On the HahaFiction shelf
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Biff has been brought back from the dead to write about the missing years of his childhood friend Joshua, better known as Jesus. Under an angel's supervision in a modern hotel, he recalls the travels and mishaps that preceded Joshua's public ministry.
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What makes it funny?
Biff introduces the future Messiah through an incident with a lizard and a miracle. His account makes room for ordinary questions about his friend's name, with the impatience of someone who knew the sacred figure long before anyone wrote a gospel about him.
The comedy at work
Modern slang and an exasperated friend's voice puncture the grandeur of the religious story. Biff digresses, complains and treats miracles as experiences he happened to share, giving the retelling the informality of personal gossip.
Try this if…
Comfort with bawdy religious satire matters here. Biff's irreverent chatter and Moore's wordplay offer more guidance to the book's appeal than an interest in historical reconstruction alone.
Good to know
Sexual humor and religious irreverence recur throughout. Publishers Weekly found the ribald patter repetitive, while also noting a more heartfelt closing stretch.
A few distinguishing details
- A resurrected gospel writer in a modern hotel
- Jesus' childhood recounted by his friend
More funny fantasy
Sources & further reading
- Lamb by Christopher Moore on Apple Books
Book information
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
- Google Books bibliographic edition
Book information
- Free Library of Philadelphia catalog
Library catalog
- Authorized opening excerpt at BookBrowse
Reading sample
- Kirkus review
Review
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