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Lunatics: A Novel
Jack has been widowed for close to a year, and his behavior has his friends worried. Arrested for public indecency, Jack insists that he was meeting a moon goddess of desire named Lily. Furthermore, he claims that she can only find him if he waits outside, naked under a full moon. To prevent further troubles with the law, Jack's friends begin taking him to a cabin in the woods each full moon. But one at a time, they are each touched by Lily and forced to deal with their desires before they can truly know their hearts.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
5 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Bradley Denton
63 books63 followersBradley Clayton Denton (born 1958) is an American science fiction author. He has also written other types of fiction, such as the black comedy of his novel Blackburn, about a sympathetic serial killer.
He was born in Towanda, Kansas, and attended the University of Kansas at Lawrence and graduated with degrees in astronomy (B.A.) and English (M.A.). His first published work was the short story "The Music of the Spheres," published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in March 1984. His collection The Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Comedians and A Conflagration Artist won the 1995 World Fantasy Award for Best Collection.
He was born in Towanda, Kansas, and attended the University of Kansas at Lawrence and graduated with degrees in astronomy (B.A.) and English (M.A.). His first published work was the short story "The Music of the Spheres," published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in March 1984. His collection The Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Comedians and A Conflagration Artist won the 1995 World Fantasy Award for Best Collection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 13, 2010
This is a wacky book. I'm not even sure how to classify it really - fantasy/contemporary/comedy. In a nutshell it's about a guy, Jack, who is in love with a moon goddess. His friends, neighbors, and local cops all think he's a loon because he spends one night a month outside, naked as can be, awaiting his lover from the moon (it's the only way she's able to find him).
In an attempt to save him from a permanent stint in jail his friends spend each full moon with him in a cabin located way out in the boonies. It's not long before his friends begin to become affected by the presence of Jack's moon goddess and they begin to have relationship troubles. The book started out funny and the premise was wild but eventually the story turned dull as more and more time was spent on Jack's self-centered, annoying friends who were lusting after each others' wives/boyfriends/etc. etc. I really liked Jack and his moon goddess Lily - they were the only compassionate characters in the bunch - but his friends hogged up most of the book
In an attempt to save him from a permanent stint in jail his friends spend each full moon with him in a cabin located way out in the boonies. It's not long before his friends begin to become affected by the presence of Jack's moon goddess and they begin to have relationship troubles. The book started out funny and the premise was wild but eventually the story turned dull as more and more time was spent on Jack's self-centered, annoying friends who were lusting after each others' wives/boyfriends/etc. etc. I really liked Jack and his moon goddess Lily - they were the only compassionate characters in the bunch - but his friends hogged up most of the book
March 31, 2018
Very entertaining romantic fantasy with minor WSoD problems. 4.5 stars
Each month, when the moon is full, Jack strips naked and waits outside for Lily. If he doesn't, she has trouble finding him on her flight down from the Moon. The Austin police are not pleased --- but , as one of his friends observes, Jack's a few bubbles off level. His friends, thirty-something engineers and academics, are pretty kinky too. There's Halle, a software engineer, "as straightforward a woman as I've ever been shat on by," says a former boyfriend. Halle keeps a chart of who's slept with whom - blue lines are long-term relationships, red lines are "short affairs, brief mistakes, and one-night stands." Even numbers are women, ".... and men, of course, are odd." Carolyn pointed to number 100, which had so many red and blue lines converging on it that it was surrounded by a solid purple ring. "My God," she said, "who's the slut?"
Halle made a throat-clearing noise. "Actually," she said, "that's me."
* * *
This month, Lilith the Moon Goddess was confused by the Austin city lights, and made a hard landing on Guadalupe St. Halle ran out into the street after her and was nearly run over by a silver Lexus whose driver leaned out his window and called her a stupid cunt. She ignored him and ran on to where Lily sat on the steps, looking dazed . "Why did he say cunt as if it were a bad thing?" she asked. Lily sounded shaken.
"Because he meant it as a bad thing," Halle said . "We should get out of here. I'll help you up."
But Lily was still looking at the Lexus. She scowled, and it gave Halle a chill. "Nobody should say cunt as if it were a bad thing," Lily said.
She wiggled her finger at the Lexus as the light turned green, and when the car began to accelerate, both of its rear tires exploded. The Lexus groaned to a halt in the middle of Eighth Street, and then the front tires exploded as well.
Halle stared as a flatbed truck came roaring along Eighth Street. ran the red light, and hit the right rear fender of the Lexus . . . The driver of the Lexus emerged just as one of Lily's loose feathers wafted onto the windshield. When the feather touched the glass, the car's alarm began whooping. The driver stood there gaping at his wrecked automobile as if it were a beached whale.
"I've given him scrotum boils, too," Lily said.
* * *
I had occasional suspension-of-disbelief problems - Jack, in particular, gets a little too loopy at times, and Lily can get pretty weird - but I'm not a regular fantasy reader, and this is a minor quibble. Highly, and enthusiastically, recommended.
Review from circa 2000, reread in 2006, and again in 2016. Lightly revised in 2018.
Each month, when the moon is full, Jack strips naked and waits outside for Lily. If he doesn't, she has trouble finding him on her flight down from the Moon. The Austin police are not pleased --- but , as one of his friends observes, Jack's a few bubbles off level. His friends, thirty-something engineers and academics, are pretty kinky too. There's Halle, a software engineer, "as straightforward a woman as I've ever been shat on by," says a former boyfriend. Halle keeps a chart of who's slept with whom - blue lines are long-term relationships, red lines are "short affairs, brief mistakes, and one-night stands." Even numbers are women, ".... and men, of course, are odd." Carolyn pointed to number 100, which had so many red and blue lines converging on it that it was surrounded by a solid purple ring. "My God," she said, "who's the slut?"
Halle made a throat-clearing noise. "Actually," she said, "that's me."
* * *
This month, Lilith the Moon Goddess was confused by the Austin city lights, and made a hard landing on Guadalupe St. Halle ran out into the street after her and was nearly run over by a silver Lexus whose driver leaned out his window and called her a stupid cunt. She ignored him and ran on to where Lily sat on the steps, looking dazed . "Why did he say cunt as if it were a bad thing?" she asked. Lily sounded shaken.
"Because he meant it as a bad thing," Halle said . "We should get out of here. I'll help you up."
But Lily was still looking at the Lexus. She scowled, and it gave Halle a chill. "Nobody should say cunt as if it were a bad thing," Lily said.
She wiggled her finger at the Lexus as the light turned green, and when the car began to accelerate, both of its rear tires exploded. The Lexus groaned to a halt in the middle of Eighth Street, and then the front tires exploded as well.
Halle stared as a flatbed truck came roaring along Eighth Street. ran the red light, and hit the right rear fender of the Lexus . . . The driver of the Lexus emerged just as one of Lily's loose feathers wafted onto the windshield. When the feather touched the glass, the car's alarm began whooping. The driver stood there gaping at his wrecked automobile as if it were a beached whale.
"I've given him scrotum boils, too," Lily said.
* * *
I had occasional suspension-of-disbelief problems - Jack, in particular, gets a little too loopy at times, and Lily can get pretty weird - but I'm not a regular fantasy reader, and this is a minor quibble. Highly, and enthusiastically, recommended.
Review from circa 2000, reread in 2006, and again in 2016. Lightly revised in 2018.
March 26, 2018
A great fantasy novel, truly unique.
February 19, 2019
If authors were like rock bands, Bradley Denton would be Talking Heads. With every book, he completely changes his subject, style, and composition, yet remains the same fun, eclectic author. It’s invigorating to approach a new Denton novel, akin to meeting an old friend who’s been on an extended safari—you can’t wait to see what he’s brought back. In Lunatics, Denton’s gone hunting in the fertile range of fantasy’s past, wrestled with the ghosts of Thorne Smith and James Branch Cabell, and returned with the trophy of a screwball sex romp that will put a smile on your face and touch your heart.
Jack’s friends are worried. Ever since his wife’s death, he’s withdrawn from them, given up his job and his house, and become a hermit. That is until one January night when the police pick him up in front of his apartment for public indecency. It seems that he was standing nude in the moonlight because that’s the only way his new lover, Lily, the goddess of the moon, can find him. His friends make it their duty to watch over him during these regular bouts of insanity every full moon, to help him regain his senses, but they discover Jack’s sanity is the least of their worries.
With a winged, taloned moon goddess as a central character, it’s hard to classify Lunatics as anything but fantasy, but the book’s heart is realistic character interaction. This interplay is reminiscent of The Big Chill, complete with sexual liaisons gone awry and friendships that sometimes hang on the most tenuous of threads. The fantastical element is the spark that moves the plot, but is otherwise lost in the shuffle of bodies and minds.
Straight-laced readers should beware: this is a novel about sex and how it affects people. Although Lunatics is never pornographic, Denton’s approach to the subject (as in Blackburn) is forthright. The characters talk like real people and do things that real people do. It’s a refreshing change of pace from fantasies where characters have the physiognomy of Barbie dolls and the bedroom life of The Dick van Dyke Show.
Lunatics is Denton’s strongest novel—an impressive feat given the strengths of Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede and Blackburn. You can’t call Denton a promising author anymore. The promise has been fulfilled; the man has arrived.
Jack’s friends are worried. Ever since his wife’s death, he’s withdrawn from them, given up his job and his house, and become a hermit. That is until one January night when the police pick him up in front of his apartment for public indecency. It seems that he was standing nude in the moonlight because that’s the only way his new lover, Lily, the goddess of the moon, can find him. His friends make it their duty to watch over him during these regular bouts of insanity every full moon, to help him regain his senses, but they discover Jack’s sanity is the least of their worries.
With a winged, taloned moon goddess as a central character, it’s hard to classify Lunatics as anything but fantasy, but the book’s heart is realistic character interaction. This interplay is reminiscent of The Big Chill, complete with sexual liaisons gone awry and friendships that sometimes hang on the most tenuous of threads. The fantastical element is the spark that moves the plot, but is otherwise lost in the shuffle of bodies and minds.
Straight-laced readers should beware: this is a novel about sex and how it affects people. Although Lunatics is never pornographic, Denton’s approach to the subject (as in Blackburn) is forthright. The characters talk like real people and do things that real people do. It’s a refreshing change of pace from fantasies where characters have the physiognomy of Barbie dolls and the bedroom life of The Dick van Dyke Show.
Lunatics is Denton’s strongest novel—an impressive feat given the strengths of Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede and Blackburn. You can’t call Denton a promising author anymore. The promise has been fulfilled; the man has arrived.
January 3, 2016
I read this book because I really enjoyed Blackburn by Bradley Denton.
While this was not quite as good, it was still enjoyable. It is a mystery why this author is not widely known in the world of books.
Fantasy is generally not my preference when it comes to reading. But, the fantasy elements in this book were used more as a metaphor. The characters and friendships depicted in the story were certainly believable, and true to real life.
I'm sure I will read more from this author. But, I will space them out as there are few of them.
While this was not quite as good, it was still enjoyable. It is a mystery why this author is not widely known in the world of books.
Fantasy is generally not my preference when it comes to reading. But, the fantasy elements in this book were used more as a metaphor. The characters and friendships depicted in the story were certainly believable, and true to real life.
I'm sure I will read more from this author. But, I will space them out as there are few of them.
September 18, 2016
This is one of Denton's least-known books, quite different in tone from his other works, but it's a very good one. It's a romantic comedy with a little bit of a wistful flavor, very funny yet also thought-provoking. Best read by moonlight.
April 27, 2013
Lunatics is one of my favorite books of all time! I re-read it every year or so. It's funny and sad and strange but it all works out in the end. That's my favorite kind of read.
May 25, 2018
this book was the sheeeeeyit...100% charming. nothing to deep, but not lacking in substance either. lots of fun. a great lil read for when you're in need of a break from the heaviness of life
March 21, 2017
This was a cute story and I am generally not a fan of cute. This was also the oldest unread book on my shelves. It came to be there on a trip to Powell's Books in Portland with my son. The store was AMAZING but money was tight. I'd never heard of this book, it is set in Texas, where I live, and a quick consult with Amazon told me it was out-of-print (at the time). I have a major weakness for out-of-print books. Fear of lost opportunities. So this book came home with me. I should have gone with the Charles de Lint I was coveting instead.
There's nothing wrong with this book. I love the format: There are twelve parts, each corresponding to a different month and a different named full moon (Blue Moon, Harvest Moon, etc). I lived in Austin very briefly, once upon a time, and it was fun to read about the various local landmarks.
This purports on the surface to be a book about a moon goddess and people driven to sexual lunacy.
What it's really about is friendship, complicated relationships, loss, grief and healing. In theory, it's a great concept for a cute, happy-ending story, which it is. It might make a super cute movie.
However, for me, it dragged on too long and I never got invested beyond the surface of the characters. They were weakly portrayed, trite, and selfish.
Cute, but average.
There's nothing wrong with this book. I love the format: There are twelve parts, each corresponding to a different month and a different named full moon (Blue Moon, Harvest Moon, etc). I lived in Austin very briefly, once upon a time, and it was fun to read about the various local landmarks.
This purports on the surface to be a book about a moon goddess and people driven to sexual lunacy.
What it's really about is friendship, complicated relationships, loss, grief and healing. In theory, it's a great concept for a cute, happy-ending story, which it is. It might make a super cute movie.
However, for me, it dragged on too long and I never got invested beyond the surface of the characters. They were weakly portrayed, trite, and selfish.
Cute, but average.
March 22, 2017
A few years ago, I read Blackburn by Bradley Denton, a pretty funny book about a serial killer. I liked that one a lot. Lunatics is very different. This book resembles, more than anything, a romantic comedy (certainly not my favorite genre). The story starts with Jack, a recent widower, who meets Lily (real name: Lilith), who is the goddess of the moon. She comes to Jack once a month (only during the full moon) and they engage in sex. Jack falls head over heels in love with her, and isn't bothered by the once-a-month contact or the fact that Lily has wings and bird-like feet. An intriguing fantasy concept. Much of the book revolves around Jack's circle of friends: a married couple, a committed couple, and a single mom who hops from relationship to relationship. Lily's presence causes their love (and sex) lives to careen wildly out of control. The book is funny and sexy, though at times, it's also sad and melancholic. It isn't anywhere near the quality of Blackburn, but it's a light, engaging, fun read.
September 20, 2024
3.5 - was a fun read but lots of the characters sucked,
bought it because the staff review was really funny and the book is cool i just hated alot of the characters + despise affair arcs.
loved the ending for jack & lily, they were my fave characters but didn’t actually get a lot of content, indifferent to halle, meh to carolyn (she annoyed me) and i HATE Katy and even more so how Katy and Stephens story ended. Very stupid.
the review went something like ‘jack is down bad and his friends are even more down badder’
bought it because the staff review was really funny and the book is cool i just hated alot of the characters + despise affair arcs.
loved the ending for jack & lily, they were my fave characters but didn’t actually get a lot of content, indifferent to halle, meh to carolyn (she annoyed me) and i HATE Katy and even more so how Katy and Stephens story ended. Very stupid.
the review went something like ‘jack is down bad and his friends are even more down badder’
Read
March 24, 2025Wacky! And $4 from second story books!
January 8, 2017
I enjoyed the book and getting to know the characters.
August 6, 2024
Started off quite unique and funny. Halfway through, it lost its charm, and I missed the character development. Might have been there somehow, but not strong enough. I found myself skimming after 200 pages …
March 7, 2011
Every full moon, the goddess Lilith, she of the sumptuous body, black wings and chicken feet, descends to earth. Initially, she was drawn to Jack to help him recover from the loss of the woman he loved. But when Jack's friends become concerned by his peculiar behavior (getting naked in the full moonlight, to begin with), Lilith can't resist "helping" them with their own love lives. What ensues is sweet and sexy, romantic and hilarious. I can't believe I waited this long to read it!
December 16, 2011
I checked this book out of the library numerous times when in college. Perhaps it was because I felt a bit scandalous reading some of the bits - though they are certainly much more tame by my current standards. I just love the quirky characters, magical moments, and ultimately I'm a sucker for an unlikely love story.
January 11, 2024
I know it's wrong, but I admit I was drawn to the cover of this book showing a large full moon with a face upon it.
I had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. This is a fantastical story of friendship, involving a Moon Goddess, winter-blooming flowers, infidelity, nudity, and love. It's not a BIG or IMPORTANT story, but one well worth the reading.
I had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. This is a fantastical story of friendship, involving a Moon Goddess, winter-blooming flowers, infidelity, nudity, and love. It's not a BIG or IMPORTANT story, but one well worth the reading.
July 11, 2007
I got this book based an a review of his latest book called Laughin' Boy. I couldn't find Laughin' Boy anywhere so I got this one instead. A little disappointing. But I still plan on reading Laughin' Boy.
June 13, 2014
A little mushy in places. Somewhat interesting premise and some good quips. Common silly sayings are used through out in a funny way. People interactions are interesting at the beginning but get kind of too sweet and predictable towards the end.
June 30, 2008
This was just a really fun read. Great for lazy summer reading. Good fantasy and humorous real-life-ness to it at the same time.
December 28, 2010
Predictable, but fun to read regardless.
Want to read
February 25, 2011Sounds like it could be good and weird, or super cheesy. Let's hope for the former.
September 26, 2012
I really enjoyed this book.
February 12, 2013
Obviously I am in the minority on this book. Didn't like it at all!!!!
April 14, 2013
What a lovely book, it was funny and quite light reading.
October 23, 2013
An interesting, simple little fantasy. Especially interesting that it was written by a man! It's more of a chick book!
May 7, 2015
Compelling. Luminous. Crazy. Couldn't put it down.
July 22, 2015
Delightful and charming
August 20, 2007
A loony love story about a guy named Jack and his beautiful Moon Goddess, Lily.
January 21, 2008
Very fun. Set in Austin.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews