Good Omens

By: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

Narrated by: Martin Jarvis

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist. Put New York Times best-selling authors Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett together...and all Hell breaks loose.

©1990 Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again." (Amazon.com review)

Wonderful story, fantastic narration

If you could sum up Good Omens in three words, what would they be?

Hilarious, awesome narration, never boring

What did you like best about this story?

It was so irreverent and yet had an underlying message about religion and good vs. evil. Kind of a cross between the movie Dogma (but better done!) and Hitchhiker's Guide.

What about Martin Jarvis’s performance did you like?

Flawless. He did different voices for different characters, and they were so distinctive that you knew who was speaking immediately. My favorites were Adam, Crowley and Izrafel (sp?) and Pepper.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Good vs. Evil vs. Human: the ultimate cosmic showdown.

Any additional comments?

I loved the book and would have enjoyed it even if I were reading it. But the narration was so incredible that I've been recommending the audiobook to my friends who've already read the book. This is truly the epitome of a great audiobook, that all others should aspire to.

Perfect Brittish Humor

A Brilliant and wonderfully humorous take on the oddities of society, and truly some of the best of both authors. Pratchett and Gaiman are great on their own. In collaboration they are sublime. A quality performance by Jarvis as well.

Humorous

Felt very much like a Douglas Adams novel. A very good blend of the authors' styles.

Completely enjoyable, worth a credit.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little pleasant distraction.

What did you like best about this story?

The story moved along quickly and it had an unexpected conclusion.

Which character – as performed by Martin Jarvis – was your favorite?

I liked the two principal characters - the angel and the demon. Their conversations were highlights.

Good Omens is the best book ever written.

I always recommend this book to people who are not yet addicted to reading... its a good way to seduce them into the habit.

10-Story 8-Narrator

Excellent book. Sometimes hard to tell changes in character perspectives though due to the narrator.

Funnier out loud, for sure

What fantastic narration! By choosing to give every one of an intimidatingly large cast of characters a distinct voice, the narrator takes this tale up to another level, in the same way Mel Blanc cartoons are just...better.

I could tell, thanks to the intonations, accents, deft timing and a baseline voice that is wry, dry and nimble-witted, that jokes I would have read straight-faced on the page were instead — and often — laugh-out-loud funny.

Took a chance on this one, and very glad I did. Very good book and a great reading.

Fun tale, amazing performance

A take on Armageddon that is interesting and entertaining, told with wit and cleverness. The vocal performance is one of the best I've heard - adds another level of quality.

Well read and written

The voice acting was exceptional, with distinguishable voices for each character.
The books comes off a bit more Terry Pratchet than Neil Gaiman. It keeps your attention from start to finish and the characters are fantastic. I wish there were a sequel.

Awesome!

I love love love this book! when I heard a sample of it read by Martin Jarvis I knew I would love listening to it even more! He's an awesome narrator and really puts his soul into the characters. Many times I will rewind just to hear him as Crowley or Sister Mary Loquacious. He really becomes the characters, especially given all the different accents.