It should be noted that I'm very biased in favor of Christopher Moore, as both an author and a man. I find his writing style to be akin to the likes of Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury. His ideas as outstanding and outlandish as his contemporaries of a time long gone, but his prose as easy and lively to read as a children's book should be. Unlike many authors of this time Christopher Moore has a way with words that shows he's not writing in an attempt to feed his ego and make himself feel better, but because he truly enjoys the act.
Speaking of this particular book alone it should be noted that the dialogue itself is enough of a selling point for this novel, but that wasn't what drew me into the story nor what kept me reading to the last page to find myself disappointed there wasn't more of a story to continue. The simple idea - the story of Christ as told by someone who knew him well and was witness to all his wonderful acts. Seems like a religious tome that should find it's way into the religious fiction section of any library or bookstore, but that isn't what this book is. I've heard some people state when I've recommended this to them that "I don't like reading about religious figures" and if there were a book that idolized Christ, or anyone associated with him - or for that matter tore him down and made his 'history' into a farce I would agree. But as this book does neither I see no conflict of interest.
The book itself is the story of the life of Christ for most of the portion of the bible where we do not know him. In the bible Christ goes from being a young child to a young 30 something man who is ready to take on his duty as the son of God. But what of all those years in between? What did he do, how did he come to terms with who and what he was? And this is where Christopher Moore comes in.
It's a very humorous book full of jokes and jabs aimed not at religion, or even at Christ, but at everything else that surrounded him. His upbringing as a Jew, and how that affected his world view. His decisions and trials that turned him from a naive boy into a man. The people that flocked to him and around him and what their roles and purposes were.
I truly enjoyed this read. If you're not a fan of humorous books that can enlighten you and provide you a new view of things in your own world, then this is not likely to be the same case for you. If you enjoyed Kurt Vonnegut, or Ray Bradbury, or the short stories of Issac Asimov and the like then you'll likely become a fan of Christopher Moore. This isn't to say his writings are Science Fiction related, but that they (like the other authors I've mentioned) can take you away to a new time and place, create an overlay of this world onto your own and in the end make you a better person for simply being open to it.
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