Good Omens: Is The End of The World Really Funny?

After our "Book Club For Lazy, Slow, And Stressed Readers" finished its first read, we were searching for another book to get between our lazy but greedy fingers. The search looked a bit meager until I stumbled upon the review of a book called "Good Omens" written by a certain Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

While that sounds like a winning recipe, my ignorance regarding books can be astonishing. Thus, I knew that a co-worker had recommended Terry Pratchett for our book club - but upon discovering that he mostly wrote book series, I stayed clear - while I knew Nail Gaiman's works "The Ocean at the End of the Lane", and "American Gods." A mini-review of the latter is available here. I had no idea that "Good Omens" was already considered cult and even less of an idea that it was made into an TV-series.

What's even going on in "Good Omens"? The unlikely duo of an angel (Aziraphale) and a demon (Crowley) have been on the Earth since its creation. After a thousands of years, they have become fond of this puny little planet and when Armageddon should start to happen, they try to stop it.

However, the godly plan does not work out as it had been intended because the son of Satan is not the kid both Aziraphale and Crowley had kept a close eye on. Instead, it is an unlikely boy who lives in the small village of Tadfield. He does not even know what he is capable of. Nevertheless, the end of the world is getting closer and can't be avoided ...

While this sounds like a heavy and dramatic read, "Good Omens" is anything but. Instead, it is sarcastic and filled with lots of dry humour and tongue in cheek. On top of this, some plot points and facts are so absurd that in the end it feels like slipping into the mind of someone who has mixed his sixth coffee with an energy drink and speaks each sentence so fast that it becomes one word.

There were moments, I really found myself giggling and smirking at the book. This does not mean that the whole book is not to be taken serious. Serious and heart-felt moments are also treated as such.

However, my pet-peeve regarding "Good Omens" are the foot-notes. This comes down to two reasons. For one, some of the best material, backstories, jokes, and fun facts can be found in them. It opens you a whole new world and rounds everything of. But second, they disrupt the plot ... a lot.* At the beginning this was less of a bother because the pace was relatively slow but as the book progressed it just became more disruptive.

There is also a slump in pace and plot at the beginning of the second half of the book. It seems somewhat lost, and while things are happening, nothing seems to move the story forwards. This is an issue, that I am glad to admit, had been averted in the TV-show.

Despite this, Gaiman and Pratchett worked together astonishingly well. At first, I was still trying to figure out who wrote which part. As the story progressed, I gave up on that little project. Even the authors said that they couldn't work out who wrote which part because

"And in any case, as a matter of honor both of the rewrote and footnoted the other guy's stuff, and both can write passably in the other one's style.

While this is a book that contains the son of the devil, demons, and angels, the most prevailing topic in it is love. Adam, who starts the whole mess, does not do so because he is inherently evil, instead he sees the older generation destroy the Earth and wants them to stop and change it for the better - a reaction that almost every teenager has had.

It also shows love across enemy lines, seen by Aziraphale and Crowley who are technically on different sides, but their devotion to each other and their love for Earth is what drives and motivates them - ignoring not only their orders but also the "ineffable" plan. It is a book that is about transcending loyalties, and expectations because they all love something that they should not.

In the end, I can't quite follow the "Good Omens" book hype while it is funny, original, and managed to be absurd while also being oddly soft, it is not a page-turner, and the weakness of the second half of the book, could tempt someone who is easily distracted to put the book down.

I did enjoy reading it in general butI would not call it the best book of all time. So, I was tempted to give this book "only" three flowers - meaning that I enjoyed reading it but wasn't sure if I'd buy it with my own money** - but then something weird happened: as the time between writing this review and publishing it passed, and the more I interacted in fandom space, and "Good Omens" (book) started to grow on me. It became a chaotic read that had favourite moments, and most importantly was written in a way that allowed a discussion. "Good Omens" has a character and uniqueness that survived over decades.

Because of that, I believe that it might be better if you give it a second read and already know the plot. This gives you a chance to read it "chaotically" and enjoy the side-notes in a way that you don't mind the distraction from the main plot. Again, I stand by all of the above, it is a flawed book but it grows on you, thus, I bumped it up to 4 flowers. Now pardon me I am trying to find a spot in my schedule for a quiet re-read.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch	by Neil Gaiman	and Terry Pratchett
Published	2007	by William Morrow / Harper	(first published in 1990)
ISBN:	9780060853976
Goodreads:	Add to shelf

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*I am, in fact, aware that foot-notes are here to tell you stuff that does not integrate into the main text. Still, it was bothersome to look down, read a text in small print - that had a different format and pace -, figure out where you left on the page, and then return to the normal plot. As proven here ... be on your merry way now.

** which I actually did, and I don't regret it but you know ... had I known in advance. Again, footnotes.

Read More About Good Omens:

  🕶 Book Review: Good Omens: Is The End of The World Really Funny? 🕶
 👿 Amazon's Good Omens: A Bubbly Rom-Com Set During The Apocalypse 😇
💅 A Good Omens Nail Design For Non Supernatural Beings*💅