Place Snappy Title here

Somewhere there is a snappy title written down for this post. I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget and then I put it somewhere safe... I'll let you know when I find it. 

From Joanna's bookshelf:

It has been a regrettably long time coming, but I finished Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It has undoubtedly been at least 10 years since I bought it and many since I last attempted to read it. I’m fairly certain this was my 4th attempt at making it past the halfway point. Unlike other books I’ve struggled to get through, (I’m looking at you Pride and Prejudice) I really enjoyed Good Omens every time I attempted it. Life simply got in the way.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is a delightful collaboration. Many people are able to tell who wrote which part, but I cannot. I’m simply not familiar enough with their writing to tell, but that isn’t really important to enjoying this delightful tale about the end of the world. I assure you, looming apocalypse aside, this is a comedy.  You would think the agents of Heaven and Hell would welcome the end times, but for Aziraphale and Crowley, it means the end of their way of life. As both sides prepare for the final battle, it becomes clear that someone has misplaced the Antichrist….

Good Omens keeps things light, while taking on a rather bleak topic. Aziraphale and Crowley were probably my favorite part of the book. I like counterintuitive pairings. An unlikely buddy story of two guys just trying to maintain their lifestyle a little bit longer. Their relationship is an opportunity to explore how the two sides are different, as well as how they aren’t. They both skirt the rules set out for them, which I always enjoy. I also enjoy one thing they agree on: humans are far better at being good and evil than they are.

I wasn’t a big fan of the Antichrist until the end. The reader needs to know where he is and what he is up to, but I spent a lot of time wondering where Pratchett and Gaiman were going with him. I wasn’t bored, but underwhelmed by him. They make all the exposition come together nicely in the end. Nothing like the end times brought on by an 11 year old boy.

As delightful as I found Good Omens, it does drag a bit from time to time. There are a few jokes that go on too long. I’m told those are Pratchett bits. I also found a few side plots trying. They redeemed themselves in the end, but I’m guessing reading the book over a shorter length of time would have helped too.

I can understand the cult following the book has, but I’m not sure I love it with the same fervor. Would I read it again? Of course! Would I recommend it? Yes, but you better get a move on: armageddon could be any day now. 

- Joanna