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The NovelGood Omens is a novel written by Neil Gaiman (author of American Gods, Neverwhere, Stardust, Coraline, and Sandman comics) and Terry Pratchett (famous for Discworld novels and many more books). The novel is basically a comedy about an angel, a demon, and the Antichrist who decide that they don't want Armageddon to occur. Good Omens is self-described as a "cult classic" in the 2006 Harper Collins reprint hardcover edition, and it's true. In the many years since its initial publication, the book has continued to gain popularity and find new readers all over the world. Spread mostly through word-of-mouth and endless borrowing-from-friends, the book continues to spread in popularity even today. Some readers are drawn to it because they may be fans of Gaiman or Pratchett already; others are drawn in because of the subject matter; and still others are drawn in from the breathless recommendation of friends (as was my case). Arguably, the internet fandom for the novel has helped draw in many other potential readers, including fans of slash fanfiction. The book has gone through several printings since its first edition published in 1990. The original hardcover edition from Workman Publishing Company is now out of print and difficult to find, although many subsequent printings and newer editions are still widely available. You can see the covers of the UK and American hardcover versions scanned below.
Several paperback editions of the book were subsequently published. The full title of the book was shortened from Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch to just plain Good Omens.
The book has been translated in many languages and printed in various editions all over the world. Here are some covers from around the globe:
These covers have been collected from around the web. Many of them are courtesy of Quantum Witch and Didu. As for you American readers out there... You can probably pick up a copy of the book, new or used, at any major bookstore chain such as Brentano's, Borders, or Waldenbooks. If a copy of the book isn't in stock on their shelves, they should still be able to order a copy for you, since it is still in print. In addition, Amazon.com offers new and used copies of all editions. Copies of the book signed by Gaiman and/or Pratchett, appear regularly on ebay. Good Omens: A SynopsisIn the Garden of Eden, there was this serpent, see, and he convinced some silly humans that it would be a good idea to taste some forbidden fruit and discover the difference between good and evil. The serpent was actually a demon named Crawly, and he was just trying to stir up a little bit of trouble, although he honestly didn't anticipate "a bit of an overreaction" from God. The two humans were expelled from the Garden of Eden and cast out into a dark, cruel world that was cold, lonely, swarming with vicious animals, and subject to nasty incliment weather. The angel of the Eastern Gate, Aziraphale, took pity on the humans and handed them his flaming sword, in order for them to make fire and defend themselves against the wilderness. The angel only ever confessed this deed to the serpent Crawly; and he will spend the following six thousand years worrying if he did the right thing or not. Crawly, for his part, spends the next six thousand years increasingly convinced that he did a GOOD thing, what with pointing out the forbidden apple to the humans and all. He also decides to change his name to Crowley. Crawly just didn't suit him at all. Fast forward to the year 1990. Crowley the demon and Aziraphale the angel have both been living on Earth and meddling in the affairs of humans since the world began. They should be mortal enemies, but they have become more friends than anything else, and both have become quite enamored of the wonderful human world that God created. As the novel Good Omens begins, Crowley is living in London and going about his normal business, when he is suddenly charged with an unusual mission. Crowley is told to deliver a newly-born baby Antichrist to a certain hospital in Lower Tadfield. Crowley does this, of course, and succeeds in his mission; the problem is that right after he leaves the hospital, a certain incompetent Satanic nun switches the beautiful baby boy with a second beautiful baby boy. Meanwhile, Crowley and his only friend, a certain Aziraphale, come to the mutual conclusion that they rather like the Earth and most of humankind, and don't want to see both ultimately destroyed in the upcoming Apocalypse. Crowley's major failings as a demon are two-fold: 1) He likes the Earth, and he likes humankind. 2) He thinks too much, which means that his mind is usually several centuries ahead of the brains of his superiors from Hell, and that he also harbors a lot of unsettling questions about Life, the Universe, and Everything. So Crowley, being appropriately clever and cunning, convinces Aziraphale to try to influence the growing Antichrist to become a "good" person while he himself can exert his evil influence over the boy. Crowley's unspoken hope, which doesn't become apparent until later in the novel, is that the tiny Antichrist will grow up into a GOOD person and choose not to bring about Armageddon. It takes Crowley and Aziraphale eleven years and about seventy pages to figure out that they've marked the wrong boy as the Antichrist. It also takes Aziraphale just a few pages longer to stumble upon an ancient copy of The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, the only 100% accurate book of prophecies ever written, and a detailed guide of just about every incredible thing that is about to happen in the days and hours just before Armageddon. And at that point, with only three days left before Heaven and Hell go to war and with Hell about to find out that Crowley made a huge mistake, it's now up to Aziraphale and Crowley to find the real Antichrist and save the world. This would be hard enough by itself, but throw a couple of stray UFOs, the traffic jam of the century, an off-season hurricane, a deranged Witchfinder Sergeant, and several powerful and pissed-off demons into the mix, and our two would-be heroes suddenly have their hands full saving their own immortal skins, let alone saving the Earth. And that's just the tip of iceberg, as far as the general insanity of the book is concerned. My suggestion is that if you haven't read this book, read it. Even if you've never laid your hands or eyes upon a work of Gaiman or Pratchett before, read it. Even if you think that the subject matter of the novel borders on sacriligeous, read it anyway. If you're a fan of fantasy and/or good comedy, you'll probably enjoy this book. So enough plugging - go, read, NOW! Or if you've already read the book, then by all means please continue to explore this website. ^__^ <--- Forbidden Fruit // Slither Home ---> Important Note: Page numbers in reference to quotations from the book refer to the 1996 Ace mass-market paperback edition. Disclaimer: Crowley, Aziraphale, and Good Omens are owned and copyrighted by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Excerpts and quotes from the novel Good Omens used throughout this site are reproduced without legal permission, for which I can only hang my head sheepishly and apologize. However, this is a FANSITE, meant in the name of fun, and not intended to make a profit. The lovely model in this site's header graphic is an endangered Eastern Indigo Snake, in a photograph courtesy of SeaWorld.org. Brushes used in the header graphic are courtesy of Paper Flowers. |
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