Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

This novel explores the mystery of the song of the humpback whale and Mr. Moore's explanation of it is oddly touching and satisfying for the reader.Having read all of Christopher Moore's novels, one of the things I like most about "Fluke" in contrast to some of his later works is that the humor is more subtle and not as vulgar and slapsticky, which in turn means it is more clever, and in my mind, enjoyable."Fluke" is a novel divided into three parts, and Part One of the novel is an interesting aquatic story, dealing with scientists and humpback whale research. Then we get to Part Two and the book takes a fantastical and unexpected turn that many readers did not appreciate. Although I did not see the abrupt tone change in the text coming, it did not disturb me as much as it did other readers. Despite the ridiculous elements that Moore weaves into the book, beginning with Part Two, the novel works as a unit and hangs nicely in the balance between realism and crazy fantasy.Personally I loved the science and biological elements of the text. Moore researches avidly before writing his books and it shows in the plethora of interesting biological facts that he weaves into his tale. His adoration for research and aquatic life is obvious in this novel.One fantastical element that merits mention is Moore's creation of the "whaley boys". I won't spoil what that means, but I will say that they are among his more farfetched, and very funny, creations. And in the world of Christopher Moore that is saying something!The resolution of the novel is a little too tidy, but I wanted it to be, and I freely admit I would have been irritated had it not been so. This was my second reading of "Fluke" as this was the first Christopher Moore book I ever read, and it lead me to all of his others. It will for you too.

Fluke is a most unusual novel - the first by Moore that I've read, and chosen primarily, even though out of print and gratefully purchased as a used book, because I love whales. I was hoping the book would be more about whale flukes (tails) than the other meanings which he adds on a separate page at the beginning of the book, such as, "A chance occurrence; an accident". I was not disappointed, although all meanings are probably appropriate for the book. I was delighted that the setting is in Maui - my favorite of all the Hawaiian Islands that I've visited and therefore, I knew most of the places mentioned. In fact, I've taken a whale watching catamaran out of Lahaina Harbor, and experienced the wonder of humpback whales, many with calves, as they breech and dive in the warm, deep blue waters between Maui and Lanai, we assume for the fun of it. Finding out why the male humpback whale sings is a recurrent theme throughout the book, and while Moore gives some possibilities at the end, no one really knows. There is abundant humor with plenty of mind-catching ("I never knew that") information that makes the reader not want to put the book down (or your Kindle if you've "progressed" to owning one item instead of a library. And yes, I have one, a birthday gift from my husband who has taken it over ever since it arrived. I still like book markers and turning real pages. Otherwise, how do you know how close you are to the end?)As a good example of one of Moore's mind-catching statements, he writes on p. 5, "The whale blew again, and they were close enough to catch some of the mist. There was none of the dead fish and massive morning-mouth smell that they would have encountered in Alaska. Humpbacks didn't feed while they were in Hawaii." I knew the later info, but not the former. This is a delightful book for adults and older teens - 16+ (there are some gory scenes, but not with overdone descriptions, which makes it acceptable to most).

I'm a huge fan of Christopher Moore, but when I read the description of the book on the jacket (something about scientists studying whales), I have to admit I wasn't too interested. But my faith in Moore caused me to go ahead and take the plunge. I'm very glad I did.This is his first real "science-fiction" book, with the science of whales and whale communication playing an important role. As near as I can tell, much of the opening third of the book contains lots of "true" information about the state of our knowledge of whales today. Later, when the book goes off on some truly bizarre tangents, the "fiction" is well thought out. It's insane, but well thought out!We follow the adventures of a group of people with various interests in learning about whales, from serious scientists to hangers-on, to stoners just looking for easy work. The best thing about Moore's novels are the wacky characters, who manage to become sweet and endearing by the end of the book. His novels are crazily plotted, but characters always come to the fore. There are some funny romances and some minor characters that are just a lot of fun. It's the kind of book that you imagine getting a big-screen treatment as you're reading it...you just want to start casting it in your head. And Moore, to me, is one of the few writers who actually evokes laugh-out-loud moments. Just clever turns of a phrase or an unlikely methaphor that makes me laugh in admiration.I hesitate to discuss the plot, because to give you a sketchy overview might turn you off, and to go into depth would reveal too many of the delightful treats in store. If you've read and enjoyed Moore before, by all means take a look. If you haven't read Christopher Moore and are in the mood for some wacky but touching fun...take a look. I think you'll be pleased.

Like most of Moore’s books, this is an entertaining read. The funny parts made me laugh out loud in public! However, the overall plot is beyond fantasy for me – it was really silly actually. There is a whole section of war of memes and genes which was ridiculous (genes build vehicles for memes!!) but this is probably the least silly part of the book. He could have created an underwater intelligent life using a lot of facts we have now on dolphins, whales, etc. I feel like he never even read anything about these animals! I do hate criticizing Moore because I genuinely think he is a good writer but I was terribly disappointed.The only good thing in the book was a call for conservation and to stop hunting the whales but the rationale behind it all was just a made-up fantasy. He didn’t need to do that – there are plenty of very good existing reasons for not hunting whales!!Overall, disappointing from Moore but won’t stop me reading his other books

I have never in my life read something quite so stupid or ridiculous! Despite this, the book is readable - it is just completely and utterly bonkers!To say this story is far-fetched is an understatement; the whole concept is so far removed from reality I found myself asking myself 'what the heck is this' pretty much every chapter.This book features what I would say is pornography (and not of the human kind) that makes it at times a very uncomfortable read. I would not recommend this book to anyone I like!

Was excited to read this but on first page the female scientist character is reduced to literally nothing but a nice bottom in khaki shorts. Shocked to see it was published in 2003, as my expectation for that level of blatant sexism would be from something from the 1950s. Such a shame. The blurb makes it sound like an interesting story, but I only managed 10 pages before I just felt completely repulsed by the depiction of the woman and promptly threw it in the bin. It’s not even fit for a charity shop. Shame on you Christopher Moore!

It was so good that I couldn't stop reading it. I was totally hook up to the story. At the begining I didn't know what to expect.For star its about whales and Hawaii and I like those 2 things so I thought at least I will learn a bit about those 2 things in case is a boring book but then came in the sci-fi part and thats when you can't stop reading it.All the other reviews will explain what is about I don't want to spoil anything.I did read another book from this author and I did like it and thats why I bought this one and I must say I am a sastified client. And one day when I get rich I will go to Hawaii and see the whales :) .

Wasn't sure what to think when i started the book as it all seemed 'too normal' for the 1st quarter and i was beginning to think Christopher Moore was having an off day when he wrote this but no.... NO NO NO - I carried on reading and so glad i did. In the space of a few lines the real Christopher Moore that we know and love showed his face... i don't want to give any spoilers but it's worth that (almost) boring start just to get to the wild, weird and wonderful twist!