Good Omens



Gaiman, N. and Pratchett, T. 1990. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. New York, NY:HarperCollins. ISBN: 978-0-06-085396-9 Paperback $10.66 Age 14+

The world is going to end. On a Saturday. Next Saturday to be precise. At least according to the Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. It should probably be noted here, as well, that “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, to being involved in an obscure and complex version 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.” (p. 12). In any case, as with any large and overly complicated plan, there are bound to be a few kinks in the works. Take for instance Aziraphale, an angle and part-time book dealer and his friend Crowly, also an angel, who didn’t so much fall as saunter vaguely downwards. The two unlikely friends have created a good life on Earth. One they aren’t exactly keen to give up for such silly purposes as, you know, the End of the World. And then of course there is the added misfortune that someone seems to have misplaced the antichrist. Can the armies of Good and Evil pull it together in time for the final battle, the End of All Time, The Rapture? Or will Crowly and Aziraphale successfully throw a wrench in the Ineffable Plan?

This is a fun and challenging read, though it can potentially be enjoyed by younger kids as well. While it is meant to be a comedy, there is a bit of controversy surrounding it due to the nature of its content (angels working with demons, the end of the world, etc).

Videos

In this video, I provide a booktalk for Good Omens and use a few excerps from the book itself

Resources

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