Book Review: Fool By Christopher Moore

“Does my lady require a story and a jest before bedtime?” Pocket the Jester and title character of Fool asks the Princess-turned-Queen Cordelia toward the end of this raucous reading.

Whether you be a lady, a man, or something in between, your answer should also be a definitive, “Yes.”

Do let The Black Fool cart you along this bumpy, medieval road to a time and place when Druidism still vied for dominance with Christianity; where serfs and kings switched religious affiliation depending upon the day of the week and upcoming holidays; and where well-endowed, apprentice jesters secured “the odd bonk” with laundresses and princesses, alike.

Mind you, The Black Fool is no moor (although he’s heard that they are masterful wife-stranglers); but a banterer who beats Death so many times, he dons a clown’s suit in the color of mourning in homage to the Reaper. In modern as medieval times, it seems those in power have never been fond of hearing too much truth, particularly about themselves.

Published by HarperCollins, Christopher Moore’s 2009 satire came to my attention by way of National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation, while I was outlining a high school curriculum that has as its fulcrum, the work of the most famous playwright in the English language. So, naturally, I wanted to read it. While it took more than 8 weeks for the library copy to reach my branch, that did not affect the result. Fool is not something I would assign to a high school English class; although it would undoubtedly go over well, due to extensive sexual content.

I would, however, designate this as required reading for college-level Shakespeare courses and serious, independent, students of Shakespeare. Fool incorporates elements and language from multiple plays, including Macbeth’s witches and Hamlet’s Ghost (albeit this one’s female). I plan to buy my own copy soon, so that I can mark it up and search Fool for all the popular culture and Renaissance writing it references. Be still my pulsing bookworm.

Readers of historical fiction, sycophants for satire, and anyone who appreciates rich writing filled with imagery and metaphor, Fool will please you from beginning to end. If it were possible for writing to rival Bill the Bard’s — which of course, it isn’t — Christopher Moore’s masterful use of language would challenge as a light-hearted duel between friends. If you desire a decadent, deviant, and devilish romp of a read, your eyes will devour this book.

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Footnote: For a refresher on the story of King Lear, you can click here for a 16-minute silent film version of Shakespeare’s play. In a manner that would seem comical to us now, this 1910 Italian film directed by Geralamo la Salvio provides both an overview of the five-act tragedy, and a reminder of Shakespeare’s importance and universality to the study of literature, theatre, and film.