, and 15 years old, and that everything after this just gets better - then you will enjoy it.
If this is your first Moore experience go for Lamb first.
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
those looking for a quick, good time
In general, I found Practical Demonkeeping to be a very entertaining read. It has some plot holes, and one particular chapter that drags a bit, but in general, it is a very fun story. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to think to much, but enjoy whiling away an afternoon with a cheap, easy story. Christopher Moore has done better, but this book was still good, still entertaining.
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Read in July, 2007
I enjoyed this introduction to the sometime wacky citizens of Pine Cove and their encounters with Catch the demon. Moore's description of the attempts to attract tourists (and the resentment of the same) was especially funny to me. I also liked the interactions of the characters such as between Travis and Catch and between Augustus Brine and the djinn Gian Hen Gian.
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Read in January, 2004
recommends it for:
people who like clever (but not TOO never) books
Well, it's Chris Moore. One of the few American writers who really reminds me of the Douglas Adams/Terry Pratchett school of well-thought-out, funny, emotionally resonant writing. Of course, that could just as easily mean I need to try out some more American authors, I don't mean to put down writers from my own country, after all. I'm just saying...
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