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A review by micheala
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
1.5
This is a case of both not enjoying the narrative choices (personal) and this book has aged horrifically (it's 32 years old and you can feel it)
On the personal side, this story is supposed to be an ensemble caste, however it just felt like viewing a series of side characters rather than a collection of main characters. I didn't feel like we spent enough time with the characters to understand them on anything but the most superficial level. On the other hand, this is probably why it was such a successful TV show, as they had lots of room to work with in regards to adapting the characters.
My main problem is a lot of the language used. This is full of casual racist, sexist, and homophobic language that is never addressed in text. The one that I personally found the most upsetting (likely as it was a several paragraphs thing rather than one line) was the "Indian spirit guide" that ** fakes in her seances. This portrayal of Indigenous people might have been more common in 1990 however it was bad enough that I can not recommend reading this book. Apparently the TV show has removed the blatently problematic sections, however I have not watched the show yet and cannot say for certain.
I did enjoy the premise and the way in which it ultimately resolved, however that was not enough to salvage this novel for me.
On the personal side, this story is supposed to be an ensemble caste, however it just felt like viewing a series of side characters rather than a collection of main characters. I didn't feel like we spent enough time with the characters to understand them on anything but the most superficial level. On the other hand, this is probably why it was such a successful TV show, as they had lots of room to work with in regards to adapting the characters.
My main problem is a lot of the language used. This is full of casual racist, sexist, and homophobic language that is never addressed in text. The one that I personally found the most upsetting (likely as it was a several paragraphs thing rather than one line) was the "Indian spirit guide" that ** fakes in her seances. This portrayal of Indigenous people might have been more common in 1990 however it was bad enough that I can not recommend reading this book. Apparently the TV show has removed the blatently problematic sections, however I have not watched the show yet and cannot say for certain.
I did enjoy the premise and the way in which it ultimately resolved, however that was not enough to salvage this novel for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, and Racism