Good Omens

le sigh

I love this book. I really, really do. It's one that I'll pull off the shelf every couple of years to read and giggle all the way through each and every time, it's just that funny. Realistically, you'd think a story about the Apocalypse really wouldn't be that funny, but in such capable hands as those of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, it's laugh out loud hysterical.

Aziraphale (the angel protecting the Garden of Eden) and Crowley (once known as Crawley, the infamous snake of Eden) have been living comfortably in modern times, having become fast friends after the whole Adam and Eve thing. When it comes time for the Apocalypse to take place, they decide to maybe try to put it off a couple more years, since they rather like living show more in the human world. Unfortunately, there was a mix up with the Antichrist when he was born (Warlock, who is thought to be the Antichrist, is a wildly normal young boy, while the real Antichrist, Adam Young, is living in the English countryside with his wildly normal family, not having any idea as to his true nature), and now there is a race to find the real Antichrist before everything basically goes to hell. The Four Horsemen are trying to find the Antichrist (Pollution has replaced Pestilence since penicillin was discovered), Aziraphale and Crowley are looking for him, and meanwhile all the incredibly accurate prophecies of Agnes Nutter are coming true. And what do the Tibetans and aliens have to do with anything?

I think part of what makes the story so funny is that it doesn't try to take itself seriously at all. Gaiman and Pratchett never try to take the story farther that what it is, a comedy, and don't try to make anything really philosophical about it, so regardless of your actual beliefs or feelings about the Apocalypse, this story is still accessible and still funny. It is full of Gaiman and Pratchett's trademark wit and cleverness, even though it was written respectively early on in their careers, so it's not always a polished as it could be, which is also part of its charm.

**a note on my most recent encounter with Good Omens**
Recently needing something a little lighthearted and on the recommendation from a friend, I gave the audio edition of Good Omens a go, and was not disappointed. Martin Jarvis' narration was spot on for every character, and he gave the story an entirely fresh feel. I'm sure it wasn't done intentionally, but his Crowley sounded just like David Tennant and Aziraphale sounded just like Michael Sheen, and that made me all the more excited for the upcoming BBC production. I don't know if it was just that I hadn't read it in a while or it was because I was listening to it as an audio, but I found myself laughing out loud at so many parts in the story... it was just what I needed to put me in a better mood when I was listening to it. show less

I'm not usually a fan of comedy (film or book), but the upcoming Amazon television series made me curious enough to give the book a go. I'm so glad I did! Good Omens is an excellent blend of satire and parody, with a touch of absurdity. The antiChrist has been born and the end of the world is now only 11 years away. Demon Crowley quite likes Earth, the food! the music! the entertainment!, and he's not keen on Armageddon. So, he enlists angel Aziraphale to help avert it. Surely an angel is supposed to oppose any action from the other side?

The story has hilarious running gags through it, like the tendency of Crowley's Bentley to turn any music cassette left in it for more than two weeks into The Best of Queen, or the Hellish M25 highway show more around London. Some of the references (cassette tapes?!) are obviously dated but can easily be imagined with their modern counterparts so the story hasn't lost any of its potency. However, what I enjoyed most (as a lapsed Roman Catholic) was the satirizing of the religious motifs, Bible references and themes. Four Horsemen? Check. Antichist? Check. The Rapture? Sorry, but you got that bit wrong, haven't you now.

I had a couple minor issues that kept me from devouring the book straight through. I put it down a few times to read other things. First, the story sometimes meandered and jumps POVs a lot. I got bored every time the story returned to the kids. Second, the footnotes. The notes are part of the actual story (not explanations to readers such as in The Three Body Problem). They could be skipped, but many times were funny and truly enhanced the reading. However, they were used too often and became a distraction.

Overall, this was a delightful surprise and I am truly looking forward to the show. And, I wouldn't hesitate to read a sequel, if Gaiman ever decides to do so. show less

The Apocalypse has arrived, but the fabled battle of Armageddon will not take place in the Middle East it’ll be in Oxfordshire unless a demon and an angel get their way. Good Omens is from the combined writing of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett who take the well-trod path of end of the world novels and stand them on their head.

The demon Crowley is tasked with delivering the Antichrist to his family and ensuring his evil education, but his love of humanity makes him come clean to his friend, the angel Aziraphale who comes up with the brilliant plan to have both Good and Evil influence the child growing up. On the child’s eleventh birthday, Crowley and Aziraphale find out that there had been a mix up at the hospital and they race to show more find the Antichrist along with Heaven, Hell, and the Four Horsemen who are gathered from around the world. And in the little town of Lower Tadfield, Adam Young and his gang (Them) as well the witch Anathema Device and the witchfinder Newt Pulsifer have their own roles to play in the Final Battle as it draws nigh.

The combined talents of Gaiman and Pratchett work seamlessly, especially when the reader learns at the end of this particular edition of how the two worked together, and create a fantastic satire of the end of the world and all the tropes that go along with it. Though the humor is good, some of it is a bit dated and so some jokes fall flat which is the only downside to this really good book.

If you are either a fan of Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett and haven’t read this book yet, then I highly encourage you to do so. Good Omens is the perfect blend of both authors and you’ll find it highly enjoyable, save for the few out of date jokes. If you’re simply a fan of satire, then give this book and its riffing of a certain supernatural horror film from the 1970s a good read. show less

The number of times the word 'ineffable' appears in this book is ineffable.

I'm now also pretty sure (85.2% if we're counting) that I called my dog into being and that there's still a little hellhound mixed up in there. I haven't personally caught a glimpse of the glowing red eyes but am largely certain that she has morphing capabilities and hell-level sarcasm. Two of three... two of three.

Anyways, the review.

I enjoyed this read. Granted, I haven't had much experience with Gaimon (just read Stardust recently, that's how much) and I haven't had the pleasure of delving into any Pratchett. So my ability to compare and contrast is woefully insufficient. I'm a bit happy it worked out this way however. Reading an early work without any prior show more opinions on or prejudices from later works is a pretty satisfying place to be.

I took it as two authors taking a bit of the piss and having some laughs while they played pass the story and found it to be a pretty funny read. The Them made me think of a cross between The Boxcar Children and a 90's punk(ish) band that has more "formerlies" trailing behind their current name than songs in their repertoire. While their banter and adventures were decent fun throughout I felt a distinct petering out as the story went on. Which is the main basis for this being a 3-star review. Action seemed more accidental and "fall-as-it-may" than anything else and while that was slapdash and off kilter for the beginning of the book it seemed too patchworky come the end. I didn't get the rush of things between the Gangs of Four or feel any of it to be flowing cohesively to any particularly degree.

Like the quote about Crowley being “An Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards,” (which gave me a chuckle) the ending sauntered vaguely in the eye of the storm and I felt like I missed the, forgive the pun, big bang. Alas, even with no bang to be had, except for Anathema and Newt of course, it was a decent enough ride with enough chuckles to be worth the read.

It also had me constantly craving a cup of tea. Always a benny unless there's no one to bribe into making said cup of tea so that you don't have to leave the page or reading nook you're currently pasted to. show less

It took a great-looking TV adaptation to finally move this to the top of my list, and what a fun read. Whenever I read something written by a team of writers, I wonder about their process. In this case, I imagined Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett competing to out-silly and out-clever each other. The book was so clever, in fact, that I’m sure some of the jokes went over my head.
Such a delight. I’m looking forward to watching the adaptation. I did sneak one episode because I was far enough along in the book that I didn’t think it would spoil anything, and I have to say, I’ll miss Martin Jarvis as the narrator. As wonderful as Francis McDormand is, that dry British humor just doesn’t come across as well with an American accent. show more
While I enjoyed the characters—and the wild imaginations and humor of the authors—I was thrown off by the pacing of the book. I felt a couple of times that it was coming to a climax, only to check and see there were hours left in the book. It felt chaotic sometimes, with a lot of jumping around, especially toward the end (which, to be fair, was supposed to be pretty chaotic). It did make the audio rather tricky, because there was never much of a pause by Jarvis before he started a scene with different characters.
But I loved everything else, and I was very happy with the ending. The weirdos complaining about the show and trying to get it banned from Netflix don’t have anything to be so bothered about. show less

This book was a make me happy read. I dare you to stop a smile from creeping to your lips while reading it. It's got funny old humans, fantasy mixed with the mundane, and it's a little profound in parts. It's exactly what I'd expect from Pratchett and Gaiman.

Aziraphale and Crowley have been friends for... well practically since the beginning. They met in the garden of Eden and really bonded over the expulsion of humanity from paradise. Throughout the years they've developed a system to help each other out and keep them both out of trouble with management. The fact that one is an angel and the other is a demon has certainly added zest to their relationship but overall they haven't let it bother them too much.

But now things are about to change and for the worse, in Crowley's opinion. The Antichrist is about to enter the world and that means that soon the four horsemen will ride and the whole world will be consumed in flame and divine warfare. Which is all well and good, one supposes, it's show more what the whole thing has been leading up too. And yet.... Well Crowley and Aziraphale would just rather it NOT happen. They put their heads together just like always to come up with a plan to derail the Great Plan.

Meanwhile, a certain book of prophecy figures into the narrative. Anathema is a witch and professional descendant of one Agnes Nutter who wrote a very interesting book of prophecy that just happens to always be right. Anathema knows that the world is about to end and she's trying to locate the Antichrist as well. Agnes has directed her to a quaint little country town in the middle of no where, but she can't seem to lay her finger upon the right man. Anyway, it must all come clear soon as the world is set to end by Saturday.

This is a charming novel about the apocalypse, fate, and friendship. I really enjoyed rereading it. show less