Fool

A Novel

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Euan Morton

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Christopher Moore, much beloved scrivener and peerless literary jester, now takes on no less than the legendary Bard himself (with the utmost humility and respect) with a twisted and insanely funny tale of a moronic monarch and his deceitful daughters, as seen through the eyes of a man wearing a codpiece and bells on his head.

Pocket has been Lear's cherished fool for years. So naturally Pocket is at his brainless, elderly liege's side when Lear demands that his kids swear to him their undying love and devotion. Of course Goneril and Regan are only too happy to brownnose Dad. But Cordelia believes that her father's request is kind of...well...stupid, and her blunt honesty ends up costing her her rightful share of the kingdom and earns her a banishment to boot.

Well now the bangers and mash have really hit the fan. And the only person who can possibly make things right . . . is Pocket. Now he's going to have do some very fancy maneuvering: cast some spells, start a war or two - the usual stuff - to get Cordelia back into Daddy Lear's good graces, to derail the fiendish power plays of Cordelia's twisted sisters, and to shag every lusciously shaggable wench who's amenable to shagging along the way.

Pocket may be a fool...but he's definitely not an idiot.

©2009 Christopher Moore (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

More balanced view of the historic story

Any additional comments?

A few months ago I started to watch Shakespeare's Lear again but had to give up. It is just too tragic, too depressing, where everything good goes bad, gets worse, and compounds and enlarges in all manner of hurtful, unjust and painful ways. After Lear banishes Cordelia, and Goneril and Regan kick him out I gave up, knowing what misery would befall them all.

Christopher Moore has done his research, as he details in his epilog, and thankfully has provided us with a fuller, fairer and more rounded account of Lear's court and kingdom. Shakespeare was going for the drama and chose to ignore the bigger picture. Even though his dialog is compelling -- classic you might say -- it is biased and presents Lear himself as well as two of his daughters in a very unlikable way. The Bard went for the family drama. Similar to the venality and disgusting character of the K*rd*shian family of today, but with more killing.

The Fool in "Fool" is of course Pocket, Lear's fool. We see what really went on through his eyes. It turns out that Lear was really a narcissistic, psychopathic serial murderer as well as being the King, and a bit of a fool himself if I may be so bold as to note.

In reality all three of his daughters were acting as you would expect having grown up in such a dysfunctional household. (Lear had one or two of their mothers murdered!) Regan and Goneril were acting out in trampy sexual ways that is actually hot given today's standards. They weren't the cold-hearted *itches that the Bard portrays them as. Speaking of witches, Moore's scholarly effort has included the three of them as they were important influences in the course of kingly events. I think they were the same gals that led Macbeth in the wrong direction.

At almost 9 hours, versus a stingy 2 hours for the old ignorant version, Moore has given us a whole Upstairs Downstairs of characters with their shenanigans for our entertainment and historical enlightenment. Moore gives us more: more truth, more fairness, and more enjoyment. "Lear" was not a tragedy. On the contrary, he and his family is much like a lot of important families in today's news.

If you really want to know about England's True History you can do no better than to listen to "The Fool." You will also have the pleasure to roll on the floor many times over in laughter and delight.

Most heinous fuckery!

I recently listened to Fool written by Christopher Moore and narrated by Eaun Morton. 

In the fool Christopher Moore purports to tell the tale of King Lear, told from the perspective of the king's fool. Pocket, a bawdy licentious git, happily shags his way throughout the kingdom as he provides his wholly bolloxed version of King Lear.

Narration: Eaun Morton really personifies the foul mouthed and bawdy little bard known as Pocket. Honestly, it's hard to imagine another narrator in the role.

Conclusion: I think Shakespeare would have been thoroughly amused by this. I think most modern Shakespeare lovers might, however, be appalled. The tale is a wild ride accompanied by frequent sex, debauchery, and foul language. 

It's witty enough, to be sure, some won't enjoy its wit and well written story because of the lowbrow humor involved. I personally did enjoy the lowbrow humor, especially since it was connected to an extremely witty and well written tale.

King Lear - A Tragic Comedy in Five Parts

An amazing retelling of King Lear with the perfect narrator. All the original elements are there - a wise fool, a mad king, murder most foul, devilish intrigue, lost loyalty, war, villainy,the witches three, and a bloody ghost (there's always a bloody ghost). You'll want this book - its a spankingly good listen.

One of the funniest books I've ever read.

This book is not tor everyone. The humor is absolutely filthy and profane and scatalogical and borders on pornographic. But it made me laugh, often, and it is one of the most original comedies I've ever read. Of course, I dont usually read books with quite so much wanking and bonking, and this is the first book I've ever read that refers to dragon spunk. Oh yes -and knockers. Magnificent knockers. Need I say more?

One of my new favorites!

I love Christopher Moore. I love his take on the plot, the language, the characters, everything. I also really liked the narrator and his performance of the different characters, especially Drool (which I assume is the correct spelling for obvious reasons!).

instant classic

it would be hard to believe that anyone with a sense of humor would not love this book. Well written, creative and a great story line. Also, well read. You should not miss this.

I'd be a fool not to give this book 5 stars

Holy cow, this book, it's so good - let me tell you.

I don't want to spoil anything for you so I won't.

The damn thing is absurd and profound, like a high-brow dick joke that prevents World War III.

Nauseating at its worst (and still entertaining), hysterical on a public bus at its finest.

It you're looking for a bawdy take and possibly half-chub, this is it.

10/10

F**k Stockings!

Absolutely Brilliant! Irreverent and hilarious! If you enjoy comedy, witty writing, and dark humor, this is a Must Read!

Truly fun and entertaining with a great narrator!

Although I've never been a huge fan of Shakespeare, Christopher Moore is one of my favorites. And thanks to his creative reinterpretation of "King Lear," I'm hoping he'll do more Shakespearean novels - and soon! I'm certain he can make even the grim tale of Macbeth sparkle with humor, fun and vulgarity.

The narration made this book a super audio read. Euan Morton is wonderful!

Narration brings this book to life

What made the experience of listening to Fool the most enjoyable?

Euan Morton brings every character to life. He makes this book pop.

What did you like best about this story?

The bawdy language and main character's personality.

Which character – as performed by Euan Morton – was your favorite?

All.

Any additional comments?

As with Serpent, the other Christopher Moore book that Euan narrates, I am sure I derived much more pleasure from hearing it brought to life with such distinct voices and characters, than by reading it on the page. It's like one fantastic night at the theater.