Good Omens
1990 · Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman · 400 pages · Fantasy
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's 1990 collaboration about an angel and a demon trying to prevent the apocalypse is one of the funniest novels in fantasy. The central friendship between Aziraphale and Crowley carries warmth and wit in equal measure, and the satire of religion, prophecy, and human nature lands without becoming mean-spirited. The large cast leads to some subplots that feel less essential, and the novel's breezy tone occasionally prevents it from landing its more serious moments. But as a comic novel about the end of the world that's really about how friendship and free will matter more than destiny, Good Omens is a joy from cover to cover.