Review: Lamb by Christopher Moore

It's just been in the past few weeks that I've become acquainted with the work of Christopher Moore. In all honesty, I'd never even heard of the guy until Marko remarked that he'd been reading Moore's newest work and that it was great. So, after a little Googling to see if it was the sort of stuff I might be interested in, I started keeping my eyes open. I found the one Marko was talking about in the bookstore but, well, it's new and new books are, um, expensive. At least the hardcover one's are. And I'm not exactly made of the money, you know? So, my head hanging low, I trudged off only to a few days later peruse my local Goodwill bookstore. That's right, our town is so happening we have a whole Goodwill store devoted solely to books! Woo hoo! Anyway, I thought to look for some Christopher Moore and lo and behold, I found Lamb and Fluke there for like six bucks total. Sweet.

Well, let me first give you the full title of the book. It's: Lamb - The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. That alone ought to tell you something. My more conservative friends are thinking to themselves, "Yeah, it ought to tell you that it's a waste of time". Well, phooey on you. I really enjoyed this book. I'll admit, it is definately not for everybody. If you're easily offended or take issue with what some might call "colorful language", well, stay away. However, if you're up for a good laugh, and some stuff that at the very least makes you think, then check this out.

In the style of Douglas Adams, Lamb essentially sets out to fill in the gaps that the Gospel accounts leave open, namely the thirty or so years that go relatively unspoken of regarding Jesus' life and upbringing. Moore takes Jesus, or Josh as he is referred to here (which is accurate considering the Hebrew, Yeshua, is essentially our, Joshua) and his best friend, Levi who is called Biff, from about the age of five or six up through the crucifixion. Biff has been resurrected for the purpose of writing an additional Gospel due to some sort of anniversary of the birth of Christ. Well, Biff sets out to do just that. In the meantime, he sneaks a peak at the Gideon Bible in the hotel in which he and the angel supervising his work take up residence.

Biff takes issue with much of the Gospel accounts, considering them both insufficient and, well, a bit candy coated. Plus, they hardly mention him! So, Biff sets out to set the record straight. The story covers everything from the development of Josh's healing ministry to his learning how to multiply food. It has Josh and Biff travel to distant lands where the duo learn ancient secrets of wisdom, and kung fu, from the likes of the Three Wise Men. Through it all, despite what some might assume, Moore deftly deals with the purity of the Christ figure. While Moore's Josh is certainly not really our Jesus, nor does Moore fully intend him to be, Joshua is consistently the moral mover and shaker of the book. Biff, however, is not and is definately the ultimate comic relief within the whole work.

Christopher Moore has, self-admittedly, set out to craft an entertaining story that draws from the greatest story ever told. It is not intended to be fact nor is that stated anywhere unlike a certain Mr. Brown's work. And Moore has succeeded. Lamb is damn funny, and makes you think. It truly can be a driving force in helping one to ask some important questions about faith. Or, it can just be a good summer read. Either way, it's worth checking out.