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Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal was an exceptional book. Yes, it was enlightening. This was a book that was full of not only humor, but historical facts, which delighted me to no end. A good friend asked if I thought it was sacrilegious, I paused to really consider the question. My answer is, not at all. Why wouldn't the messiah have a sense of humor? As the book reminds us of the quote by Voltaire "God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh". So,back to the book:

We meet Levi aka Biff (named for the sound made by Biff's Mother smacking him on the back of the head) in a hotel with the Angel Raziel eating pickles and explaining to Biff why, after 2,000 years, Biff has been raised from the dead. Biff is needed to write a gospel. A gospel of the missing years of Christ. And so we are taken on an epic journey through the missing years of Christ according to Biff, who was actually there when it all went down. Starting when they were six and Jesus was razing the dead; Dead lizards to be exact, and continuing until Christs death.

To make a long review short, Christ aka Joshua, and Biff hit the road so Joshua can find out exactly what it is he is supposed to do as the Messiah. After all, it is a new shoe to fill for a young boy whose Mother has just told him he is the son of God. We walk through Central Asia with Biff and Joshua, seeking the three Magi who were there when Joshua was born in hopes they can clear up a few things and possibly assist Joshua with the whole becoming the Messiah thing. In Asia Biff and Joshua learn of the teachings of Buddha, Joshua reaches nirvana and learns to make himself invisible, and Biff becomes Shaolin, learns the art of alchemy, and reestablishes the reasoning as to why he is called Biff. Did I mention they meet the last Yeti?

In comedy, there is always truth. And hard truths are easier to swallow with a bit of laughter. Although humor is the vehicle of telling the story, extensive research was involved in order to tell it. And I must take this time to applaud Christopher Moore for incorporating that research into his hypothetical story. Presenting potentially controversial subjects in a more palatable manner.

Please take the time to read this book. Whether you are Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, Pagan, or any other religion. You may find yourself accidentally becoming enlightened.

I will leave you with the Authors Blessing found at the beginning of the book,

"If you have come to these pages for laughter, may you find it.
If you are here to be offended, may your ire rise and your blood boil.
If you seek adventure, may this story sing you away to blissful escape.
If you need to test or confirm your belief's. may you reach comfortable conclusions.
All books reveal perfection, by what they are or what they are not.
May you find that which you seek, in these pages or outside them.
May you find perfection, and know it by name."