I picked up You Suck after reading some nice things about author Christopher Moore. I hadn’t read any of his books, and it sounded like the perfect thing to follow up my assault on Pynchon’s Against the Day. The Pynchon’s still there, taunting me, but You Suck made the cut for a family vacation. I liked You Suck well enough that I bought its predecessor, Bloodsucking Fiends, on another trip.

You suck cover Bloodsucking Fiends Cover

I read the books out of order, but I can’t say that it made a huge difference. In case you haven’t deduced from the covers/titles, the books are comedic send ups of vampire stories. The books are both set in San Francisco. Like Anne Rice’s New Orleans-based vampire novels, San Francisco just feels right as a setting for undead supernatural hi-jinks.

The books tell the story of Tommy, a wannabe writer from midwest, who meets recently “turned” vampire and hottie, Jody. The cast is rounded out by the Emperor, a homeless guy who knows the city’s secrets; The Animals, the night crew at the Safeway (Marina location); and Elijah, an ancient vampire.

The star of the show though, for me, was a teenage goth girl who becomes Tommy’s minion in the second book. She calls herself Abby Normal, and may be the funniest character in recent memory. Her recounting of events show up in diary entries written in hilarious teen speak.

Bloodsucking Fiends was written about 10 years before You Suck, which is a relatively recent release. In those intervening years, it appears to me that Moore has grown tremendously as a writer. While I enjoyed both books, the writing in You Suck is much better. If you’re looking for a light, enjoyable, quick read, buy You Suck. If you really enjoy it, you can always go back and get Bloodsucking Fiends later.