Jean-Paul’s Rating: 4/5 stars

Fully titled “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal”, this is a very serious retelling of what Christopher Moore envisioned what Jesus Christ’s childhood would have been like. I’m just kidding. This is a comedy. And a really well written one. You see, despite what the gospels want you to know, Jesus, or Joshua as he was really know, had an actual childhood and he spent it mostly trying to figure out what exactly it means to be the Christ. He receives absolutely no help from his father in this endeavor, but he does have his best friend Biff to help him through. The gospels don’t want you to know about him either! It’s a conspiracy! During Joshua’s effort to find out what’s what, Biff selflessly helps Joshua learn about sin by demonstration and follows him around Africa and Southeast Asia as he tracks down the three wise men that visited him as a babe.

“Lamb” is quite funny and Christopher Moore is gifted at extracting the humor out of every possible situation. The completely made up stuff about Joshua’s childhood is perfect in just about every possible way. The almost assuredly made up stuff that you find in the gospels that Moore touches on is also enjoyable, but at some points feels a bit forced to the story. The entire book is light-hearted and fun, but also with a bit of reverence for the subject you wouldn’t expect.

Reading “Lamb” makes me want to read more of Moore’s books. I guess that’s really all you have to know to recognize that I recommend reading this book. Moore is equal parts Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett in his humor, but has his own unique writing style. I am looking forward to exploring him further.