[Yesterday was Labor Day in the U.S. Also, it was the day after my bridal shower. I think I was excused from writing a review.]

Christopher Moore is not quite a fantasy author, but considering that sometimes he writes about vampires and sea creatures, I figure he’s close enough. He’s written such edifying tomes as Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story (the book to which You Suck is a sequel) and Island of the Sequined Love Nun. Probably his best work is Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, because it involves Jesus knowing kung fu, but how can you dislike an author who includes H. P. Lovecraft as one of his characters?

Bloodsucking Fiends is the story of Jody, a young redheaded woman who becomes a vampire, and C. Thomas (Tommy) Flood, an aspiring writer from Hicksville, the Midwest, who starts as her minion and turns into her lover. At the end of that volume, which I have unfortunately not reviewed, she turns him into a vampire, and that’s exactly where this book started. They need a new minion, and the old vampire who turned Jody is still a problem. In addition to that, there’s a bum named William and his enormous cat named Chet; a blue hooker called, appropriately, Blue; and, of course, turkey bowling . . .

The book is dedicated to his fans, and it’s basically a gift. There’s nothing particularly new in this volume; there are only a handful of new characters, and some of them even showed up in other books of his (most notably A Dirty Job). That having been said, I loved seeing everyone again. The Animals (Tommy’s coworkers on the night shift at a grocery store) are always good for some hilarity; the Emperor of San Francisco has cute dogs and apparently actually exists; and Tommy and Jody’s relationship is funny and awfully interesting to watch. I also quite liked seeing Abby Normal again (since I recognize the reference).

Speaking of Abby Normal, significant sections of the book were written from her point of view; they were written like a teenaged Goth girl’s diary, although nothing like Twilight, fortunately. They’re probably the best parts of the book, since they’re so ridiculously absurd. There was a brief reference to bulimia which was treated with a moderately inappropriate level of levity, but other than that, she’s just ridiculously hilarious. Her friend Jared is also both ridiculous and hilarious; early on, he leaves a club because someone accuses him of his black clothing having faded. Of course he has to go home and redye everything.

The plot is zany and madcap; fans of Carl Hiaasen and some crazier romantic comedies will definitely like it. However, a good grasp on the events in the first book will definitely help with understanding this one. There are so many little elements that carry over; turkey bowling is hilarious in and of itself, but it’s even more hilarious if one has read the scene about turkey bowling in the first book. Steve is barely mentioned in the first book, but if one doesn’t know where he was originally introduced, it makes less of an impact. Overall, if one loved Bloodsucking Fiends, one should definitely read this for more or the same. 4/5 stars.