“Both a perfect and perverse pairing: Philip Pullman and the ‘myth’ of Jesus Christ. . . . It made me think of the story of Christ as just that: a great story. At times, while reading, I had the pleasurable feeling of two versions of a tale, the original and this one, unfolding at once. . . . In other words, I felt myself involved and implicated.” — The Globe and Mail
“Pullman has a gift for creating scenes that make the reader want to put down the book and say ‘wow.’ This is a book that remains in the mind days after the final page has turned. The greatest story ever told has come alive anew.” _— _Times Educational Supplement
“A fierce and beautiful book which, like the parable of the Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov, will move even those who disagree with it.” _— _The Guardian
“Told in simple, unadorned prose that is none the less beautifully effective, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ traces the familiar journey towards the cross and makes it fresh. . . . A brilliant new interpretation that is also a thought-provoking reflection on the process of how stories come into existence and accrue their meanings.” _— _The Sunday Times Review “Inspiring. . . . Pullman displays a marvelous sense of the elemental power of Jesus’ instructions and parables. . . . The action moves toward a conclusion that’s inevitable but still startling and moving. . . . A brisk and bracing story of profound implications.” _— _The Washington Post Book World
Description:
From Publishers Weekly
This gospel retelling is relatively faithful in style, time line, and events to the four canonical gospels-though Pullman injects a very Pullman-like spin on it by splitting Jesus Christ into two men, among other creative twists. Twin babies are born of the virgin Mary, one called Jesus, the other Christ. After a childhood in which Christ is a goody-goody and Jesus the popular one, Jesus and Christ continue down separate but intertwined paths, with Christ sneaking around, spying on Jesus's ministry and writing down his every word and deed. Jesus becomes a philosopher-revolutionary and Christ is the politically savvy brother, who ultimately proves naïve. Pullman's gospel version reveals how the politics and structure of the institutional church were plotted by power-hungry men, who used the renown of Jesus and his well-meaning, devoted brother Christ as pawns in their corrupt game-a critique that will be familiar to readers of His Dark Materials. This is a tale of (almost comedic) mistaken identity and good intentions gone horribly awry. Readers will find the parables, the Good Samaritan, healings, and the Sermon on the Mount, among other familiar scenes.
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Review
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
“Both a perfect and perverse pairing: Philip Pullman and the ‘myth’ of Jesus Christ. . . . It made me think of the story of Christ as just that: a great story. At times, while reading, I had the pleasurable feeling of two versions of a tale, the original and this one, unfolding at once. . . . In other words, I felt myself involved and implicated.”
— The Globe and Mail
“Pullman has a gift for creating scenes that make the reader want to put down the book and say ‘wow.’ This is a book that remains in the mind days after the final page has turned. The greatest story ever told has come alive anew.”
_— _Times Educational Supplement
“A fierce and beautiful book which, like the parable of the Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov, will move even those who disagree with it.”
_— _The Guardian
“Told in simple, unadorned prose that is none the less beautifully effective, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ traces the familiar journey towards the cross and makes it fresh. . . . A brilliant new interpretation that is also a thought-provoking reflection on the process of how stories come into existence and accrue their meanings.”
_— _The Sunday Times Review
“Inspiring. . . . Pullman displays a marvelous sense of the elemental power of Jesus’ instructions and parables. . . . The action moves toward a conclusion that’s inevitable but still startling and moving. . . . A brisk and bracing story of profound implications.”
_— _The Washington Post Book World