Scan barcode
mysticmango's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A while after watching the short TV series, I finally read Good Omens, which everyone has been telling me to read for years. It was funny, though a lot of things happened at once. The first half of the book really felt as though I was missing part of the series, like when you accidentally pick up book two in a series, and while it does stand on its own, you miss some important details about the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Body horror, Car accident, Murder, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Ableism, Body shaming, and War
wetsokcs's review against another edition
fast-paced
bit disappointing to find homophobia and racism in the book after liking to show for as long as I have
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
kerttuli's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: War, Cursing, Racial slurs, Fatphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Blood, Torture, and Car accident
merin_aran's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Witty and funny, great commentary on society and religion, great cast of characters - I loved Crowley and Aziraphale especially their dynamic was just brilliant.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Racial slurs
strabbyfieldz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
the interviews at the back were so sweet and interesting, and I loved a lot of small bits of the book but there were a few bits of like... "ironic" racism/homophobia things for me to really enjoy it. the series is good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racial slurs
Moderate: Racism
skudiklier's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Hmm. I liked this book more by the last third or so, but still, it took me a while to get into it. There were a lot of dark violent things that deeply bothered me, even though they were usually taken back or didn't happen or whatever. I think I might like the show more. I did like the last few bits a lot though.
Edit/update: I do like the show more, and that's made me want to bump my review of the book up to 4 stars?? But I'm not going to because that seems silly. But I'd maybe recommend watching the show and then reading the book. A fair amount is different, and maybe it'll make the show harder to understand (?), but I think doing things in that order would have made me enjoy the book more. I like the show and am excited for the second season, but I also don't like it enough to want to reread the book haha.
Edit/update: I do like the show more, and that's made me want to bump my review of the book up to 4 stars?? But I'm not going to because that seems silly. But I'd maybe recommend watching the show and then reading the book. A fair amount is different, and maybe it'll make the show harder to understand (?), but I think doing things in that order would have made me enjoy the book more. I like the show and am excited for the second season, but I also don't like it enough to want to reread the book haha.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, Eating disorder, Murder, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: War, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Racism, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, Sexual assault, Genocide, and Infidelity
micheala's review against another edition
1.5
This is a case of both not enjoying the narrative choices (personal) and this book has aged horrifically (it's 32 years old and you can feel it)
On the personal side, this story is supposed to be an ensemble caste, however it just felt like viewing a series of side characters rather than a collection of main characters. I didn't feel like we spent enough time with the characters to understand them on anything but the most superficial level. On the other hand, this is probably why it was such a successful TV show, as they had lots of room to work with in regards to adapting the characters.
My main problem is a lot of the language used. This is full of casual racist, sexist, and homophobic language that is never addressed in text. The one that I personally found the most upsetting (likely as it was a several paragraphs thing rather than one line) was the "Indian spirit guide" that ** fakes in her seances. This portrayal of Indigenous people might have been more common in 1990 however it was bad enough that I can not recommend reading this book. Apparently the TV show has removed the blatently problematic sections, however I have not watched the show yet and cannot say for certain.
I did enjoy the premise and the way in which it ultimately resolved, however that was not enough to salvage this novel for me.
On the personal side, this story is supposed to be an ensemble caste, however it just felt like viewing a series of side characters rather than a collection of main characters. I didn't feel like we spent enough time with the characters to understand them on anything but the most superficial level. On the other hand, this is probably why it was such a successful TV show, as they had lots of room to work with in regards to adapting the characters.
My main problem is a lot of the language used. This is full of casual racist, sexist, and homophobic language that is never addressed in text. The one that I personally found the most upsetting (likely as it was a several paragraphs thing rather than one line) was the "Indian spirit guide" that ** fakes in her seances. This portrayal of Indigenous people might have been more common in 1990 however it was bad enough that I can not recommend reading this book. Apparently the TV show has removed the blatently problematic sections, however I have not watched the show yet and cannot say for certain.
I did enjoy the premise and the way in which it ultimately resolved, however that was not enough to salvage this novel for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, and Racism
laurenfro22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Definitely a funny and irreverent story, I thoroughly enjoyed the style of writing. Both Gaiman and Prachett are masterful wordsmiths and the premise of the book was really fun and sacrilegious and I loved it.
Some things were kind of hard to get over. In particular there were some sections with very serious lapses in judgement with regard to race and racism, as well as fatphobia and homophobia. It definitely takes you out of the story a bit, especially their use of slurs, which while common back in the 90s, are still sharp against the ear and I feel inexcusable. Just something to be aware of going into the book. I may watch the show as I’ve heard good things about the revamping.
Some things were kind of hard to get over. In particular there were some sections with very serious lapses in judgement with regard to race and racism, as well as fatphobia and homophobia. It definitely takes you out of the story a bit, especially their use of slurs, which while common back in the 90s, are still sharp against the ear and I feel inexcusable. Just something to be aware of going into the book. I may watch the show as I’ve heard good things about the revamping.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, Blood, Fatphobia, War, Racial slurs, and Violence
aandromeda's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Racial slurs