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Coyote Blue
From Christopher Moore, author of Fluke, comes a quirky, irreverent novel of love, myth, metaphysics, outlaw biking, angst, and outrageous redemption.
As a boy growing up in Montana, he was Samson Hunts Alone -- until a deadly misunderstanding with the law forced him to flee the Crow reservation at age fifteen. Today he is Samuel Hunter, a successful Santa Barbara insurance salesman with a Mercedes, a condo, and a hollow, invented life. Then one day, shortly after his thirty-fifth birthday, destiny offers him the dangerous gift of love -- in the exquisite form of Calliope Kincaid -- and a curse in the unheralded appearance of an ancient Indian god by the name of Coyote. Coyote, the trickster, has arrived to transform tranquillity into chaos, to reawaken the mystical storyteller within Sam ... and to seriously screw up his existence in the process.
As a boy growing up in Montana, he was Samson Hunts Alone -- until a deadly misunderstanding with the law forced him to flee the Crow reservation at age fifteen. Today he is Samuel Hunter, a successful Santa Barbara insurance salesman with a Mercedes, a condo, and a hollow, invented life. Then one day, shortly after his thirty-fifth birthday, destiny offers him the dangerous gift of love -- in the exquisite form of Calliope Kincaid -- and a curse in the unheralded appearance of an ancient Indian god by the name of Coyote. Coyote, the trickster, has arrived to transform tranquillity into chaos, to reawaken the mystical storyteller within Sam ... and to seriously screw up his existence in the process.
303 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
425 people are currently reading
10.4k people want to read
About the author
Christopher Moore
104books91kfollowersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the ŷ database with this name.
Christopher Moore is an American writer of absurdist fiction. He grew up in Mansfield, OH, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters suddenly struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. Inheriting a humanism from his love of John Steinbeck and a sense of the absurd from Kurt Vonnegut, Moore is a best-selling author with major cult status.
Christopher Moore is an American writer of absurdist fiction. He grew up in Mansfield, OH, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters suddenly struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. Inheriting a humanism from his love of John Steinbeck and a sense of the absurd from Kurt Vonnegut, Moore is a best-selling author with major cult status.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,202 reviews
January 8, 2016
I've been a fan of Christopher Moore's work for years now, and I thought I'd already read everything in his rather substantial backlist. When I first discovered him, I fell in love, and ordered every single one of his books on Audio and binge-listened to them all.
So imagine my delight when the other day I stumbled onto this on Audible: one of his early books that I'd somehow missed.
I'll admit, I wasn't expecting to be wowed. This was only his second published book, after all. And as I've seen while re-reading Terry Pratchett, great authors don't neccessarily start out writing great books.
So I was surprised at how solid this book was. Nice turn of phrase, solid plotting, and most importantly, it made me laugh out loud several times while I was listening to it. That doesn't happen very often.
Is it worth your time? Absolutely. That said, Moore has sharpened his craft over the years. If you're looking to try one of his books and want to see what he can *really* do, you should start with:
You Suck: Moore mocking vampires.
Fool: Moore mocking Shakespeare.
Lamb: Moore mocking Christianity.
You have plenty of options....
So imagine my delight when the other day I stumbled onto this on Audible: one of his early books that I'd somehow missed.
I'll admit, I wasn't expecting to be wowed. This was only his second published book, after all. And as I've seen while re-reading Terry Pratchett, great authors don't neccessarily start out writing great books.
So I was surprised at how solid this book was. Nice turn of phrase, solid plotting, and most importantly, it made me laugh out loud several times while I was listening to it. That doesn't happen very often.
Is it worth your time? Absolutely. That said, Moore has sharpened his craft over the years. If you're looking to try one of his books and want to see what he can *really* do, you should start with:
You Suck: Moore mocking vampires.
Fool: Moore mocking Shakespeare.
Lamb: Moore mocking Christianity.
You have plenty of options....
June 19, 2019
Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore was his second novel, published in 1994. Moore tells the tale of Sam Hunter, ne Samson Hunts Alone, a Crow Indian who runs away from the reservation and begins a new life in Santa Barbara as a successful insurance salesman. His life takes an unexpected turn when his spirit helper, the Crow trickster god Coyote pays him a visit.
This is written with Moore’s inexhaustible command of entertaining and amusing similes and metaphors, I laughed out loud several times. What is missing is Moore’s indelible sense of timing and pacing, maybe in 1994 he had yet to fully develop that talent. But it is still good and a Moore fan will want to read.
I could not help compare this book to Neil Gaiman’s because of the themes and some almost identical elements. Written seven years later, Gaiman’s work is more polished and more epic, but a fan of American Gods may like this one as well.
Like the old saying about pizza and sex: when its good its great, and when its bad its still pretty good, this is not one of Moore’s best, but it is still pretty good.
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This is written with Moore’s inexhaustible command of entertaining and amusing similes and metaphors, I laughed out loud several times. What is missing is Moore’s indelible sense of timing and pacing, maybe in 1994 he had yet to fully develop that talent. But it is still good and a Moore fan will want to read.
I could not help compare this book to Neil Gaiman’s because of the themes and some almost identical elements. Written seven years later, Gaiman’s work is more polished and more epic, but a fan of American Gods may like this one as well.
Like the old saying about pizza and sex: when its good its great, and when its bad its still pretty good, this is not one of Moore’s best, but it is still pretty good.
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May 31, 2019
I wish I could rate this higher since I like Christopher Moore's writing, but I can't. This is too disjointed for my taste and not as humorous as other stories he's written like, "A Dirty Job." 4 of 10 stars
December 25, 2019
I dreamed that Old Man Coyote came to me and he said, ‘Pokey, when everything is right with you, but you are so afraid that something might go wrong that it ruins your balance, then you are Coyote Blue. At these times I will bring you back into balance.�
Self-exiled from his Crow tribal lands after a deadly altercation with law enforcement, Samson Hunts Alone has managed to reinvent himself. From a dirt-poor teenager on the Reservation, he has now become the poster boy of a consumerist paradise. Dressed in the best clothes, driving an expensive car and living in an upscale gated community in Santa Barbara, Sam thinks his life couldn’t get any better.
He would have been surprised, however, if someone had told him that it had been two years since he had set foot on unpaved ground.
Sam, set adrift among strangers, had once decided he would rather swim than sink, and modeled his career according to an old vision he once had during his Crow rite of passage ritual: he became a salesman, learning the craft from a master of deceit:
From the time he skimped on the sugar at his first lemonade stand to the time he doubled the profits on his paper route by canceling his customer’s subscriptions, then stealing the papers out of a vending machine to continue the deliveries, Aaron showed a near-genius ability for working in the gray areas between business and crime.
Apparently, despite his rising star status in the predatory insurance business of Aaron Aaron, Samson Hunts Alone has an even greater talent for deceiving himself, a fact thrown in stark relief when his house of cards materialistic success story is brought crashing down over his head by a visit from an old Indian spirit.
Sam has just got a severe case of Coyote Blue.
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This is an early novel (I think the second published one) from Moore and, despite some slight hiccups in plot and pacing, it holds its own worth nicely against the backdrop of his later opus. The social satire is strong in this one, but the main attraction is the use of Native American imagery and mythology to make the case of our need for strong roots and a moral compass in a world gone crazy with greed.
Coyote the Trickster, an avatar of mischief not unlike his distant cousin Loki and the Crow version of the ultimate salesman, is a ton of fun as he throws a spanner into the cogs of Samson’s self-satisfied modern life. Far from being a simple plot device to generate laughs, Coyote is a good illustration of the principle that a kick in the backside is sometimes the only way get started on the road to a better life.
They want to be tricked. I just provide a service. It ain’t no different than going to the movies or seeing the magician. You don’t want to see that the pirates are using rubber swords, do you? You don’t want to see the secret pockets up the magician’s sleeves, do you? You want to believe in something that you know ain’t true, just for a while.
The plot itself can be described as the roadtrip Samson Hunts Alone takes from his Santa Barbara yuppie apartment back to his Crow ancestral lands. Along the way he finds love in the delightful Calliope, a later day Flower Power child-goddess, friendship in unexpected places and despair as everything he holds dear is taken away from him by Coyote’s tricks.
A better way to understand the journey is the mythical angle, suggested in the opening chapters by the visions of the old shaman Pokey, and clearly stated by the end in the confrontation between old gods and new challenges.
The children are losing the old stories, the stories of hunting buffalo and counting coup. That’s not their world.
Christopher Moore offers here a new myth to replace the old, tired ones, a parable for the use of modern sensibilities that will help us out of our blue funks and bring us more in tune with the rhythms and balances of the universe.
When he told the new stories � of the Crow man who had forgotten who he was, of a Japanese businessman who saved the life of an old shaman, of a black man who helped rescue a white child from the enemy, of all the tricks and machines that Coyote used to bring the Crow man home, and of the last coup � his voice took on a melancholy sweetness and his eyes went wide and bright, as if life itself was a delightful surprise.
April 7, 2011
Under any normal circumstances, I would never have picked this book up. I associated the name Christopher Moore with “Bite Me,� a book I’d seen the cover for and assumed it was an exploitative parody of the vampire novels that have been so popular lately (in short, I judged a book by its cover). The reason I did buy this book was that we were assigned to read it for class. I wasn’t thrilled about that either. But as I began to read it, within the preface, I was already falling in love with Christopher Moore’s writing style.
Over the course of the book, Moore’s style reminds me of Charles Dickens, Douglas Adams, and John Green, although it is in no way anything but his own creation. His brilliantly-crafted characters all manage to be three-dimensional (even the bad guys). The one-liners and descriptions in this book will literally make you laugh out loud, but you will probably cry as well. It deals with the concepts of losing and regaining your faith, finding what’s truly important in life, and the idea of doing what’s right even when it isn’t easy at all.
Truly a very beautiful book. I shall be checking out his other works.
Over the course of the book, Moore’s style reminds me of Charles Dickens, Douglas Adams, and John Green, although it is in no way anything but his own creation. His brilliantly-crafted characters all manage to be three-dimensional (even the bad guys). The one-liners and descriptions in this book will literally make you laugh out loud, but you will probably cry as well. It deals with the concepts of losing and regaining your faith, finding what’s truly important in life, and the idea of doing what’s right even when it isn’t easy at all.
Truly a very beautiful book. I shall be checking out his other works.
October 5, 2013
With so many laugh-out-loud moments, Coyote Blue is a fractured fairy-tale worth reading, even if Christopher Moore's second book does suffer from sophomore slump!
I'll write a full review when I have time, but for now here's...
DAVE'S FINAL JUDGMENT -
THE DEFENSE
- Often hysterically funny
- Eclectic cast of characters grab your attention and never let go
- Moore's wit and creativity are on full display
- Refreshingly original
THE PROSECUTION
- Attempts to mix comedy and drama are less than successful, leaving the dramatic moments ineffective
- Moore's absurdist writing style is not for everyone
- Story limps to the finish line in a disappointing final act
THE VERDICT
"Coyote Blue" is certainly not perfect, but still has a lot to offer anyone looking for something a little different, as well as a lot of laughs!
I'll write a full review when I have time, but for now here's...
DAVE'S FINAL JUDGMENT -
THE DEFENSE
- Often hysterically funny
- Eclectic cast of characters grab your attention and never let go
- Moore's wit and creativity are on full display
- Refreshingly original
THE PROSECUTION
- Attempts to mix comedy and drama are less than successful, leaving the dramatic moments ineffective
- Moore's absurdist writing style is not for everyone
- Story limps to the finish line in a disappointing final act
THE VERDICT
"Coyote Blue" is certainly not perfect, but still has a lot to offer anyone looking for something a little different, as well as a lot of laughs!
May 31, 2009
Very funny. I didn't like it quite as much as some other Moore books like Lamb, Fool, or Bloodsucking Fiends, but still good for a lot of laughs. Loved the Old Man Coyote character.
October 16, 2009
The best book I have read this year! If I could give the book more than 5 stars I would. This is like reading a book of mythology set in modern times with a great love story thrown into the mix to create just the right motivation and imagery. Maybe it is the one sixteenth Native American in my genes but learning about Coyote one of the great Gods of the Crow Nation was a delight and a spiritual awakening.
Our main character Sampson Hunts Alone is an insurance sales man in Santa Barbara going by the name Sam Hunter. While leaving his office he sees the most beautiful woman who stirs something he has never felt before. On the sidewalk outside his office is also an Indian in Black Deer Skin trimmed with read feathers who tells Sam to go get her and throws a knife in the girl's orange Datsun Z's tire and then the Indian disappears. He offers her a ride and Sam Hunter's life is never to be the same.
The Indian turns out to be the God Coyote also known as the "Trickster" begins to take Sam's life apart a brick at a time. Sam fights the change the whole way as any great hero in any great undertaking takes on his charge fighting and screaming that he doesn't want to be the hero.
The book is full of parables featuring Coyote. Some of these parables left me laughing out loud and each of them were also full of depth and though funny there were gems in each one.
Towards the end of the book something happens that makes me think the book is going to be a huge disappointment which happens most of the time with books I have read, where the author doesn't stay true to the story but just sort of wraps stuff up in some unbelievable way, but just when I began to suspect some laziness by Mr. Moore he gives me a spiritual experience and leaves me in his debt for showing me a new world to help change mine just a little bit.
One of my all time favorites! What a rare treat to find a book like this in the middle years of my life. I listened to this book on audio and the narrator was not the voice I would have chosen, yet I got past the narrator which proves this story is one that could not be kept from me. I am definitely reading this book again.
Our main character Sampson Hunts Alone is an insurance sales man in Santa Barbara going by the name Sam Hunter. While leaving his office he sees the most beautiful woman who stirs something he has never felt before. On the sidewalk outside his office is also an Indian in Black Deer Skin trimmed with read feathers who tells Sam to go get her and throws a knife in the girl's orange Datsun Z's tire and then the Indian disappears. He offers her a ride and Sam Hunter's life is never to be the same.
The Indian turns out to be the God Coyote also known as the "Trickster" begins to take Sam's life apart a brick at a time. Sam fights the change the whole way as any great hero in any great undertaking takes on his charge fighting and screaming that he doesn't want to be the hero.
The book is full of parables featuring Coyote. Some of these parables left me laughing out loud and each of them were also full of depth and though funny there were gems in each one.
Towards the end of the book something happens that makes me think the book is going to be a huge disappointment which happens most of the time with books I have read, where the author doesn't stay true to the story but just sort of wraps stuff up in some unbelievable way, but just when I began to suspect some laziness by Mr. Moore he gives me a spiritual experience and leaves me in his debt for showing me a new world to help change mine just a little bit.
One of my all time favorites! What a rare treat to find a book like this in the middle years of my life. I listened to this book on audio and the narrator was not the voice I would have chosen, yet I got past the narrator which proves this story is one that could not be kept from me. I am definitely reading this book again.
April 12, 2011
Three and a half stars.
While Coyote Blue doesn't sparkle like the other Christopher Moore books I've read, it is still a very funny novel. Moore takes on Native American mythology is much the same way he played with Christianity in Lamb. It is clear that Old Man Coyote is not the only prankster around. Moore himself is quite the mischief maker especially of the literary type. I am also getting into the authors' reuse of characters in his books and enjoyed the return of Minty Fresh who is my favorite character from A Dirty Job. Coyote Blue may not be Moore's best work but it is still a good bet for endless chuckles and guffaws.
While Coyote Blue doesn't sparkle like the other Christopher Moore books I've read, it is still a very funny novel. Moore takes on Native American mythology is much the same way he played with Christianity in Lamb. It is clear that Old Man Coyote is not the only prankster around. Moore himself is quite the mischief maker especially of the literary type. I am also getting into the authors' reuse of characters in his books and enjoyed the return of Minty Fresh who is my favorite character from A Dirty Job. Coyote Blue may not be Moore's best work but it is still a good bet for endless chuckles and guffaws.
January 24, 2018
This is one of Moore's earliest works, and while it still has his trademark blend of absurdity and wit, it seems he hadn't yet thrown off the yoke of conventional writing and dove to the deep end where his true, absolutely absurd voice, lies. It's still there, just under the surface, but constrained and trying to escape. In some ways, that makes this a better novel for standard audiences, and possibly a better introduction to Christopher Moore, but it isn't the best Christopher Moore novel. Still, even a bad Christopher Moore novel is better than 99% of what's out there.
October 11, 2015
This book disappointed me. I thought it was rather slow and I found myself not caring about any of the characters. I went into it expecting a fun light and fast read, the kind I was used to by the author, but this, though showing the same kind of humor, didn't quite work for me.
May 31, 2021
Ganz nett, vielleicht etwas zu hektisch, woraus sich andererseits der Humor ergibt, doch für mich waren das erstmal genug Kojoten.
March 17, 2014
Hard to believe that the only reason I read this book, and was introduced to Christopher Moore, is because I happen to be strolling by book store with an outside, sale table and Coyote Blue was sitting right on top.
I had never read anything like him before - and never since - and was hooked immediately. Through his words, he creates such perfect pictures of his extremely bizarre characters, their personalities, and the story line that combines them all together.
I had never read anything like him before - and never since - and was hooked immediately. Through his words, he creates such perfect pictures of his extremely bizarre characters, their personalities, and the story line that combines them all together.
June 22, 2009
this was a strange little book that I wasn't sure i was going to like when I started it. But in the end I decided I liked it alot!
July 23, 2019
Супер сладурска книжка. Мисля, че открих нов любим хумористичен писател. Действието е достатъчно, шегите са умерени и имаше симпатична романтична исория. Кеф.
Сам Хънтър е Кроу, но е избягал от резервата преди доста години и е забравил наследството си. За негово нещастие, или късмет, духовното му животно � самият Старец Койот, не го е забравил. В един момент, когато в живота на Сам идва кръстопът, Койота се появява и за отрицателно време разсипва подреденото му ежедневие. Защо и дали си заслужава?
Тъпи мотористи с афинитет към оръжията, луд чичо шаман, объркан охранител в казино, симпатична самотна майка хипарка, бивш крадец работещ като портиер, изпечвен мошеник продаващ застраховки и едно божество-хитрец ще обърнат мирното съществуване на Сам в такава лудница, че за отрицателно време ще спре да му пука от каквото и да е, за да открие смисъла на живота си.
Сам Хънтър е Кроу, но е избягал от резервата преди доста години и е забравил наследството си. За негово нещастие, или късмет, духовното му животно � самият Старец Койот, не го е забравил. В един момент, когато в живота на Сам идва кръстопът, Койота се появява и за отрицателно време разсипва подреденото му ежедневие. Защо и дали си заслужава?
Тъпи мотористи с афинитет към оръжията, луд чичо шаман, объркан охранител в казино, симпатична самотна майка хипарка, бивш крадец работещ като портиер, изпечвен мошеник продаващ застраховки и едно божество-хитрец ще обърнат мирното съществуване на Сам в такава лудница, че за отрицателно време ще спре да му пука от каквото и да е, за да открие смисъла на живота си.
July 15, 2010
This book was absolutely frickin' hilarious. I think I officially love Christopher Moore. I was listening to this book on my iPod while my preschoolers were napping today and I had to shush myself because I started laughing so hard. Coyote the Trickster has been one of my favorite characters ever since I started reading old fables when I was in college. I have never read any of the tales that Mr. Moore used for this book, who knows, maybe he made them up, but I loved how he intermingled the tales to explain Coyote and the actions he took throughout the book. "Coyote Blue" has a very interesting cast of characters. Sam, our leading man, is an insurance sales man with a past hiding from the law in Santa Barbara, CA. One morning he meets, Caliope, the first woman to steal his heart and who should pop up, but Coyote, who just happens to be Sam's Indian Spirit guide. Coyote, being the trickster that he is, guides Sam in the most round-a-bout way possible getting Sam into all sorts of hilarious trouble along the way. I highly reccomend this book, especially if you are in need of a good laugh and a GREAT story!!!!
October 29, 2011
A fan of Christopher Moore, I picked this book up from a local used book store earlier this month & read thru it over the weekend.
Sam Hunter is a slick, shallow insurance salesman whose Native American past is successfully buried... until the Trickster thinks otherwise. Sam's life is quickly turned upside down by Coyote as he is forced to confront his heritage and reach out to another human being. The story is interspersed with Coyote folktales told with a modern twist that always seem to tie into what comes next. Minty Fresh showing up late in the story is a nice bonus.
While this novel is neither as pointed nor as humorous as some of Moore's other works, the story is nonetheless a compelling read with interesting and believable characters. I enjoyed the perspective on at Native American/Crow beliefs - this would be a good companion read to 's .
Sam Hunter is a slick, shallow insurance salesman whose Native American past is successfully buried... until the Trickster thinks otherwise. Sam's life is quickly turned upside down by Coyote as he is forced to confront his heritage and reach out to another human being. The story is interspersed with Coyote folktales told with a modern twist that always seem to tie into what comes next. Minty Fresh showing up late in the story is a nice bonus.
While this novel is neither as pointed nor as humorous as some of Moore's other works, the story is nonetheless a compelling read with interesting and believable characters. I enjoyed the perspective on at Native American/Crow beliefs - this would be a good companion read to 's .
March 22, 2015
Still not ROFLing, but definitely a funny book, smiles all around. After reading Lamb I decided to read the Moore books in chronological (of writing) order. After Practical Demonkeeping (which I found a bit shallow) this is his second book and this certainly has more debt and more content to it.
Modern day fairy tail, love story, 'I need to find myself' psycho drama with elements of Native American mythology - nice.
Modern day fairy tail, love story, 'I need to find myself' psycho drama with elements of Native American mythology - nice.
Be ready to run. And pick that up, I’ll need it.� He pointed to the ground where Sam had dropped his penis. Sam picked up the member in two fingers and held it out as if it would bite him.
‘I’m not comfortable with this.�
‘I’ll hold it,� Calliope said, now dressed in the black buckskins.
‘No you won’t!� Sam said.
‘Well.� She cocked a hip and waited for him to make a decision.
Sam put the penis in his jacket pocket.
‘I’m not comfortable with this, I want you to know.�
‘Men are such babies,� Coyote said. He hugged Calliope, girl to girl, and made his way down the hill.
December 13, 2008
This book is full of the normal kooky brand of Christopher Moore cleverness-- there's nothing too deep, but plenty of things to giggle about. The book follows Sam Hunter, a Crow indian who ran away to Los Angeles as a teenager to escape his past. He has become a successful insurance salesman, but his life is empty of any purpose greater than closing sales and making money. All this changes when Coyote (the trickster god and spirit guide of his Crow past) brings Calliope (a pretty hippie) into his life.
Between Coyote and Calliope, Sam's life becomes much more interesting. There's a drugged-up biker gang, a Zen mechanic, a drunken shaman, and a trip to Las Vegas, among other things. Moore's retellings of the legends about Coyote are absolutely hilarious, and the rest of the book is good fun too. The ending was probably my least favorite part (it's a little bit TOO neat), but even that is satisfying in a trite sort of way.
Between Coyote and Calliope, Sam's life becomes much more interesting. There's a drugged-up biker gang, a Zen mechanic, a drunken shaman, and a trip to Las Vegas, among other things. Moore's retellings of the legends about Coyote are absolutely hilarious, and the rest of the book is good fun too. The ending was probably my least favorite part (it's a little bit TOO neat), but even that is satisfying in a trite sort of way.
August 15, 2014
This was a surprisingly great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the writing was well done. Will definitely be looking for more of this author's work.
June 17, 2018
I’d been looking to read Mr. Moore’s “Lamb,� but ran across this work first, on loan from my stepdaughter Katie. Mr. Moore is known for very quirky writing, and this does not disappoint. It includes themes of Native American theology and practices, life on the reservation, forgiveness, identity, friendships/love and finding out one’s true identity and what’s important in life.
So here’s the story line: Sam Hunter is a very successful and rich realtor in California, one who makes his living taking advantage of others. One day he’s confronted with Old Man Coyote, sort of the Crow Indian version of Loki, the shapeshifting Trickster. Sam was originally known as Samson Hunts Alone, from the reservation in eastern Montana (my home state), specifically Hardin, close to the larger (well, largest in Montana, but I digress) city of Billings. Old Man Coyote appears to help Sam find his way back to his true identity; Sam had run from the reservation after he had been involved in a law enforcement officer’s death when he was young and in doing so had also run from his original identity.
In Santa Barbara, where he had settled, Sam meets up with Calliope, a single mother, who is accompanied by a young Crow (Coyote in disguise). Coyote manages to sabotage much of Sam’s sales pitch to a potential client and convinces Sam to give up his part of the business and return to the reservation. Along the way Sam develops feelings for Calliope and helps her deal with her child’s father, Lonnie, a violent biker. Lonnie kidnaps the child, Grubb, and heads for Sturgis, South Dakota, to an annual biker convention. The narrative goes back and forth in time to Sam’s youth, notably to the incident of the officer’s death and to his first fasting in the open wilderness, a rite of passage. He is subjected by delusions and temptations, the import of which he only learns later, especially when he participates in a sweat lodge with a number of the tribe’s elders, notably his alcoholic-but-wise uncle Pokey.
The story takes Sam, Coyote and Calliope first to Las Vegas, then to Sturgis to recover the child. For reasons I won’t reveal here, Sam, with Pokey as an intermediary, visits the Underworld (and oh, yes, we have some theological connections between Native American and Egyptian theology/mythology, which are fun to read). There is also the Head of Security at the Las Vegas casino, Minty Fresh, who plays more of a part in the action than originally assumed, and who is more than he seems.
The ending is very satisfying from several points of view. These comments leave out a lot of details and some other characters and situations, which are hilarious despite some tragedy. It should be mentioned that, according to Wikipedia, some of the characters, notably Minty Fresh and indeed Jesus Christ, appear in some of Mr. Moore’s other works. I enjoyed this book greatly; Mr. Moore’s writing is very good. Five stars. Looking forward to reading “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal� (Katie just finished it and recommends it highly).
So here’s the story line: Sam Hunter is a very successful and rich realtor in California, one who makes his living taking advantage of others. One day he’s confronted with Old Man Coyote, sort of the Crow Indian version of Loki, the shapeshifting Trickster. Sam was originally known as Samson Hunts Alone, from the reservation in eastern Montana (my home state), specifically Hardin, close to the larger (well, largest in Montana, but I digress) city of Billings. Old Man Coyote appears to help Sam find his way back to his true identity; Sam had run from the reservation after he had been involved in a law enforcement officer’s death when he was young and in doing so had also run from his original identity.
In Santa Barbara, where he had settled, Sam meets up with Calliope, a single mother, who is accompanied by a young Crow (Coyote in disguise). Coyote manages to sabotage much of Sam’s sales pitch to a potential client and convinces Sam to give up his part of the business and return to the reservation. Along the way Sam develops feelings for Calliope and helps her deal with her child’s father, Lonnie, a violent biker. Lonnie kidnaps the child, Grubb, and heads for Sturgis, South Dakota, to an annual biker convention. The narrative goes back and forth in time to Sam’s youth, notably to the incident of the officer’s death and to his first fasting in the open wilderness, a rite of passage. He is subjected by delusions and temptations, the import of which he only learns later, especially when he participates in a sweat lodge with a number of the tribe’s elders, notably his alcoholic-but-wise uncle Pokey.
The story takes Sam, Coyote and Calliope first to Las Vegas, then to Sturgis to recover the child. For reasons I won’t reveal here, Sam, with Pokey as an intermediary, visits the Underworld (and oh, yes, we have some theological connections between Native American and Egyptian theology/mythology, which are fun to read). There is also the Head of Security at the Las Vegas casino, Minty Fresh, who plays more of a part in the action than originally assumed, and who is more than he seems.
The ending is very satisfying from several points of view. These comments leave out a lot of details and some other characters and situations, which are hilarious despite some tragedy. It should be mentioned that, according to Wikipedia, some of the characters, notably Minty Fresh and indeed Jesus Christ, appear in some of Mr. Moore’s other works. I enjoyed this book greatly; Mr. Moore’s writing is very good. Five stars. Looking forward to reading “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal� (Katie just finished it and recommends it highly).
May 19, 2015
God I love Christopher Moore. Which is why it pains me to say that is simply... not his best work. I think he does really well when he flexes his research muscles and combines his trademark hilarity with cultures/time periods/places outside of his personal experience. But this time those efforts just didn't quiiiiite pay off.
Don't get me wrong! It's still an amusing book and an entertaining read. But I definitely wouldn't recommend it as a standalone book or even an introduction to Moore's work (for that I'd recommend Lamb every damn time). But if you're like me and desperate to make it through the catalog of everything the man's ever written, then this one should be read sometime before Fluke and after A Dirty Job. Just saying.
Coyote was a great character. Who doesn't like an all-powerful trickster god in their fiction, mucking up the works for the straight-laced protagonist? And as always I loved the comedy-of-errors that led to the primary conflict in the book. Moore has a way of brilliantly drawing together like nine different completely unexpected groups/people in a way that you simply don't see coming. He's a master at it, in fact.
Perhaps my dissatisfaction came from Sam being kind of a limp noodle of a protagonist. I mean, I know that was the point, and over time he becomes less limp-noodly, but... yeah. I wasn't digging it.
Don't get me wrong! It's still an amusing book and an entertaining read. But I definitely wouldn't recommend it as a standalone book or even an introduction to Moore's work (for that I'd recommend Lamb every damn time). But if you're like me and desperate to make it through the catalog of everything the man's ever written, then this one should be read sometime before Fluke and after A Dirty Job. Just saying.
Coyote was a great character. Who doesn't like an all-powerful trickster god in their fiction, mucking up the works for the straight-laced protagonist? And as always I loved the comedy-of-errors that led to the primary conflict in the book. Moore has a way of brilliantly drawing together like nine different completely unexpected groups/people in a way that you simply don't see coming. He's a master at it, in fact.
Perhaps my dissatisfaction came from Sam being kind of a limp noodle of a protagonist. I mean, I know that was the point, and over time he becomes less limp-noodly, but... yeah. I wasn't digging it.
January 2, 2009
This book was SO entertaining! The best word I could think of to describe it was "irreverent".
There were many funny parts to this book -- but the quirky little things got me the most -- Sam trying to rhyme "Gabriella", Yiffer's son being named "J. Nigel Yiffworth, Esquire", and the clothing choice Sam makes to go visit the Indian artifacts collector.
I also enjoyed the "indian legend" stories woven throughout the book. They were pretty funny. The story about the Great Spirit giving names out to the animals cracked me up, especially this paragraph: When the sun went down Coyote looked all over for a good espresso bar, but even in those days they were full of pretentious pseudointellectual animal people who sat around in open-toed moccasins and whined about how unfair the world was, which it wasn't. "I don't have the stomach for that," said Coyote. "I think I'll just score some magic wake-up powder and stay wired that way."
I don't think I've ever read anything like this, and I'm thrilled to have been introduced to this author.
There were many funny parts to this book -- but the quirky little things got me the most -- Sam trying to rhyme "Gabriella", Yiffer's son being named "J. Nigel Yiffworth, Esquire", and the clothing choice Sam makes to go visit the Indian artifacts collector.
I also enjoyed the "indian legend" stories woven throughout the book. They were pretty funny. The story about the Great Spirit giving names out to the animals cracked me up, especially this paragraph: When the sun went down Coyote looked all over for a good espresso bar, but even in those days they were full of pretentious pseudointellectual animal people who sat around in open-toed moccasins and whined about how unfair the world was, which it wasn't. "I don't have the stomach for that," said Coyote. "I think I'll just score some magic wake-up powder and stay wired that way."
I don't think I've ever read anything like this, and I'm thrilled to have been introduced to this author.
January 7, 2010
This book was hilarious! The author reminds me a lot of Tom Robbins with a pinch of Neil Gaiman thrown in for good measure, though definitely a lot more foul-mouthed. His story was crazy, but I couldn't wait to hear what happened next. The book is the story of Sampson Hunts-Alone who because of a crime he committed about 20 yrs ago, has changed his name to Sam Hunter and is now a smooth-talking insurance salesman who is well-off and full of himself. Everything in his world changes when he meets a Native American dressed in black buckskins and Calliope, a girl who he instantly falls for (even though he's never done that sort of thing before). The Indian is called Coyote, and he is actually a shapeshifting god in disguise and leads Sam on a whirlwind adventure that turns his whole life upside down. The book had a number of great quotes including a chapter entitled "A white picket fence around chaos" and this phrase "He soon found, that his thoughts, like monkeys in church, were bad company.� I'm going to listen to Fluke next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2018
Closer to 3 1/2, but I'll round it up. It's earlier Moore, before he found his voice, so to speak. I think he hit his stride with Lamb. This one seems to stand out a bit from the rest of Moore's catalog; despite the wackiness of the title character, it's more of a serious story. It has funny moments, but it's more about a man, Sam, trying to figure out who he is and what matters to him. Coyote, on the other hand, tends to play the role of the doofus, similar to Raziel in "The Stupidest Angel" and Biff in "Lamb". It's also nice to see the introduction of M.F. (later seen in the Grim Reaper series).
One part of this book that nags at me is that it doesn't always seem to know where it's going. It's almost as if Moore gets to a point where something has to happen, but he decides to flip a coin and just start writing about whichever option won the toss. It's not bad, but it makes the tale seem disjointed.
But a lesser Christopher Moore book is still better than much of what's out there.
One part of this book that nags at me is that it doesn't always seem to know where it's going. It's almost as if Moore gets to a point where something has to happen, but he decides to flip a coin and just start writing about whichever option won the toss. It's not bad, but it makes the tale seem disjointed.
But a lesser Christopher Moore book is still better than much of what's out there.
July 14, 2011
Ich brauchte mal wieder etwas Abwechslung und wollte etwas Witziges lesen. Ich war ja etwas sekptisch, da "Der törichte Engel" von Christopher Moore mir nicht so arg gefallen hatte, aber dieses Buch war lustig und zugleich auch irgendwie wunderschön.
Sam, der eigentlich ein Indianer ist und "Samson hunts alone" heißt, würde die wunderschöne Calliope, die er zufällig auf der Straße getroffen hat, gerne näher kennenlernen, weiß allerdings beim besten Willen nicht, wie er das anstellen soll. Da erscheint ihm der Indianergott Kojote und sorgt zunächst einmal für sehr viel Ärger in Sams geordnetem Leben als Versicherungsvertreter und danach dann doch auf sehr ungewöhnliche Art und Weise dafür, dass Sam und Calliope sich näher kommen. Allerdings ist da noch Calliopes Ex-Freund, der Vater ihres Sohnes...
Ein teilweise echt witziges Buch, aber es gab auch sehr viele Passagen, die mich gerührt haben und die ich einfach nur schön fand.
Sam, der eigentlich ein Indianer ist und "Samson hunts alone" heißt, würde die wunderschöne Calliope, die er zufällig auf der Straße getroffen hat, gerne näher kennenlernen, weiß allerdings beim besten Willen nicht, wie er das anstellen soll. Da erscheint ihm der Indianergott Kojote und sorgt zunächst einmal für sehr viel Ärger in Sams geordnetem Leben als Versicherungsvertreter und danach dann doch auf sehr ungewöhnliche Art und Weise dafür, dass Sam und Calliope sich näher kommen. Allerdings ist da noch Calliopes Ex-Freund, der Vater ihres Sohnes...
Ein teilweise echt witziges Buch, aber es gab auch sehr viele Passagen, die mich gerührt haben und die ich einfach nur schön fand.
July 11, 2016
I have to admit that despite my love for A Dirty Job, I’m not a big fan of Moore’s earlier works. Not only are some characters reused (which I don’t really have a problem with � nothing wrong with recurring characters!), he uses some of the same stereotypes in every book, it seems. There’s always a mostly-high surfer dude. There’s always a cantankerous (and probably homely) old lady. And of course, the earnest (if sometimes misguided) main character. I think what really rubbed me wrong in this book was Coyote himself. I know he is supposed to be a "trickster" spirit, but I found him more mean-spirited than anything. Especially when he steals Sam’s car, sells it, and gambles away his bank account. I think you’re supposed to find his naiveté endearing, but I didn’t. I’ll keep reading (or rather, listening) to Moore’s books, but mostly because they’re what my husband wants to hear.
April 4, 2017
“Blues für Vollmond und Kojote�
verfolgt mal wieder ein herrlich durchgeknalltes Sujet: Indianer und US-Imperialismus � ein Thema welches mich stets zu fesseln vermochte. In dieser Form wurde es mir aber bislang noch nie gereicht. Ich will an dieser Stelle wirklich nicht viel mehr verraten. Nur soviel: Es ist eines seiner besseren Werke und ermutigt weiterhin dazu, in regelmäßigen Abständen sich an den Moorschen Ergüssen zu delektieren.
verfolgt mal wieder ein herrlich durchgeknalltes Sujet: Indianer und US-Imperialismus � ein Thema welches mich stets zu fesseln vermochte. In dieser Form wurde es mir aber bislang noch nie gereicht. Ich will an dieser Stelle wirklich nicht viel mehr verraten. Nur soviel: Es ist eines seiner besseren Werke und ermutigt weiterhin dazu, in regelmäßigen Abständen sich an den Moorschen Ergüssen zu delektieren.
November 12, 2018
I picked this up because: 1) I'd been told my writing is similar to a guy named Christopher Moore (who I was not familiar with), and 2) I had used to coyote god in my second novel "Moon Dogg" and was curious how Moore used Coyote... Hands down, Coyote Blue depicts Coyote superbly; he/it becomes human, whereas I treated Coyote more abstractly (and through the character of my protagonist). His genre seems to be something like comic fantasy, and I think I may be comfortable putting myself in this genre, as well. I enjoyed the read; it was moving. Will read MORE MOORE.
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