Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett Review

Title: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Standalone

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

                I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

                I’ve been a fan of Neil Gaiman for years, but I’m sorry to say that Good Omens is the first and thus far, the only book I’ve read by Terry Pratchett. But it certainly won’t be my last. I wish I’d read this book a long time ago, but I did it now because my husband and I watched the miniseries on Amazon Prime first. I’m glad that I watched it beforehand; it made it a lot easier to imagine what was happening in my mind. The story of a demon and an angel trying to stop the end of the world, this book was unique, funny, and well-written. It might be one of my favorites in Gaiman’s entire body of work; I almost feel cheated by myself, waiting until a show was made to read this gem. I loved it so much that I just finished it on Sunday afternoon, and I want a copy for my own collection. I was crying with laughter from practically the first page; there aren’t enough words to tell you all just how much I loved this book.

                Aziraphale and Crowley are two unlikely friends on opposite sides of a war older than humanity itself: Aziraphale is an angel of God, and Crowley is a demon, sly and wily and full of mischief. When the order comes through on both sides that they must kickstart Armageddon, they are both reluctant to usher in the end of humankind. Nonetheless, when Crowley is dispatched to find the Antichrist, he obeys. Add in a fake psychic, an old, angry Scot who hunts for the supernatural, witches in particular, and the descendant of a slightly mad witch, and you’ve got something close to Good Omens. Is humanity worth saving, or will the slate be swept clean for a new start?

                This book may be my favorite in Gaiman’s body of work, and for the moment, is my favorite work by Terry Pratchett. I love books that make me laugh, and from the first page, I was laughing constantly. The pacing was breakneck, and I was immediately drawn into the story; I could picture Michael Sheen and David Tennant as I read the book. Despite the long cast of characters, I loved what each of them brought to the story. Hilarious, thoughtful, and full of the power of laughter and true friendship, I loved every moment of this crazy, cheeky novel. And the adaptation was pretty close to the book; aside from taking a few characters out, it was pretty faithful to the source material. I devoured this book in less than a week, and I loved every moment of it. Humanity, through Crowley and Aziraphale’s eyes, is redeemable, and thus they decide to stop The End of Days. I loved every character in this novel, but my favorites were Aziraphale, Crowley, and Adam and Them, as well as the various denizens of Heaven and Hell. I’m kind of upset that this wasn’t the novel that got me obsessed with Neil Gaiman; despite that, the book still means so much to me, and one day, I hope to own a copy so Neil can sign mine! The bottom line: A tale of how Armageddon almost happened but didn’t, I loved Good Omens! One of the best books I’ve ever read, hands down! Next on deck: The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco!