What fun! Shakespeare for Squirrels it Christopher Moore's light and witty follow-up novel to The Serpent of Venice. Here the author combines the tropes of a hardboiled murder mystery with the playfulness of one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is just pure (and puerile) entertainment. The literary allusions just make it all the more absurd and amusing.

Summary: Pocket of Dog Snogging, the infamous fool, is at it again, this time within a farcical re-imagining of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Marooned by pirates on the beaches of Athens, Pocket and his trusty apprentice—the simpleton Drool—along with their hat-shagging monkey, Jeff, soon find themselves entangled in a royal scandal involving the murder of Pocket, a magical jester who has been serving both the kingdoms of men and fairies. Entrusted by the Duke to uncover the culprit, Pocket must travel to the realm of Oberon, the Fairy King, and with the help of his new, frolicking fairy friends, untangle a murderous plot before they themselves fall victim to it.

Shakespeare for Squirrels is a Christopher Moore book through and through, ripe with both absurdity and obscenity, and teeming with some of the most ridiculous characters to ever grace the printed page. Even among the Fool Trilogy—which this book is the third of—this remains true, maybe even more so, as this novel not only continues the time-tested antics of Pocket, but boils them down to their purest form, creating a perfect storm of hilarious dialogue, memorable quotes, and running jokes that never stop to look back. And, while readers of this series may already be used to seeing Pocket take center stage, Shakespeare for Squirrels steps out of the usual format by introducing a gaggle of new characters that can not only keep up with our protagonist’s wit and colorful wordplay, but can implement a great deal of their own.

His fairy companions, most notably, whose obsession with sex, frolicking, and squirrely mischief are worthy of a series all of their own, take a lot of the weight off of Pocket’s shoulders, helping to better spread out the humor and avoid character stagnation—an issue that started to rear its ugly head by the end of the second in the series, The Serpent of Venice. With this new addition, it seems that of all the places Moore’s antics have landed, from vampires to death merchants, Vincent van Goh to Jesus Christ himself, few gimmicks have landed as seamlessly, or cleverly, as his foray into the world of Shakespeare, and this novel certainly stands out among the three of them. Whether you are a fan of The Bard, or someone who found other ways to occupy themselves during junior year English, there is a lot of fun to be had in this charming tale of “heinous fuckery most foul”.

Verdict:

Christopher Moore’s style may not be for everyone, and this is especially true for this series, but for those who love him—this humble reviewer included—there will always be time to put aside a hefty TBR pile to pick up his newest release. If you are interested in reading Moore for the first time, I would start elsewhere, but, if you are a long time fan, you cannot go wrong with Shakespeare for Squirrels. Not only will it meet expectation, but it will have you laughing uncontrollably every step of the way.

An adventurous frolic through the fairy forest with our fool, Pocket. If you enjoyed what Christopher Moore did with King Lear and the Merchant of Venice, you will enjoy his take on A Midsummer Night's Dream. From the moment he is washed up on the shore and is rescued by Cobweb (who is a fairy, or is she a squirrel?), to his thespian advice to novice players, his quest to solve a murder and free Drool from prison, his trip into the goblin Castle of Night, and the big reveal during the play, Pocket's story is full of humor, adventure, and of course some fuckery.

Christopher Moore has outdone himself with a new tale of Pocket the fool set in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Full on mystery with fairies, goblins, Amazons, Greeks, and a monkey. Someone important has been murdered and Pocket along with his retinue of players, Cobweb the fairy, Nick Bottom, the man with the head of a donkey, and others must solve the murder in an effort to free Pocket’s apprentice Drool. It’s a funny, rollicking good time romping thru the forest.

Anything, like Shakespeare for Squirrels, that makes me laugh out loud this much in these troubling times deserves 5 stars! Oh, dang, I’ve spoiled the ending!

Meet Pocket of Dog Snogging upon Ouze, all-licensed fool to kings etc. He and the large ninny Drool are set adrift by pirates with their tiny monkey named Jeff and their talking puppet on a stick, Jones. Washed ashore on Greece, Jeff is missing. Drool and Pocket are soon arrested. Soon-to-be Queen Hippolyta frees Pocket with a quest to find the fairy that killed the Puck named Robin Goodfellow. The deadline is short—only three days—or both Pocket and Drool will be slowly tortured until dead.

Having only truly read Julius Caesar (aloud as Brutus in 7th grade English), my Shakespearean knowledge is paper thin. In fact, I only found out after reading this book that it is based on A Midsummer’s Night Dream. That doesn’t matter. You can enjoy this tale with no pre-knowledge at all.

Of course, I should mention that the characters do swear constantly and are focused on sex seemingly non-stop. But honestly, what else was available to do then. It was centuries before video games and Netflix.

Overall, Shakespeare for Squirrels has the witty wordplay writ medieval of the previous book in the series, Serpent of Venice, that I also adored. If you just want a hilariously fun read, look no further. 5 stars and in my top five books of the year!

Thanks to William Morrow Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Making someone laugh is hard. Making them laugh with nothing but words on a page is REALLY hard.

That’s why the contenders for great comedic literature are so limited; while most writers worth their salt can elicit a few chuckles over the course of a novel, only a scant handful can use comedy as a literary foundation. It’s the difference between books with some comic aspects and legitimate comic novels. There are plenty of the former and surprisingly few of the latter.

Of course, then you have someone like Christopher Moore who totally throws off the curve. See, Moore’s entire bibliography is packed with capital-C Comic novels, including a couple that warrant inclusion among the very best ever (though even lesser Moore is funnier than 99.9% of the self-styled comedic literature out there).

His latest is “Shakespeare for Squirrels,” the third in his ongoing series of parodic pastiche featuring the erstwhile fool Pocket of Dog Snogging. Like its predecessors “Fool” and “The Serpent of Venice,” this latest offering drops its nimble, quick-witted and foul-mouthed protagonist into a setting spun off from the brilliance of the Bard.

Moore brings his usual satiric edge and keen sense of the absurd to the table, mingling it exquisitely with a thoughtful depth of knowledge with regards to the works of Shakespeare. The resulting combination is bitingly funny and awash in coarse charm, a familiar narrative turned on its head. This book is fast-moving, smart … and utterly, unwaveringly hilarious.

Pocket of Dog Snogging – along with his dim-witted hulking apprentice Drool and his hat-horny monkey Jeff – has been cast out by his former pirate cohort. As luck would have it, they wind up cast onto the shores of Greece (though it isn’t anything like any Athens Pocket has ever heard tell of before).

Pocket and Drool make their way through the forest (Jeff has absconded into the treetops – probably to hump something), only to stumble into the midst of a VERY complicated story. They meet a quartet of Athenian youths that Pocket finds extremely irritating; the four are involved in some sort of weird love quadrangle that doesn’t make much sense and makes even less sense the longer it goes on.

Pocket’s incessant, inherent drive to speak truth to power winds up getting him into some trouble with the Athenian nobility – specifically, Theseus, the duke of Athens. Then there’s Egeus, minister to Theseus, whose daughter is one of the idiotic foursome of young lovers. Hippolyta, Amazonian queen and reluctant consort to the duke, has her own agenda.

Somewhere in there, Pocket winds up inadvertently becoming the creative inspiration for a group of rough tradesmen – rude mechanicals, led by the charmingly goofy weaver Nick Bottom – who are in the forest trying (and largely failing) to put together a play to celebrate the impending nuptials of the duke.

Oh, and there are fairies in the woods. Pocket winds up canoodling with one named Cobweb, but it’s when he crosses paths with fairy queen Titania that things get … complicated. These complications lead to interactions with all manner of fae folk, including the dark king Oberon, his goblin army and the mightily magical Robin Goodfellow – Puck himself.

But when Puck is murdered, it falls to Pocket to determine who – or what – was responsible for the death of the magical prankster. At every turn, the mystery deepens, for it seems that Athens is simply jammed with people who have reason to wish the Puck dead. Pocket is left with no choice but to hurl himself headlong into the midst of all of it with nothing more than his wits, his trusty throwing knives, his puppet stick and a few fellow travelers, undertaking to double- and triple-cross anyone and everyone until he can root out the culprit … whoever he, she or it might be.

“Shakespeare for Squirrels” follows a similar pattern to the two Pocket-led works that came before, using a primary Shakespeare work – in this case, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – as the narrative foundation while happily playing fast and loose with the details, up to and including the incorporation of elements from other Shakespeare plays. Moore’s love for and knowledge of the Bard’s works leads to stories that serve as heartfelt homages even as he’s very clearly taking the piss.

And he’s DEFINITELY taking the piss with this one, packing the pages with joke after parodic joke; it’s rife with legit laughs (one of my personal favorite bits is a running gag in which Pocket perpetually expresses confusion at the fact that the Athens of this world bears zero resemblance to, you know, the actual Athens). There are dick jokes and f-bombs, and all that stuff works, but maybe the most impressive laughs Moore gets is through his slapstick set pieces – making physical comedy funny on the page is incredibly difficult, though you’d never know it from this book.

Let’s talk about Pocket, who with this appearance firmly ensconces himself as Moore’s second-funniest creation, behind only Biff from “Lamb.” He’s sharp and smart and sly, displaying the self-awareness that marks Moore’s best characters. He’s also a jerk, but a charming one; he can’t help but try and help those who need it, even when he knows it’s against his own best interests. He’s a tiny bundle of humor, hubris and horniness – with bells on.

He’s not alone, though. The dramatis personae for this one might be the weirdest of the Fool books so far. The relentlessly good-natured Bottom. The entitled and enchanted lovers (whose fates are quite different than in the play). The mad Titania and the kind-of-thick Oberon. Capable fairy and Pocket love interest Cobweb. Blacktooth is a fun riff on Dogberry from “Much Ado About Nothing.” Oh, and then there’s Rumour, the self-styled narrator whose tremendous strangeness shouldn’t be spoiled – enjoy it when you get there.

“Shakespeare for Squirrels” delights in squeezing and twisting a beloved story in ways both broad and subtle, all in service to wringing more laughs from the proceedings. Moore continues to cement his spot as popular fiction’s funniest writer, giving us a sharp and sardonic adventure. No one strikes the balance between highbrow and lowbrow like he does – this book is just the latest example of the tremendous comedic gifts he brings to bear. Fans of comic fiction, mystery stories and/or the Bard will have a hell of a good time.

So go ahead and get fooled again – you’ll be glad you did.

A new book by Christopher Moore is like a visit from an old friend you haven’t seen in a while. You sit down with him and let him entertain you with his latest exploits.
This time around, Pocket of Dog Snogging (he’s back) must solve a murder mystery in his own unique way.
The noir story moves quickly as Moore takes us through the Bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as only he can.
This book is definitely worth your time!

Let me start by saying that I love Christopher Moore's novels, but he set the bar really high for me with Lamb and nothing has been that good since. With that said, this humorous retelling of Midsummer Night's Dream was absurd in all the right kind of ways. The ridiculousness that Pocket involves himself in never ceases to amaze and entertain me and I will continue to read about him as long as Moore keeps writing about him.

If you need a good laugh at some wonderfully lewd humor I would suggest this

Christopher Moore’s trademark wit, bawdiness, and respect(?) for historical storytelling are in full display in this, Pocket’s latest adventure. Though I have read a large handful of Moore’s books (and Lamb is a huge thing in my family) I have not read the other two Pocket books. You do not need to have done so to enjoy this zippy tale that is part murder mystery, part sea shanty. Recommended for those who like their humor slightly rude and their historical details broadly interpreted.

Pocket, meet Puck. Puck, meet Pocket.

We first met Christopher Moore's court jester Pocket of Dog-Snogging in Fool, the first of what is now three entries in his series of Shakespeare send-ups. Known only as The Fool in the original King Lear, the only person Lear allows to criticize him, Pocket is the ideal character to recast as the protagonist of the story, allowing us to see it retold from his point of view.

And it's sheer genius. Inspired. Especially in the use of language -- a mix of Shakespearean and modern English, more than slightly sprinkled with epithets, replete with snark and sarcasm, laugh out loud funny, which is no mean feat with a tragedy like Lear.

Next, in The Serpent of Venice, Moore sent Pocket to Venice to deal with the Shakespeare plays set there, The Merchant of Venice and Othello, and added a dragon to boot. Excellent stuff -- since Fool was the second Moore title I read, and nothing else quite lived up to it in my mind except for his biblical satire Lamb, I was quite happy to find that TMoV was every bit as good as Fool.

Now, Pocket is back, Moore uniting him with the jester he was named after, Puck, in a re-imagining of A Midsummer's Night Dream. This time around, Pocket has to solve Puck's murder in order to free his pal (er, apprentice) Drool and help Bottom change back from an ass to a man. That he also beds the promiscuous fairy Cobweb, who by day lives her life as a squirrel, is a singular indication of how freely Moore is adapting the Bard.

As someone who never really cared for Shakespeare but always enjoyed updates, send-ups, and other variations on his plays, the Pocket series has ranked among my all-time favorites, both within Moore's canon and in all of my reading. I especially enjoy "reading" him in audio -- I read an ARC of this book kindly provided by NetGalley, but I will be listening to the audio version at some point, having read both previous Pocket books in both formats.

Shakespeare for Squirrels is not quite up to the standard of Fool and The Serpent of Venice, but that just means it's 4.8 stars rather than 5. I guess the one thing that gives me pause is making a comedy based on a comedy rather than tragedy, but on the other hand, it is Shakespeare's most widely performed play, and SfS is delightful, funny, and also an easy quick read, even if you're not all that familiar with the source material.

One need not have read the previous entries to enjoy this as a standalone book. If you have, rest assured that everyone is back -- Drool of course, as well as Jeff the Monkey and the Puppet Jones, the latter especially funny early on when Pocket believes he is speaking for himself, and then later when Pocket realizes that the denizens of the forest don't recognize ventriloquism and believe that the puppet stick is really speaking for himself.

I would have liked to have spiced up my review with some of the clever phraseology that has carried through all three of these books, but most of it is quite profane, and I do fancy a frolic, so I'll refrain. C'est la vie, I say (in perfect effing French).

Taking inspiration from the adventures within the Bard's play, Christopher Moore's Shakespeare for Squirrels is romp all the way through. You are introduced to some new characters, and learn of new sides to those characters you thought you knew.

While this book is not to my taste, it is certainly meant for many readers. I found the style of comedy lewd, but I must admit that Shakespeare can lean towards the lecherous in many of his comedic pieces, and must give credit to Moore for taking that aspect to the next level.

Shakespeare for Squirrels is Christopher Moore’s latest madcap adventure for his infamous character, Pocket, previously employed in Fool and Serpent of Venice. As in these other novels, Moore inserts his egotistical and raucous character into the beloved works of the Bard, thereby creating irreverent versions of the plays as seen through Pocket’s “outsider” viewpoint. For the uninitiated, Moore’s hijacking of the plot can at first be unsettling, but those who have experienced his skill with satire will recognize his true respect and knowledge of the source material. This iteration takes on one of Shakespeare’s most accessible works, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which already has a fair share of fantasy and bawdy humor. Moore amps up the action by adding an infiltrating Pocket to the cast list—hijacking the well-known events with his trademark twisted and witty commentary. Pocket, a roving Fool, arrives on the scene after being shipwrecked along with his apprentice and a monkey (picked up in from the earlier novels). After being resuscitated by fairies, Pocket is drawn into an intricate drama that involves, among other things: a group of inept amateur actors, pompous mythical beings, unnatural love triangles, dizzying court intrigue, silly revenge plots and faulty magic. Moore’s also weaves in a mystery for good measure. Pocket needs to navigate within the already frantic events to discover who killed Puck (a central mischief maker from the original play) and in order to set his imprisoned apprentice free. Moore, in typical form, tosses in some absurd details and complications, the addition of squirrels being only one such example. Shakespeare for Squirrels has moments that may confuse some readers, with character names that closely resemble each other and an assumption of knowledge that not all may possess. Those who persevere will be rewarded by receiving clarification in a concluding monologue from Rumor, a recurring addition who serves as a “summation/omniscient” character. Truly hilarious at times and cringeworthy at others, Moore demonstrates once again his deserved reputation as an accomplished satirist. Re-reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream and/or the first two books in the Pocket series is highly recommended before starting this new release. While most readers will find much to enjoy in Moore’s latest cheeky dip into our sacred literary canon, longtime fans and those well-versed in the original Shakespeare will derive the greatest pleasure.

Thanks to the author, William Morrow and Edelweiss for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Shakespeare for Squirrels follows the adventures of our favorite fool, Pocket (The Serpent of Venice), as he frolics the woods, attempts to solve a murder mystery, and save the life of his apprentice Drool. Lots of fun action and puns await!

I've read previous books by Christopher Moore and enjoyed them, but I could not get into this book at all. I ended up DNFing it 25% of the way in. For that reason, I will not post a review on any websites beyond NetGalley.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

There are people who would say Moore is to puerile to right about Shakespeare. These people have obviously never actually read Shakespeare and i feel that is the true Shakespearean Tragedy.

The whole Pocket series is a love letter to Shakespeare and that love has never been more apparent than in Shakespeare for Squirrels. This may be my favorite Moore book since Lamb which is a huge relief considering how I felt about Noir.

After Pocket's relationship with Jessica tragically ends he washes up on an island where hes besieged by a Narrator who wont shut up, annoying lovers, and murder most foul.

I really hope we get more Pocket books because I adore Moore's take on the Bard.

I must say as much as I look forward to his books, I am greatly disappointed. I felt it was forced. If this was the first book of his I read, it would also be his last.

There is no one more funny and original thread than Christopher Moore, and what a needed escape at these terrible times. So nice to catch up with Drool, Jeff and all the fun troupe. Really made my weekend and is a perfect summer read!

Such a fun and irreverent retelling of The Bard's classic comedy! This book is not for the literary or morality purist or faint-of-heart!

Most are familiar with the tale - A Midsummer Nights' Dream, where the fairies intercede to show us what love is, can be, and should be. Their hijinks are thrown into sharper relief in this retelling - did anyone REALLY think about what it meant when Bottom was changed from human to donkey and the Queen Titania became obsessed with her love for him - and the addition of the fool Pocket, we are shown the utter absurdity of the original story.

Certainly not for everyone. But it's Christopher Moore. You should know what you're getting into by now.
Bawdy is putting it mildly. I laughed out loud and cringed within the same page.
This is my favorite of the Shakespeare rehashed books, but who doesn't love Midsummer Night's Dream?

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy

For those few unfortunates who don't know about Christopher Moore's books, they are crazy fun, profane, scatalogical, outrageous, and unique. Not everyone's cup of tea but hilariously entertaining for fans.

This novel is the third in a series featuring the court jester (or Fool) Pocket of Dog Snogging, and his companions: a libidinous monkey named Jeff, and a giant-sized dimwit called Drool. The trio has washed ashore in Greece after a long voyage with a pirate crew which arose out of their last adventure, The Serpent of Venice.

Almost immediately they discover a murder victim and that is the main plot anchor -- to find out who shot Puck, a fool with mysterious magical powers, with a crossbow. And to rescue the captured Drool from a well-guarded dungeon. But nothing in a Moore book is straightforward or terribly logical. The cast is rounded out by characters more or less based on those in A Midsummer Night's Dream, including half-donkey half-human Bottom, Titania and her fairy entourage, and several sets of star-crossed lovers.

Pocket is as smart as he is sarcastic, and really, the Elizabethan era insults and epithets are one of the many highlights of the book. Who knows when one might need to call someone a smarmy lick-knob, a putrid dongwhistle or a sorry sack of squirrel spooge?

This works as a standalone but lots of great background if you read the first two books as well. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.