The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The town psychiatrist has decided to switch everybody in Pine Cove, California, from their normal antidepressants to placebos, so naturally - well, to be accurate, artificially - business is booming at the local blues bar. Trouble is, those lonely slide-guitar notes have also attracted a colossal sea beast named Steve with, shall we say, a thing for explosive oil tanker trucks.

Suddenly, morose Pine Cove turns libidinous and is hit by a mysterious crime wave, and a beleaguered constable has to fight off his own gonzo appetites to find out what's wrong and what, if anything, to do about it.

©1999 Christopher Moore (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Moore is Daniel Pinkwater for grownups, but a lot funnier; and his irreverent antics reveal a buoyant wit and surreal authority even while rendering the emotional range, sex life, and murderous tendencies of a sea monster." ( Publishers Weekly)

Quirky, endearing, and addictive

Would you consider the audio edition of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version. Honestly I think this question is not necessary.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove?

So many that it's hard to pick just one. But I loved the scenes where the sea beast, Steve, disguised himself as a mobile home and began "disposing of" town folk who annoyed him.

A real laugh for a unreal story

What made the experience of listening to The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove the most enjoyable?

Its good to have the chance to hear a good tail about an impossible situation were each new chapter brings a more insane person or monster out to enjoy.

What other book might you compare The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove to and why?

The creature from the black lagoon meets timothy leary.

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

the fact that he seemed to enjoy reading the fanciful tail as much as I enjoyed hearing it.

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

That it was! I had to find out just how one puts the impossible into the probable that would end up being just the enjoyable with no truth of facts needed.

Any additional comments?

Just a good fun listen!

Incredibly mysterious and hilarious great book

Totally enjoyed this book. Kept me laughing throughout and eager to find out what happens next I recommend this book to anybody who likes a good laugh and mystery at the same time

Fun listen

One of my fav Custody Moore books. Great characters, fun and witty dialogue and story. Lots of lol moments.

Not my favorite, but still pretty good.

It's always nice to revisit characters and places and get an additional glimpse of their wacky lives. The Lust Lizard didn't quite have the same easy flow and humor that was present in the previous Pine Cove stories. It seemed Mr. Moore was forcing the story and humor and for the first time ever reading/listening to his books, I was ready for the ending.
Still a fun listen and enjoyable but not his best.

More Moore!

The story and characters are great (including Steve). The plot threads do come together, and each of the main players is given a voice. Oliver Wyman is the perfect narrator for this story. He does an excellent job of bringing each character to life. While the humor in this book is more subtle than in some of Christopher Moore’s other books, it’s prevalent and entertaining. The ending was solid and satisfying, with no loose ends. This book does stand well on its own, though there is a brief discussion at one point about events from the previous book, Practical Demonkeeping, (which I also very much enjoyed).

I got pulled over

What did you love best about The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove?

As always Christopher Moore is sick twisted and hysterically funny. I got pulled over my a copy because I was laughing so hard in the car on my commute. Highly recommend this if you want to laugh and maybe feel a little bad for a Lust Lizard.

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

You could hear the difference in all the characters without crazy theatrics

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

Totally!

Chuckleworthy Moore

Having already read a few of Christopher Moore's novels as well as listened to a few others, Lust Lizard proved to be right in his wheelhouse -- a few interesting real life themes (drugs, prescription and illicit, along with the trusted professionals who promote their abuse; psychosis and psychiatry; and environmental disaster), a broad array of memorable characters, and Moore's signature device, a fantastical, mythological, or supernatural entity, in this case the title character, a monster who acts as an aphrodisiac and a maneater (who comes to be known, simply, as Steve).

Not as laugh out loud funny my Moore favorites (Fool, Lamb, Serpent of Venice), nor as ambitious as one of his most recent, Sacre Bleu, but definitely chuckleworthy in the vein of Practical Demonkeeping, Moore's first book which is set in the same fictional California coastal village as Lust Lizard, with some of the same characters.

Some of the supernatural elements in Moore's novels go too far over the top -- the demon in Practical Demonkeepring when he gets maniacal, the evil goddesses of A Dirty Job, the strange direction Fluke takes after its charming start, even ultimately the characters Bleu and the Colorman in Sacre Bleu. But the Lust Lizard is one of his most believable fantastical creatures, credibly explained within the real world. For me, that's a positive (although, to be fair, it's fun to imagine, as Moore often does, how wholly supernatural characters would behave in the real world).

Pure escapism!

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Christopher Moore's books. This is the 2nd in the series of 3 Pine Cove novels beginning with Practical Demon Keeping and ending with The Stupidest Angel, which I can't wait to get started on. This book in particular strikes me as a mash up of TV and movies that I watched as a child; a cross between the original Star Trek series and Linda Carter as Wonder Woman with some Marvel Comics thrown in. Pure, campy escapism a at its finest.

Enjoy with a smile.

Moore is cleaver and Wyman is a great narrator. The characters are fun and the story makes me smile.