Derek's Reviews > Good Omens
Good Omens
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Overall, this book was a huge disappointment for me. I’d heard so many good things about it and had been meaning to read it for years. When I finally started it, I was about 20 pages into it and thought, “Yes! This is going to be one of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read.” It was like reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide for the first time again. It was witty and fast-paced and had so many brilliant things to say about society and religion. And then about halfway through, I realized that I just wasn't really laughing as much anymore.
The story seemed to get bogged down with characters that weren’t that interesting for me to read about and who I often found a bit annoying. Most notably, the 11-year-old Antichrist and his friends seemed really out of place in the book. They felt like they would have been at home in a Norman Rockwell painting (or British equivalent)—a ragtag bunch of kids with slingshots and backyard adventures. I think that I was supposed to find them and their inane conversations entertaining, maybe even a little bit cute, but every time they came around, which felt like quite a bit, I thought that the book just screeched to a halt.
Most of the other characters in the book were great fun to read—the demon and the angel and their strange sort of friendship was easily the best part of the book for me. The four horsemen of the apocalypse were also a lot of fun, at least most of the time. Overall, the premise was brilliant. What a disappointment for me that it just couldn’t keep it together throughout. The ending seemed contrived and the resolution was just unsatisfying for me. I know that so many people loved this book. I wish that I could have enjoyed it as much as they did.
The story seemed to get bogged down with characters that weren’t that interesting for me to read about and who I often found a bit annoying. Most notably, the 11-year-old Antichrist and his friends seemed really out of place in the book. They felt like they would have been at home in a Norman Rockwell painting (or British equivalent)—a ragtag bunch of kids with slingshots and backyard adventures. I think that I was supposed to find them and their inane conversations entertaining, maybe even a little bit cute, but every time they came around, which felt like quite a bit, I thought that the book just screeched to a halt.
Most of the other characters in the book were great fun to read—the demon and the angel and their strange sort of friendship was easily the best part of the book for me. The four horsemen of the apocalypse were also a lot of fun, at least most of the time. Overall, the premise was brilliant. What a disappointment for me that it just couldn’t keep it together throughout. The ending seemed contrived and the resolution was just unsatisfying for me. I know that so many people loved this book. I wish that I could have enjoyed it as much as they did.
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Reading Progress
February 7, 2008
– Shelved
Started Reading
February 20, 2008
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Finished Reading
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Teri
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rated it 5 stars
Aug 07, 2008 02:08AM
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I'm still glad I read it (I'll never think of Queen the same way again), but it definitely took some effort to see it all the way to the finish.
the ending is rather weird, knowing that the horsemen was defeated just like that. no thrills.
overall, i love this book. i laughed when it says about the earth's zodiac, so hilarous =D
I'm a fan of Gaiman, and I feel that it may have been better if he'd written the entire thing. Although I can't say much more, considering I've never read anything else by Terry Pratchett.
Actually, Moira, most of the Agnes Nutter scenes and the kids were written by Pratchett, and the Horsemen and angel-demon duo were written by Gaiman (at least, that's what the FAQ at the back of my copy says).
As much as I've loved the couple of disc world books and Hitchhikers... this one sounds like it's trying for the feel of those books, but forcing it. Like they're trying too hard to come up with quippy descriptions and absurd similes. I don't know. I'm really trying, but I'm worried that for whatever reason I'm just going to be disappointed.
I loved this book.