Review: Coyote Blue
I love Christopher Moore’s writing!
Of course, that’s neither anything new or particularly startling since he’s a best-selling author. He writes mainly light comedic fantasy, which is just what I need these days, so I’ve been churning through quite a bit of his work. One of the things that I like about Mr. Moore’s work is that he always seems to have an undercurrent of spirituality in all his work. Coyote Blue is no exception. The “hero” of Coyote Blue is a severly repressed Crow (from the American Indian tribe, not the bird) named “Samson Hunter”. Though, actually, his real name is Samson Hunts Alone. He’s living in the White world, hiding from a terrible secret he left behind on the Crow reservation. And, he’s one of Coyote’s chosen. Of course, in his “White” persona, a chameleon-like insurance salesman, he denies everything Crow, including his family’s association with the traditonal trickster god.
Unfortunately for him, his shaman uncle is still looking for Samson. And Coyote hears the call. As you might have guessed, when the trickster god takes an interest in your life, things get a little confusing. Not to mention dangerous. It all works out in the end, of course, though someone dies and poor Samson’s life is completely torn apart. Oddly enough, it’s a happy ending.
Well, I won’t spoil the book with too much plot, but Moore takes us on a journey of rediscovery and spirituality. One of the things I liked about the book was that it was a non-standard, non-JudeoChristian exploration of spirituality. And, from what I’ve read of American Indian religion, it’s fairly accurate, too. It’s both fun and funny. Coyote Blue was light-hearted enough to make it a pleasure to read, but deep enough to keep me coming back for more. I heartily reccomend it.
