Lamb
May 19, 2018 4:44 PM - by Christopher Moore - Subscribe

The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

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 Messiahs 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 Saviors pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But theres no one who loves Josh more — except maybe “Maggie,” Mary of Magdala — and Biff isnt about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.
posted by Frayed Knot (4 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
I read Lamb over ten years ago so I remember very few details, but Jesus inventing a martial art based around passive resistance to your attacker and monks calling it "Jew-do" has stuck with me as one of the most sublime bad puns I've ever seen.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:07 PM on May 19, 2018 [7 favorites]


Oh this is one of my favorites! Been a while since I read it, but for all that it made me cry laughing, part of what's stuck with me from the book is how genuinely wrenching the end is. I knew what was coming, obviously, but seeing it through Biff's eyes was heartbreaking.
posted by yasaman at 6:14 PM on May 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


I love this. First read it a decade ago, and have reread it once or twice in the intervening time, with great joy. You know what's coming at the end — it's, uh, not exactly a secret — and yet somehow the hijinks of the book sweep you up and make you forget.

I've read other Christopher Moore books since, though this is his best, I think. Lamb, in particular, reminds me of Terry Pratchett. I just read Pratchett's excellent Small Gods, which is also about (fictional Discworld) religion and gods and prophets, and would definitely recommend that to anyone who loves Lamb.
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 9:51 PM on May 19, 2018


love this book, I read it years ago but some of the images still hang around in my mind. Moore is always a fun read
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:38 AM on May 20, 2018


« Older Movie: The Ballad of Cable Hog...   |  Cobra Kai: Cobra Kai Never Die... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments

poster