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The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

Put New York Times bestselling authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett together . . . and all Hell breaks loose.

Customer Reviews:

• Not Bad, Really Picks up at the End
  Good Omens (1990) is supposedly a parody based off the movie The Omen (1976) written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which I did not know about when I read the novel and have not seen the film either. So you could say my opinion of the novel alone remains untainted.
  
  It took me awhile to get through it, as while it was interesting, it wasn't compelling enough to keep me reaching for it, until it hit the last fourth of so. It starts out pretty slow, but with a great premise, the Antichrist is placed into an American diplomat's family to be raised in Britain as their child so as to never really know the difference between good and evil. Unfortunately the minions at the hospital screwed up and the real Antichrist is off living elsewhere, a normal, regular life with friends, a dog and a active 11 year old boy's imagination.
  
  There is an angel and a demon, Heaven and Hell representatives on Earth (respectively) who have become quite comfortable with their lifestyles amongst the people on Earth and humanity and upon hearing that the End Times is near, begin to grow closer and even work together to keep an eye on the Antichrist. Rather, who they think is the Antichrist. They start coming in handy at the end when they realize they might actually have some compassion for the people of Earth.
  Now you might ask, where does this Agnes Nutter, witch, part fit in. Because I sure was asking myself that. The witch part doesn't really materialize until the latter half of the novel, in which it is revealed that this witch, Agnes Nutter, in the 17th century, made a whole lot of predictions about the future, published them in a book and then was promptly burnt at the stake like all good witches. I won't spoil what this particular witch did as her revenge, but the prophecies turn out to be extremely true and the last copy in existence being held by a distant relative who has made it her life's work to follow the progress and decipher the prophecies. Upon figuring out that the end of the world is near, she begins to look for the real Antichrist, knowing that there was a mix up at birth.
  
  Enter the Four (updated) Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It's at this point that novel gets a lot more interesting, particularly since one of the horsemen is actually a horsewoman and pestilence has become pollution and so on.
  
  Without spoiling it, since the best part is where it picks up at the end, I'll stop here! If you enjoy tales with satire on Heaven, Hell, Christ and Death, than this tale is for you. I ended up reading it because I liked Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job so much, but in this case, A Dirty Job is still the winner....more info
• Good Omens
  Things do have a connection. Amazing work, it makes you think while you are laughing so hard you wonder how it is all possible!!! Absolutely love this book, not for religious fanatics or feint of heart and soul!!!...more info
• Wish I was British ... ...
  then perhaps I would have the comedic aptitude to absorb this book in its entirety. I won't say I didn't laugh aloud a few times (which in and of itself is probably enough reason to read the book), but I also scratched my head several times at some of the phrasing and flow of the story. But, people seem to enjoy it. I'm just not one of them....more info
• A very pleasurable read...
  So, I had this book sitting on my shelf forever as I had heard so much about it, as well as both authors. I hadn't ever read anything written by either of them previously, so this gathered dust until I had a real craving for something funny. I had seen someone reading this book on a train one time and they kept busting out laughing so I figured it probably fit the bill.
  
  It most certainly did. That was the number one appeal of this book. It simply just made me laugh and it was often very clever in its description of hows and whys of heaven versus hell, good versus evil and the like. Some of the things Gaiman and Pratchett thought of could even easily be categorized as "ingenious." I really loved how a lot of the book was certainly aimed to make the reader laugh, but at the same time it really did you make you think about certain things, as well. It's a very light and fast read but none of the jokes are cheap shots. You can already tell that a lot of the jokes are going to age really well and remain funny for a long time.
  
  Overall, I really liked it. My only problem is with the ending. It all seemed a little too easy, and for some reason that always turns me off a bit. But, actually, now that I think about it a little more it's actually kind of hilarious because of the whole "ineffable" aspect to the way things just worked out in the end. Haha, good one, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. You got me. Five stars for you....more info
• Armageddon Has Arrived....and it's Hilarious!
  "God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time."
  
  The end of the world is coming.....what are you going to do? For angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley, that is the question. After spending centuries on Earth, they've become friends....sort of. And they actually LIKE it here. They don't want a war between the "sides". So when the Antichrist is born, the two of them take it upon themselves to "watch" him to see if they can stop him from becoming evil. If they work together, maybe they can keep him from choosing between Good and Evil, and postpone Armageddon. Sounds like a good plan, doesn't it??
  
  But due to a mix up at birth, the son of the American Diplomat is not really the Antichrist. He's just a normal 11-year-old boy. The real Antichrist is named Adam, and he lives in Lower Tadfield, England. Raised by normal English parents, he has friends and a dog (the Hell-Hound has become a normal, little dog that likes to terrorize cats). He doesn't even realize the power he possesses. Can this seemingly normal little boy actually become the purveyor of the end of the world??
  
  All of this has been prophecized by Agnes Nutter, a witch in the seventeenth century. She was the only true prophet that ever lived. She even wrote a book, called The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. Unfortunately, the book didn't sell very well. In fact, it didn't sell at all. Not that it mattered to Agnes; she just wanted the author copy anyway. And that copy is now in the hands of one of her descendants, Anathema Device, a witch of her accord, who is also trying to stop the end of the world.
  
  There are also the four horseman of the Apocalypse, who have assembled to usher in the end of the world. However, they aren't horseman, but bikers. REAL Hell's Angels to be exact. War, Famine, Death and Pollution (Pestilence had to retire after the discovery of Penicillin). Now the race is on to find the real Antichrist, and depending on your side, either save or end the world!
  
  A satirical look at Armageddon, this book is also kind of parody of the movie, The Omen. When Warlock (the boy everyone THINKS is the Antichrist) is young, his Nanny buys him a tricycle. But she can never get him to ride it in the house! The irony and wit in this book astounds me! A. Crowley (ie Crawley) was the serpent in the Garden of Eden; The tempter. Aleister Crowley, in real life, was the famous Satanist or occultist. Which makes this line even funnier:
  "Crowley always found [Satanists] embarrassing. You couldn't actually be rude to them, but you couldn't help feeling about them the same way that, say, a Vietnam veteran would feel about someone who wears combat gear to Neighborhood Watch meetings."
  
  What Pratchett and Gaiman have done with this book is take a horrible, scary, evil happening and make it humorous. But in the midst of all the fun, they make some really valid points:
  "There had been times, over the past millennium, when Crowley had felt like sending a message back Below saying, Look, we may as well give up right now, we may as well shut down Dis and Pandemonium and everywhere and move up here,there's nothing we can do to them [humans] that they don't do themselves and they do things we've never even thought of, often involving electrodes."
  
  But in the end, they leave it up the wisdom of an 11-year-old kid, who just happens to be the Antichrist. And I guess this says something for the whole nature vs. nurture debate.
  
  "I don't see what's so triffic about creating people as people and then gettin' upset 'cos they act like people," said Adam severely. "Anyway, if you stopped tellin' people it's all sorted out after they're dead, they might try sorting it all out while they're alive."
  
  I realize I'm kind of all over the place with this review. That's because the book is kind of all over the place. It's not the easiest book to review, that's for sure. But I'll tell you this: This is one fantastic book!! If I didn't already have a total crush on Neil Gaiman, I'd fall in love all over after reading this one. Of course, now I'm totally enamoured with Pratchett too. The end of the world doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. It can be positively hilarious!! Gaiman and Pratchett just proved it!! ...more info
• Best Book Ever
  I can't beleive I didn't read this book sooner. It's not my favorite book of all time. As for the quality it came in when shipped...well it was a bit worn, but I did buy it used so it was expected. ...more info
• Good Omens is Just Plain Good Fun
  It is in England, eleven years before the Apocalypse, when the demon Crowley's worst fear is realized. He receives a summons from Hell to pick up the Anti-Christ and deliver the infant to a human family. The only problem is, Crowley likes the world and doesn't want it destroyed. And so, he enlists the help of his long-time rival, the angel Aziraphale, and the two set off to save humankind. Pratchett and Gaiman deliver an exquisitely crafted novel, and a hilarious and poignant examination of the most complex character of all--human nature. Consider yourself warned--this book will have you laughing to yourself in the middle of the night and when you've turned the last page--leave you thinking. ...more info
• Hilarious MUST Read!
  A book about Angels, Demons, An 11 year old Anti-Christ, Armageddon and the end of the world. It's sacrilegious & hilarious, with startling moments of insight about human nature and, through no fault of their own, theological truth. (Oh, not about the end of the world, but most definitely about the ineffable ways of God.)
  
  Did I mention it's hilarious? I too literally laughed out loud while reading this book!
  
  The story starts out at the very beginning when an Angel and a Demon hold a conversation about the ousting of Man and Woman from the Garden of Eden. It then jumps ahead thousands of years to present day.
  
  The Angel Aziraphale is still around, awaiting the final days as a part time antique book collector. The Demon- once known as Crawly because of his part in the fall of Man- has changed his name to a more palatable Crowley and is doing his part to irritate the sons of man by screwing with traffic and tying up phone lines. Crowley has just been notified that its time. The Anti-Christ- that much prophesied Son of Satan- is about to be born and it's time for Crowley to step up and make sure the spawn of the devil is sent to the right home.
  
  Only Crowley isn't so much interested in ending the world. He likes it here. And so does the Angel Aziraphale. But they go about their business anyway, because after all, that's what they were created to do, setting things into motion that will bring about the final battle of good and evil. Yeah, Crowley messes it up, but somehow, like much of the things that happen in this book- and in life, really- it was all part of the Grand Scheme, anyway.
  
  I loved this book! My favorite bit was how these authors bring the notorious characters from Revelations into the 21st century- the four horseman in particular! (I.E. Famine invented starving yourself to be fashionable, nouvelle cuisine, & fast food chains. Very Clever!)
  
  This book came to me as recommendation, - so I'm passing it along to you! If you haven't read it yet, you MUST!...more info
• B+
  Featuring the combined writing of two of fantasy's most revered authors, Good Omens had a lot to live up to. Luckily, their styles meshed very well together, providing a narrative that was both sarcastically witty and full of heart. Introducing us to two wonderful characters - an angel and a demon, both of whom are drawn up flawlessly - and a dozen other minor characters, Gaiman and Pratchett give us a humorous take on the apocalypse; an original and highly conceptualized feat that is not altogether perfect. Slow in parts, sometimes meandering to a fault, and images that become monotonous after they are used many times over, the novel is, essentially, a giant wink at pop culture and religion in the modern world. Satire is a strong word, and funny too soft. The authors found that lovely middle ground - a gentle, nudging poke. All of the characters are well formed; the characterization is quite developed. Just don't expect big battles or page-turning adventure...the meditations on good vs. evil, and the other themes of religion-based fiction round out the book to a fine conclusion....more info
• Like reading a Monty Python movie... fantastic literary satire
  It is really hard to write good literary satire. Simple fact is that often satire goes too far over to the side of parody. When it crosses that line, it becomes bad mimicry rather than true satire. Think what This Is Spinal Tap would have been like if Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer just did an impression of the guys from Saxon - it would be funny for five minutes (if you actually knew who Saxon was) but ultimately the joke would get old. Over-parody leads to a stale joke and then you have an author who is just winking at his readers. After all, is Rich Little really that funny?
  
  Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch could've descended into a really bad parody, especially considering that co-authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett originally intended it as a send-up of Richard Crompton's William books (ask your friends from the UK). The initial title they had conceived was William the Antichrist. But Gaiman and Pratchett took the joke farther out -- much farther out -- satirizing everything from the Bible to The Omen to modern English society. The cast of characters includes a sect of extremely loquacious nuns secretly in the employ of hell (The Chattering Order of Saint Beryl), Pollution as the replacement for a now retired Pestilence (thanks to the invention of Penicillin), a bibliophile Angel (known as Aziraphale) who is not so sure he wants heaven to win, a Demon who is more concerned with his antique Bentley than stealing souls, the slacker descendents of Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder, and even Agnes Nutter who lives up to her name. This makes for a concoction that is rife with sharp, pinpointed jokes that still hold up and still retain their bite.
  
  Simply put, it is amazing satire. It the equivalent to reading a Monty Python film and comes as close to matching the sheer genius The Life of Brian as one could get in a novel. In an opening sequence, we're introduced to Crowley, a demon who has come to enjoy his life on earth and is not particularly enthralled with the idea of Armageddon. The only thing that irks him more is having to show up for the daily counting of the deeds with two other demons at a dreary cemetery at midnight. Never mind the traffic getting out of London, the real frustration for Crowley arises when he cannot explain to his fellow hellspawn that blocking all portable phone systems in central London will do more good for Satan than tempting a politician or a priest.
  
  
  "But you couldn't tell that to demons like Hastur and Ligur. Fourteenth-century minds, the lot of them. Spending years picking away at one soul. Admittedly it was craftsmanship, but you had to think differently these days. Not big, but wide. With five billion people in the world you couldn't pick the buggers off one by one any more; you had to spread your effort. But demons like Ligur and Hastur wouldn't understand. They'd never thought up Welsh-language television for example. Or value-added tax. Or Manchester."
  
  
  Manchester is of course Crowley's proudest achievement as a demon. Or there is the slight episode where the mighty Kraken rises from the sea once more, directly under a whaling ship.
  
  
  "There is a tiny metal thing above it. The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance."
  
  
  Chapters such as that keep Good Omens chugging along at great pace. What is most obvious is that Pratchett and Gaiman had an absolute hoot writing the book. The interplay is fantastic, a grand piling on of ideas, where ultimately it doesn't matter who originally conceived of which bits (much like the Pythons).
  
  If you could level any criticism at the book it is that the ending is so bloody nice. The writers literally pull the final punch and leave the reader with a very saccharine outcome after pages and pages of skewering most of modern society (from the 17th century onward). You come to this very perfectly resolved, somewhat hopeful ending, feeling as the writers feared appearing a little too cynical. Picture The Empire Strikes Back if Luke just suddenly strikes down Darth Vader rather than losing his hand (and discovering the true identity of his father).
  
  This is mostly due to the original concept of William the Antichrist -- or rather the character of Adam. While the character is an interesting parody of Damian from The Omen, he tends to drag the action down, giving the book a YA bent that it doesn't need. After all, the cast of memorable characters is overloaded as it is and the book is simply much funnier when Adam is not around to slow up the pace. One could argue this was a necessary device, a way to cut the more biting parts of the book in order to have some contrast. But in the end, you can't help but feel that the character could've been reduced to a minor one with the emphasis kept on Crowley and Aziraphale's attempts to thwart their respective sides during the ensuing Armageddon.
  
  It is however somewhat of a nitpick because that flaw is greatly diminished by the overall wit and surgical skewering of all things the Apocalypse in Good Omens. About the only thing funnier is The Left Behind series, but those books are not intentionally humorous....more info
• Great Fun with Witty Banter
  The quick wit, wry humor and awesome imagery of this book push it quickly into one of the most fun and imaginative out there. One understands the characters' behavior intimately and enjoys the roller coaster ride of a story while hilarious and ominous events constantly unfold.
  
  I think my favorite part of the book is the representation of specific English accents and slang -- the reproductions in my head were enough to make me chuckle on more than one occasion. I don't think anyone with a sense of humor could avoid enjoying this book....more info
• HIlarious and irrenverant novel
  These two authors are terrific in this novel. the book is witty, sarcastic and hilarious. ( first class lurkers, for example as they describe some of the characters!)
  i have not read any Prachett books yet, but neil gaiman has been on my shelves for years( not literally, of course!)
  
  If you enjoy absurd fiction with snappy dialogue, this is for you! i recommend it to everyone along with Chris Moore's book, "Lamb" and also, any thing by Jasper Fforde.
  
  ...more info
• British humour at it's best
  These two authors apart are amazing,put them together and my sides were hurting through the entire book.Amazing British timing......more info
• Such a dry wit, and such a compelling plot
  I've now recommended this book to five friends, three of whom were intelligent enough to appreciate it fully ... and all of us (the intelligent ones) have read it several times, and are thinking of forming our own book club dedicated to ... Good Omens.
  
  Bravo Srs. Pratchett and Gaiman ... usually I despise collaborations but the two of you made the story sing. ...more info
• Terry Pratchett
  It is a book written in the Terry style but not a discworld novel.
  Found it one of his lesser books mayby because of the other auther....more info
• I ADORE this book
  I have (at least) two copies of this book in case it becomes necessary for me to insist that a friend borrow and read it immediately. That way I won't be without it for that length of time.
  This book has me in tears of laughter every time I read it....more info
• Laughing at the end of the world
  The end of the world is at hand, and the forces of Heaven and Hell are preparing for the final battle of Good vs. Evil. Unfortunately, the representatives of both Heaven and Hell have grown rather fond of Earth in general, and humans in particular, and decide that they would prefer not to have it all end. Unfortunately, the Antichrist was misplaced at birth, causing confusion among the gathering forces. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride forth on their motorcycles and the end of creation seems at hand.
  
  Written with an ineffable sense of humor, this book manages to make the end of the world fun, a farce that will leave the reader giggling, if not laughing out loud. Very entertaining....more info
• GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
  Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is a 1990 novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I am a fan of both authors. The book is a comedy and a spoof of Antichrist/devil/end-of-the-world movies, particularly The Omen. Here, the Antichrist has been born into the world, the powers of Good and Evil are ushering in Armageddon, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are running amuck. An angel and a demon, who are friends and who like humanity, conspire to avert the end of the world.
  
  The writing style here isn't what most readers would expect from either Gaiman or Pratchett - it's looser, sillier, and doesn't take itself seriously at all. More than anything else, it's reminiscent of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The character of Death makes an appearance here in an iteration very similar to the Discworld Death, and the humorous footnotes (which are some of the most entertaining parts of the book) are here as well.
  
  Good Omens has an extraordinarily large cast of characters, many of which appear only tangentially to the story, and it may take readers half the book to sort out who's who, even with the list of dramatis personae at the beginning. This also means that few characters get spend large amounts of time "on screen", and so it's that much harder for the reader to develop any kind of real interest in them.
  
  While Good Omens is mostly amusing and thoroughly silly, it's just not that funny (they aren't the same thing at all). And the story isn't compelling on its own, in part because nothing is taken seriously, and in part because this antichrist/apocalypse theme has been done ad nauseum already. So a lot of it feels like we've been there, done that.
  
  This is not to say that the writing is not clever. It is. With Gaiman and Pratchett, you may be assured that it is clever. But cleverness on its own, without being grounded on any kind of hard foundation (like a real plot, or a few serious aspects of the world the authors have created), is built on sand, and doesn't get you very far. This is, for example, the biggest difference between Good Omens and most of Pratchett's excellent Discworld series.
  
  In Good Omens, heaven and hell are equally matched, and the forces of Good aren't all completely good just as the forces of Evil aren't all exceptionally evil. The point the authors make with all this is that humanity can be good and evil on its own, without divine influence. While that may sound objectionable, the book isn't interesting enough to make this worth fussing about to any great degree (also the reader notices from the beginning that the forces of good are all mostly jerks, throws out any connection these beings as portrayed may have to his own spiritual beliefs, and goes on with the story).
  
  Good Omens is, on the whole, reasonably amusing, but it's silly without being particularly funny, and it's ultimately a disappointment, especially to those of us who are fans of the authors....more info
• I Drove My Roommate Crazy
  I first read this book in college. I'd drive my poor roommate nuts because I would stay up late reading and laughing really hard.
  LOVE this book! ...more info
• A humorously inconsequential apocalyptic romp...
  I didn't really expect much coming in to this one. I knew it would be humorous, but I figured that there would be a somewhat more serious approach to the story itself, similar to Gaiman's humorous yet serious American Gods. What I got was what Gaiman and Pratchett said in the "interview" at the end of the book: a venue for the two authors to try and make each other laugh.
  
  This approach has some benefits since invariably what they think will make each other laugh will certainly tickle us as well. Some of the characters, such as Shadwell, or Dog, Agnes Nutter and so on were humorous and did get a chuckle. Seeing the outrageous exploits of the "Antichrist", outrageous because of the dichotomy of what he represents to what he was, were amazing.
  
  But what it came down to it for me is that regardless of whether a book is a humorous book or not, I still want the book to have some serious aspect to it, one that the reader can get their teeth in to and become involved. Instead we read a very light hearted, frivolous story meant to make the coauthor laugh. I commend their intent and their passion, but as a book I was hoping for a whole lot more. Recommend only if you enjoy humorous books more than others.
  
  2.5 stars....more info