Today is “Wear the Lilac Day” (it’s also “Towel Day”, but one thing at a time), a day in honor of Author Terry Pratchett, who was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s in 2008. Fans of Pratchett (and of Discworld especially) wear Lilacs to raise awareness for the disease. So today’s featured book review is of course one by Terry Pratchett.
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Summary:
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing. Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to misplaced the Antichrist… (from the 2006 American paperback edition)
Review:
Both authors are hilarious in their own right, and together they have written a book that has a quotable sentence on every page. Bouncing around from Crowley (the fast living demon) and Aziraphale (the book store owning angel), to the anti-christ and his disciples, to Anathema Device, the professional descendent of Agnes Nutter, the book tells the story of the coming apocalypse and the attempts to speed it up or prevent it. And hilarity ensues: “The kraken stirs. And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance”. You’ll enjoy trying to figure out what Agnes Nutter’s prophecies mean (and laugh out loud when you find out).
If you’re a fan of either of these authors (or have been thinking about trying them out) this is a great place to start. Full of British humor reminiscent of Douglas Adams, this has become one of my favorite books. Even if the apocalypse isn’t normally your thing, this is a good read. I highly recommend this book.
You can talk about the book here
