A Dirty Job: A Novel

Christopher Moore

Oct 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy with a normal life, married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. They're even about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay—until people start dropping dead around him, and everywhere he goes a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Charlie Asher, it seems, has been recruited for a new position: as Death.

It's a dirty job. But, hey! Somebody's gotta do it.

Ratings and reviews

Owning several Christooner Moore books, I must say that this one is amongst my favorites. Don't expect a deep story with clever ironies and elaborate twists, but do expect to laugh your balls off on every page. This book is an absolute comedy gold mine, suitable for dumb teenagers and quantum physicists alike.

A dirty Job by Christopher Moore which is about a beta male. The main character takes over the function of death. It will be interesting to contrast this against Isaac Asimov’s On a pale horse which similarly explores the idea of a person assuming the role of death. Asimov was not a comedy writer but he was whimsical to an extreme in some cases. He was also a bit contrived but his series entitled the incarnations of immortality is based on an interesting concept. The beta male in A dirty job is explored as an evolutionary concept and we see apparently the role of Minty Fresh drop in briefly from Coyote Blue. It is the characterization that makes this book so enjoyable. The scene with the little girl with shampoo hair horns ordering the demon dogs about is hilarious and heartwarming. This is my favorite Moore book though Lamb might be a more important work.

May be "like bear" in many ways, but definitely a good romp. You may need a slightly warped sense of humor to really enjoy this, but a fun read with lots of crazy child rearing advice with a little Minty Fresh thrown in. Read it, then you will understand.

About the author

Christopher Moore is the author of eighteen previous novels, including Razzmatazz, Shakespeare for Squirrels, Noir, Secondhand Souls, Sacré Bleu, Fool, and Lamb. He lives in San Francisco, California.