©1990 Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett; (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers
"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)
"Great voice adds to already amazing story"
Of course, "Good Omens" is an easy choice for any shopper. If you haven't read it before or especially if you have, the audiobook is a pleasure to listen to!
Once I heard Martin Jarvis reading in the character's voices, I can no longer imagine their voices any other way. Jarvis hits the nail on the head with Aziraphale's mild personality and Crowley's "flash bastard" attitude.
My only problem is the lack of a distinct pause between scene changes. As the book does this often, I quickly got used to paying attention to the new scene. It would certainly not dissuade me from buying the audiobook.
A part-time buffoon and ersatz scholar specializing in BS, pedantry, schmaltz and cultural coprophagia.
"Caught slagging between Heaven & Hell."
Cute, probably 3.5 stars, but not nearly as good as the hype. I liked both 'American Gods' and 'Neverwhere' a lot better. I guess that is the problem with joint projects, I'm not sure whether Pratchett or Gaiman should be praised or panned for this book. Yes, it was funny. Yes, it was irreverent too. It just wasn't great. Perhaps, its limitations were built into the core concept and blueprint of the book. Perhaps, it couldn't escape mediocrity because it was pulled in two different directions by two good authors and instead of ending in Heaven or Hell it just plopped right there in the middle.
"Beautifully done"
I read this book in print form as a major fan of Terry Pratchett, and frankly only managed to get through it by trying to pick out the parts that Terry Pratchett wrote.
Listening to this book, however, is a completely different experience. The narrator is fantastic, and the story just takes shape, gripping you with characters which just burst to life and set you laughing out loud, looking like a crazy person to everyone on the bus. This happens to me quite a lot, though, and if you can't take a joke by now, you're not worthy of this book.
I fear I will never be such a Neil Gaiman fan as I am a Terry Pratchett fan, but I can say that Gaiman's books translate into audio far better than Terry Prachett's, and I highly recommend them.
MikeFromMesa
"At long last!!"
I have had this book in print format since 1990 and have probably read it at least 15 times. It has always made me feel better when I was a little depressed and I have been waiting for it to come to Audible US even since I saw it on the British Audible website (www.audible.co.uk). It is a wonderfully funny book with much to say about what we call "the human condition" and I love it, but I feel I should warn potential readers that the humor is decidedly British. When my sister read this book her comment was that she thought it was trying to be funny, but she kept missing the point of the jokes. So while I strongly recommend this book, that recommendation is mostly aimed at those who understand and appreciate British humor.
I have only one complaint about the way this book was read. Martin Jarvis should have paid more attention to those places in the book where line spacing was used to separate different threads of the story. Normally readers, when coming across those kind of breaks, supply their own silence to let listeners know that a different story thread is picking up, but Mr. Jarvis often runs directly from one thread to another without supplying any audio indication that the story line was changing. This is a minor point, but I found it annoying at times.
With the above caveats I heartily recommend this book to any Neal Gaiman or Terry Pratchett readers!
"Fantastic book!"
This was an absolutely amazing book. It's probably not for everyone, though. If you have very strong religious sensibilities, you may not think it's funny. If you didn't like Hitchhikers Guide or Life of Brian, you may not like it. If, however, you think Douglas Adams and Monty Python are a joy, then sit down and start listening. You'll be glad you did.
"Finally!"
This has been one of my print favorites for a decade, and I don't know why it has taken so long to get to audio, but it's finally here! A great, hilarious, even thought provoking journey through the End Days. If you like Mssrs. Gaiman or Pratchett's other works, or Monty Python, Douglas Adams or British humor in general, pick it up! You won't be sorry.
An Avid Reader of Mystery, Zombies, History, Science and good stories. I live in Miami, FL and love every minute of it!
"Most Excellent"
Part Ghost, Part Angel/Demon should Armaggedon occour or not...in a British light humor, it was my bedtime story , and I could not wait for each night , a wonderfullly narated story.
I give it 5 stars of of 5 stars !
"Get this audiobook!"
This is without a doubt one of the best audiobooks I have ever purchased. I listen to about three audiobooks a month so I listen to a lot. This is a wonderfully written story, very funny and smart. The narrator is terrific. This is classic Neil Gaiman. Absolutely wonderful!
"Delightful!"
It will not surprise fans of either Pratchett or Gaiman to hear that "Good Omens" is not only very funny but is also, for a book about the apocalypse, both quite hopeful and rather sweet (to anyone who doubts Gaiman's funny and sweet credentials, I would recommend his novel "Anansi Boys"). The collaboration is seamless, with the novel falling somewhere in the middle of the two authors' styles, and the result is a marvelously good time.
A longtime fan of the novel, I was convinced to download the audiobook by Gaiman's interview of Martin Jarvis on NPR's Morning Edition (also featuring David Sedaris and, for that matter, the president of Audible). Jarvis is remarkable, managing to create distinct, funny and yet somehow very true characters -- he does not "do voices." He's surely one of the best audiobook performers I've encountered, and I look forward immensely to exploring more of his work.