Lamb by Christopher Moore (2003, Paperback, Reprint)

Christopher Moore introduces the reader to the boy Jesus- "Joshua" according to his best friend Biff- who is discovered repeatedly resurrecting a lizard, by sticking it in his mouth; and all of this just to entertain his little brother James. Thus begins a hilarious and sometimes irreverent novel which will offend orthodox Christians, but certainly entertain the rest of us.

Moore argues tongue-in-cheek, early in his narrative, that the birth of Jesus has been well-chronicled, as have his works and teachings AFTER the age of thirty. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years; except Biff, the Messiah's best friend, who has been resurrected by an angel to write another gospel. The story Biff tells is miraculous: filled with extraordinary journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse re-animations, demons, and, oddly enough, hot women.

Moore's writing style is a bizarre mix of serious and sometimes brutal historical fiction laced with dark humor, wordplay, in-jokes that only a person acquainted with the gospels is liable to get, and sparkling one-liners worthy of any stand-up comedian.

Lamb is laugh-out-loud funny. It teeters on the edge of being sacreligious, but somehow manages to keep from falling off the razor's edge, into the abyss. If you want a wild ride into the wilderness between the shepherds at the manger and the baptism in the Jordan, this is the perfect comedic vehicle for you.