It is fitting that the Fool becomes the protagonist of Christopher Moore's Shakespeare-based novels, because Moore's writing has a wit, inventiveness and charm worthy of the Bard's greatest comedy characters. Following on from the novel Fool, where we first meet the jester Pocket, his apprentice Drool and monkey Jeff, against the backdrop of King Lear, comes The Serpent of Venice. This book sees our hero Pocket embroiled in a hilarious tale of revenge, within a shared world of Othello, The Merchant of Venice, and Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. The result is one of the most wildly imaginative novels I have read in some time.
For those familiar with Shakespeare's work, so much of what is detailed may seem painfully inaccurate. But Moore takes pains to detail the changes he's made in the author's notes. The most significant of these is changing the time period, so that the characters of Pocket, Drool, and Jeff could carry over from Fool, but he then makes an effort to adapt the events of Othello and The Merchant of Venice so that they are historically accurate to the time period. The inspiration from Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, such as the Montressor, and Pocket's nickname of Fortunado, are seamlessly interwoven. Moore's greatest success is making this story work, adapting the materials to suit his story but still maintaining a great deal of respect for his sources.
The Serpent of Venice sells itself on its humour, and here it never disappoints. From Pocket's ability to tell it like it is (often through the voice of the puppet Jones), to Jewess Jessica's painfully exaggerated attempts to blend in as a pirate, right through to Iago arguing with the Chorus, Moore's tongue is firmly in cheek, with several laugh-out-loud moments contained within each chapter. The changes to each character to suit the story (Othello and Desdemona being into kinky sex, Antonio's lust for Bassanio, Portia's self-absorbed nature) only serve to heighten the comedy, and all would not be out of place if Shakespeare was still writing comedy in the 21st century.
The Serpent of Venice is a delightful read for any audience, but an awareness and passion for Shakespeare's work makes it all the more inventive and amusing for readers. Moore has an intelligence and wit that marks him out as one of the great comedy writers of our time, and hopefully he will bring us more of Pocket's adventures in the years to come.