Good Omens by Terry Pratchet/Neil Gaiman

[Tessar]

I just recently finished this book (I got it for Christmas) and I think it's hilarious.

Has anyone else read it?

The book really prompted me to think. The whole thing is a gigantic satire of our ideas of heaven/hell, and I find it rather hilarious how everything which is represented is just one logical step from how a lot of people seem to actually view angels/demons/etc.

I particularly found the part about the satanists amusing... how most of them aren't that evil during the weekdays, it's just every Sunday for an hour or two they plot out some demonic ideas which don't really go through most of the time once they have to put them into action. It's not that I find the idea of satanists amusing... I just think it's funny because it describes so many Christians to a "T", which of course was the point of the parody.

[BeardofPants]

I like pratchet & I like gaiman, but I wasn't a fan of Good Omens. :/

You should read more Gaiman! I recommend the Sandman.

[Earniel]

I liked Good Omens quite a lot. I don't think it is exactly meant as a parody, but when one puts these two authors together, I'm afraid any possible result just must be hilarious.

But it took me a while to find out how different Gaiman's and Pratchett's usual writing really is. I had read a lot of Pratchett before coming to Good Omens, but nothing yet of Gaiman and Good Omens gave a me a totally wrong idea of his books. For a long time I kept expecting his books to turn out something in the style of Disc World. But now that I've read both authors' other work, I feel like I can pick out most of the time who wrote which part.

The Kraken scene remains one of my favourite scenes in books ever. "The Kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for revenge." Best. Scene. Ever.

Both are very good authors, although I personally prefer Pratchett because Gaiman's books very often freak me out. But Gaiman definitely merrits checking out further. His books do make you think a lot about the themes and subjects too, but I find Pratchett is often more spot on with witty observations about the world and people in general that he manages to weave almost seamlessly into a fantasy world, very unalike and yet alike to our world. (I admit I may be juuuust a little biased, the man's got a trilogy where frogs are a theme...)

(By the way, BoP, isn't Sandman a comic books series?)

[BeardofPants]

.... Graphic novels.

[Willow Oran]

Good Omens makes me happy. It was the stress relief obsession for me and Katt during our senior year of high school. Best part: You can cross it over with anything and get a beautifully funny result.

[Count Comfect]

I'm kinda scared of Willow's Good Omens crossovers...but it's a marvelous book. Neither my favorite Gaiman (Neverwhere) nor my favorite Pratchett (toughie. Probably Night Watch) but definitely up there in both... I adore its sense of humor and have reread it quite often.

[Goldberry1]

I read it quite awhile ago, and probably slightly too young to get everything that was going on, but I loved it and thought it was hilarious.

Loved the footnotes!