Review: Lamb – The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Let me start this off with a word straight from the author, Christopher Moore…

If you have come to these pages for laughter, may you find it.
If you are here to be offended, may your ire rise and your blood boil.
If you seek an adventure, may this song sing you away to blissful escape.
If you need to test or confirm your beliefs, may you reach comfortable conclusions.
All books reveal perfection, by what they are or what they are not.
May you find that which you seek, in these pages or outside them.
May you find perfection, and know it by name.

Yeah, that’s basically the most wonderful introduction to both the book, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal and this review. This story is a hilarious fictitious telling of the story that The Bible leaves out – the childhood of Jesus. It’s a coming-of-age story told by the sassiest and most smartassest of characters, Biff.

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 Joshua from 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.

This book was AMAZING. I don’t think I found myself going more than just a couple of pages without laughing out loud. The cast of characters are so well fleshed out that you feel as if you’re sitting right there amongst them. Biff is perfection. Seriously, you never know what is going to come out of his mouth next and it is always so darn witty. He would make the perfect cast member on SNL, I swear. Even though he tends to say some pretty awful things sometimes (awful as in hilariously bad), the best part about him is the love he has for his best friend, Joshua (Jesus). The loyalty between those two is astounding and is friendship goals, for sure! I also loved that Moore was able to give some very human qualities to Jesus, allowing him to be someone you can truly relate to. He gets frustrated and moody and enjoys playing jokes on people, just like any normal person. He made him into someone that is more than just the Son of God.

The plot line was pretty steady throughout, just a few parts that seemed to drag a bit with nothing to show other than some witty comments from Biff. Their time at the monastery was probably my least favorite as it was a lull in the action. I also get why Moore had to spend so much time on Jesus’s life before he began his ministry. However, I would have preferred for the book to have been just a bit longer so he could put some more detail into the last few years of his life as that part seemed very rushed.

I appreciate that while this book is a satire, it never treads too far over the line. Moore is able to recreate the life of Jesus with just the right amount of humor. However, I can see how some people may not appreciate certain jokes or the rather human side to Christ. You will find Jesus cursing a bit (as well as learning about sex from Biff) and while I like to think that He had that normal teenage side to Him, I understand that others may not. So just keep that in mind if you were considering recommending this book to Grandma Betty because she loves Christian fiction. DON’T DO IT.

All in all, I don’t really have anything bad to say about this book. It’s such a great read. If you’re looking for something full of satire and comedic genius, then pick Lamb. You will not be disappointed!

Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars