Book #38: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
Number of pages: 491
This is a book I finally got around to reading after seeing the TV adaptation; I noticed that while the screen version was reasonably faithful to the book (no surprise, because Neil Gaiman wrote the screenplay) it did make the characters of Azriphale and Crowley more prominent, including adding a couple of extra twists at the end that were not in the book at all.
So, the book starts with the birth of the Antichrist; but things don't go quite as planned, as - following a mix-up - he spawn on Satan ends up being bought up by a regular couple, who believe he is their son. The book cuts forward eleven years, to the events leading up to the apocalypse (which in this book takes place during the late 20th Century).
I have read a lot more Terry Pratchett books than Neil Gaiman books, so I found it easier to compare the narrative to the Discworld series, but I noticed it was full of his usual signature references to both popular culture and classical novels; in the first chapter, I saw references to The Omen and The Screwtape Letters. The combined effort of both writers resulted in a style that put me in mind of Douglas Adams, and I enjoyed it a lot, although some of the middle sections seemed to drag a little, as the characters discussed prophecies.
There are some jokes at the expense of Bible stories; my understanding is that the late Sir Terry Pratchett was atheist/agnostic, and Neil Gaiman probably has similar views, but there was nothing for anyone except a strict religious funamentalist to take offense at. For example, Azriphale is charged with guarding Eden with a flaming sword, but promptly gives it away. There is also an implication that the truth is not simply a matter of good vs evil, and that the angels are not all necessarily good, while the demons are not necessarily bad (the TV version went further by showing the Angel Gabriel as one of the nastiest characters of all).
I enjoyed reading this book a lot, and I thought it was hilarious in places; it made me realise that I need to try more of Terry Pratchett's non-discworld novels, and more books by Neil Gaiman.
Next book: We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson)