A review by chingwan7
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

4.25

 

After reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I wanted to read more works by Neil Gaiman. To contrast the solemn theme of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I decided to read something more lighthearted. That is when I came across Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. 

 

I first became familiar with the book because of friends and people who suggested I read the novel. They said it was funny and it had great characters. Moreover, I watched some YouTube clips of the tv adaptation of the book, and I found myself grinning.  

 

Besides, I wanted to read this book as a litmus test to see if I would enjoy Terry Pratchett's writing style. As far as my intuition goes, I feel the mood of Terry Pratchett's stories heavily differs from the stories I usually read.  

 

I can, fortunately, say Good Omens was an enjoyable read. 

 

Beginning with the praises, the two main characters, Aziraphale and Crowley, were fun and iconic. Their humorous interactions and banter wonderfully characterized both of them and thus making them more relatable. I also love how they interact and describe human nature considering Aziraphale and Crowley lived more than a thousand years. To further praise the two, I love how Aziraphale and Crowley sympathize with each other's challenges and understand the disparity between their superiors. Both characters started to cherish Earth, which will be the victim of Heaven and Hell's impending conflict. I like that despite their differences, Aziraphale and Crowley share the same motivation to save the world. 

 

Despite the dooming apocalypse, the book smartly utilizes humor to lighten the mood to a ridiculous degree. The story has enough farce that had me chuckle and shake my head at the over-the-top moments of the book. My highlighted moments were the prologue in the Gardens of Eden and the bike riders imitating the Four Horsemen. Moreover, every annotation in this book was worth reading (even though some are British jokes I do not understand).   

 

Third and final praise, the resolution to the story was simple yet thematic. Near the verge of Armageddon, Adam Young faces two representatives from Heaven and Hell. The representatives tried pressuring Adam into fulfilling his role as the Anti-Christ, but Adam remained unconvinced. He reasoned that Armageddon was unnecessary, and both sides needed it as an excuse to fight each other, even without knowing why. Because of this, Adam was able to avert the end of the world.  

 

 Adam was born with power and could've abused it, but he desired to right the wrongs in the world.  

 

Meanwhile, I have some nitpicks about the book. The middle section of the book felt slow and a bit boring. I also believe that most events felt disjointed and did not contribute to the overall narrative. Lastly, I did not find Newton Pulsifer and the witch hunters' arc interesting. 

 

I rate this book a 4.25/5