Review: The Stupidest Angel

The Stupidest Angel
By Christopher Moore

Read: 5 – 28 December 2010
E-book

2010 Holiday Reading Challenge

'Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit. It is the hap-hap-happiest time of the year, after all.

But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he's not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn't run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old has only one prayer: Please, Santa, come back from the dead.

But hold on! There's an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?) It's none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel's not sporting the brightest halo in the bunch, and before you can say "Kris Kringle," he's botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen. (Goodreads)

I was not sure what to expect from this book, only that it would not be your usual cosy Christmas story. Well, that was certainly true! Here we find, among other curiosities, a pot-smoking officer of the law, a real Warrior Babe, a dead Santa, brain-sucking zombies, a completely incompetent arch-angel, and a talking fruit bat with really cool sunglasses.

Hilarious, twisted, grotesque and refreshingly different – I loved it! The characters are pretty much whacko, but very likeable (well, all but "Santa"). This is not a book you read to get into the Christmas spirit, but if you would like a break from the jolliness of the season, this is definitely worth reading. I will be on the lookout for Moore's other books.

My rating: 5/6