Hello, Lovely Readers! Let's start this review out with a series of facts of which you might have been previously unaware:
1. In 1597 King James the First of England and Sixth of Scotland published a book on witches.
2. Contrary to popular belief the Earth is only six thousand years old, having been created on the twenty-first of October 4004 BCE at 9:15am. This makes the Earth a Libra.
3. if not for Azirphale the Angel and Crowley the Demon we all would have been in a very sticky wicket.
Good. Now that's out of the way, let's get started. In 1990, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman published a book that poked fun at all of the "The End is Nigh"/ Satanic Panic crowd. Given that Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye's Left Behind series began a mere 5 years later, leads this reviewer to believe that the Left Behind books were a direct rebuttal to Good Omens... but that is another topic for another day.
Our cast for this penultimate apocalyptic adventure is vast so I'll only give you a few. I've already introduced Azirophale, so we'll start there.
Way back on that October day in 4004 bce, Azirophale was issued a flaming sword and told to guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden. That he would also be standing guard over the breeding pair of humans within, was understood. Then the whole Tree of Knowledge episode went down like it did and well... Azirophale couldn't bear to see the humans ejected from the only home they had ever known, confused and defenseless. On paper the sword was "mislaid" in the intervening millennia. Now before I go on, I really must address Crowley.
Originally called Crawley, possibly because one of his other forms is a massive serpent. He is the Fallen Angel or Demon sent to work the whole Tree of Knowledge bit. Which, of course, he does.
This pair twines together in ways no others have. This reviewer truly believes we see the pair fall in love over the course of millennia. They are on opposite sides of the Heaven/Hell divide, but working cooperatively, kept both home offices happy so...
Moving on. Next we have a computer enthusiast who can't even keep a simple wristwatch from malfunctioning in his immediate vicinity. Newton Pulsifer is a wages clerk who does all his sums by hand. Not only does his odd magnetism or whatever (curse?) effect those items assigned to him, but all those around him. As one might expect, Newt is often unemployed. That's how he ends up becoming the newest member of the Witch-Finder Army.
Anathama Device is an occultist and descendant of a little-known oracle known as Agnes Nutter witch. Agnes left behind her book of remarkably accurate prophesies and now Anathema is the keeper and interpreter of those prophesies.
Finally, we have our little Antichrist, a child of ten, "born" at a hospital run by Satanic Nuns. That's all I'll say about that because its all plot.
Speaking of plot, we basically follow the Book of Revelations, and our Dynamic Duo's attempts to avert the apocalypse. And its an absolute gas!
I am no fan of Christian fiction, and Christian apocalypse fiction even less. But this... This was remarkable. Part The Omen, part His Dark Materials, part Wodehouse, this is a truly fun ride from start to finish. And i'ts been made into a really excellent adaptation available on Amazon Prime starring David Tennet and Michael Shean.
Okay, so here's the bottom line. I should have hated this book. I should have loathed it. But it was amazing! I loved it! Absolutely loved it. Cover to cover, would definitely read again!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5/5
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