Rating: 
Summary: Irreverent Reverence
Review: Having read all of Christopher Moore's other books, I wondered how he would treat the "missing" years in the life of Christ. Not to worry. Levi known as Biff is the irreverent one in this fictional account of those years from age 6 to age 30. Moore's thorough research into some of the world's oldest religious movements shows through and allows an educated reader to see some of the commonalities among them. And he treats Jesus (Joshua) with respect while presenting him as a human young man struggling with his divinity. Literalists may find some offensive elements in the book, but my own personal faith is strong enough to believe that God has a sense of humor (he did create the platypus, after all). Yes, the reader must suspend disbelief in order to approach this novel, but he must suspend disbelief in order to read most fictional works. Christopher Moore is a craftsman when it comes to creating images that stick with us and there are a number of moving scenes, especially when he gets into Joshua's ministry. Mr. Moore has a section of notes following the story that increase his credibility in explaining living conditions 2000 years ago. If you skip these, you are missing a critical part of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: I laughed, I cried, I lost my pants
Review: It's ludicrously funny, weirdly heart-warming, and pleasantly blasphemous. The Gospels Redux, written with greater heart (and way, way, way more humor) than the Bible could even touch. It's a classic. If you're a Christopher Moore fan, this tops the charts. If you're not, well, you'd damn well better be after this.
Rating:
Summary: The best of both worlds.
Review: As a theology major in college and a lover of good fiction, this book blends the best of both worlds for me. On the whole, this is an excellent book. Enough research to make it feel plausible, even though some parts of it are contrived (such as why Biff is writing this 'gospel'). However, the main substance of the book stands as a strong piece of literature that I found to be an enjoyable read. Moore portrays Jesus as I would like to believe that he was. Could Jesus have had a sense of humor? Was he amazed by his own powers? Did he actually have numerous influences when developing his philosophy? Did he curse? Moore believes so, and even though this is a piece of fiction, it's fun to think that this may have been the way things really happened. At the end, Moore provides an afterward which clearly defines how and why he wrote the book the way he did. I found this part an especially nice closure and it should offset criticism by those who are offended by the way Jesus is portrayed in this book (and if you have a thin skin, you might want to pass on this anyway).
Rating:
Summary: This book was so much fun to read!
Review: It was interesting, bizarre, easy to follow, (one does not need to know the bible inside and out to understand it, just a sense of humor) you really grow to care about the characters and much more... Not only did I literally laugh out loud during certain parts, I got choked up with a lump in my throat during others. I think Moore did an excellent job at bringing out the human side of Joshua as well as the Divine. And then there's Biff... What a great friend he is and what halarious & wonderful adventures the two of them have together while Joshua is on his quest for knowledge. I highly recommend this book and will deffinately be reading this one again.
Rating:
Summary: Saviour self a lot of trouble, and buy this book !!
Review: I've been a apostle of Christopher Moore's manic, wonderful fiction since the publication of his brilliant first novel, Practical Demonkeeping. For years now, I've spread the Word, bringing friends and random strangers into the fold, spreading the gospel of twisted humor to the previously uninitiated. Until I read LAMB, his latest novel, I would have said that Blood Sucking Fiends (A Love Story) was not only his best book, but a feat of comic wonder and wondrous comedy that even the genius of Christopher Moore might never surpass. His new book is another thing entirely, which is not to say that the bizarre sense of humor that has been the hallmark of Moore's novels in not as omnipresent in LAMB as it is in all his work; if anything, he is funnier than ever. But in telling the story of Christ's "missing years" through the eyes of his childhood pal (Levi, who is called Biff), Moore has managed to exceed the hilarity of his previous work while leavening the jokes with a respect for his subject that comes through as something approaching reverence. Only the reader who picks up this novel with the sole intention of being offended could find anything truly offensive here. Most readers, regardless of their religious beliefs, will find themselves hoping that Josh of Nazareth really had a friend like Biff. As with all of Moore's work, LAMB is funny enough to be easily rejected by those who refuse to see that humor can allow a sufficiently gifted author to approach a serious subject with depth and intelligence. The careful research and attention to detail that inform the novel without weighing it down will be dismissed by those who wish to diminish the minor miracle that the author has accomplished with this book. But those who pick up LAMB with an open mind will find more than "merely" light entertainment; beneath the hilarious surface of this beautifully written novel lies a tender, respectful treatment of the idea that maybe, just maybe, love and kindness might be a better thing than hatred and fear. In LAMB, Christopher Moore picks up the gauntlet that Theodore Sturgeon threw down in his controversial novel of the second coming, Godbody, filtering a similar message through the warped lens of his twisted mind to create an utterly unique, yet fascinatingly similar work. The Clown Prince of fiction is not just another jester; like the best comedians in any medium, there is a deep vein of truth (with or without the capital "T") that runs through all his work, especially this latest book. Can an "alternate" history comic novel of the life of Christ bring enlightenment? Perhaps not, but careful readers will find at least a glimpse of transcendence, and this mental pilgrimage to the Holy Land of entertainment will surely hold them enthralled.
Rating:
Summary: A Thing of Beauty
Review: This book is very cleverly written, but more importantly it is just improbably funny. Way funnier than you think it could be.... No, a little funnier than that....
Okay, there you go....
Beginning in Jesus' childhood, we hear the story of the rambunctious youth of minor-miracle-working Josh Christ through the eyes of his best friend Levi son of Alphaeus, nicknamed Biff. In case anyone was wondering, there is in fact a single isolated reference to a Levi son of Alphaeus in the New Testament (Mark 2:14). It would take a genius like Moore to find that one noncommittal reference and construct an entire novel out of it. Using the popular fringe theory that during Jesus' 'missing years' he somehow studied Buddhism, Moore creates a delightful, meandering 18-year ramble from ancient Israel to Afghanistan to China, and then back to Israel by way of India as Josh learns the wisdom of the Eastern World to bring back to the West.
No one can accuse Moore of taking religion too seriously, which is good. He makes free with the Christianity jokes, the Judaism jokes, the Zen and the Hinduism jokes, creating a joyous little free-for-all with enough blasphemy to go around. He riffs thick and fast with the puns, the one-liners, and a few throwaways that are almost worth the whole book ("Nobody's perfect. Well, there was this one guy, but we killed him...."). Basically, with this one book he proves the old adage that if you can't find it in yourself to laugh at God a little, He's probably laughing at you a lot.
There were a couple tiny details about ancient Jewish life and practice that as a rabbinical student pushed my 'nitpicky' button a little, but the book as a whole was so witty and delightful that I can't bring myself to hold them against Moore. I have re-read the book numerous times, and have yet to make it through a reading without laughing aloud...copiously. This is well worth it for anyone, and ought to be required reading for most of the humorless folks in our government.
Now go contribute to Christopher Moore's kids' college fund.
Rating:
Summary: Review From A Bible Major
Review: I'm a senior at a Bible university out in Oklahoma, and I must say that this is one of the funniest books I've read in ages (no, that's not because I only read commentaries ... I read for pleasure, too).
Anyone that gets offended by this work is simplitically not sound enough in their faith to have it challenged. Those people shouldn't even be allowed to talk about Christianity or theology if that's the case.
Moore studied up with some of the best scholars and theologians to make sure that (even though it's not probably) it's soundly pragmatic. Yes, I understand that the odds of these events happening were slim to none, but who's to say what on the missing 28 years of Christ's life.
I won't harp much longer, lest to say that out of 250+ reviews, there were three one star ratings. That should say something right there. Do yourself a favor and buy this book ("Yes, do us all a favor!")
Rating:
Summary: righteous reliegon
Review: Always skeptical about diving into religious-based plots, I was surprisingly enthralled by this book! I really enjoy novels that go beyond ordinary plots and familiar story lines. This tale of adventure, friendship, and morality satiated my love for stories as well as my thirst for exploration of deeper, phiosophical anomilies. Moore stylishly weaves together a story with which we are all familiar and lines it with plenty of tounge-in-cheek extras that humanize an otherwise holy cast of characters. One can easily empathize with The Savior's best friend Biff narrating a story from a point of view that is tender yet realistic; I mean how would you feel if at nine years old your best friend could raise people from the dead? And what if the crush you had on your best friend's mother turned out to be the woman choosen to be impregnated with God's only son?? And let's not forget the lust of adolescence; How exactly does one experience intimate relations while being forbidden to ever 'know' a woman? Chirst's life adventures from age 6 to 30 are a good guess to anyone; Moore uses a rare style of imagination with reality combining to form an enjoyable story underlined with endless possiblities of "what ifs" in Joshua the Stonecutter's adventurous life.
Rating:
Summary: Total Blasphemy! I LOVE it!!! Funny, funny, funny!
Review: This book has EASILY moved into my top 10 favorites of all time! What a brilliant concept! Although I personally never wondered about Jesus H. Christ's childhood, this book has cleared up so many questions I DID have (like what the heck does the H stand for anyway?...)! Ok, ok, I'm kidding...it's only fiction!
Really...this book was brilliant, inventive, ingenious, profound....and blasphemous....all at the same time. Biff's renditions of conversations, scenarios, etc. were hilarious. It's been a long time since I read a fiction book that really made me laugh out loud. Even with the stares from other airplane passengers, I wasn't going to put it down to prevent the laughter!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by this reader. I wasn't disappointed and you won't be either....so, AMEN to that!
Rating:
Summary: Helpless with laughter
Review: This is a lovely, funny and insightful book. It covers the period in Jesus' life between 14 to 30, which the Gospels ignore. It's fiction of course, but very, very amusing. If you take your faith too seriously this may not be the book for you. I laughed so much my sides ached.
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