* Fiction. By Christopher Moore. William Morrow, $25.95. Grade: A-

Plot in a nutshell: Perhaps the two most common books found in English-speaking homes are the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. Moore took on the Bible in Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. Now it's time for Shakespeare as he serves up an extremely liberal retelling of King Lear, as told by Pocket, the diminutive fool, complete with copious footnotes, most of which will provide guffaws for readers.

While Shakespeare implied sexual shenanigans in his work, Moore is more direct. The author warns: "This is a bawdy tale. Herein you will find gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity, as well as nontraditional grammar, split infinitives, and the odd wank."

In Moore's book, the fool is responsible for most of the intrigue, and, along with his cohorts - scullery maids, an apprentice jester, a female penitent walled into a turret, the three witches from Macbeth, and many others - he manipulates the court into changing the face of Europe. Along the way, he manages to find himself in bed with most of the females in the cast, on numerous occasions.

Lots of folks die, just like in the original, but the author takes some liberties with the end, so the only tears readers shed should be tears of laughter.

Sample of prose: " 'So why is it that we are going to Great Birnam Wood to look for witches?' asked Kent as we made our way across the moor . . .

" 'Because the bloody ghost told me I'd find my answers here.'

" 'Ghost?'

" 'The girl ghost at the White Tower, keep up, Kent . . . '

"Kent nodded as if he understood. 'And I'm along because . . . '

" 'Because it is dark and I am small.'

" 'You might have asked Curan or one of the others. I'm reticent about witches.'

" 'Nonsense. They're just like physicians, only without the bleeding. Nothing to fear.'"

Pros: Moore's quirky brand of humor is present from the start. This is the only author alive who could take one of the greatest tragedies written in the English language and turn it into a laugh-out-loud comedy.

Cons: There are references to at least a dozen of Shakespeare's plays. Readers not familiar with the Bard will miss a lot of the jokes.

Final word: If you hear of an earthquake near Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, it's either Bill Shakespeare rolling over in his grave or shaking with laughter. Millions of high school students have groaned when their English teachers assign units on Shakespeare. Fool could make readers of them all - if only their parents let them read it.