| Good Omens |
| Good Omens deals with the Apocalypse, though in a very strange and wacky way. As the book cover quote from Clive Baker says, "The Apocalypse has never been funnier." The book begins with the birth of the Anti-Christ in England. There is a mix-up though, and the baby goes home with the wrong family. Then the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley spend the next 11 years trying to temper the boy from realizing his true nature for purely selfish reasons - Aziraphale and Crowley don't want the world to end. They like the world just as it is.
Now the story also involves the prophecies of Agnes Nutter, who has accurately predicted everything from the late 1600's to the end of the world. The decedents of Agnes have worked for centuries to decipher her prophecies and prepare for the end of the world. Pratchett and Gaiman are able to have a lot of fun with an angel and devil trying to fight the destiny of the world and the forces of Heaven and Hell. Plus, they throw in the sheer wackiness that is Agnes Nutter and her predictions. The story swings from the absurd to the clever, but is always entertaining. The writers keep things light and fun, with the tongue firmly set in cheek when dealing with the supernatural forces battling over the future of the world. My only gripe is the huge amount of minor characters the authors drop in. It becomes difficult to determine which minor characters to pay attention to and which ones to dismiss because they're never going to appear except in that one scene. It's a minor issue, but did become a bit bothersome at times. Ultimately I found that as long as I locked in on the major players of Aziraphale, Crowley, Adam Young (the Antichrist) and his gang of friends, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse (they ride motorcycles), Anathema Device, and Newton Pulisfer, then everything worked out fine. It's a fun read, nothing too intense. Disposable pop-fiction. A good candy book - full of fun, but not much nutritional value. I really enjoyed it. If you have a nice twisted sense of humor and don't mind laughing at the Apocalypse, I'd recommend Good Omens for you as well. |