Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch - a novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Good Omens

Good Omens is a comedy, parodying the 1976 horror film "The Omen".

The plot centres around the Son Of Satan (The Antichrist) who should have been raised by an American diplomat prior to his bringing about The End Of The World in due course. However, due to a mix-up at the maternity hospital, the baby Antichrist is swapped with the wrong baby and instead, is brought up by a rather old-fashioned English couple for the first twelve years of his life.

As the appointed time of Armageddon draws near, the forces of good and evil are a little confused when they realise that the boy they thought was the Antichrist in fact isn't and they have to track down the real one before he realises the full extent of his powers and Does Things His Own Way...

A somewhat unconventional Demon called Crowley, joins forces with an equally unconventional Angel called Aziraphale to find the real Antichrist (who's called Adam Young and lives in a sleepy little English village). They are joined in the search by The Four Horseman Of The Apocalypse (aided and abetted by a gang of Hell's Angels), the Witchfinder Army (all two of them) and the last descendent of the greatest prophetess that ever lived, a 17th century woman who was burnt at the stake as a witch and whose prophesies (collected in a book entitled "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch"), are so specifically pin-point accurate that no-one has ever understood them...until they start coming true in a rather worrying fashion...

Good Omens is full of colourful, larger than life characters and a plot that moves at a gallop. The story is as entertaining as you would expect, given the track record of it's two authors. If you fancy a giggle and an intelligent read combined, check out Good Omens!

* Adam Young - the Son of Satan, The Antichrist. 12 year old boy who lives in the quiet, rural village of Lower Tadfield in England. Adam is a bit of a junior philosopher and the leader of a gang called the "Them".

* Crowley - a demon, formerly known as Crawly aka the Serpent of Garden of Eden fame. Crowley has been on Earth for an awfully long time and really rather likes it here...especially the cars.

* Aziraphale - an angel, whose also been stationed on Earth for millennia and is fond of the place. Runs an antique bookshop in London.

* Anathema Device - witch and last descendant of Agnes Nutter (17th century witch and prophetess). Owns the last surviving copy of the infamous book written by her ancestor "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch" and is the first to realise that suddenly, it's all starting to make sense.

* Shadwell - senior officer in the Witchfinder Army. Scruffy little man who lives in a bedsit and survives on tins of condensed milk. Devoted to his witchfinding duties.

* Newton Pulsifer - the rest of the Witchfinder Army. The last surviving descendent of the man who burned Agnes Nutter. Young man destined for a mundane life full of missed opportunities until fate takes a hand in his destiny.

* Madame Tracey - makes her living telling fortunes and entertaining "gentlemen callers". Lives in the same house as Shadwell and is rather fond of him, although he regards her as an immoral "Jezebel".

* Dog - Hell Hound sent to guard the young Antichrist. Upon arrival on Earth takes on the physical form his Infernal Master wishes and is more than a little surprised to be transformed from a red-eyed, slavering beast from the Pit, into a small scruffy mongrel. Nevertheless, Dog is devoted to his Master and strives always to do His bidding.

*Pepper, Wensleydale and Brian - members of Adam's gang the "Them". Loyal and in their own way, wise beyond their years.

* Mr Adams - Adam's surrogate father. Cardigan wearing, pipe smoking model of conformity and sheer ordinariness. Finds Adam a bit of a puzzle, all in all.

* The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - Death, War, Famine and Pollution (Pestilence retired when antibiotics were discovered). Always there influencing humanity, waiting patiently for Armageddon when they will be at the forefront of the End Of The World. They constantly reinvent themselves as they adapt to the changing ways of humanity. As evidence of this, they now use motorbikes rather than horses. War is an arms dealer and a bit of a babe to boot, Famine owns a multinational diet food business, Pollution is behind every oil slick, radiation leak and piece of litter dropped and Death is just...Death...

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