The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years -- except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work "reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams" (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior's pal may not be enough to divert Joshuafrom his tragic destiny. But there's no one who loves Josh more -- except maybe "Maggie," Mary of Magdala -- and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.

While the Bible may be the word of God, transcribed by divinely inspired men, it does not provide a full (or even partial) account of the life of Jesus Christ. Lucky for us that Christopher Moore presents a funny, lighthearted satire of the life of Christ--from his childhood days up to his crucifixion--in Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. This clever novel is surely blasphemy to some, but to others it's a coming-of-age story of the highest order.

Joshua (a.k.a. Jesus) knows he is unique and quite alone in his calling, but what exactly does his Father want of him? Taking liberties with ancient history, Moore works up an adventure tale as Biff and Joshua seek out the three wise men so that Joshua can better understand what he is supposed to do as Messiah. Biff, a capable sinner, tags along and gives Joshua ample opportunities to know the failings and weaknesses of being truly human. With a wit similar to Douglas Adams, Moore pulls no punches: a young Biff has the hots for Joshua's mom, Mary, which doesn't amuse Josh much: "Don't let anyone ever tell you that the Prince of Peace never struck anyone." And the origin of the Easter Bunny is explained as a drunken Jesus gushes his affection for bunnies, declaring, "Henceforth and from now on, I decree that whenever something bad happens to me, there shall be bunnies around."

One small problem with the narrative is that Biff and Joshua often do not have distinct voices. A larger difficulty is that as the tone becomes more somber with Joshua's life drawing to its inevitable close, the one-liners, though not as numerous, seem forced. True to form, Lamb keeps the story of Joshua light, even after its darkest moments. --Michael Ferch

Customer Rating:
Summary: Imaginative
Comment: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. I gave it four stars for its imaginative qualities. The reality is that Jesus' father was a poor carpenter, not like the carpenters of today who make a good living. That meant Jesus probably had to help him most of the time for no pay. When Jesus gave us the Our Father He said, "Give us this day our daily bread" because He knew that's about all you got back then if you were lucky.
There is another beautiful new book on Jesus entitled "The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers: A Message for Everyone," by John H. Eagan. I just finished it. It's really great and deals with Jesus' teachings and His Passion. It brought me to tears. I think the readers of Moore's book will really enjoy The Enlightenment.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Books
Comment: The first book I ever read by Christopher Moore was A Dirty Job: A Novel. I instantly fell in love, not just because it's hilarious, which it is. But also because it is a humane book, touching without being sweet; attune to our goodness and cruelties and affirming the mix. I went on immediately to read this one and it is even better.

It is the story of the "lost years" of Jesus' life - the oldest we get to see him in the gospels is 12. When next we meet him, he is maybe 31 or 32. This story speculates on some of what happened in between, where the adolescent Jesus goes in search of his divine identity - he knows officially who he is, but he doesn't really know yet what that means. The search leads him to places and ideas foreign to Christianity, but none of that is insulting. For those who worry about such things, the book is irreverent because its narrator (Biff, Christ's childhood pal is irreverent. But it is not contemptuous in the least to the received stories of Jesus, and incorporates it wisely into the characters.

I'm sorry for the reviewer below who criticizes Moore's alleged mysogyny in leaving Maggie (the Magdalen) largely waiting in the wings, but that just wasn't this story. This is a quest story. An absurd and extremely funny quest story (like Don Quixote), but a quest story nonetheless. In quest stories, three's a crowd.

I have since read some of his vampire comedies (such as Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story), and they're very good, but they aren't as - there's that word again - as humane as the this one and A Dirty Job. Reading this book, like reading most of Moore's novels, actually made me happy while I was reading it, and happy to recall it. It also makes me want to thank Mr. Moore and to keep reading his books.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Comment: My first Moore book, will definitely not be my last. Hilarious stuff and an enjoyable read.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Read it.
Comment: This was a great read, probably the best from Mr Moore to date in my humble opinion. Even my God fearing mom thought the book was a riot!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Satire at its Best
Comment: In the words of Christopher Moore, "... if one's faith can be shaken by stories in a humorous novel, one may need a bit more praying to do." While some of the elements of "Lamb" may lend a new perspective to the times of Jesus, is it a work of fiction. Futhermore, it is satire. The idea of giving Jesus a flamboyant friend to follow him from childhood through his ministry gives the Gospel stories a different perspective. For most people, the perspective is worth many laughs.

The New Testament tells very little of the childhood of Jesus. Since there is little reason to believe that these gaps will ever be filled, Christopher Moore took the liberty of filling in the gap with proper historical context. It is admirable that much of the writing is so true to the time period. From the first miracles of Jesus as a child, Biff follows the Messiah with a sense of wonder. Yet at the same time, Biff is somewhat rough around the edges while trying to protect a friend he views to be naive. Two thousand years after Jesus's ministry, Biff is raised from the dead to tell his story. With the angel Raziel to supervise his writing in a modern hotel, Moore alternates between past and present.

The puns and twists are unlikely to offend many, but certainly some will find reason to object. It seems as though it is a divine gift of comedy. From circumcisions to bacon to human sexuality, few topics are off limits. It is the type of book that you will want to quote to friends like a classic Monty Python skit.

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