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A review by millennial_dandy
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
3.0
Having just finished reading 'American Gods' several months ago, I'm definitely tuned in to some of the gimmicks of Gaiman's writing, but had read nothing else of Terry Pratchett's before undertaking 'Good Omens' and was therefore curious to see how the two authors would co-exist.
I'm not sure if it was Pratchett reigning in Gaiman or vice versa, but I enjoyed 'Good Omens' much more consistently than I enjoyed 'American Gods.'
One who has never read 'American Gods' may well wonder why bringing it up in a review of 'Good Omens' accomplishes anything, but I think the similarities in the story structure and plot bear mentioning.
Both document a coming clash between supernatural entities that would likely result in the end of the world, both involve gallivanting all over the map so that protagonists unaware of the true intentions of their superiors can attempt to stop the aforementioned apocalypse.
These similarities are worth mentioning because in 'Good Omens' these story elements work much better than in 'American Gods'. Because 'Good Omens' chooses as its springboard the incredibly established mythos of Christianity it can play off of the reader's expectation and explore a very graspable question: what are good and evil? Whether it accomplishes saying anything of worth on the subject is of course subjective, but at least the central preoccupation is there.
'American Gods' suffers from its very conceit of a world inhabited by the gods of every civilization that willed them into existence. While learning about each new god in lengthy asides was interesting, but trying to weave them all into a single narrative compressed the plot into a messy pulp. And the central conceit seemed to be 'Americans worship technology'. True, perhaps, but there isn't much else to be said or explored about it, let alone for as many pages as 'American Gods' tried to.
Getting back to 'Good Omens'. Besides having a much more streamlined set of preoccupations, 'Good Omens' had a more charming and likable ensemble cast of characters. While some characters (notably Crowley and Aziraphale) are fully fleshed out and allowed to have complex character arcs and the space to achieve them, my one criticism would be that other characters didn't seem to get the same treatment, leaving me to begin skimming rather than reading their POV sections.
All in all, I really enjoyed 'Good Omens'. I thought it had a good sense of humor, memorable protagonists, a compelling plot, and a satisfying conclusion.
I'm not sure if it was Pratchett reigning in Gaiman or vice versa, but I enjoyed 'Good Omens' much more consistently than I enjoyed 'American Gods.'
One who has never read 'American Gods' may well wonder why bringing it up in a review of 'Good Omens' accomplishes anything, but I think the similarities in the story structure and plot bear mentioning.
Both document a coming clash between supernatural entities that would likely result in the end of the world, both involve gallivanting all over the map so that protagonists unaware of the true intentions of their superiors can attempt to stop the aforementioned apocalypse.
These similarities are worth mentioning because in 'Good Omens' these story elements work much better than in 'American Gods'. Because 'Good Omens' chooses as its springboard the incredibly established mythos of Christianity it can play off of the reader's expectation and explore a very graspable question: what are good and evil? Whether it accomplishes saying anything of worth on the subject is of course subjective, but at least the central preoccupation is there.
'American Gods' suffers from its very conceit of a world inhabited by the gods of every civilization that willed them into existence. While learning about each new god in lengthy asides was interesting, but trying to weave them all into a single narrative compressed the plot into a messy pulp. And the central conceit seemed to be 'Americans worship technology'. True, perhaps, but there isn't much else to be said or explored about it, let alone for as many pages as 'American Gods' tried to.
Getting back to 'Good Omens'. Besides having a much more streamlined set of preoccupations, 'Good Omens' had a more charming and likable ensemble cast of characters. While some characters (notably Crowley and Aziraphale) are fully fleshed out and allowed to have complex character arcs and the space to achieve them, my one criticism would be that other characters didn't seem to get the same treatment, leaving me to begin skimming rather than reading their POV sections.
All in all, I really enjoyed 'Good Omens'. I thought it had a good sense of humor, memorable protagonists, a compelling plot, and a satisfying conclusion.