The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: The Serpent of Venice
Author: Christopher Moore
Publication: 22 April 2014
Format: hardcover 

Amazon Description: 

Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from the Queen of Britain: the rascal-Fool Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters—the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago—have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.

But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.

Greed, revenge, deception, lust, and a giant (but lovable) sea monster combine to create another hilarious and bawdy tale from modern comic genius, Christopher Moore.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff 
So we've got Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and Edgar Allan Poe’s short story "The Cask of Amontillado" ... and, most importantly, we have Pocket. 

I knew before I even opened the cover that I adore Pocket. And Jones. And Drool. And Jeff. I loved them in Fool (though Jeff made but a brief appearance). I will love them wherever they appear. 

But.

At first, I had a really difficult time loving this book to the point of thinking that I would ever be adding it to my favorites list. 

Maybe because I just did my Fool re-read and that is on the list and is as difficult to come close to as Drool without a bath.

Maybe because my mind is already on my much needed vacation and I may have rushed through reading it here and there (and possibly over there) in order to have it done by the time my flight takes off tomorrow so I can take the third Pocket with me. 

Not that I expect to read much unless it's at the airport. Or perhaps Thursday. I should have little else to do Thursday. Whatever.

Maybe ... just maybe ... it's all the fault of a college literature professor whose class I kind of took when I was ten years old and my mom went back to college and I went to class with her as often as I could get away with it.

Yes. Let us blame her. 

No, not my mom. 

She's the reason I have a deep and everlasting love for Shakespeare in general .... and reading in general. We can place the dislike blame for Merchant and Othello on the turtleneck loving harpy with the Charlie's Angels hair and a horrible habit of dousing herself with Love's Baby Soft before every class.

F*ckstockings. I shudder just thinking about it. So I won't. Much.

There are bits of The Serpent of Venice that I love, of course. It is, after all, a Christopher Moore book. I love every time Pocket opens his mouth ... vulgarity is used in new and "ooooh I am so going to use that" ways ... the Chorus ... Vivian ... pirates ... the ghost ...

Because there's always a bloody ghost. 

There actually ended up being more that I loved about the book than I didn't in spite of my huge dislike for the originals thanks to the harpy. So, maybe it will end up being on the favorites list after all. In any case, read the book (after Fool, of course). It's damned readable and a damned bit moreso than a lot of stuff I've slogged my way through.

And did I mention pirates?

I am fully aware that my blurbs are longer than called for, but I will likely always bend rules when Moore is concerned. Besides, I couldn't very well cut part of the Invocation ... or Vivian's official introduction. 

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.