Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Published by Gollancz

FOLLOWING the success of the Amazon Prime TV series starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen, a second season has been announced this year, this is the perfect time to read the book that inspired it.

Good Omens is an endlessly clever fantasy comedy by two of the greatest authors one could imagine, Terry Pratchett who wrote the Discworld series and Neil Gaiman, author of American Gods and Coraline. It should therefore be no surprise to read Good Omens and discover the thoughtful character development and seemingly effortless wit with which it is written.

The humour and pure joy one can find between these pages never fades and is, despite having been published in 1990, a book with a timelessly modern and fresh approach to religion and some of the most famous tales and structures in Christianity.

What really makes this book as so unforgettably relatable – despite its exploration of vast and often confusing concepts – is the truly human themes at its core. Good Omens looks into morality, friendship and all that one could come to love or hate about humanity in a way that manages to be developed and satisfying without ever slowing down the read.

Since the beginning of time, eternal beings have been charged with influencing and encouraging humans to act in a way that is either good or evil, maintaining a balance. Two of these such beings, angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley form an unlikely friendship, coming to the conclusion they could not possibly be quite as different as they seem if they work toward the same balance.

In immortality and seeing all the flaws and beauty of humanity they develop a bond, both with each other and with the mortals they live among in secret.

The two become comfortable in this routine, perhaps too comfortable as it comes closer to the inevitable, the coming of the fateful day where they must acknowledge that despite a fondness for them, they are not human, and that they have always been on opposing sides.

The forces of hell have brought to fruition the birth of a child that is to become the anti-Christ and spark the end of the world, something that Aziraphale and Crowley have come to realise they don’t truly want to happen, and so they formulate a plan to at least delay this apocalypse.

Their plan consists of doing what they do best, working against each other to create such a balance of good and evil that the young boy will never be tipped too far in either direction as to utilise his powers and set off the end.

Unfortunately, after years of this they discover that due to a mix up at the hospital they have been influencing the wrong child and the true potential anti-Christ has been left to his own devices as the end of the world approaches.

This story, despite all the never ending twists of the plot is always easy to follow. It is one that I recommend to almost all those I meet who have not yet read it for its shockingly profound reflections on morality, religion and human connection.