Lamb

Anyone who has been to this blog more than a couple of times know that I'm not a religious person, though I do respect the beliefs of others, even if those beliefs are batshit crazy. I do like a good story too. Based on the recommendation from a couple of people I set out to read "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" by Christopher Moore, only my second reading on the subject of Jesus Christ after the New Testament (I really do have a Bible, here in my house, locked away in an iron box so as to not drain my powers).

What exactly was the son of God up to between his birth and the establishment of his ministry? Moore sets out to fill in the gaps that are woefully missing in the New Testament in a brilliant and humorous way. The writing is akin to something I would expect from Douglas Adams, a very good trait. Here's what you can expect to learn about the years 1 through 33 (I'm borrowing from the inside cover of the book):

• What to do if your kid's face suddenly appears on every loaf of bread in town
• The proper method for choosing a harlot
• How sarcasm was invented
• The history of the martial art specifically designed for boys from Nazareth (aka Jewdo)
• What the rough draft of the Sermon on the Mount sounded like
• How to tell when an image of the Virgin Mary is a bona fide vision... and when it's just elephant poop
• How bunnies came to be associated with Easter

If I had to say anything critical about the book is that I found the laughs to be a little inconsistent. The first part of the book deals with Jesus' early years as a child and it is laugh out loud funny. While I did find myself chuckling throughout the novel, I wished the entire read was as strong as the first third of the book.

One other note about the novel, the middle third of the book is extremely interesting. It deals with Jesus and his best friend Biff setting out on a journey to the east to figure out how one becomes the messiah. In a nutshell the boys set out to find and gain the wisdom of the three wise men that visited Jesus at his birth. What follows is a journey through Afghanistan, China, and India where our heroes are versed in the teachings of Budduh, Lao-tzu, Confucius, and the Hindu religion. I found it very clever that Moore allowed these combined philosophies to be the basis for some of what Christ was trying to form with his new religion. So not only does the novel give some background to the Jewish faith at the time but also a lot of philosophies of the east as well.

Verily I say to thee, read this book! I still think Christians have some batshit crazy beliefs though...