Good Omens

Title: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Publisher: HarperTorch
ISBN: 9780060853983

Alethea’s Review (at age 18):

“Overexcited? No! I’m getting very calmly worried that someone might shoot me!”

The apocalypse is scheduled for next Saturday. At this point, theoretically, all the pieces should be in place. The armies of heaven and hell have been anticipating this moment for literal centuries. There’s just one problem.

Crowley doesn’t want the world to end.

Being a demon, he should be eager for the apocalypse and the ensuing war. But he’s spent so long living amongst humanity and chumming with his angel friend Aziraphale that he finds he’s not really looking forward to the inevitable collapse of human society as we know it. Aziraphale is more concerned that none of the good musicians are in heaven. But stopping the end of the world isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when both heaven and hell are against you. And someone’s going to have to find the Antichrist before all hell (literally) breaks loose.

Good Omens is a roller coaster from start to finish. Hang on to your hats, because this book is not going where you think it will. It features a motley cast of characters, from angels to demons to the Antichrist to his devoted hellhound, Dog. A special shoutout goes to the women in this book: Agnes Nutter and her descendant Anathema, eleven-year-old Pepper, Madam Tracy, Sister Mary and the entity known as Red. There aren’t many of them, but they are powerful in their own right and the authors accord them the respect they deserve.

It’s an incredibly clever book, really. I warn you that it can be hard to follow along with the ever-increasing cast and ever-complicating plotlines. But it is worth the headache for that “aha!” moment at the very end when everything falls neatly into place.

Yes, this is a Christian blog. And yes, I am still Christian (although I do appreciate your concern). But the fact remains that Good Omens is an incredibly enjoyable book.

Cheekily irreverent and borderline heretical, it never quite crosses the line into outright disrespect. It’s definitely not in line with the Bible, but it doesn’t really go against it either. Of course there are some things that I would hesitate to mention to my pastor (if you’re reading this, sorry Pastor Bryan).

For instance:

• Crowley and Aziraphale constantly question the “ineffability” of the divine plan and whether or not God really intends events to unfold as they do.
• Crowley suggests that there really isn’t a guarantee that heaven’s side will win if it really comes down to an all-out war.
• Aziraphale all but denies the Rapture is going to happen.
• They make up their minds that the world really is better off when good and evil battle for dominion instead of when the world is fully good.

So no, it’s not really a Christian book.

But it’s funny nonetheless.

I’m going to stop just short of actually recommending this to you, in case you read it and decide that it ought to be burned. I trust you to come to your own decision about whether or not you can, in good conscience, read this.

Warning: Demons and witchcraft, the apocalypse, plagues, etc. etc. and so forth (basically just Revelations but condensed). Sex (implied), war, eating disorders, lots of death, Satanists. A character is a prostitute (mornings and Thursdays) and a medium. Occasional swearing (b*gger, d*mn, all the way up to the f-word), and a child calls Aziraphale a f*ggot.