Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

 'If I vanished he wouldn't notice, if I died he wouldn't care. I think of him all the time, and he thinks of me not at all. I love him, and my love torments me. There are times when I feel like a ghost beside him; as if he alone is real, and I'm just a daydream.' This is the story of two brothers. One is impassioned and one reserved. One is destined to go down in history and the other to be forgotten. In Pullman's hands, this sacred tale is reborn as one of the most enchanting, thrilling and visionary stories of recent years. The Myths series brings together some of the world's finest writers, each of whom has retold a myth in a contemporary and memorable way. Authors in the series include Karen Armstrong, Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, David Grossman, Natsuo Kirino, Alexander McCall Smith, Philip Pullman, Ali Smith and Jeanette Winterson.

Review: Pullman at his very best * * Guardian * *

A supreme storyteller . . . Pullman has done the story a service by reminding us of its extraordinary power to provoke and disturb * * Daily Telegraph * *

A fierce and beautiful book which . . . will move even those who disagree with it * * Observer * *

It is a small gem or, given its explosive story and its exquisite artistry, a hand grenade made by Faberge * * Sunday Times * *

Beautifully written, humane, memorable and resonant -- Philip Hensher

Beautifully effective . . . Pullman's retelling of the central story in western civilisation provides a brilliant new interpretation that is also a thought-provoking reflection on the process of how stories come into existence and accrue their meanings -- Nick Rennison * * Sunday Times * *

The charm of this book lies in its seriousness about the story it tells, and about its being a story * * London Review of Books * *

A writer of great skill and feeling -- Adam Gopnik * * New Yorker * *

Provokingly bold . . . striking and suggestive -- Boyd Tonkin * * Independent * *

Pullman nimbly presents this as a contrast between historical veracity and the bon mot that can take root in the popular imagination. He implies that Christ's true achievement was to put a spin on Jesus's story, adding elements of mystery and poetry to an otherwise prosaic tale -- James Urquhart * * Financial Times * *