Book Review - Christopher Moore - Love Story 3: Bite MeFirst off, you really need to read the first two books of the trilogy to enjoy this book. While enough backstory is given in the story that everything makes sense, the book is too short to do justice to the character depth developed in the first two books. This is especially true for Jody and Tommy, the two main vampire protagonists. They play a relatively minor role to Abby Normal, their punk/goth minion/Renfield, who is the main narrator.
Abby is the new Valley girl. She is shallow, self-centered, petty, appearance-obsessed--and an innocent, confused young girl growing up in strange times. Her teen-slang language is a hilarious mix of innocent teenager and dark goth with computer-nerd slang thrown in. Her awkward romance with her boyfriend Foo Dog is great fun. Her second-hand description of her vampire-related interaction with her little sister was the highlight of the book for me. It shows the skill whioth which Moore can juxtapose the fantastical with the mundane with sublime comedic effect.
Along with Abby we have the Emperor of San Francisco, his dogs Bummer and Lazarus; the Animals; the detectives Cavuto and Rivera, and even Chet the shaved vampire cat.
The new character, Okata, is an elderly Japanese man with mad Ninja vampire-cat killing skills. Okata is easily the most compelling character in the book. This character is a great example of how pathos a comedy are combined to create a compelling story.
The greatest flaw of the book was that it was too short. The ending was satisfying and appropriate for the characters, but it was rushed. The plot carried so many (good) threads that none of the threads, save perhaps the Okata thread, received the attention it deserved. While the book was a bit darker than the previous two books, it was a load of laughs.
Remember: 1) when saying OMFG never pronounce the letters. and 2) Vampire pigeons will never be a serious problem.
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