Book 5: You Suck

You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore

As the sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends begins, Tommy is a little miffed with Jody for turning him into a vampire. With Tommy turned, he and Jody have to figure out a new foodsource since he was hers, and they also need a new minion. This leads to the introduction of Abby Normal who also happens to be friends with Lily from A Dirty Job (this isn't the only cross-over between the two novels).

As usual, Moore's characters end up in rather ridiculous situations - Tommy's friends from the grocery store end up blowing all their money on a prostitute in Vegas who has used the Blue Men as an inspiration. Additionally, Jody's creator does not remain quiet for long, and with all these extra characters, havoc quickly ensues. I actually preferred this novel to the previous one - Abby Normal is a ridiculous teenage girl, but I prefer the way that Jody was written - she seemed much less clingy and concerned with relationships, possibly because she was in one. I enjoyed how Abby's role in the novel is the result of Tommy feeling like he, too, could get a minion.

As I've said before, while Moore is entertaining, there are certain things he plays for humor that really are slightly disturbing when given any thought - for example, Jody refers to Tommy's habit of dressing her up as a cheerleader and having sex with her while she's unconscious (often referred to as rape in the real world), and MINOR SPOILER sixteen year old Abby ends up with a Ph.D. student for a boyfriend - yes that's not at all inappropriate END SPOILER. In Tommy's case, the audience is supposed to be laughing at him due to his weird fantasies/teenage libido, but as I said, I could have done without the joke.