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)

hysterical book

absolutely hysterical, funny take on the Bible and history turned absurd, satirical, and down right nutty.

AMAZING rendition and imagination!

The story, the characters, the narrator... all of it A++! If you're a believer, a skeptic, or just love a good story, listen to this book!

Prequel to bible

Lamb is an inquisitive book. It is one of these books where you cannot decide: Was it good or bad? Was it a critique of the Bible or more of prequel (I’m joking here)? If you take it only as a comedic fantasy, it is an excellent book.
Lamb follows Jesus in the early years before he starts with his preaching. The first two-thirds of this book is an excellent collection of humorous stories about Messiah in his teenage years. In the end, it starts to hit a more serious tone, which does not entirely fit. And it is this ending which completely fogs mine understanding of the book. So…. was it good ….. was it bad? Who knows. The book itself was very enjoyable, and the narration was top-notch quality. So it is four stars from me.

Bible History but Way More Fun

I actually enjoyed my Bible History class the one semester I had it in middle school. Thus, to have all those wonderful memories come back to me when I heard all the familiar names, events, etc. was a nice dose of nostalgia and entertainment. Glad I finally found out about that Jesus guy's upbringing. That always bothered me that we didn't know about him until his 30s ;) In all seriousness, while this is one of the funniest books I have ever read, I will not be recommending this to any staunch followers of the Southern Baptist church (of which is the majority where I live). Not saying that some would not enjoy it but a lot of it would be considered blasphemous by them imo. I, however, think that the story is an excellent companion or even intro to the world of Chistianity for those who might have been reluctant to partake. I don't feel like saying a lot more because the more I talk about it the more I want to be re-listening to it when I have way too many in my library that have never been touched! Just try the book out. You won't be disappointed.

Gospel According to Biff

A gospel that didn't make it into the Bible, covering Jesus ' boyhood and youth years. Well worth a read.

Terry Pratchett meets Mel Brooks

Loved it! I laughed out loud several times, surprising myself, my dog, and probably at some point a few strangers. A hilarious, punny, deeply heartfelt story that has something for everyone, whether religious or not.
I bought a copy for my dad, and I'm probably gonna get one for my mom too.

Messiah on a Matzah!

Well written and well read. Brings a very human element to the stories we thought we knew. would recommend to anyone.

We listen to this book again and again...

at least once a month. Fisher Stevens is a great voice for Biff. The heart and soul of this story is friendship. A friendship that stands the tests of time, discovery and love of the same woman.

This story fills the gap in the New Testament Bible stories about Jesus from his young childhood until he goes to the temple and then from that time until he begins his ministry. A ministry of teachings that are like nothing heard before in his part of the world.

If you want to be morally outraged, there is plenty of fuel for that fire, in this irreverent look at the life of Jesus Christ.
But if you want to look at the Christ, as first a child and then a young man finding his way and being sort of human, this book may be right for you.

What if?

What if we could fill in those missing yeRs of Jesus’ life between 12 and 30? Moore’s excellent imagination and solid research do an entertaining job. Written with his usual wit, you could take this book lightly. However, I’m blown away about what Moore had to understand about J’s theology and the gospels to put this book together.

Especially noteworthy is the blend of Eastern spirituality which definitely is suspected in J’s teachings and preachings.

Overall a funny, keenly witty, laugh-out-loud book that reminds us that regular people walked alongside the SOG. Get passed the language and crude jokes and enjoy a story that is faithful to the original and a great listen

Superb Writing and performance

Loved it from the first to the last. One of my favorite books ever written. humorous and still respectful to christ but does make fun of angels. A lot of grins and few laugh out loud moments.