Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

infobox Book |
name = Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover of American paperback (Perennial)
author = Christopher Moore
cover_artist = Ruth Marten
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = absurdist fiction
publisher = William Morrow & Company
release_date = 3 June 2003
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 336 pg
isbn = ISBN 0-380-97841-5
preceded_by =
followed_by = The Stupidest Angel

"Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings" is the seventh novel by Christopher Moore. Published in 2003, it combines elements of absurdist and fantasy fiction, as well as the author's own brand of social commentary and humor. A serious theme in the novel involves environmentalism, particularly that associated with whales; and the author's personal research-experience with marine biologists helped to inform much of the story.

An unabridged commercial audio cassette recording of "Fluke" has been issued with narration by Bill Irwin and whale songs.

On July 29, 2004, NBC's "Today Show" author Nicholas Sparks chose Fluke as the next title to be read by the Today Book Club. [http://news.bookweb.org/news/2743.html]

Plot introduction

The plot of "Fluke" is set on and off the Hawai'ian island of Maui as well as deep underneath the Pacific Ocean off the shore of Chile.

Nathan Quinn, a marine biologist, goes out on a routine day-trip expedition to survey whales in the area. When he photographs one of the whale's flukes, he notices that the words "BITE ME" are spelled out in huge letters on the mammal's tail-fin. His curiosity and investigations uncover one mystery after another as he seeks the answers considering the source of this peculiarity.

External links

* [http://chrismoore.com/fluke.html Author's own site for the novel]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802EEDF1538F935A25755C0A9659C8B63&sec=&pagewanted=1 New York Times Review]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/15/RV.DTL San Francisco Chronicle Review]