Good Omens

I just finished reading Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. In short, it is a comedy about the Apocalypse in which an angel (Aziraphale) and a demon (Crowley) attempt to circumvent the prophecies of the End Times because they actually like humanity. Meanwhile, War, Pollution, Famine, and Death, the four bikers of the Apocalypse are coming, followed by the self-styled four other bikers of the Apocalypse:

(1) Grievous Bodily Harm
(2) Cruelty to Animals
(3) Things Not Working Properly Even After You've Given Them a Good Thumping But Secretly No Alcohol Lager
4) Really Cool People


For the most part, I found this story enjoyable to read, with enough thought-provoking material to remind me of humanity's responsibilities toward Earth and all living things. Some people may think that the treatment of the subject matter is too flippant, but remember, after all, that The Devil Hates to Be Mocked.

I shall resist the temptation to fill the rest of this post with quotes from Good Omens (along with a similar penchance for inserting quotes into conversations from Eddie Izzard's comedy routines.) However, I found Aziraphale's and Crowley's New Year's resolutions for 2006. How can I not pass it along?

My favorite Crowley resolution:

Resolution #3: Try to come up with something as good as cell phone ringtones, following one last stab at convincing Downstairs that cell phone ringtones are right up there in the whole Human Misery stakes. And iPods. Has anybody Down There even said thank you for iPods? Or "Googling yourself?" Frankly, I deserve some kind of award for "Googling yourself."

My favorite Aziraphale resolution:

Resolution #10: On the orders of Head Office I will encourage the belief in Intelligent Design – despite the fact that the human airway crosses the digestive tract. Who thought that was intelligent?

If "Good Omens" is ever made into a movie, Eddie Izzard could play either Crowley or Aziraphale. Izzard is versatile.