2012 Puddly Awards
 
 
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TumblrSubscribe to RSS

Recently Viewed clear list

Guests | February 8, 2012

Nathan Englander: IMG Big Think

0 comments By Nathan Englander

Tonight is the first event for the new book, and I've spent most of the afternoon at home with curlers in my hair and cucumber circles on the eyes... Continue »
  1. $17.47 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    What We Talk About When We Talk about Anne Frank: Stories

    Nathan Englander 9780307958709
spacer
Free Shipping!

Ships free on qualified orders.
$9.95
Used Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Beaverton Literature- A to Z

eBook editions

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

by Christopher Moore

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal Cover

 

Special Powells.com Offer!

Powell's Books Presents... Christopher Moore at the Bagdad Theater
Wednesday, April 4, at 7:00 p.m.
3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR

This ticketed event takes place at the Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Tickets, $26.99, include admission and a copy of his new book, Sacré Bleu, and are available at the Bagdad Theater, the Crystal Ballroom, CascadeTickets.com, or by phone at 855-227-8499. Books distributed at the event.

Staff Pick

Christopher Moore's Lamb is an utterly hilarious take on the story of Jesus. Told from the perspective of Jesus' smart-ass best friend, Biff, it is irreverent without being disrespectful. Lamb, or any of Moore's books, would be perfect for someone who has read all of Tom Robbins's titles and is looking for something new, or just for anyone who needs a good laugh.
Recommended by Billie Bloebaum, Powell's Books at PDX

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Everyone knows about the immaculate conception and the crucifixion. But what happened to Jesus between the manager and the Sermon on the Mount? In this hilarious and bold new novel, the highly praised Christopher Moore shares the greatest story never told: the life of Christ as seen by his boyhood pal, Biff.

Just what was Jesus doing during the many years that have gone unrecorded in the Bible? Biff was there at his side, and now after two thousand years, he shares those good, bad, ugly, and miraculous times. Screamingly funny, audaciously fresh, Lamb rivals the best of Tom Robbins and Carl Hiaasen, and is sure to please this gifted writer's fans and win him legions more.

Review:

"An instant classic...terrific, funny and poignant." Rocky Mountain News

Review:

"[R]eminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams." Philadelphia Inquirer

Review:

"The style is smooth, drawing readers into the story seamlessly except for the need to laugh out loud every page or two....In an excellent afterword, the author explains the choices he made in writing the novel, which will fascinate would-be writers, as well as provide a rebuttal for the book's likely critics." School Library Journal

Review:

"[A]s in Moore's other books, the jokes, ranging from the sublime to the sophisticated to the utterly sophomoric, make the book. What Lamb lacks in theological sophistication it more than compensates with mirth....simply impossible not to laugh." John Green, Booklist

Review:

"In inventing his own conflicted, determined Jesus — one who found His conviction one step at a time instead of emerging from the manger fully formed and ready to preach — Moore is endlessly, wryly creative." Tasha Robinson, The Onion

Review:

"An audacious and irreverent novel...guaranteed deeply to offend all right-thinking Christians....The style is a bizarre mix of serious and sometimes brutal historical fiction laced with black humor, wordplay, in-jokes, and sharp one-liners worthy of a good stand-up comedian." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"I haven't finished reading [Lamb] yet, but I've managed to laugh myself to tears on more than one occasion." Rocky Mountain News

Review:

"[Moore's] most ambitious book." St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Synopsis:

The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth 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 the 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 Magdala — and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.

back to top

About the Author

Christopher Moore is the author of five previous novels. His turn-ons are the ocean, elephant polo, and talking animals on TV. His turn-offs are salmonella, traffic, and mean people. Chris enjoys cheese crackers, acid jazz, and otter scrubbing. He lives in an inaccessible island fortress in the Pacific. Visit the official Christopher Moore website at www.chrismoore.com.
back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 36 comments:
emfagan1, September 30, 2011 (view all comments by emfagan1)
Hilarious story that fills us in on the first 30 years of Jesus' life, with his best friend Biff, the forgotten apostle. This book is loved by the religious and non-religious alike. Read it, you won't be sorry!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
sjy66, September 5, 2011 (view all comments by sjy66)
One of the most refreshingly creative reads I have experienced in years! Christopher Moore must be one of the sharpest minds ticking today. You will find yourself intrigued by how witty, yet profoundly moving, this story can be. There is plenty of things to bring grins, even laughs, to the reader, but there is also an astonishing amount of truth to this story. I am a Christian myself, so I know some would scoff at the very thought of this book, getting no further than the title. Don't cheat yourself. There is a sweet friendship between the young Jesus (this story was written to fit into the part of Jesus' young life that is not specifically accounted for in The Bible, so it is not undoing anything) and his friend Biff. Their friendship shows how much opposites do attract and make good friends. It's endearing to see the truly human, fallible, awkward and odd Biff in juxtaposition to his flawless and Holy friend, who has such an unimaginable fate ahead of him.

Thank you, Christopher Moore for a (more than just) delightful, insightful, and memorable read!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
Danielle Tinker, January 31, 2011 (view all comments by Danielle Tinker)
This book is extremely entertaining, especially to those of us who grew up with the stories of the bible. It makes you laugh, then sit back and think, "that didn't really happen...did it?". Definitely well worth the read!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(5 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
View all 36 comments
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780380813810
Subtitle:
The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Author:
Moore, Christopher
Author:
by Christopher Moore
Publisher:
William Morrow Paperbacks
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Bible
Subject:
Jesus christ
Subject:
Humorous
Subject:
Religious - General
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Christian fiction
Subject:
Humorous fiction
Subject:
Christian - General
Subject:
Horror - General
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Humor : General
Copyright:
2002
Edition Number:
1st Perennial ed.
Edition Description:
Trade PB
Series Volume:
107-201.
Publication Date:
20030204
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
464
Dimensions:
9 x 6 x 0.8 in 11.92 oz
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. $8.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Bloodsucking Fiends: A Novel

    Christopher Moore 9780060735418
  2. $7.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Mike Nelson's Death Rat!

    Michael J. Nelson 9780060934729
  3. $9.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror

    Christopher Moore 9780061800320
  4. $5.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

    Christopher Moore 9780060566685
  5. $11.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Coyote Blue

    Christopher Moore 9781439191484
  6. $11.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story

    Christopher Moore 9781439191491
back to top

Related Aisles

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$9.95 In Stock
Product details 464 pages Perennial - English 9780380813810 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

Christopher Moore's Lamb is an utterly hilarious take on the story of Jesus. Told from the perspective of Jesus' smart-ass best friend, Biff, it is irreverent without being disrespectful. Lamb, or any of Moore's books, would be perfect for someone who has read all of Tom Robbins's titles and is looking for something new, or just for anyone who needs a good laugh.

by Billie Bloebaum
"Review" by , "An instant classic...terrific, funny and poignant."
"Review" by , "[R]eminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams."
"Review" by , "The style is smooth, drawing readers into the story seamlessly except for the need to laugh out loud every page or two....In an excellent afterword, the author explains the choices he made in writing the novel, which will fascinate would-be writers, as well as provide a rebuttal for the book's likely critics."
"Review" by , "[A]s in Moore's other books, the jokes, ranging from the sublime to the sophisticated to the utterly sophomoric, make the book. What Lamb lacks in theological sophistication it more than compensates with mirth....simply impossible not to laugh."
"Review" by , "In inventing his own conflicted, determined Jesus — one who found His conviction one step at a time instead of emerging from the manger fully formed and ready to preach — Moore is endlessly, wryly creative."
"Review" by , "An audacious and irreverent novel...guaranteed deeply to offend all right-thinking Christians....The style is a bizarre mix of serious and sometimes brutal historical fiction laced with black humor, wordplay, in-jokes, and sharp one-liners worthy of a good stand-up comedian."
"Review" by , "I haven't finished reading [Lamb] yet, but I've managed to laugh myself to tears on more than one occasion."
"Review" by , "[Moore's] most ambitious book."
"Synopsis" by , The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth 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 the 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 Magdala — and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...


Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.