Absolute delight. Hilarious story of escaped lab birds. ( )

Birds flocking into addiction. Hanging. Obsessing. You know, the usual San Francisco scene. Billed as being "uproarious," I'd say it was worth a grin or too at the clever plot (I rarely find "whacky" all that hysterically funny). ( )

This book caught me off guard. it was loaned to me by Jenn as one of her favorite books/authors. I tend not to read the backs of books or movies that i will be consuming immediately. reading the summary or teaser will give away too much information. i find myself remembering bits and pieces of the blurb and wondering when they are going to happen. It isnt as bad as when a DVD menu shows all the good parts in the background, but it is enough that it makes aspects of reading a bit uncomfortable, and often times frustrating. i cracked this book open on recommendation alone and was immediately laughing and sucked into the pages.

Frisco Pigeon Mambo is the story of three pigeons (robin, honky, and petey). They are part of a study in a laboratory in which they are “volunteers” for test group C. Test group C spends all day eating Organic Pigeon Chow, drinking Sherry from beakers, and smoking cigarettes from the “smoke-o-matic”. each of them believe themselves to be doing the great work of helping out other humans as part of the volunteer study. thats right, i said other humans… these pigeons believe they are people, and look down on the pigeon world they have heard so much about.

one chapter in, whilst they are being read the “Maltese Falcon” by Maryanne, a lab tech, members of the animal rights group ARF burst into the room and decide to free all of the animals, even the ones who are perfectly content smoking and drinking sherry all day.

The book really picks up from there, showing how these miniaturized humans fight to survive in a city they dont understand. stealing cigarettes and booze they become hated and feared city wide as “the killer pigeons”, though this is confusing to them as they are people, not pigeons. Their only true hope is to find Sam Spade, the detective from the Maltese Falcon story, as he could help guide them back to the lab where they can continue working for the greater good, and have all the smokes and sherry they can ingest again… ahhh, the good ol’ days.

i suggest listening to Sinatra and other similar music while reading this.
( )

i don't know that many authors can top these characters - chain smoking, alcoholic, tap dancing pigeons and other birds. that, um, don't really know they are birds.

this book isn't pee-your-pants funny, but it's in the vicinity. ( )

This is the story of a group of pigeons on whom a group of researchers are testing the effects of nicotine, alcohol, and junk food. Predictably, the pigeons are fat, lazy and drunk. When a group of animal rights acitivists liberate them from their Berkeley science lab and set them free in San Francisco, all the pigeons care about is getting back to their posh cages where a simple peck on a lever supplied them with all their vices. Desperately needing a nicotine and alcohol fix, the pigeons begin swooping down and plucking lit cigarettes from the lips of startled smokers, and dancing in formation on bars to get free drinks. Absurd, hilarious, satirical fun. ( )