This is a not very amusing attempt at biblical humor.

It felt like a real chore to read.

I couldn't even finish it. I managed to get through 130 pages before finally casting it aside.

To me, it read as if it had been written by two snarky twenty-year-olds.

They seemed to be trying too hard to be funny and edgy, but it just didn't work.

The story lacked depth and the characters were one-dimensional.

The humor was often forced and fell flat.

I was really disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to anyone.

It's a shame because the concept had potential, but it was executed poorly.

Maybe the authors should have spent more time developing their ideas and less time trying to be cool.

Overall, it was a waste of my time and I'm glad I stopped reading when I did.

In the beginning, there were just a few words. These words were with Neil Gaiman, and he recognized them as good words. So, he passed them on to Terry Pratchett, enabling him to add his own light-hearted touch. And it was morning (while Neil slept and Terry wrote) and it was night (while Terry slept and Neil wrote) - this was the first chapter.

Thus (or something similar, for the book within the book is only rarely cited directly!) spoke Agnes Nutter, the kind and highly accurate prophetess.

She would also have said (if she had been blessed or cursed not only with the facts but also with the understanding of the facts) that it was prophesied that the Bible was written to become the confusing yet entertaining template for a masterpiece of comic fiction. And everyone knows that pulling off such a task is devilishly difficult, as the comic genre is the most complicated one. However, if it works out, it can be truly divine! (The reason holy books aren't funny is that they haven't reached the required level of sophistication yet. They take themselves too literally and seriously, which is stylistic suicide, as we all know from listening to the human personifications of holy books - the preachers and politicians - which is why they are better suited to be comic material than comedy show producers).

If anyone (such as Agnes Nutter) had told me in 1990 that there was a recently published book that told the incredible story of the world in 2019 and presented the perfect parable of our current mess in the form of an Antichrist - born to save the world from destruction caused by the joint narcissism of Heaven and Hell - and that this Antichrist would be an 11-year-old environmentalist worried about our ecosystems, I would have been skeptical. I might even have said it sounded too much like the conspiring universe of the unbearable awfulness of The Alchemist, which was interestingly written around the same time (proving that stupidity and brilliance are only a sense of humor apart!).

So, I guess the International Express delivery man had clear instructions not to deliver Good Omens to me until I was finally ready for it by observing human nature carrying out the work that gods and devils were paid to do (and I don't specifically mean the M25 London Orbital, although it is a masterpiece that both Heaven and Hell claim).

Now that I have been given Good Omens (it's really quite strange how references to that sheepish ANTI-NOVEL keep popping up in the review of THE NOVEL), I have to spoil the fun and tell you all that Armageddon is off the table. As the Antichrist cleverly pointed out, it was an idea that didn't work in practical terms. It can't be about having a winning and a losing side because the \\"winners\\" will want to continue the squabble and turn on each other. It's about making the best of the mess. About \\"not getting along\\" in peace!

Good Omens is a joyride to the tune of Europe's Final Countdown, unsubtly interrupted in medias res by Queen singing The Show Must Go On...

Amen.

Antichrists, angels, DEATH (yes, there can only be one and the Antichrists were a falsehood), demons, apocalyptic riders, prophecies, and levels of comedic fantasy brilliance achieved by two of the genre's greatest gods.

Witchhunting, once a noble and respected profession, has become a difficult task in modern times for those fighting against sin, black magic, and eco-social matriarchy. Their ideology is so absurd that nothing needs to be added to make them appear as pathetic, bigoted idiots. However, one of them is connected to

The modern witching style, including the prophecies. This is the second most important plotline, deciphering the hilarious hidden hints to prevent the apocalypse. Although the good old

Angels and demons and the great lands of morality. The entities that enter here are not stereotypically good or bad. By observing humanity for millennia, they have developed unique, subjective attitudes towards good and bad. Reflecting on this and not acting as they should generates both humor and momentum, as the angel and demon (and the oldtimer car) are the driving forces to unite the storylines and integrate

Philosophy, morality, and religion. All of this and more is dissected, satirized, and objectively analyzed by giving the protagonists different core motivations. Since it's satire, it causes less headache and deep existential crisis than hardcore nonfiction philosophy and nonfiction, but more of a "What just happened" realization after the giggles. This is important for learning too, as positive psychology shows that more knowledge remains in the brain convolutions after the serotonin storm of joy.

DEATH and his 3 pals might have something against a postponed armageddon. Just like the other evil hell entities, they all want to party hard until the end of the world or the event itself, as long as no spoilsport shows up. Let's say, a

Not typical antichrist. By combining childhood idealism with godlike superhero powers, he doesn't act as expected. The innocence of youth is used to show the degeneration towards extremist adults and fantasy fractions that can't find a diplomatic middle ground.

Prachetterian Gaimanism. I wonder who wrote what, how they coordinated and cooperated, two of the greatest authors of all time creating something nearly incomparable. Imagine what your favorite genre writers could create together, how their styles would merge into something stronger than the creative titanium and imaginative graphene they already use in their own works.

Unpredictable and unique. The combination of all these unusual character traits makes the story as unexpected as possible, combining the strengths of both Pratchett's and Gaiman's writing into something truly one-of-a-kind. I tried to find a comparison, but there simply isn't any, as their own works are also different. So the best thing might be to pick up the book and compare it with some of the greatest milestones of deep satirical writing, which often come with the somewhat depressing fact that the authors created one-hit wonder evergreen overkill masterpieces.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

This one is added to all Pratchettian reviews: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheibe... The idea of dissected motifs is great, highlighting the main real-world inspirational elements of fiction and satire, something usually done with so-called higher literature, but a much more interesting field in readable literature, as it offers the joy of reading, subtle criticism, and the feeling of being smart all at once.

Sometimes, you stumble upon a book that you immediately and wholeheartedly absorb. "Good Omens" is a truly remarkable piece of work. It is silly, witty, clever, and outrageously funny. It oozes that quintessential English charm and is, overall, just brilliant. Now, I'm not suggesting that this is the flawless book. However, at this moment in time, it is the perfect book for me.

3rd read: August 2022-2023


2nd read: July 2019


This book is an absolute delight for a long weekend. I found it to be not only witty and clever but also quite crazy in the best possible way. Above all, it was extremely enjoyable. The experience was even enhanced when I sat on the balcony on a warm summer evening, sipping a glass (or perhaps two) of gin and tonic.

I'm counting this towards my reading goal for the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge. Cue: \\"The book is better: Read a book being adapted for TV or film this year.\\"


***


I might be the only person on the planet who read this book after watching the series. The series was super entertaining, and since I had been longing to read something by Terry Pratchett for ages, I rushed to buy the book right after I finished the series. I'm incredibly excited to immerse myself in the whole story in its original format.

Having bumped this up to my next read because of the recent TV adaptation, this collaboration by Britain’s two best fantasy writers didn’t disappoint! It lived up to its cult status. I’d originally intended to save this once I’d finished the Discworld series (only read about 15 so far), but I’m convinced that the show will be a hit and I didn’t want to be spoiled. So just like Gaiman’s American Gods that had also had the small screen treatment, I hastily read the book first.

In a way this really is the best of Discworld meets American Gods set in England with the backdrop of an impending apocalypse. With an array of fascinating characters including the four horsemen and various witches and supernatural characters, there’s a real Discworld vibe here. I liked that a familiar character also featured. But the two standouts are the angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley. Sheen and Tennant seem like perfect casting! Between them they decide life on Earth is actually quite great and would like to stop the potential Armageddon. It’s not that simple as due to a mix up at the hospital, the real Anti-Christ is young Adam Young living in the small town in Oxfordshire!

A fun witty romp that is quintessential English, gags about Milton Keynes and pre-decimalisation had me laughing out loud. A nice bit of Queen thrown in too! Like all Pratchett books it was the footnotes that had me laughing the most. The story is filled with clever wordplay, unexpected twists, and a wonderful sense of humor that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. It’s a truly unique and enjoyable read that combines elements of fantasy, satire, and comedy in a way that only these two talented authors could manage.

I read American Gods not too long ago, and although I had some appreciation for it, it didn't quite live up to the extremely high expectations I had set for it. This led me to wonder if perhaps I should go back and reexamine "Good Omens". You know, to see if it was truly as wonderful as I remembered from before.

Huh. As it turns out, it was actually even better than I recalled! It was hilarious!

The 5-star rating that it has definitely stands!

"Good Omens" is now firmly established as one of my all-time favorite books. I wouldn't say that I laughed out loud continuously, but there were several moments when I snorted with laughter and had a smile on my face throughout the entire reading experience. Who would have ever thought that the concept of the apocalypse could be so incredibly funny?! Evidently, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett had that brilliant idea. Personally, I thought that it was a great coming-of-age story about a boy named Adam Young.

However, there is a warning. If you are one of those people who wears a "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelet and firmly believes that the purple Teletubby is really gay, then this is not the book for you. In that case, it would be best to just put it down and pick up something by C.S. Lewis instead.

The story revolves around an angel and a demon who have spent thousands of years on earth together and have developed a rather good working relationship. Everything is going along smoothly until Crowley (the demon) is tasked with delivering the Antichrist to his new family. In other words, he has to hand over the Spawn of Hell to a group of (satanic) nuns who will then switch him out with a human baby who has just been born. Once this deed is accomplished, Crowley decides to enlist the help of Aziraphale (the angel) to prevent the impending apocalypse. The reason for this is that the food and music on Earth are really good, and they don't want all of that to come to an end.

They have eleven years before the boy reaches his full potential, but unfortunately, due to a mix-up in the Satanic switcheroo, the wrong kid is identified as the Antichrist, and the real Antichrist gets to live a normal life.

It's a fascinating combination of Nature vs Nurture, The Power of Friendship, and The Odd Couple. There is a whole lot more to the story than what I've briefly described here, but you should get the general idea. It's an excellent story, and I highly recommend that you give it a try!

This book has the freshness of a mountain river.

I like that a story can make me burst out laughing in the most unexpected and tense moments of the plot.

What I enjoyed the most about this journey towards Armageddon were its characters and the relationships they weave among them.

At times, I imagined that Crowley and Azirafel emulated the bonds between Pratchett and Gaiman. And they made me think about the tensions of two fantastic beings, humanized by the contradictions of living for thousands of years on Earth.

It was also incredible to encounter an Adam, an Antichrist, who thinks about the end of the world with the mind of a child and resolves the conflicts between good and evil in the same way, despite the warlike cravings of the infernal and divine forces.

In conclusion, an entertaining and brilliant version of one of the most terrifying apocalyptic events in the history of humanity: the end of the world.

\\n  4 potent STARS ★★★★✩\\n

\\n  

\\nThis book is for you if… you’d like a sinister yet oddly cheerful narrative, spiked with brilliant puns and an unusual plot.

\\n

⤐ Overall.

Laughing out loud is truly one of the most wonderful things that can occur while I'm engrossed in a book. The unique charm of Good Omens and its characters has an almost otherworldly magnetic pull that draws you in. The audiobook narration is superb, effectively voicing the outlandish perspectives of the two main characters, making the entire experience an absolute joy.


Altogether, this was a lovely symphony of human ignorance, extraterrestrial astonishment, and literary excellence. Falling into this world is like rolling out of bed and landing on the fluffy pink and violet clouds of a pegasus' wings.




I must admit that at times, I was a bit unsure about the purpose of certain parts of the story. Although, of course, they all contributed to the conclusion of the narrative. I still prefer every sentence to be filled with purpose and meaning. (Says the person who's rarely able to be short and concise.)


Here's another gif that I discovered while searching for visual support for this review:



⤐ What’s happening.

\\n  \\n    ‘You don't have to test everything to destruction just to see if you made it right.’\\n  \\n

And yet, humans seem to do just that. As a result, the apocalypse is approaching - or rather, it needs to be set in motion. A plan is devised - a plan that doesn't take into account the nervous yet honest efforts of a dark and eager nun who really wants to contribute something. Or the teamwork of one particular demon (Crowly) and one particular angel (Aziraphale). Good Omens invites you to a play of (mis-)fortune, oddities, and mundane errors.

_____________________

\\n   writing quality + easy of reading\\n = 5*


\\n  pace\\n = 3*


\\n  plot/story in general\\n = 4*


\\n  plot development\\n = 3*


\\n  characters\\n = 5*


\\n  enjoyability\\n = 4*


\\n  insightfulness\\n = 4*

\\n  \\n    “It has been said that civilization is twenty-four hours and two meals away from barbarism.”\\n  \\n

This statement sets the tone for a truly unique and entertaining story. The concept of Heaven and Hell being in a perpetual cold war is both quirky and fascinating. Ever since Lucifer, described as \\n  “An Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards.”\\n, became the antagonist, the stage has been set for an epic final showdown. Now, with the birth of Satan's son and the prophecies foretelling the end of the world when he turns eleven, the anticipation builds.

The humor in this narrative is simply delightful. Aziraphale, the not-so-perfect Angel, and Crowley, the not-so-bad Demon, are the heart and soul of the story. Their friendship, filled with both cooperation and competition, adds a layer of complexity and charm. As Crowley puts it,

\\n  “Hell wasn't a major reservoir of evil, any more then Heaven, in Crowley's opinion, was a fountain of goodness; they were just sides in the great cosmic chess game. Where you found the real McCoy, the real grace and the real heart-stopping evil, was right inside the human mind.”\\n

The extensive cast, including the four horsemen (one of whom is a woman) of the apocalypse, witches, Satanists, a gang of kids, a witchhunter, and a dog, further enriches the story. There are countless funny snippets and the cut and paste style keeps the reader engaged as we jump from one group of characters to another during the countdown to the final days.

With a TV series adaptation on the horizon, it will be exciting to see how this story comes to life on the small screen. I have a feeling it will be a great time. After all, in the face of the end of the world, what better way to cope than with a good laugh and a touch of ridiculousness? This story is perfect for those moments when you just need to lighten up and have some fun in your life.

This is a great story,

but hoooo boy, that’s a lot of slurs.

The story itself might have had some interesting elements and a good plot.

However, the excessive use of slurs really detracts from it.

It makes the reading experience rather uncomfortable and off-putting.

One wonders if the author could have conveyed the same emotions and ideas without relying so much on such offensive language.

Perhaps with a bit more creativity and a wider vocabulary, the story could have been just as engaging without the need for slurs.

As it stands, it’s a bit of a pity that the great potential of the story is somewhat overshadowed by this aspect.

Hopefully, in the future, the author will consider being more mindful of the language used and create works that are more inclusive and enjoyable for a wider audience.

I actually feel a little bad giving this 2 stars, since I see so many reviews of people who loved this book.

Unfortunately, I'm just not one of them. I usually like Pratchett's work, and there are indeed a few comic touches that I liked here.

However, overall the unbelievably slow pace of the latter half of this story nearly drove me bonkers. It skips over about 10 years in just a few chapters, and then camps out at 6 hours 'til doomsday for hundreds of pages.

The dialogue of the children was tiresome, and the only character remotely 3-dimensional was the demon Crowley. I began skimming pages before giving up altogether on it a few chapters from the end.

I would say it's not my style of book, but that's not entirely true. Again, I like Pratchett's other works, and I'm also a Douglas Adams fan.

This one just didn't hit my funny bone, I guess. Maybe it's because I was expecting something different, or maybe it's just that this particular story didn't resonate with me as much as his others.

Whatever the reason, I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book more, but I'll still look forward to reading Pratchett's future works.

This book can be a classic example that "good things don't come easily!".

For about two months, I carried this book everywhere with me. The corners of its cover turned outwards and it got stuck in several places. Every ten times I took it out of my bag to read, maybe seven times I thought it would be better if I just dropped it and read something "easy". By "easy", I mean something that I can read quickly and understand what it is about, something that I can enjoy according to its capacity and that doesn't take so long to read that the book falls apart.

I don't think I have ever thought so hard about how many stars to give a book. On the one hand, I asked myself how on earth can I rate one of Gaiman's masterpieces as three stars? On the other hand, I thought about all the moments when my attention was distracted by the flowers on the wallpaper and the color of the wall seemed attractive to me while reading... The truth is that this book is written for smart people, at least in my opinion, and maybe I was not the right audience for this book. It was very hard for me to follow the story, the characters were not approachable at all and following the path they were taking was very boring for me! It was really the first sixty percent of the book that I felt this way. The last forty percent... Well, imagine someone comes and gives you a glass and tells you that this red liquid is one of the rarest, most precious and oldest wines in the world and that all the flavors are combined in just one tear drop in his eye and you are like... Well :)) Should I now compare the flavor with the Coca-Colas produced in Mashhad that I have eaten before?

You know what I mean?

But I didn't say all this to say that Goodman's so-called masterpiece is not. I said all this so that if you, who have the intention of dropping this book, happen to come across this writing, maybe your opinion will change and you will continue reading.

The feeling I had after reading the last page, the last line... Aaaaaaa :)

■ Should I give it five stars or not (read in the voice of a Martian)?

■ Forward to the series.