APRIL 24, 2025 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | By Margaret Freeman (A&E Editor)
“Good Omens” is not the type of fantasy novel that an unsuspecting reader would expect. There are no dragons or sword fights but instead, magical Bentleys, fish falling from the sky and lots of Bohemian Rhapsody.
The book, written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, was first suggested to me by two friends from high school many years ago who, upon learning that I was not a fan of most fantasy books, insisted that I read it, saying it was like “a fanfic of the Bible.” After finally getting around to reading it, I couldn’t agree more.
“Good Omens,” originally published in 1990 and then adapted into an Amazon Prime Video show in 2019, follows Crowley, a demon, and Aziraphale, an angel, as the end of the world nears. The whole book takes place over the course of a few short days prior to Armageddon, with flashbacks to the 1600s when the witch, Agnes Nutter, wrote a list of prophecies that all turned out to be true, in their own roundabout way. Agnes Nutter’s descendant, Anathema Device, also features in the final days before Armageddon as she sparks a relationship with a Witchfinder named Newton “Newt” Pulsifer.
Crowley is hell bent (pun intended) on making sure that the antichrist known as “Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan, and Lord of Darkness” or just Adam, brings around Armageddon. Aziraphale, on the other hand, tries to act as a good influence on Adam to keep the world from ending, all while running a rare book store specializing in misprinted Bibles.
One of the things that makes this story so endearing is the witty, banter-filled relationship between the angel and the demon. Throughout the novel, Crowley and Aziraphale remain close friends after hundreds of years on Earth together, despite having antithetical goals. Aziraphale is well-mannered and put together while Crowley is more reckless, choosing to disrupt mortals’ lives with poor road designs as he speeds around in his old Bentley, listening to a “Best of Queen” album.
Apart from the characters and their relationships, my favorite part of this book was the incredibly funny writing. Gaiman and Pratchett have a knack for clever, witty and frequently tongue-in-cheek writing that genuinely made me laugh out loud, leading to odd looks from my roommate. The style of writing that defines this book is best seen with Adam’s full name (“Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan and Lord of Darkness”) but infiltrates nearly every paragraph in some form. Funny phrases were like easter eggs sprinkled throughout the novel that were so delightful every time I came across one. This style of long-winded writing frequently made me chuckle throughout the book. The continuous mention of the Spanish Inquisition in the early part of the novel stood out as a particularly funny take on history.
Although humorous, the combination of the long-winded language, historical references and wide array of characters made this book quite confusing at times. So after reading, in hopes of making a little more sense of what I just read, I began the TV show, which very quickly cleared up some of my confusion (I’m also a huge Jon Hamm fan, so that helped). Still, I don’t think my puzzlement took away from my reading experience. It forced me to sit back and enjoy the wild ride Crowley and Aziraphale went on as the world collapsed around them, which is what I believe was the author’s intent.
I would highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers and haters alike. It was lighthearted, funny and expertly written. Every time I opened the book, “Good Omens” provided me with a break from the real world, putting me into a no less chaotic, but much more fun setting, peak escapism. So, if you’re looking for a fun book to get you through the last block of the year or to create your list of summer reads, may I suggest a book that truly is Bible fanfic.
Hi! I’m happy you liked the book – I have loved it since I was 15 and have two tattoos inspired by it. But I must correct you in one thing: Crowley is not hell bent on making Armageddon happen. He and Aziraphale work together on making it not happen. They figure that since Satan was an angel first, his son should also have both Angel and Demon traits, and so, like anyone, should be influenced by both Good and Evil. Crowley is in his roundabout way trying to make the child human by providing the evil influence in contrast to Aziraphale’s good influence.