Fluke

Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Bill Irwin

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Just why do humpback whales sing? That's the question that has marine behavioral biologist Nate Quinn and his crew poking, charting, recording, and photographing very big, wet, gray marine mammals - until the extraordinary day when a whale lifts its tail into the air to display a cryptic message spelled out in foot-high letters: Bite Me.

Trouble is, Nate's beginning to wonder if he hasn't spent just a little too much time in the sun. 'Cause no one else on his team saw a thing - not his longtime partner, Clay Demodocus; not their saucy young research assistant; not even the spliff-puffing white-boy Rastaman Kona (aka Preston Applebaum). But later, when a roll of film returns from the lab missing the crucial tail shot - and his research facility is trashed - Nate realizes something very fishy indeed is going on.

By turns witty, irreverent, fascinating, puzzling, and surprising, Fluke is Christopher Moore at his outrageous best.

©2003 Christopher Moore (P)2006 HarperAudio

Critic reviews

"This amusing pastiche cobbles together elements from all the classic sea yarns: from 'Jonah and the Whale' to Moby Dick to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." (Booklist)

I laughed so hard I had tears running down my leg.

Funny and inspiring. makes me want a life as an action nerd and become a pirate..

Love Christopher Moore, hate the narrator.

If you're anything like me and you love Christopher Moores books, especially on Audible, then you love the goofiness, and the fun of the books as well as the story and you love the way that it is told. All of Moores other stories are told with fantastic narratives...while this story is still great, our narrator is terrible, bland and just doesn't give the listener the Christopher Moore vibe. Just a heads up. Still a great book, the reader of the story just sucks.:/

Most awesome!

I own this book in print, disc, and now audible. It is improved by the narrator, whom I believe might have been a Rastafarian in a former life. It is not only a great escapist fantasy but a text in whale study. Great fun.

Not necessarily better the second time around

I’ve been revisiting all the Christopher Moore books and a few have not been better the second time around. This is another title that feels much too wordy to me in my dotage. A good subject and story but too cluttered.

Another awesome book from Christopher Moore

A great fantastical romp all based around amazing creatures we know so little about, and encapsulating a powerful message. And I quote, "shut up, and stop killing whales!"

Christopher Moore is a Particular Flavor

I love this book. I own it in multiple formats, have listened to it multiple times, and anticipate listening to it again. I will try anything by this author. I would by his work before even having read or listened to it; he's THAT clever. That being said, "Whaley boys"? 😅😅😅

Subtle but very pleasent story.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book and anything by Christopher Moore. It's well worth your time and credit.

What other book might you compare Fluke to and why?

With obvious similarities in plot, tone and humor it reminds me of "Sweet Thursday" by John Steinbeck. A book I would highly recommend and among my personal favorites.

What about Bill Irwin’s performance did you like?

Bill Irwin narrates with an odd meter and quiet intonation that makes for convincing characters and a raised emphasis of the story.

If you could rename Fluke, what would you call it?

Moby Dick II. . . no! wait! that's a silly question.

Another classic Christopher Moore!

I was hesitant based on all the negative narrator comments, but while he’s not as good as other Moore narrators, he was perfectly adequate. Don’t let it deter you!

Entertaining story, as usual!

Christopher Moore writes another great story peppered with humor, sarcasm and entertainment. I love how he forces you to accept some very weird ideas without hesitation. Unfortunately, this story reader, Bill Irwin, was completely wrong for this type of book. He didn't know how to convey the sarcasm and humor properly and the lightness that we love from Mr. Moore was lost. Mr. Irwin's monotonous voice for the first few chapters of the book almost kept me from continuing on. He got slightly better as the story progressed, or, perhaps, I just got used to his painfully monotonous style of narrating. I would highly recommend this book to read, but not to listen to.

I liked it a lot

When I first got this book I was very much disappointed that it wasn't Fisher Stevens reading it. I thought the guy reading it was very dry and boring, but the more I listened, the more I liked it. I have now listened to it at least 3 times. I have friends from Maui and have visited a couple times. I believe he captures the way most Hawaiians speak. His tone is very laid back and mellow.
I think the book as a whole lacks a lot of the neurotic characters that Moore usually puts in his books. I read an interview with Moore about this book, and he basically said that after finishing Lamb he had to do a smaller less involved book to keep his publishers off of his back about delivery schedules. So you can understand why their aren't quite so many crazy characters in it.
That being said, this book is fun and cute. The characters are likable and always developing. Once you have finished this book you will have a better understanding of why women are the dominant species on the planet.