A Book With Good Omens
Good Omens: A Review
The book deals with the end of the world, and two of the most unlikely allies you will see on page trying to put a stop to it. We follow several different stories that are seemingly unconnected, but riveting nonetheless.
If you are a fan of original storytelling and thought-provoking whimsy, see a few of the reasons why I think you should read this hilarious book after the jump.
The basis of the story is set around Crowley, a demon, and Aziraphale, an angel, who both like their cushy „life“ (inverted commas because, let’s face it, they are not exactly dead or alive) on Earth and don’t want The End of the world as we know it to come about.
They have been friends for several thousands of years and have grown quite fond of humans, so they wish to save them. That, and they think Earth is fun and colourful, while heaven and hell are kind of monotonous, dull and dreary to them. That is where the story begins.
As for the other players... These are varied and engaging. An old witch, Agnes Nutter, who had in the past made very accurate, and not very fancy (therefore, not very well received), predictions. Her descendant, also a witch, and a confused witchfinder who falls in love with her. Four horsepersons of the Apocalypse; who fired Plague because it wasn’t lethal anymore and hired Pollution instead. Of course, there’s the little issue of how they can’t be called „horsemen“ because War is actually a woman. Next, we have the Antichrist and his friends, the lost city of Atlantis showing up, aliens landing and Tibetan monks coming out of the ground, and basically lots of chaos and mayhem.
The reason I’m writing about this book is quite simple. I believe it can be summed up like this: "Heaven to read, and you’ll laugh like hell." It has been a while since I read a book that made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt. The plot is amazing, and the characters are eccentric and brilliant. The very notion that an Antichrist could be raised as a normal child is practically unseen. What I found particularly interesting is the reason the authors give for Crowley’s and Aziraphale’s mission to save the world. You see, they both like people for the simple reason that people can choose. People can choose to be good or evil, they can quit their jobs, they can change their minds, they can be more evil than the devil and more merciful than an angel. Yet despite their immortality, the two allies can’t boast the ability to choose — they are who they are.
„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.“
I won’t reveal the ending, because it’s interesting how things turn out when you raise the Antichrist as a normal child. Well worth the read. My opinion is – read the book, you’ll love it.
This Wench rated Good Omens:
* Artwork from www.tumblr.com.
I did love this book! So worth every reread!
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss this one????! Thank you.
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