The Serpent of Venice by Christopher MooreMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I must be the right audience for this. I found this very funny, very amusing, very entertaining, all the way through. I even went and re-read Merchant of Venice to make sure I knew the source material. Worth it.
This novel blends characters and plot elements of Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" and Shakespeare's "Othello" and "Merchant of Venice." I enjoyed the clever weaving of those elements into one plot just as much as I enjoyed the banter and silliness.
Some reviewers decry the constant sex-themed humor. I get it. Not for everyone. I might point out there is also bathroom humor.
Actually (pushes up glasses) the humor that really lands for me was the way Pocket annoys people and frustrates them with his constant joking. (Made me think of Hawkeye in M*A*S*H.) That's who he is. The rudeness is the point, and everyone else's reactions is what made me laugh. (Yes, I laughed.) Jessica's bad temper and pirate talk is the same thing--funny on its own, but funnier in the way that it shows her character and exasperates others. And the giant Drool, childish, profane, and incorrigible, is a crowd pleaser. One would imagine.
I also found the 4th-wall-breaking chorus hilarious.
(Like I say, I was the right audience for this.)
And there were some happy ending surprises to the story that I really appreciated. That's spoilery enough just to mentioning it, so I won't go on, but if you prefer your stories to have happy endings, this is the book for you.
So, turns out this is sort of a sequel to a book I haven't read, but I took the precaution of buying it already, so it's TBR. The main character, Pocket, inhabits the story of King Lear (apparently) so I need to go reread that one, too. It's been a long while. But I'm looking forward to both.
If you like Shakespeare and NSFW humor, check this out. Recommended.
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