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Practical Demonkeeping  By  cover art

Practical Demonkeeping

By: Christopher Moore
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
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Editorial reviews

Travis and Catch come to the small town of Pine Cove, California, and that's when the trouble begins. You'd probably say Travis is a nice, good-looking kid, except he isn't really a kid at all, but a man who hasn't aged a day since World War I. Catch is the reason Travis hasn't aged a day; he's a demon, bound to Travis, and an albatross around his neck. Catch might not be so bad if it weren't for his habit of eating people, but in some relationships there are certain flaws one just can't be expected to overlook. And so Travis comes to Pine Cove in the hopes of finding the answer that will let him free himself of this curse and send Catch back to where he can't eat his friends and neighbors.

Moore describes Practical Demonkeeping as a "whimsical horror novel", but perhaps "demonic ensemble comedy" is more apropos. "Ensemble" is the important part of that description, for it's really the interactions between the characters that makes this story sing. The characters range from Gian Hen Gian, King of the Djinn, to the waitress Jenny whose only extraordinary talent is having the exceptional bad luck to get involved in this mess in the first place, to H.P., a man who might just be a little too obsessed with Lovecraft. The plot itself is nothing revolutionary, but how it unfolds is enjoyable from start to finish, and the listener will likely be surprised and amused along the way as it is unveiled what parts each of the ensemble cast play.

Oliver Wyman's general narrative voice has a youthful quality to it, with a wry, but good-natured tone which fits despite the sometimes dark turns the story takes (unavoidable when you have a primary character who tends to eat people). He provides each character with his or her own distinct voice, going above and beyond the call of duty with the guttural and abrasive but somehow endearing! growl of Catch.

Without the embellishment of an actor's reading, Moore's writing is quite fun and funny on the page, but as with many humorous works, the right narrator can take lively prose and make it even livelier and this is one of those performances that truly elevates the text to a different level. Wyman, a veteran cartoon voiceover actor before turning his talents to audiobook narration, ably employs the skills of the former to strengthen and diversify the skills of the latter. Wyman's style isn't ideal for everything reading a serious nonfiction book wouldn't be his forte but for a book like this, which is practically a cartoon in prose form already, it's hard to imagine a better match. John Joseph Adams

Publisher's summary

In Christopher Moore's ingenious debut novel, we meet one of the most memorably mismatched pairs in the annals of literature. The good-looking one is 100-year-old ex-seminarian and "roads" scholar Travis O'Hearn. The green one is Catch, a demon with a nasty habit of eating most of the people he meets.

Behind the fake Tudor façade of Pine Cove, California, Catch sees a four-star buffet. Travis, on the other hand, thinks he sees a way of ridding himself of his toothy traveling companion. The winos, neo-pagans, and deadbeat Lotharios of Pine Cove, meanwhile, have other ideas. And none of them is quite prepared when all hell breaks loose.

©1992 Christopher Moore (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

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What listeners say about Practical Demonkeeping

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i love Christopher Moore!

I dont dig Oliver Wyman all that much but the story is great as always!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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I will read anything from Christopher Moore

Although not my favorite from Christopher Moore, it was an entertaining book that got me laughing out loud at times.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Not his best work by far

I love Moore's writings, he's in my top five. Perhaps it's because this is an earlier work and compared to other books of his I didn't enjoy it as much. However, I still finished it without trouble.

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great for passing time.

I enjoy the story, but it is a sharp when speaking of God. otherwise, it was great. time we'll spent.

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Funny

Any additional comments?

I first read this book in the library years ago and was happy when I found the audio version on audible. It's a funny story, and Christopher Moore has a style that always keeps you on your toes.

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Just okay

Good narrator, fine characters, decent plot. Christopher Moore is always a fun, slightly twisted escape but this is not one of his better books. Nowhere near his fantastic "Dirty Jobs".

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Great Author

What did you love best about Practical Demonkeeping?

After the first book I read of Christopher Moore I decided I had to get every one. I enjoyed these as audio books probably more than in paperback. His mix of comedy and drama elements worked well and made for an enjoyable book and series

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

I think he did all the voices well and it really drew me in - made me forget I was listening to one reader.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - there was a lot going on and it never seemed like a good time to take a break

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Another masterpiece

Christopher moore is honestly one of the best writers of all time, i first read the third installment in this series but quickly discovered all the books he wrote. Amazing amazing amazing

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Fun

Its fun and lightweight, but not as good as Terry Pratchett, but a good consolation prize when running out of diskworld books

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Fresh & New

Frantic story.
well written.
well narrated.
I would recommend this book for the comic horror fans.
thank you

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