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A review by jessicaludden
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.”
I thought this was really funny and I liked the humor in it even though I never really laughed out loud. The beginning had me super interested, but the middle dragged for me and I got kinda bored. Mainly because I really liked all the characters’ POVs except Newt, Anathema, Mr. Shadwell, and Madame Tracy. I loved Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship. I really liked Adam, thought he was hilarious. Also really loved the Horsepersons. The ending was a little iffy to me. I understood what happened, but I just didn’t really get why or how. I liked all the prophecy stuff with Agnes and the idea that there’s a Great Plan. There were many times I was confused and had to go back a little to reread and make sure I understood what was happening. It’s definitely not a casual read. You really have to pay attention while you read. Overall, it was enjoyable and I had a good time, just got bored at certain parts.
Favorite Quotes:
“Firstly, that God moved in extremely mysterious, not to say, circuitous ways. God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising… to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won’t tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.”
“…the Earth’s a Libra.”
“You couldn’t be a demon and have free will.”
“They were born into a world that was against them in a thousand little ways, and then devoted most of their energies to making it worse.”
“People couldn’t become truly holy, he said, unless they also had the opportunity to be definitively wicked.”
“Hell wasn’t a major reservoir of evil, any more than 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.”
“It is said that the devil has all the best tunes. This is broadly true. But Heaven has the best choreographers.”
“‘You see, evil always contains the seeds of its own destruction…’”
“Evil never sleeps, and Virtue is ever-vigilant.”
“The things that really change the world, according to Chaos Theory, are the tiny things.”
“…because if there is one thing a man wants to know when he’s woken up in a panic at 400 A.M., it’s that he’s not alone.”
“‘…Agnes didn’t see the future. That’s just a metaphor. She remembered it.’”
“Because, underneath it all, Crowley was an optimist.”
“Only Death hadn’t changed. Some things don’t.”
“Death of a sort lurks inside every living creature.”
“Adam looked at the Them. They were his kind of people too.”
“‘I don’t see why it matters what is written. Not when it’s about people. It can always be crossed out.’”
“I’d just like to say… if we don’t get out of this, that… I’ll have known, deep down inside, that there was a spark of goodness in you.’”
“‘Just remember that I’ll have known that, deep down inside, you were just enough of a bastard to be worth liking.’”
“It all hung around in his mind, not exactly forgotten but forever hanging on the cusp of recollection, a memory of thing that hadn’t happened.”
“And if you want to imagine the future… imagine a figure, half angel, half devil, all human… slouching hopefully towards Tadfield… forever.”
I thought this was really funny and I liked the humor in it even though I never really laughed out loud. The beginning had me super interested, but the middle dragged for me and I got kinda bored. Mainly because I really liked all the characters’ POVs except Newt, Anathema, Mr. Shadwell, and Madame Tracy. I loved Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship. I really liked Adam, thought he was hilarious. Also really loved the Horsepersons. The ending was a little iffy to me. I understood what happened, but I just didn’t really get why or how. I liked all the prophecy stuff with Agnes and the idea that there’s a Great Plan. There were many times I was confused and had to go back a little to reread and make sure I understood what was happening. It’s definitely not a casual read. You really have to pay attention while you read. Overall, it was enjoyable and I had a good time, just got bored at certain parts.
Favorite Quotes:
“Firstly, that God moved in extremely mysterious, not to say, circuitous ways. God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising… to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won’t tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.”
“…the Earth’s a Libra.”
“You couldn’t be a demon and have free will.”
“They were born into a world that was against them in a thousand little ways, and then devoted most of their energies to making it worse.”
“People couldn’t become truly holy, he said, unless they also had the opportunity to be definitively wicked.”
“Hell wasn’t a major reservoir of evil, any more than 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.”
“It is said that the devil has all the best tunes. This is broadly true. But Heaven has the best choreographers.”
“‘You see, evil always contains the seeds of its own destruction…’”
“Evil never sleeps, and Virtue is ever-vigilant.”
“The things that really change the world, according to Chaos Theory, are the tiny things.”
“…because if there is one thing a man wants to know when he’s woken up in a panic at 400 A.M., it’s that he’s not alone.”
“‘…Agnes didn’t see the future. That’s just a metaphor. She remembered it.’”
“Because, underneath it all, Crowley was an optimist.”
“Only Death hadn’t changed. Some things don’t.”
“Death of a sort lurks inside every living creature.”
“Adam looked at the Them. They were his kind of people too.”
“‘I don’t see why it matters what is written. Not when it’s about people. It can always be crossed out.’”
“I’d just like to say… if we don’t get out of this, that… I’ll have known, deep down inside, that there was a spark of goodness in you.’”
“‘Just remember that I’ll have known that, deep down inside, you were just enough of a bastard to be worth liking.’”
“It all hung around in his mind, not exactly forgotten but forever hanging on the cusp of recollection, a memory of thing that hadn’t happened.”
“And if you want to imagine the future… imagine a figure, half angel, half devil, all human… slouching hopefully towards Tadfield… forever.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, and War