Secondhand Souls: A Novel

Description

It seems like only yesterday that Charlie Asher took on a very dirty job-collecting souls and keeping the Forces of Darkness at bay. The new gig came with the Big Book of the Dead and a host of other oddities: creatures under the streets, an evil trinity of raven-like Celtic death goddesses, and one very bad Underworld dude attempting to conquer humanity. Charlie faced off against these denizens of darkness-and met his own end. But thanks to Audrey, his Buddhist-nun boo, his soul is still alive...inside a fourteen-inch-high body made from lunchmeat and spare animal parts. Waiting for Audrey to find him a suitable new body to play host, Charlie has squirreled himself away from everyone, including his adorable seven-year-old daughter, Sophie, who enjoys being the Luminatus-spouting off about her power over the Underworld and her dominion over Death. Just when Charlie and company thought the world was safe, some really freaky stuff hits San Francisco. People are dying, but their souls are not being collected. Someone-or something-is stealing them and no one knows where they are going, or why, but it has something to do with that big orange bridge. Then there's the Taser-wielding banshee keening about doom who's suddenly appeared while Sophie's guardian hellhounds, Alvin and Mohammed, have mysteriously vanished. To get to the bottom of this abomination, Charlie and a motley crew of heroes will band together. And with little Sophie babbling about the coming battle for the very soul of humankind, time is definitely not on their side....

Christopher Moore is the author of fifteen previous novels, including Secondhand Souls, Sacre Bleu, A Dirty Job, and Lamb. He lives in San Francisco, California.

"Writing should be fun. [Moore] takes that to a whole new level...weird, expletive-laden, wildly entertaining ... the perfect palate cleanser before the fall's literary entrees... You just can't make this stuff up. But Chrisopher Moore can." -- Washington Post "[F]antastically bizarre ... wickedly entertaining ... [a] rollicking ride... Moore creates a novel that pulses with its own glowing soul start to finish." -- USA Today (3.5 out of 4 stars) "Moore has created a world all his own, tackling dark subjects with a light-hearted irreverence. There's a surprising amount of pathos to be found in a story that centers around a squirrel-man with a giant dong. Moore fans, rejoice." -- AV Club "[A] perfect way to end your summer reading, proving once again that Christopher Moore is one of a kind." -- Huffington Post "Secondhand Souls is a romping tale... There are some great pairings of characters here, and their relationships hold the whole nutty sequel together." -- Bookreporter.com "This novel is as zany, heartfelt, irresistible, and flat out as strange as it is billed...Secondhand Souls does not disappoint as a sequel and stands up as a solid novel filled with fun, humor, horror, and a fantastical cast of characters." -- New York Journal of Books "Secondhand Souls isn't a book you savor. ...This is a binge-reading book, a crazy, fast-paced trip that leaves you satisfied, a little sleepy, and ready for the next installment. I mean, I can't wait to see what happens when Death goes through puberty." -- Dallas Morning News "Disturbingly hilarious. And vice versa." -- Jenny Lawson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Let's Pretend This Didn't Happen