Good Omens

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

10/5/2003

It is time for the Apocolypse. Armegeddon is scheduled. The devil had a baby switched eleven years ago to be the anti-Christ. Now it is time for the boy to come into his destiny and see which side, good or evil, will win.

Aziraphale is the angel who has been assigned to oversee Earth since Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden. In fact, he gave them his flaming sword to help get along in the world. Now he runs a rare used book store in London. He has spent a portion of the last eleven years with the boy who was supposed to be the anti-Christ, knowing that the outcome of Armegeddon rested partly in this boy's choices. He wanted Warlock to have the influence of good.

Crowley is the dark angel who is assigned to oversee Earth. He took the shape of the snake in the Garden of Eden. Now he drives a classic black Bentley and does his best to wreak havoc with people so they then turn to evil. He also made sure he spent part of the last eleven years with Warlock, giving evil's influence.

But there is a problem. Neither of them know that there was a mix-up in the hospital. Warlock isn't the anti-Christ. Instead, Adam Young is in a quiet village in England, neglected by all outside spiritual influences. He is the leader of his gang of four, and is basically an average English boy.

This novel is a cute, amusing novel about the End of Time - the Apocolypse - Armegeddon, etc. Gaiman and Pratchett stuck their tongues in their cheeks and produced a novel where Good knows it will win (it's part of the ineffability of the future), Bad tries to thwart and knows it has a chance, and there are still unanswered questions. We meet the descendant witch of the only person who got all the end time prophecies correct. The four horsemen (now on motorcycles) are here, although Pestilence has retired and given over to Pollution.

Good Omens is fun, light. My college aged daughter thought it was delightful. I enjoyed it, but not as much as she did. I found the book interesting enough, but slow going. I had to make myself stop other projects to finish it, rather than willingly putting them aside.

You can find more about this book at .