Sunday, May 8, 2011

Chasing the Moon-A. Lee Martinez

Chasing the Moon
A. Lee Martinez
Orbit, May 25 2011, $19.99
ISBN: 9780316093552

Diana is apartment hunting when she believes she has found the ideal place for the amount of money she can afford. However, her landlord forgot to mention her roommate in Apartment 5. Inside the closet resides ancient Vom the Hungering monster ready to be served his next meal, Diana is on the menu in case she forgets to feed the vociferous beast.

She soon meets all types of new bizarre friends and learns of at least two groups exist. First there are the monsters who dine on humans like her roommate and then there are the monsters who dine on galaxies. However, her new lifestyle becomes imperiled when Calvin the Moon monster plans to make earth into a new asteroid belt.

No writer does humorous horror better than A. Lee Martinez consistently does as the author this time satirizes the haunted apartment and apocalypse now themes through a collection of weirdoes. The story line is fast-paced in spite of seemingly being all over the place. In many ways the plot is a coming of age tale as Diana grows into her new role of the monsters’ zookeeper and protector. Fans of off the wall urban fantasy will appreciate Diana’s new apartment.

Harriet Klausner

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