Lamb

The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Fisher Stevens

Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his 30th 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 this 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 Magdalan) and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.

©2002 Christopher Moore (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Moore...gets style points for his wild imagination as Biff recalls his journey with Jesus...into and out of the clutches of Balthasar, then into a Buddhist monastery in China and finally off to India, where they dabble in the spiritual and erotic aspects of Hinduism. The author gets more serious in his climax, offering a relatively straightforward, heartfelt account of the Passion and Christ's final days that includes an intriguing spin on how the Resurrection might have happened." (Publishers Weekly)
"An instant classic...terrific, funny, and poignant." (Rocky Mountain News)

loved

great book. Took me about two chapters to sink my interest but once it got started I was hooked. well worth it.

Almost Great

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes and I would like to recommend it for young adults but a few graphic sexual descriptions rule it out. And I felt they were gratuitous. A great premise, Jesus' alter ego and buddy, the story of the "hidden years" could be accurate Tying in the Magi was very clever.. I really enjoyed the references to present day subjects, like the Yeti and even Thanksgiving. I loved tongue in cheek comments like the Bhuddist Master developing defence fighting for the non-aggressive Jewish boys and naming it after what would a Jew do? ie Judo.

If you’ve listened to books by Christopher Moore before, how does this one compare?

N/A

Have you listened to any of Fisher Stevens’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't think I have heard this narrator before but he was remarkable, throwing in Asian,Indian and especially Yiddish accents for appropriate characters

Who was the most memorable character of Lamb and why?

PossiblyMary Magdeline as she was presented in a totally different light than I have ever seen before.

A Read For Everyone

I seldom flag books as a must for everyone, but I very much feel this way about Lamb. Religious or no, there is something for everyone.

I'm often one who stays far away from story written in the first person. It has been my experience that I don't care much for the main character and/or I feel like I missing out on other parts of the story because I'm stuck in the one character's head. Biff, however, was a exception to this rule. I really enjoyed his perspective.

Fisher Steven does a great job. However, I feel like his attempt to attach accents to characters may have danced on the "it it racist?" line.

My favorite audible purchase so far!

This is one I will listen to again and again. What a clever, hilarious, entertaining and touching book.

A book to make you laugh, think, and imagine

What made the experience of listening to Lamb the most enjoyable?

This book really got me imagining what the Life of Christ might have been like. This is fiction, but there is a lot of contextual information that gives you a picture of the times. I enjoyed the humor of Christopher Moore and caught myself grinning several times throughout.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Biff is, of course, fantastic. I love Balthazar too, and Josh. I loved their humanity.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Fisher Stevens has kind of a cartoony voice... There were times when he would slow down at the end of a paragraph and I found that distracting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I had started reading the print book a while back and then decided to switch to audio. I listened to this book on a road trip and found myself sitting in the car in driveways and parking lots. When it got to the point where Josh begins his ministry it kind of slowed down a bit for me and I wasn't as interested, but from the beginning to that point I was really into it.

I wasn't actually a fan of Jesus until I read this

Christopher Moore is a masterful storyteller. hilarious, moving, and heartbreaking. Lamb is a fantastic read.

Amazing!

Very clever account of the missing years of Joshua. Can't put it down. Did nothing to shake my faith. Loved it!

Thought provoking

This fictional version of Jesus’s life imagines the perspective of Jesus childhood best friend, in search of his purpose, the young men seek out the wise men who had sought him at his birth. The story depicts Jesus visiting other cultures and experiencing other world views. I must
have imagined Jesus having conversations with Confucius, Tao, Buddha. This book helped me conceive of Jesus humanity. I find it plausible that Jesus might have drawn from other schools of thought. I listened to the book at one sitting on Easter Sunday, and I might make that a personal tradition.

Puts the "Blast" in "Blasphemous"

As someone who grew up in the church, this book is a favorite of mine. The characters are well thought out, the history is well researched, and Moore creates a lot of fun/interesting connections, assumptions, or explanations that fill in the gaps of the familiar christian gospels. Consider me a disciple of Biff's because I can't stop praising this book. Joshua would be proud.

.my favorite book ever

I have listened to this book for 13+ years
it's one of my happy
places