Chasing the Moon

By: A. Lee Martinez

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Diana's life was in a rut - she hated her job, she was perpetually single, and she needed a place to live. But then the perfect apartment came along. It seemed too good to be true - because it was. As it turns out, the apartment was already inhabited - by monsters.

Vom the Hungering was the first to greet Diana and to warn her that his sole purpose in life was to eat everything in his path. This poses a problem for Diana since she's in his path...and is forbidden from ever leaving the apartment. It turns out though that there are older and more ancient monstrous entities afoot - ones who want to devour the moon and destroy the world as we know it. Can Diana, Vom, and the other horrors stop this from happening? Maybe if they can get Vom to stop eating everything...and everyone.

©2011 A. Lee Martinez (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Martinez excels at off-the-wall storytelling that perfectly suits this cheerful apocalyptic fantasy.” (Publishers Weekly)

Monster Mash

Lee Martinez likes to take ordinary everyday life and hurtle upon it the supernatural and fantastical. In Chasing the Moon, Diana finds an apartment that is too good to be true, which it turns out is, well, too good be true. There is a monster in the closet. There are monsters everywhere. And other mythical creatures and deities.

This may seem familiar to you. Monsters Inc of course. Chris Moore's A Dirty Job et.al. More to the point, A. Lee Martinez's own Monster and Helen & Troy. And Gil's All Fright Diner and Divine Misfortune if you want to try it with zombies and gods. Other titles in his bibliography too. It's his M.O.

If this is the first time you're reading him, you may love it, as I did when I read Helen & Troy and Emperor Mollusk. If you're on your third or fourth, well, you either like it so much that you can't get enough, or you like it well enough but now you're over it. I'm over it. I want to Lee to apply his considerable talent for writing comic fantasy in other ways, as Moore does with (for example) his Shakespeare send-ups.

For me, this was an experiment. It is the only Martinez book I've read in print. I found myself underwhelmed by the aimless story and repetitive themes and surmised that maybe it only works in audio -- I had that same experience with another author I love (several, actually). But listening to it left me with the exact same feeling of deflation -- we've been here before, me and Lee, and I need something new from him.

Enjoyable read

I liked the story. There were places, however, where I found it was difficult to keep myself focused.

Beautifully Bizarre. Charmingly Chaotic.

This is definitely the audiobook to hold the attention of listeners who enjoy equal portion of the bizarre and mundane. Need a thoughtful life lesson or two while under the constant threat of being eaten alive by polite otherworldly monster roomates? Well, it's all here, in this humorously strange and very well narrated book "Chasing the Moon".

Exellent

What made the experience of listening to Chasing the Moon the most enjoyable?

Exellent wo

rk, kept me lisiting all night long, could not put it down
S kg

A good read

I wouldn’t say great or fantastic or even his best. If you enjoy the author you will enjoy the book. Not enough funny parts odd parts but that is the book. In the end both women were alone. Didn’t like that too much.

Lots of fun

This book caught me on the first page with a series of sentences: "The bed fell back into place. The window unbroke. An invisible hand tried to pluck Calvin from the fabric of reality. It failed, as it always did. He was a barb stuck beneath the skin of the universe, an unwanted invader that could not be removed. The invisible hand scratched at him like a dog scratching at a flea. It didn't hurt but it was irritating."

Okay, I thought, I'm charmed. The book nabbed me and carried me along with a fun story and excellent comic writing. A Lovecraftian world of monsters who seem to exist without the notice of the human world. The narrative flips between Calvin, Lord of the Wilds, and a young woman named Diana who has rented an apartment only to have the exits disappear. Diana has been granted immortality but the only way out is through a closet door containing a monster that will consume her. A monster named Vom that she strikes up a conversation with through the closed door and eventually puppy trains into obedience. She discovers an apartment building filled with monsters and prisoner and learns to find her way among the strange creatures while still managing her love life. Soon they try to defeat an even greater monster determined to devour the moon and destroy the earth, all while facing shifting realities.

The book is adorable and a fast read. I picked it up on a sale, I think, and wasn't sure what to think. A fun surprise, which is all too rare in reading. It reminded me of Peter Clines' 14, with more fullout attempts to keep things light. Meanwhile I'm sending a copy to a friend who wore a "Cthulhu 2016: Why vote for the lesser evil?" t-shirt.

Fun read

This isn't my favorite story by Martinez but it's definitely got a relatable concept be behind it. The performance was well rounded with the voices.

Very well done, tons of fun!

Super fun, very good narration, and a story line that will keep your interest and imagination going throughout!! LOVED IT!

Odd but entertaining

This story was very odd. But if you are reading A. Lee Martinez, it's pretty standard. I enjoyed it. I did feel occasionally confused by the story-line. But I never felt the urge to stop listening to it. The confusion somehow added to the atmosphere of the book. I am glad I gave it a try.

just ok

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. could have been funnier, and felt kind of cramped like they were trying to keep it within a specified word limit