Craig's review - 21 december 2008
The cynic in me likes a refreshing take on the Christmas theme, particularly if it's not as cheery as the usual commercial fare (I love a wonderful, happy Christmas, but I don't need the same old schmaltzy stories every year). So recently I approached Christopher Moore's ‘The Stupidest Angel: A Heart-warming Tale of Christmas Terror' with quite a bit of interest. The title says it all. Moore is a witty comedic writer who also puts many dark elements into his novels – the ‘terror' in this one refers to zombies, including ‘Santa' zombie!
The story is set in California's Pine Cove, where Moore has written about previously – many of the characters are also from previous novels. The novel begins with a divorced couple's heated argument when the ex-husband refuses to put a donation in the Christmas appeal tin. The argument continues in the woods, where the ex-wife decides to get even and steal the man's Christmas trees to give to poorer families. The argument ends with the ex-husband, dressed as Santa, tripping and falling on the woman's spade; which of course results in the man's death.
At the same time, seven year-old Joshua Barker is dashing home, worried that Santa won't bring him a present because he's being playing video games with his friend instead of returning home when asked. He passes the woodland and… yep, sees Santa take that shovel to the head. He runs home with a prayer to help Santa come back from the dead.
Meanwhile, the ex-wife meets an interesting stranger who immediately helps her bury Santa's body. The story shifts between the repercussions of this, particularly the efforts of the local lawman to find out what happened (he isn't the brightest policeman, and is given as much credit); and the story of Archangel Raziel, who comes to earth to grant the boy his miraculous Christmas wish. Only, Raziel is rather stupid too and doesn't quite know the precise location that Santa is buried. With a well-intended chant, he brings an entire cemetery to life, telling them they must rise to enjoy their Christmas feast. And with the reanimated dead, AKA zombies, that means brains. So begins the hilarious battle between the town members, who are inside the town church for a dateless Christmas party, and the zombies in the grounds outside.
Sound crazy? Of course it is. That's the point, and that's what makes this so enjoyable.
There are so many clever twists of wordplay in this novel – there were many times I found myself uncontrollably laughing out loud (to which I received many strange looks from my wife). Sure, the zombies in this novel won't rival a Max Brooks' creature, but they're not meant to. The funniest part is that they come back in various stages of decay, which isn't that useful for hunting humans, and their biggest weapon for a while is to reveal the secrets they'd heard six feet below, from people above who'd visited the cemetery. The real element of this novel is characterisation – there are so many strange characters in this novel that you never really know what they are going to do next. The policeman's wife is hilarious – she's forgotten her medication and thinks she is the Xena-type female warrior that she played as a character on TV. Of course, that just helps give her a reason to slash away at the zombies…
So if the hilarious combination of Christmas, a small town, weird characters, crazy plotlines, and zombies is your cup of tea, I recommend reading this book during the festive season. Have a Merry Christmas, all.
the novel
'The Stupidest Angel: A Heart-Warming Tale of Christmas Terror' by Christopher Moore (Orbit, paperback 2008) - Humour/Horror
