By: Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
As the armies of Heaven and Hell prepare for Armageddon, a finicky angel and a wannabe-bad-boy demon decide that they like the Earth too much to see it destroyed. In an attempt to stop the inevitable prophecy of Revelations from coming true, they decide to lend their hands in the upbringing of the Antichrist. However, they have no idea what lasting consequences this interference will have on mankind and themselves.
I have never read anything by Terry Pratchett before Good Omens, but those of you who keep up with my reviews know that I loved Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I was excited to read this novel since it was well-received enough to become a mini-series on Amazon. I can sum up this read in two words: hilariously absurd.
Good Omens is, without a doubt, the funniest book I have ever read to date. For a story about Armageddon and the Antichrist, it was so philosophical and ludicrous that I don’t see how anyone couldn’t love it no matter where you fall on the religious spectrum. Aziraphale as an Angel was lovely and Crowley as the demon was simply endearing. The story kept me guessing the whole time. The side characters seemed completely bat-shit crazy and the sections with Adam and his kid friends were funny because of child logic.
I personally feel that Gaiman and Pratchett hit a nail on the head just from the perspective of how crazy life, prophecies, and ineffable truths are. No one in the world really understands anything, and there is a certain beauty in that level of ignorance.
I started out thinking this was going to be a 4-star book believing lightning couldn’t strike twice with Gaiman. While I can’t say I loved this book in the same way as The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I loved Good Omens for its own unique quirks. I also have to give a hand to any book that somehow managed to make me laugh. This book somehow did it far more than once.
Overall rating: 5
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