Book Overview:
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner. So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .
Book of the Month~
Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
This month’s book recommendation is a bit different than what I have offered previously, because it is a ‘just for fun’ story, instead of being theologically grounded. But I must admit I am a big fan of this book and have read it several times which is why I couldn’t resist the opportunity to recommend it.
Some of you may recognize the title from the Amazon TV series. The finale of that show was just released mid-May, so there has been quite a bit of buzz about it. I, for one, was happy that so many people were talking about one of my favorite works of fiction. That version of the show, as with many TV adaptations, is not quite the same but I still think it keeps the sentiment of the original story in mind throughout the first season (which is the season based on the book).
“Good Omens” is not intended to be read as a Biblical guide to the apocalypse or a theological framework about how we view the world; it’s a satirical work.
The very premise of an Angel and a Demon working together to stop the apocalypse, after reading prophecies written by a real-life witch, is one that we can’t accept from a Lutheran lens… That is, we couldn’t if we were reading it like we read scripture. But that isn’t the intention of this particular story! The authors did not create this book as a commentary on Revelation or the actual end of the world. They wrote it as a fun fantasy novel.
A few things to keep in mind if you read this book: firstly, this story was published in 1990, so there are some outdated references and language. Secondly, this book has been re-published several times and there are many different versions of the cover, so your copy may not look exactly like the image of the cover above. Lastly, I will reiterate that this is fictional satire and not meant to be taken seriously. It does raise interesting questions about the meanings of Good and Evil in the world, but it shouldn’t be considered as ‘gospel truth’ by any means.
“Good Omens” is not a book that will change the way you view the world around you (or at least, probably not), but it is a fun Summer read if you enjoy quirky and silly stories.










