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Good Omens

Good Omens

The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Urban FantasyFantasy
Pages
406
Published
1990
Language
English

Synopsis

An angel and a demon who have lived on Earth since the Beginning have grown rather fond of the place and do not want to see it ended. When the Antichrist is accidentally misplaced at birth and ends up with an ordinary English family in a small town, the two unlikely allies must team up to avert Armageddon while navigating prophecies, witchfinders, the Four Horsemen, and a small boy with an unusual dog. A warm, witty, and surprisingly moving celebration of humanity, written in equal collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Prose complexity
4/10
Trending
Added to 3 shelves this week

Vibe

FunnyWhimsicalHeartwarming

Genres

Urban Fantasy Fantasy Humor Comic Fiction Contemporary Literature Paranormal Alternate History Satire

Authors

N
Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman (born 10 November 1960 in Portchester, Hampshire) is an English writer of novels, short fiction, comics, screenplays and audio drama. He worked as a journalist before moving into comics, where his DC series The Sandman, begun in 1989, recast the title character as Morpheus, lord of dreams, and became one of the most acclaimed comics of its era. His novels include Good Omens, written with Terry Pratchett, as well as Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys, Coraline and The Oc...

T
Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was an English author best known for the Discworld series, a sequence of forty-one comic fantasy novels set on a flat world carried through space on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant turtle. Across four decades, the Discworld grew from a parody of sword-and-sorcery fantasy into one of the most sustained works of social satire in English literature, examining politics, religion, science, gender, race, capitalism, and the nature of stories themselves. Pra...

Characters

AziraphaleProtagonist

An angel who has grown fond of Earth and does not want to see it end.

CrowleyProtagonist

A demon and Aziraphale's unlikely ally in averting Armageddon.

Agnes NutterSupporting

A 17th-century witch whose extremely accurate prophecy book — the only truly accurate one ever published — drives much of the plot.

Adam YoungSupporting

An ordinary English boy who happens to be the misplaced Antichrist.

Anathema DeviceSupporting

A practical descendant of the witch Agnes Nutter, guided by her ancestor's prophecies.

All characters in Good Omens

Frequently asked questions

  • Is there a TV adaptation of Good Omens?

    A television series based on the book was produced by Amazon Prime Video and the BBC, starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen as the main characters. Neil Gaiman was heavily involved in its development and served as a showrunner.

  • Does Good Omens connect to other books by Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett?

    While it is a standalone story, the book shares thematic elements and a similar comedic tone with other works by both authors. It is not part of Pratchett's Discworld series or Gaiman's Sandman universe.

  • Who wrote what in Good Omens?

    Pratchett and Gaiman have both said their collaboration was so intertwined that by the end neither could reliably identify who had written which sections. Gaiman said Crowley was based on Pratchett himself; Pratchett said Crowley was based on Gaiman. The first draft was completed in nine weeks.

  • Is Good Omens a standalone story?

    The novel tells a complete story with a definitive ending, making it fully enjoyable as a standalone work. Readers do not need to read any other books to understand or appreciate its plot.

  • When was Good Omens published?

    First published on 10 May 1990 by Gollancz. It has been in print continuously since and was adapted into a television series for Amazon Prime Video in 2019, with Neil Gaiman as showrunner.

  • Is Good Omens part of the Discworld series?

    No. Good Omens is a standalone collaborative novel set in contemporary England with no Discworld characters or cosmology.

  • What inspired the premise?

    Neil Gaiman began with a concept he titled 'William the Antichrist' in 1987 — an Antichrist raised as an ordinary English boy, inspired by Richmal Crompton's Just William stories. When Pratchett saw the first 5,000 words, he asked to collaborate rather than acquire the idea outright.

  • What is the 'Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch'?

    Agnes Nutter was a 17th-century prophetess whose book of prophecies is the only completely accurate one ever published — which meant it was entirely unsalable because nobody wanted to read what was actually going to happen. The book and its descendants drive the plot.

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