When two of the most esteemed British sci-fi authors team up, you know that novel will be a good one. That is exactly what happened for Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Following in the footsteps of similar novels like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Good Omens is a distinctly British humor novel that is about the end of the world, and many different people (and otherworldy beings) as the end approaches. I personally liked the book, although I wouldn’t call it perfect.
The thing I liked best was how funny it was. For those of you who don’t know what British humor consists of, it is intelligent pop culture jokes and satire that usually require background knowledge, which means some people don’t find it funny, but the ones who understand it, find it hilarious. As long as you can remember what the 90’s were like, this book should get you laughing from page one until page 366.
My main problem with this book was a lack of deep characterization. There were four main plotlines, and the novel jumps from one to the next seamlessly. While this made the plot intricate, and enjoyable, it really took a toll on the main characters. When you have double digit amounts of main characters, you end up knowing a bit about each, and then a lot about very few. While there were about four well developed characters, there were many underdeveloped characters as well.
While I could go on all day about this book, for your sake as the reader, I will leave it at this: Good Omens is a fantastic story with wit, and a very good story, and a must read for any fan of sci-fi or humor novels. I strongly suggest it if you ever need to read a sci-fi book for a project. If I was to give it a rating, I would give it three and a half paws out of four.
Reviewed by BHS student A. Tucker
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