Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Any decent review of Good Omens would be short; short enough to include only the words, "Go read it." To try to replicate or encapsulate Pratchett and Gaiman's witty prose, hilarious dialogue, and brilliant subplots would be sacrilege to the many who have run through many copies of the novel mainly because their paperbacks have disintegrated from overuse.

But, alas, such is the task I have set out for myself, and so I must try.

The premise: The Apocalypse is near. This is rather unfortunate, as the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley have grown to quite like humans in their respective capacities as the representatives of God and Satan on Earth. As they've become good friends, they hatch a plot to postpone the world's end by ensuring that the Antichrist, the son of a prominent American diplomat stationed in Britain, never develops the ability to discern between Good and Evil. Of course, the Antichrist child actually isn't (there was a switch-up at birth) and so high-jinks ensue as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse assemble and the amusing prophecies of the 17th century prophet Agnes Nutter begin to come true.

The book is a quasi-parody of the 1976 film The Omen, and the character of Crowley is no doubt a reference to Aleister Crowley, the English occultist. It is steeped in that British brand of humor that blends two parts cynicism to one part absurdity, and stands as a hallmark of its genre (occult parody). Reading Good Omens isn't simply enjoying a comedic novel, however, it's initiation into a cult of ardent devotees. Do you dare to become one of them?

*Thank you to Dianne Schure and Sarah Carbone for bringing me over to the dark side.
*And for those of you die hard Pratchett/Gaiman fans, check out this Complete Listeners' Guide with AudioFile Magazine's must-listen's from both authors, interviews with four narrators, and a download of A Study in Emerald, written and read by Neil Gaiman.