Customer Reviews

Fugitive Moon

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4 star:		(1)
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"Fugitive Moon" features a collection
of character portraits, particularly of
the protagonist: oddball, occasionally institutionalized, relief pitcher
Theodore Moon, the Moonman.
Author Faust's dialog is as inventive,
original, and scathingly clever as the
idiosyncratic characters who deliver
it. However, the framework of a
series of murders of transvestites
into which these characters are
poured, is unfortunately left so vague
that I wondered why it was needed
at all. While the murderer is eventually revealed, I didn't really care who
it turned out to be. This may, in fact,
be Faust's intention in this send-up
of late-20th century America, but
that wasn't clear enough to me.
Nonetheless, reading the thoughts of
Teddy Moon and listening to his exchanges with the insane, inane and
profane corps of baseball players, ex-
wives and girlfriends, asylum residents and assorted non-institutionalized screwballs who surround him
make the 300+ pages of "Fugitive
Moon" more than entertaining.

***********
Bill Lee, a talented pitcher
aptly nicknamed "Spaceman", retired
after the 1982 baseball season. Faust started
writing this novel in 1983, expecting
at first to write a more traditional
baseball story, according to his
Author's Note, before being led splendidly astray by the Moonman character. I wonder if he was consciously
or subconsciously influenced by the
on and off-field antics of Mr. Lee.

A very pleasurable introduction to a unique character. Suspension of disbelief is called for in a big way, but the excitement and genuine feeling created makes for a worthwhile, fun and touching read.