You ever wonder what happens when you throw a legendary painter, the fathers of psychoanalysis, and a literal monster into a blender? Christopher Moore did. And honestly, it’s a lot. His latest novel, Christopher Moore Anima Rising, dropped in May 2025, and it’s basically what happens when Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein decides to go on a bender in 1911 Vienna. It is weird. It is dark. And yeah, it’s kinda brilliant in that specific way only Moore can pull off.
If you’ve read Lamb or Sacre Bleu, you know the drill. Moore loves taking historical figures and making them do ridiculous things. But this one feels different. It’s got this "Poor Things" meets "Bride of Frankenstein" vibe that hits you over the head from the first page.
The Gory, Golden Setup of Anima Rising
The story starts with Gustav Klimt. Yeah, the guy who painted The Kiss. He’s walking along the Danube canal when he spots a naked woman floating in the water. Most people would call the police. Klimt? He stops to sketch her first. Typical artist.
Turns out, she’s not dead. She’s very much alive, super feral, and has zero clue who she is. Klimt calls her Judith. He takes her back to his studio, where his model and muse, Wally Neuzil, helps look after her. This is where the Christopher Moore Anima Rising plot gets properly insane.
Judith isn’t just some random amnesiac. As she starts to recover her memories—thanks to some heavy lifting by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung—she realizes she was actually built. Like, in a lab. A hundred years ago. By a guy named Victor Frankenstein.
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She spent a century locked in a crate in the Arctic. Now she’s in Vienna, and she’s not exactly happy about it.
Why the Setting Matters
Vienna in 1911 was basically the center of the intellectual universe. You had artists like Egon Schiele running around being edgy. You had Freud obsessed with, well, everything Freud is obsessed with. Moore leans into this hard.
- The Freud-Jung Rivalry: Seeing these two bicker while trying to figure out if Judith is a zombie or a miracle is peak comedy.
- The Art Scene: Moore describes the messy, often problematic lives of these painters with a bluntness that's refreshing.
- The Looming Shadow: There’s a "failed artist" named Hitler wandering around the edges of the story. It’s uncomfortable, but it adds a layer of dread to the absurdity.
The Most "Christopher Moore" Character Ever
We have to talk about Geoff.
Geoff is a giant, shapeshifting, croissant-eating devil dog of the North. He’s essentially a demon who follows Judith around. At one point, he horks up a baby walrus on Freud's expensive rug. If that sentence doesn't tell you exactly what kind of book this is, nothing will.
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Geoff is the heart of the humor in Christopher Moore Anima Rising. Without him, the book might actually be too dark. Because, let's be real, the backstory of a woman stitched together from corpses and left in the ice isn't exactly a barrel of laughs.
It’s Darker Than You Think
A lot of fans were surprised by the tone here. While Lamb was irreverent and Razzmatazz was a romp, this novel goes to some heavy places. Moore doesn't shy away from the reality of how women were treated in the early 1900s.
There’s a lot of discussion about the "boinking" (as the models call it) and the power dynamics between Klimt and his teenage muses. Some readers found it a bit much. Moore defends it in his afterword, pointing out that historical accuracy is often gross. It creates a weird tension. You’re laughing at a demon dog one minute and then feeling a pit in your stomach the next.
What the Critics Are Saying
The reception has been a wild mix. Some people are calling it a "small masterpiece." Others DNF'd (Did Not Finish) it in the first three chapters because the banter was too high-octane.
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- Locus Magazine praised the "beating heart of empathy" beneath the gonzo humor.
- Publishers Weekly called it "hilariously deranged."
- Goodreads Reviewers are split; some love the deep dive into Jungian archetypes, while others think it's a "shaggy-dog story" that tests your patience.
Honestly? It’s a Christopher Moore book. You’re either in for the ride or you’re not. There is no middle ground when a book involves Carl Jung performing hypnosis on a 100-year-old undead bride.
Actionable Tips for New Readers
If you’re planning on picking up Christopher Moore Anima Rising, here is how to actually enjoy it without getting a headache:
- Don't Google the Art Yet: Wait until you’ve read a few chapters. Moore’s descriptions are so vivid that it’s fun to see how they match (or don't match) the real paintings later.
- Read the Afterword: Do not skip this. Moore explains which parts are real history and which parts he totally made up. Finding out that Wally Neuzil was a real person makes the ending hit way harder.
- Check the Trigger Warnings: Seriously. If you’re sensitive to themes of sexual violence or the mistreatment of women in history, tread carefully. It’s a darker vibe than his previous stuff.
- Audiobook it: Christopher Moore books are famously good as audiobooks. The dialogue is snappy and meant to be heard.
This isn't just a sequel to Frankenstein. It's a weird, smutty, brilliant exploration of what it means to have a soul—or an "anima"—even if you were put together with needle and thread.
Grab a croissant (for Geoff), find a comfortable chair, and get ready for a fever dream that only makes sense once you're halfway through it.