SacrĂ© Bleu: A Comedy dâArt (Christopher Moore)
"The story surrounds the mysterious suicide of Vincent van Gogh, who famously shot himself in a French wheat field only to walk a mile to a doctorâs house. The mystery, which is slowly but cleverly revealed through the course of the book, is blue: specifically the exclusive ultramarine pigment that accents pictures created by the likes of Michelangelo and van Gogh. To find the origin of the hue, Moore brings on Lucien Lessard, a baker, aspiring artist and lover of Juliette, the brunette beauty who breaks his heart. After van Goghâs death, Lucien joins up with the diminutive force of nature Henri Toulouse-Lautrec to track down the inspiration behind the SacrĂ© Bleu. In the shadows, lurking for centuries, is a perverse paint dealer dubbed The Colorman, who tempts the worldâs great artists with his unique hues and a mysterious female companion who brings revelationâand often syphilis (it is Moore, after all). Into the palette, Moore throws a dizzying array of characters, all expertly portrayed, from the oft-drunk âlittle gentlemanâ to a host of artists including Ădouard Manet, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and Pierre-Auguste Renoir."
Fibble (Dale E. Basye)
"When Marlo Fauster claims she has switched souls with her brother, she gets sent straight to Fibble, the circle of Heck reserved for liars. But itâs trueâMilton and Marlo have switched places, and Marlo finds herself trapped in Miltonâs gross, gangly body. She also finds herself trapped in Fibble, a three-ring media circus run by none other than P. T. Barnum, an insane ringmaster with grandiose plans and giant, flaming pants. Meanwhile Milton, as Marlo, is working at the devilâs new television network, T.H.E.E.N.D. But thereâs something strange about these new shows. Why do they all air at the same time? And are they really broadcasting to the Surface? Soon Milton and Marlo realize that they need each other to sort through the lies and possibly prevent the end of the worldâif Bea âElsaâ Bubb doesnât catch them first.
The Fauster twins are caught up in yet another apocalyptic scheme as hellish figures plot to stoke a ratings war into a holy war, using elaborate lies and propaganda to provoke the end of humanity itself."