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Reviews tagging 'Racism'
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
91 reviews
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, I have a lot to say here.
Firstly, I have been recommended Good Omens many times, so it’s fair to say I had some expectations coming into it.
(Disclaimer: I did watch the TV adaptation of this book before reading (unusual for me), and only came back to read because I was a bit confused. Apologies is this review centers too much on adaptation comparisons, but that is the frame of mind I went into this book with.)
This is a very charming book. Though not a huge fan of religious satire/commentary usually, this book absolutely dedicated itself to that mission while not isolating me with the amount of occult-adjacent material. While I did like the TV series, I was quite confused about what the tone was supposed to be- and this book clears that up quite well. The writing has such a strong voice and not a single sentence feels out of place or unnecessary. I laughed, and was intrigued, and I had a very good time. That’s the thing though, this book is amazing for the worth of small jokes, details, and charming anecdotes but as a full story it falls flat. The details I loved were such as the “Notes for Americans”, giving directions to the airbase scene, and the fact that all the music in the Bentley turns into Queen (My dream, actually).
However, with all the small things aside, I had a hard time finding a love for the story.
I understand the idea of preventing Armageddon, but the lead up is a bit wishy washy, and if you asked me to give you a concise order of events, I’d be hard pressed. Many of the characters just happen to be involved, and the stakes are so big and comedy so present that it doesn’t like a bad idea to just let it happen. (Yes, I understand nuclear world war is bad, but it’s hard to relate to on a personal level.)
It’s just a lot of bizarre things happening to bizarre people.
Not to mention that out of those bizarre people I felt the ratios of limelight were a little off.
The characters are wildly original, but sorry to say Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell, Madame Tracy, Newton Pulsifer, and Anathema Device cannot hold a candle to Aziraphale and Crowley. Which is a shame because for all the promoting of their friendship in the book description they spend barely any time together on the page. I was starving for some more conversations between those two. It’s a book about Heaven and Hell and moral dilemma, for goodness sake! They drop off a baby, take a drive, make a few calls, read a book, and then head to Tadfeild for the end finale. (Most of these things were done separately, too.) That’s all there is!
As for the others, Anathema’s identity as a descendant is probably the most interesting conflictbut she’s reduced to a vaguely witchy female as soon as Newton comes Tadfeild. I didn’t find either Witchhunter remotely captivating, despite the fact the filled up most of the pages in this book. I haven’t mentioned the Them yet either, who take up the other majority.
Firstly, I have been recommended Good Omens many times, so it’s fair to say I had some expectations coming into it.
(Disclaimer: I did watch the TV adaptation of this book before reading (unusual for me), and only came back to read because I was a bit confused. Apologies is this review centers too much on adaptation comparisons, but that is the frame of mind I went into this book with.)
This is a very charming book. Though not a huge fan of religious satire/commentary usually, this book absolutely dedicated itself to that mission while not isolating me with the amount of occult-adjacent material. While I did like the TV series, I was quite confused about what the tone was supposed to be- and this book clears that up quite well. The writing has such a strong voice and not a single sentence feels out of place or unnecessary. I laughed, and was intrigued, and I had a very good time. That’s the thing though, this book is amazing for the worth of small jokes, details, and charming anecdotes but as a full story it falls flat. The details I loved were such as the “Notes for Americans”, giving directions to the airbase scene, and the fact that all the music in the Bentley turns into Queen (My dream, actually).
However, with all the small things aside, I had a hard time finding a love for the story.
I understand the idea of preventing Armageddon, but the lead up is a bit wishy washy, and if you asked me to give you a concise order of events, I’d be hard pressed. Many of the characters just happen to be involved, and the stakes are so big and comedy so present that it doesn’t like a bad idea to just let it happen. (Yes, I understand nuclear world war is bad, but it’s hard to relate to on a personal level.)
It’s just a lot of bizarre things happening to bizarre people.
Not to mention that out of those bizarre people I felt the ratios of limelight were a little off.
The characters are wildly original, but sorry to say Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell, Madame Tracy, Newton Pulsifer, and Anathema Device cannot hold a candle to Aziraphale and Crowley. Which is a shame because for all the promoting of their friendship in the book description they spend barely any time together on the page. I was starving for some more conversations between those two. It’s a book about Heaven and Hell and moral dilemma, for goodness sake! They drop off a baby, take a drive, make a few calls, read a book, and then head to Tadfeild for the end finale. (Most of these things were done separately, too.) That’s all there is!
As for the others, Anathema’s identity as a descendant is probably the most interesting conflict
I like Adam. I like the whole group, actually. They actually talk, act, and think like children (a real skill to write that, by the way), but you can only listen to so many baseless conversations about Atlantis. Pepper was the best of them all— she’s a real boss. Brian was a bit flat, but him being the one to take down Pollution is ironic in a good way.
I have only one more complaint, and it’s the very few but pretty powerful slurs in this book. I was surprised at them, actually, because they came out of totally nowhere and disappeared just as suddenly. I can’t remember off the top of my head exactly how many times this happened, but it was enough to feel icky about it. I have a more details in this spoiler tag for those that want them: I won’t use the words here, but there was a one-time usage of both homophobic slurs and ableist slurs and one racial slur that popped up a couple times. In many of the Them conversations, some pretty serious issues are thrown around (To name a few: Witch-burning, The Spanish Inquisition, stereotypes and assumptions about people of other nationalities and races, etc.) Unlike the slurs, it’s hard to say if this is a turn-off, because they are kids and probably don’t know much better. I’m aware that one of the authors of this book is problematic as well, and perhaps there’s other small things that I missed.
I PERSONALLY wouldn’t discount the book on these notes (because their frequency is for the most part, minor), but it felt important to recognize them and let others know before heading in: be prepared.
So, that’s all for Good Omens! My advice, read the book first and watch the series second, but if you get bored, watch and read at the same time. A lot of the fun of this story plays out better in words than on film, but Michael Sheen and David Tennant give phenomenal performances in the adaption.
I PERSONALLY wouldn’t discount the book on these notes (because their frequency is for the most part, minor), but it felt important to recognize them and let others know before heading in: be prepared.
So, that’s all for Good Omens! My advice, read the book first and watch the series second, but if you get bored, watch and read at the same time. A lot of the fun of this story plays out better in words than on film, but Michael Sheen and David Tennant give phenomenal performances in the adaption.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, War
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Car accident, Pregnancy
From the first chapter, I knew I wasn’t going to like this book because of that paragraph disregarding racism against Black people, but I thought, “Ok, this was written by a white guy in the 90s, I’ll just push through.” Plus I really wanted to watch David Tennant in the show. But then I found out more about how fans of the book and show never wanted Crowley and Aziraphale to end up together romantically, so I quit. Cos, F that. What’s with gen z’s anti-love rhetoric these days?
NOW I find out neil gaiman is a sex offender, so I DEFINITELY won't be finishing this.
NOW I find out neil gaiman is a sex offender, so I DEFINITELY won't be finishing this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia
Minor: Body shaming, Racism, Xenophobia
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Car accident
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Such a wandering plot with so many stories that slowly intertwine and end in the same place. Became super fond of all the characters, they are all so goofy with their little quirks hehe. The writing was hilarious, especially the footnotes and random info thrown in there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Racism, Violence, Alcohol
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Death, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexism, Car accident, Cultural appropriation
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this is a rare case of the adaptation being better than the original book. I had seen the TV series before reading this and I'm honestly surprised at how much the show made up considering how long this book is. My biggest issue with this book is that the entire middle part was tedious, mainly focusing on the Them, Anathema, Newt and Shadwell for 120 pages, yet for all these characters it felt like nothing of note was really happening. I was bored and just wanting the narrative to switch back to Crowley and Aziraphale (the latter stuck reading a book for those 120 pages, doing nothing else, just reading and having the narration describing it)
I could forgive it slightly if it was actually funny, but I found myself barely smiling at any jokes. Like this is well written in terms of sentence structure and I would occassionaly, absentmindly go "Oh that's kinda clever", but after a while it became tortuous to read through so much unhumorous descriptions with way, way too many characters. Many of whom are only there for a page or two and take away from the main cast. Even most of the main cast I didn't care for (I can see why the show focused more on Aziraphale and Crowley as they are the best characters who really work well off each other). The show added way more things that were actually interesting to the themes (Heaven and Hell having way more of a presence, Aziraphale and Crowley being shown through the ages - it's honestly shocking how little time they interact in the book compared to everyone else) that the book just feels so hollow in comparison.
Another thing that caught me off guard was the amount of racism, misogyny, ableism, fatphobia and homophobia (I was aware of the infamous scene where Aziraphale is called the f slur by a child but not everything else) that is scattered throughout. The parts where it pops up made an already tedious reading experience into an aggravating one. It's strange, I've read a bunch of Pratchett's work and I don't recall coming across anything this bad (I don't know about Gaiman's work and frankly with what's been happening reccently I don't want to buy his books to check).
This is the closest I've ever DNF a book and it came close several times. I've rated this slightly higher due to the ending, which stops trying to crack as many unfunny jokes to actually talk about the themes & characters in a way that makes you reflect. Where was that the rest of the book??
Again, you're better off watching the show and save yourself the trouble.
I could forgive it slightly if it was actually funny, but I found myself barely smiling at any jokes. Like this is well written in terms of sentence structure and I would occassionaly, absentmindly go "Oh that's kinda clever", but after a while it became tortuous to read through so much unhumorous descriptions with way, way too many characters. Many of whom are only there for a page or two and take away from the main cast. Even most of the main cast I didn't care for (I can see why the show focused more on Aziraphale and Crowley as they are the best characters who really work well off each other). The show added way more things that were actually interesting to the themes (Heaven and Hell having way more of a presence, Aziraphale and Crowley being shown through the ages - it's honestly shocking how little time they interact in the book compared to everyone else) that the book just feels so hollow in comparison.
Another thing that caught me off guard was the amount of racism, misogyny, ableism, fatphobia and homophobia (I was aware of the infamous scene where Aziraphale is called the f slur by a child but not everything else) that is scattered throughout. The parts where it pops up made an already tedious reading experience into an aggravating one. It's strange, I've read a bunch of Pratchett's work and I don't recall coming across anything this bad (I don't know about Gaiman's work and frankly with what's been happening reccently I don't want to buy his books to check).
This is the closest I've ever DNF a book and it came close several times. I've rated this slightly higher due to the ending, which stops trying to crack as many unfunny jokes to actually talk about the themes & characters in a way that makes you reflect. Where was that the rest of the book??
Again, you're better off watching the show and save yourself the trouble.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, War
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation
Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Car accident, Alcohol
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Racism
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Racism
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I finally picked this book back up after DNFing it a few years back. I almost never leave reviews, my only exception is when I don’t like a book, and this was definitely one of those times. I feel like your book doesn’t really work when the whole premise is based on satirizing religion and tries to make fun of people who use their religious views for bigotry when at the same time your book is filled with non-satirical bigotry. The casual racism in this book was pretty shocking since I’ve really only heard rave reviews for it. I think that this is one of those times when people are blinded by their love for the story. I didn’t like the way the women were written, as soon as their male love interests came into the picture, they lost all previous personality. And the scene comparing terrorists to freedom fighters didn’t really come as a surprise seeing as Neil Gaiman is a Zionist.
On a less serious note, one of my bookish pet peeves is phonetically spelling out dialogue to show a character’s accent - and that happened constantly. We get it, this character has an accent. You don’t need to stunt the dialogue by making everything impossible to read.
I hope that I forget this book soon, it wasn’t worth the time and effort.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Islamophobia, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War