The Brick Testament: Stories from the Book of Genesis [Hardcover]

Brendan Powell Smith (Adapter, Author)

Book Description

Series: Brick Testament

Two years ago, Brendan Powell Smith embarked on a crusade to illustrate the entire Bible - all 66 books of the Old and New Testament - using only Lego bricks. Here, for the first time in print, are the earliest fruits of his labors.
With more than 175 photographs in all, The Brick Testament: Stories from the Book of Genesis features ten classic tales as you've never seen them before: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Tower of Babel, and more. Every story is accompanied by original verses from scripture - and photographs of intricately detailed models composed out of thousands of Lego bricks. Whether you're a Christian fundamentalist, a devout atheist, or somewhere in between, you're bound to be dazzled by Smith's thoroughly original artistic vision.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Taco Bell one day, Smith claims, his burrito suddenly burst into flames and the voice of God boomed out that he needed to illustrate the Bible entirely out of LEGOs. "But I'm an atheist," Smith objected. "Then you are especially unqualified to question me!" God thundered. "Now get to work!" This hilarious book, which interprets some of the most famous stories from Genesis, is Smith's first; with 39 books in the Old Testament alone, however, one rejoices that the franchise possibilities could extend for many years. The full-color photographs of Smith's chosen scenes invite the readers into each story. We see the Garden of Eden replete with plastic green shrubbery and LEGO animals; the building of the Ark and the wicked people drowning in the flood (just their heads float over a blue LEGO foundation); Joseph's brothers trying to throw him down a well. One has to admire Smith's LEGO engineering, Noah's Ark and the Tower of Babel are genuine feats as well as his twisted, keen sense of humor. He's also refreshingly honest about some parts of Genesis that tend to be ignored by Christians, such as a naked, drunken Noah cursing one of his sons. This creative, iconoclastic book is colorful in every sense of the word, and will be appreciated by LEGO enthusiasts everywhere as well as whimsical Sunday School teachers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Brendan Powell Smith exhibits his Lego artwork on his acclaimed website www.thebricktestament.com, which has received rave reviews from Time , Spin , National Public Radio, and The Church Times . He lives in Mountain View, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931686459
• ISBN-13: 978-1931686457
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than The Real Thing, March 27, 2005

By 

Zana Jamieson (Savannah, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brick Testament: Stories from the Book of Genesis (Hardcover)

I actually bought The Brick Testament for a friend (who is a devout Baptist) and ended up buying a copy for myself since it was so hilarious. (For the record, my Baptist friend thought it was hilarious and not offensive in the slightest)
The book is essentially a pared down Old Testament, with the most critical aspects of the stories depicted entirely in Lego brick. It is quite clever! The author uses the Legos in a very creative and illustrative way. I can't help thinking that it takes a slightly twisted sense of humour to appreciate, so those who enjoy Monty Python for example, will definitely appreciate this book.
And, as someone who has read the bible several times, I can say with certainty that it is a very accurate and blunt depiction of biblical tales. The people who say it is inaccurate probably have never read the bible, and the people who say it is irreverent have no sense of humour! That being said, since it is a very accurate and literal depiction of biblical stories (such as Sodom and Gomorra), this is probably not a good book for children. I would rate it at least PG-13 for sexual situations and violence (albeit the brick variety).
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great gift or a coffee table conversation starter. Lego lovers and crazy people from Baptists to atheists will enjoy this book! You will never look at Lego the same way again!

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Viva the Plastic Bricks, April 5, 2004

By 

Jeff O. (Southcentral Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brick Testament: Stories from the Book of Genesis (Hardcover)

Biblical scholars may debate who originally dotted the i's and crossed the t's, but it was Brenden Powell Smith who, at the command of God, illustrated and retold this collection of stories from the book of Genesis - using LEGOs. In his introduction to The Brick Testament, Smith recalls his conversation with God over a flaming burrito (that's right) and how, like many of the heroes of the Genesis stories, God used the most unlikely person to tell these stories. Combining a strong sense of visual story telling, elaborate LEGO constructions, and intentional photography, Smith has creatively "illustrated" favorites from the book of Genesis such as the Garden of Eden, Noah and the Flood, the Tower of Babel, The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and other lesser known stories. The "illustrations" are created entirely from LEGOs and presented in full-color photographs. The Garden of Eden scenes are complete with leafy trees, colorful flowers, red apples (that perfectly fit the LEGO human hands), Adam, Eve, and yes, God. Smith does take some artistic liberty and augments facial features for emotional effect. While the LEGO "illustrations" are unconventional for story telling, it is Smith's wickedly humorous objective perspective which gives these stories a fresh look. Highly Recommended.

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a GREAT book putting pictures to biblical stories, January 5, 2005

By 

Lindsea - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brick Testament: Stories from the Book of Genesis (Hardcover)

I highly recommend this book and to take a look at his website www.bricktestament.com for insight into the bible. From other reviews posted here, I can see many are living judgmental lives in the misunderstanding of their convicted faith. Good principles are tainted by inherent flaws in the man-made institution of Christian religion (i.e. a call to blind faith and ignorance. The stubborn self-righteous ideology that only you are right, no matter what, that has led to innumerable persecutions, genocide and prejudice). THIS is what this book is about. The violence and gruesome depiction here? OPEN YOUR EYES, this is exactly what is said in the bible. No imposed opinion or bias. You might be surprised. Well, surprise! The bible was written by men, not God. This book is not meant to teach Christianity to children, it's meant to teach truth and tolerance to the ignorant. Please, everyone, stop accepting this judgmental view as a corner stone of faith. Let the good ideas just be good ideas. Think for yourselves and you will discover an affinity for morality and who God really is.