The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove | Christopher Moore

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove | Christopher Moore | I love his whacky humor

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The Lust Lizard of...

	The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Christopher Moore Harper Paperbacks, 2004 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 108 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Best Chris Moore Book

Although mostly fantasy, Moore frequently injects excerpts from current science - when the friendly "sea monster" predator gets close to his prey, he exudes a pheromone chemical which hypnotizes his victims into a range of strange behaviors - varying from loss of normal vigilance to charismatic attraction to extreme horniness. Two of the above three are used by parasites in real life in their efforts to gain entry into their next host. Meanwhile, we are treated to stereotyped outlandish human behavior described in hilarious fashion:

"So Catfish strolled a rolling Delta moonwalk of a stroll (redolent of sassafras and jive) into Pine Cove Drug and Gift, and the four blue-haired chicken women behind the counter nearly tumbled over each other trying to get to the back room. Imagine it: a person of the Dark persuasion in their midst. What if he should ask for a vial of Afro-Sheen or some other ethnically oriented product with which they were totally unfamiliar? Why, the smoke alarms would melt, screaming like dying witches, when their collective minds steamed to a stop. Do we look like thrill-seekers? Wasn't it enough that we had to put up that sign reading NO HABLO ESPANOL and acknowledge the existence of 30% of the population, even in the negative? No, we shall err on the side of safety, thank you, and in lieu of sand in which to bury our heads, we shall head to the back room...Catfish leaned over the counter to where he could see the row of eyes peering out of the crack and said, 'I be back in a few minutes my own self, ladies. I needs some medicine what can help me with this huge black d--k I has to carry around. The weight of it like to break my back...'"
Winston turned and scowled at Catfish. "Was that really necessary?"
"A man gots to look after his reputation," Catfish said.

This is my 3rd Moore book, and I enjoy his style. His character development is excellent, if a little earthy, and one grows to appreciate the extravagant neurotic nuances of each personality. There is only one (albeit large) reality stretch, involving the discovery of the main character, a sort of dinosaur. He has the already above mentioned interesting ability to attract victims when he is hungry (all the time), and when necessary can camouflage himself. I was right up there with him as he changed colors with the forest environment, but definitely surprised when he managed to fit right in amongst a bunch of mobile homes. The high point of the book occurred when he was sexually attracted to a gasoline carrying 18-wheeler.

Highly recommended for the Chris Moore enthusiast.

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I love his whacky humor

I read Lamb. Very funny. This one too. I'm on to the next book. Lighten up and enjoy fun reading. His books are my guilty pleasure.

the Lizard libido

Pine Cove is a sleepy California coastal community in that brief and idyllic time between the tourist summer and the blustery winter. Most of the residents of Pine Cove are refugees from the stresses of Los Angeles, accustomed to relying on therapy and medication (a combination of valium and Prozac) for their well-being. The local constable, Theophilus Crowe, lives in a state of never-ending self-prescribed euphoria through the use of Sneaky Pete, his smokeless bong. A beautiful picture, but not one that could last for longer than a few seconds in the hands of Christopher Moore. An upstream nuclear plant develops a teeny, tiny leak; the owner of the Head of the Slug Saloon, Mavis Sand, advertises for a blues singer to increase her weekday profits; and a local homemaker hangs herself, thus prompting the town psychiatrist, Val Riordan, to reevaluate her prescription policy and immediately switch everyone to placebos without their knowledge. These initial shocks become a full-fledged earthquake that rocks the community to its core, changing everything. All of this might add up to a tragedy, except Christopher Moore knows that tragedy is only two hop-skips and a jump over to comedy.

Moore's career seems to be based on taking revisionistic looks at all the major horror tropes. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove is his fifth novel, following on the horror-laced humor of his previous books about demons (Practical Demonkeeping), werewolves (Coyote Blue), vampires (Bloodsucking Fiends), and amazons (Island of the Sequined Love Nun). [NOTE: Okay, okay, everyone sing that old Sesame Street refrain along with me-"One of these things is not like the others." No, I am not sure where amazons fit in either. It's the exception in my theory that proves the rule. On the other hand, many men before Moore have found strong women scary.] In The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, he samples a bit of Godzilla, populating the world with characters from One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest and the Betty Ford Clinic, and leavens it with a mystery plot that is a poor lovechild of Donald Westlake (Trust Me On This) and Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty). It is an extremely incongruous mixture, which is the entire point. because Moore plays everything for laughs. It doesn't matter if the problem of the nuclear leak is resolved halfway through the book in one line-it served its purpose in providing the bait for the titular character, the Sea Beast, an amorous leviathan. It's not important that the plot doesn't entirely make sense. In a fantasy world of ex-B-grade movie actresses, half-machine/half-woman barkeeps, and rat-catching biologists, the strange and non-sequitor becomes the norm, so that even a little homage to the master of the Cthulhu mythos as a gaunt man with a drinking problem seems appropriate.

As a humorist, Moore has more in common with P.J. O'Rourke and Dave Barry than the Marx brothers and P.G. Wodehouse. Much of Moore's comedy is social satire, taking aim at corrupt politicians, materialistic doctors, new age religion (including a wonderful dig at science fiction's novelist-turned-prophet, L. Ron Hubbard), and tourist towns. Most of the time his satire is unique and biting, but sometimes Moore gets lazy, relying on the path-more-trodden, as seen here in another picture of the computer nerd as the fat spider in the middle of a vast computer network who survives by munching on the tops of Hostess cupcakes. Humor is not an easy business, though, and Moore succeeds more often than he fails, evoking guffaws at the point of a phrase and nods to a succession of sentences. Among recent American humor novelists, only Mark Leyner rivals his ability to mix the fantastic with farce. To truly find his contemporary competition, one must look to current British humorists like Tom Holt or Terry Pratchett, who have built careers on the juxtaposition of genre fantasy and modern humor. Neither of these authors has received as much attention in America, and I suspect that Moore is similarly lesser known in Britain. In this type of comedy-- a broad exaggeration of culture and mores--it helps to intimately understand the specific stereotypes that are being teased.

Terry Pratchett has become England's best-selling author (and a publishing institution) by achieving a consistent quality in his prose and releasing a new book every year. Like Pratchett, Christopher Moore seems to have settled into that comfortable pace. Considering that he has several more famous monsters of filmland YET to roast, he should be back again next year with another tale of hideous hilarity. If his future output can match the quality of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove and his previous novels, he may become an American comedy fixture.

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"What horrors can a dragon dream?"

When an ancient lizard whips the population of Pine cove into a lustful frenzy, all hell breaks loose. The pothead constable of the town, Theo, has his hands full. So does the local psychiatrist who has taken 30% of the local populace of their psychiatric medications. The only one that can save them is Kendra, the Warrior Babe!

Moore is the master of flip, hip humor. He carries off a silly fantastical plot with aplomb and makes you wish for more. His sly commentary on modern culture and human idiosyncrasies keep you chuckling. His loony characters and their zany adventures provide enjoyment from page to page!

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Laughing Out Loud

Having a trailer size reptile as a pet is a blast especially when the owner is a female warrior. At least, that is what Mr. Moore's zany imagination seems to represent. Mr. Moore has a knack for making people laugh with his madcap dialogues, bizarre happenings, and uncultivated characters. He is also not afraid to introduce small roles and getting rid of them immediately without mercy. A small seaside town which is normally calm goes haywire with deaths, missing individuals, and addictions. Everything seems to take place overnight, much to the chagrin of an inexperienced local constable. In an area where people know of each other and gossips fly more freely, these people get together to cover one another's back. The last few chapters are action-packed where guns, swords, and crazy desperate individuals are involved. The words "though" and "through" seem to be interchangeable - fortunately there are not many of them. Cell phone service is also made available from a cave on a vast ranch. It is an amazingly funny fiction, after all.

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