A review by thestorydoer
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Good Omens is the funniest novel which I have read. I wasn't expecting it to be but alas, it was.
This book balances so many different moods in a book, I am fantastically surprised I wasn't given whiplash. It plays around with the idea of the apocalypse in a lighthearted manner but in doing so, incorporates awfully dark themes, interesting philosophies to deliberate over, as well as a large cast of loveable characters that I could list off the top of my head. This lighthearted darkness gives the book an exceptionally unique tone and atmosphere.
The writing style is fantastic, yet not what I expected from the likes of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. As a fan of Gaiman's work, I believe Gaiman's prose is sharpened to activate the imagination of readers and can create beautifully vivid descriptions of the world around him. However, as this was a collaborative effort between two friends, the vivaciousness of the book does not stem from the imagery of the prose, rather it stems from the wit. It packs so many jokes into single paragraphs that the jokes become the atmosphere of the book and forms a world which readers can become invested into. This writing style reminds me a lot of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with a similar dry British humour. But as THGTTG uses the existentialist universe to propel its humour, the humour of Good Omens propels its world.
I could list the entire cast of characters off the top of my head in this book, and there are a LOT of characters. Each character is given such a significant, memorable impact on the story that you can't help but love them all. Even a character who only shows up three times in the entire book, I can remember exactly what I loved about him. Again, most of the characters lovability is through humour, not depth, which is a unique and challenging achievement in its own right.
The world is deeply rooted in Christian religion and mythology, but somehow it doesn't feel that way. This feeling is harder to explain so bear with me. When I read American Gods, I felt that the book was tied into its mythology and that feeling permeated throughout the entire novel. However, this book felt like a unique story which just so happened to include Christian mythology in it. There was nothing which felt tied to the mythology, except for the concept. The mythological accuracy of the book may leave a lot to be desired, but I personally believe the book strives in its "derivational" approach to the mythology.
Overall, Good Omens packs so much depth into its wit, you will barely notice just how much you took away from it until the final chapter. 5/5
This book balances so many different moods in a book, I am fantastically surprised I wasn't given whiplash. It plays around with the idea of the apocalypse in a lighthearted manner but in doing so, incorporates awfully dark themes, interesting philosophies to deliberate over, as well as a large cast of loveable characters that I could list off the top of my head. This lighthearted darkness gives the book an exceptionally unique tone and atmosphere.
The writing style is fantastic, yet not what I expected from the likes of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. As a fan of Gaiman's work, I believe Gaiman's prose is sharpened to activate the imagination of readers and can create beautifully vivid descriptions of the world around him. However, as this was a collaborative effort between two friends, the vivaciousness of the book does not stem from the imagery of the prose, rather it stems from the wit. It packs so many jokes into single paragraphs that the jokes become the atmosphere of the book and forms a world which readers can become invested into. This writing style reminds me a lot of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with a similar dry British humour. But as THGTTG uses the existentialist universe to propel its humour, the humour of Good Omens propels its world.
I could list the entire cast of characters off the top of my head in this book, and there are a LOT of characters. Each character is given such a significant, memorable impact on the story that you can't help but love them all. Even a character who only shows up three times in the entire book, I can remember exactly what I loved about him. Again, most of the characters lovability is through humour, not depth, which is a unique and challenging achievement in its own right.
The world is deeply rooted in Christian religion and mythology, but somehow it doesn't feel that way. This feeling is harder to explain so bear with me. When I read American Gods, I felt that the book was tied into its mythology and that feeling permeated throughout the entire novel. However, this book felt like a unique story which just so happened to include Christian mythology in it. There was nothing which felt tied to the mythology, except for the concept. The mythological accuracy of the book may leave a lot to be desired, but I personally believe the book strives in its "derivational" approach to the mythology.
Overall, Good Omens packs so much depth into its wit, you will barely notice just how much you took away from it until the final chapter. 5/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, War, and Death