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Several years ago, a coworker handed me a copy of Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch and told me that I had to read it—because I would love it. I was reluctant, since I was a literature geek and he was a computer geek—and since I often thought that he had strange taste in just about everything—but I gave it a shot anyway. And he was actually right—I did love it. Ever since then, I’ve been meaning to pick up a copy of my own and reread it—and when I finally did, I found that it was every bit as entertaining the second time around.
In a small British town called Tadfield, Armageddon is brewing. Eleven years ago, in a super-secret mission involving a chattering order of Satanic nuns (who, as it turned out, weren’t exactly the brightest of bulbs), the Antichrist was brought to Earth. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a mix-up. The American diplomat who was talked into naming his young son Warlock ended up with a completely normal human baby. And the real Antichrist got lost in the shuffle and was raised in a completely normal home in Tadfield. But now that the Time has come, no one really knows where the young spawn of Satan ended up.
Caught in the middle are two unlikely friends: Crowley, a smooth-talking, Bentley-driving demon, and Aziraphale, a mild-mannered angel and used bookstore owner. After being stationed together on Earth for thousands of years, the two have found that they have more in common with each other than they do with their superiors—and they’ve come to a kind of truce. They’ve also come to enjoy their lives on Earth—and they’re not exactly thrilled about the coming Apocalypse. So, despite their orders, the two set out to find the misplaced Antichrist and stop the Great Battle before it begins. But the Four Bikers of the Apocalypse have already begun their ride, and Crowley and Aziraphale might be too late.
Good Omens is dry and witty and just a teeny bit sacrilegious—Monty Python and the Quest for the Apocalypse, if you will—and I can only imagine how much fun Gaiman and Pratchett had in writing it together. It’s an incredible collaboration, with an intriguing story and a huge cast of bizarre yet lovable characters. There’s a new laugh with the turn of every page (like the appearance of the Hell Hound, who turns out to be a mutt called Dog…or the careful of the British Inquisition by a gang of 11-year-olds…or, my personal favorite, the naming process for the Four Other Bikers of the Apocalypse). Start reading, and you’ll soon find yourself carrying the book with you wherever you go, sneaking in a few pages at red lights and occasionally locking yourself in the bathroom, anxiously awaiting the peculiar delights that are still to come.
If you’ve never read Good Omens, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. If you read it years ago, like I did, dust off your copy (or, if someone borrowed your copy long ago and never gave it back, buy yourself a new one) and read it again. Because Good Omens is one book that never gets old.
