Review: Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neill Gaiman

'Armageddon only happens once, you know. They don't let you go around again until you get it right'

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, Judgement Day is almost upon us and the world's going to end in a week . . .

Now people have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it's only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. But what if, for once, the predictions are right, and the apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea?

You could spend the time left drowning your sorrows, giving away all your possessions in preparation for the rapture, or laughing it off as (hopefully) just another hoax. Or you could just try to do something about it.

It's a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon now finds themselves in. They've been living amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse.

And then there's the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

Visit Terry Pratchett's website or Neil Gaiman's website for more information.

Review:
With less than a week to go before armageddon hits, this is the story of an unlikely pairing between the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley, who have both decided that they quite like living on Earth and that perhaps, there might be a way to prevent it from being totally destroyed. They've spent the last eleven years guiding the antichrist so he won't be evil enough to bring about the apocalypse but unfortunately with only days to go until the big day they realise they've been monitoring the wrong child. But where is the real antichrist and just what kind of trouble is he about to bring down upon us all?

I've been a huge fan of Terry Pratchett's since I was a teenager but this was my first introduction to Neil Gaiman and I think their writing styles meshed perfectly together to create this story. I've actually lost count of the number of times I've read Good Omens over the years and each time I appreciate the clever humour and insights into human behaviour even more. Unless you've been living under a rock you must be aware of the recent TV adaptation of the story with the screenplay written by Neil Gaiman fulfilling a wish that Terry Pratchett had made before he died. With the all star cast and fabulous trailer I've been dying to watch the show but I wanted to reread the book first so I could fully appreciate the adaptation.

It's hard to review a book that you've read multiple times, and to be honest there are already so many reviews floating around for Good Omens that I hardly need to bother adding my own, but there are always going to be people out there that haven't discovered the story yet and I want to encourage them to give it a try. There is so much fun to be had reading this book, you have an angel who perhaps isn't quite as good as he could be, a demon who is actually a pretty nice guy but don't you dare tell anyone his secret, a witch whose ability to see the future set a whole lot of trouble in motion for future generations of her family, witchfinders, satanic nuns, a gang of unruly eleven year olds and let's not forget the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

It has all the humour you'd expect from these authors as well as their clever observations about the world around us. There are a lot of reasons it holds up so well on multiple rereads and a few of my favourite quotes will probably do more than anything I can say to convince you:

It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.

________

Anyway, if you stop tellin' people it's all sorted out afer they're dead, they might try sorting it all out while they're alive.

________

People couldn't become truly holy, he said, unless they also had the opportunity to be definitively wicked.

I'm so excited to start watching the TV series now, everything I've seen and heard about the show makes me think I'm going to love it!

Aziraphale & Crowley as played by Michael Sheen and David Tennant

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

TV Series Trailer: Good Omens - Official Teaser Trailer!

As a huge Terry Pratchett fan I've read Good Omens, the book he wrote with Neil Gaiman, several times over the years so I'm hugely excited that it's being made into a series. I'm a little heartbroken that Terry isn't around to see it but knowing Neil has worked on the series makes me sure that Terry would approve of the final results. Especially after seeing this teaser trailer!!



Doesn't it look fabulous?! I think David Tennant and Michael Sheen are going to be brilliant as Crowley and Aziraphale! I don't think I've ever actually reviewed the book for my blog so I definitely feel another reread is in order before the series releases next year but in the meantime here's a bit more information for anyone who hasn't read it yet:

“Armageddon only happens once, you know. They don’t let you go around again until you get it right.”

According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch – the world’s only totally reliable guide to the future, written in 1655, before she exploded – the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just after tea…

People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it’s only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. This time though, the armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. The four Bikers of the Apocalypse are hitting the road. But both the angels and demons – well, one fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel – would quite like the Rapture not to happen.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist…


Who else is a Good Omens fan? Are you as excited for the TV series as I am? I always get a bit nervous when favourite books are adapted for TV or movies but I think this one is going to be spot on!

Review: Terry Pratchett: from birth to death, a writer - Terry Pratchett, Rob Wilkins, Neil Gaiman & Rhianna Pratchett

Limited edition hardback book provided at Terry Pratchett's memorial at the Barbican, London, 14th April 2016.

Find out more about the author's by visiting their websites:
Terry Pratchett
Rob Wilkins
Neil Gaiman
Rhianna Pratchett

Review:
This book is a limited edition hardback that was given out in the goody bags at the Terry Pratchett Memorial event at the Barbican Theatre in London on the 14th of April 2016. I did wonder if it was even worth writing a review for it since I don't think the book will ever be available to purchase but since I mainly write my reviews so that I can look back at them in years to come I'm just going to do what I always do.

I was lucky enough to be one of the fans who was given tickets to the Terry Pratchett Memorial and the whole evening was a wonderful tribute to Terry, there were some incredibly emotional moments but overall the theme of the evening was definitely laughter. I wrote about the event on my blog (HERE) so you can read all the details there if you're interested and for now I'll just focus on the book.

The team who organised the event obviously put a huge amount of effort into creating this book, aside from the iconic silhouette of Terry in his trademark hat on the front you also have the Roman numerals for his birth and death years (1948 - 2015) on the back along with a bee to represent the Venerable Order of the Honeybee which is an award Terry created to thank the people who most helped him during his writing career. Then on the inside you'll find a large image of the Pratchett family crest along with their motto "Noli Timere Messorem" (which translates rather appropriately to "Don't Fear the Reaper").

This is a fairly small book and has less than 100 pages but the contents are incredibly personal and very moving. After an introduction from Terry's long term personal assistant Rob Wilkins it includes several pieces of writing by Terry, from The Hades Business, the first story he ever sold (when he was just 13 years old!), to nonfiction pieces about his thought process and his love of hats, a very fitting excerpt from the last Discworld novel The Shepherd's Crown (I'm not going to say what it's about but I think anyone who has read the book will have a pretty good idea) and finally "A Little Advice for Life" from Terry that made me laugh and cry in equal measure.

It also includes a piece about Terry written by Neil Gaiman (that he actually read out at the memorial and I don't think there was a dry eye left in the whole theatre), this was written as the introduction to Terry's non fiction book "A Slip of the Keyboard" but was also posted on the Guardian website so anyone interested can read it in full HERE. If that wasn't enough to bring on the waterworks you'll also find Terry's daughter Rhianna Pratchett's obituary (that she also read to the audience on the night of the memorial) that was again posted online after Terry's death and can be read HERE.

This book is a wonderful keepsake from the event and it's one that I'll always treasure.

I'll leave you with a couple of appropriate Discworld quotes

“DON'T THINK OF IT AS DYING," said Death. "JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.”

- Good Omens

No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away

- Reaper Man

GNU Terry Pratchett

Mind How You Go!

Review: The Sleeper and the Spindle - Neil Gaiman & Chris Riddell

A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell - weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.

On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future - and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.

Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.

Visit Neil Gaiman's website or Chris Riddell's website for more information.

Review:
The Sleeper and the Spindle is a dark and twisted fairytale that takes components of Sleeping Beauty and mixes in Snow White and three of the dwarves. A sleeping enchantment has been spreading across the neighbouring kingdom and it won't be long until it starts effecting Snow White's people too. As the queen it is up to her to put a stop to it so Snow happily puts her wedding plans on hold, swaps her gown for chain mail and sets out on a quest to wake Sleeping Beauty and her people. I'm not going to tell you if she manages or not so you're just going to have to read the book to find out.

I loved fairytales as a child, in fact I still love them now as an adult, but I got a little sick of reading about princess who sit around waiting to be rescued by their handsome prince so I absolutely loved this story for bucking that trend. There are no handsome princes in sight, well there is one but he's only mentioned in passing as Snow White postpones her wedding to go off and save a fellow princess so he doesn't really count! This is a story where girls take centre stage and prove that they are more than capable of fighting their own battles and I loved every minute of it. Neil Gaiman has written a fabulous story that turns the usual fairytale tropes upside down and the twist at the end was fantastic.

I can't review this book properly without talking about Chris Riddell's gorgeous illustrations. The black and white drawings with gold foil accents are on every page and they're so beautifully detailed that I probably spent longer looking at the pictures than I did actually reading the words of the story! The illustrations really bring the characters to life and help to make the story even more special. The hardback is just stunning, from the transparent slip cover to the gold foil throughout this is a book to treasure and it would make a wonderful gift for children of all ages.

Source: Received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback:

News Roundup: World Book Day, A Message from Lauren Oliver, Short Story Competitions & Much More!

It's time for another news roundup post but first I want to say happy World Book Day!  I hope you have something bookish planned to celebrate and help spread the love of reading.

You can find out more about World Book Day and the fabulous books that are available for just £1 on the World Book Day website.  You should also make sure you check out the FREE World Book Day App that works on the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.  It includes short stories by Malorie Backman, Neil Gaiman, Charlie Higson, Anthony Horowitz, Sophie McKenzie and Rachel Vincent so there should be something there to appeal to everyone and it also includes extracts from some fabulous 2012 releases.

While we're on the subject of World Book Day you might want to head over to your nearest Waterstones store and see if you can grab a bargain.  They are selling copies of both Department 19 by Will Hill and The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson for just £1 each!!  These are both fantastic books (read my Department 19 review here and my The Name of the Star review here) so if you haven't already read them make sure you grab a copy.

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Now today is the UK release date for Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver.  It's no secret that I'm a massive fan of Delirium (read my review here) so I can't wait to read this sequel!  Unfortunately Lauren isn't coming to the UK for the launch but she has recorded a special message for her UK fans which you can watch below:



Do you want to know if you're ruled by your heart or your head?  Find out by taking the interactive quiz on the Delirium facebook page here and you could even win copies of both Delirium and Pandemonium!  I'm going to be reading Pandemonium this week so keep an eye out for my review which will be coming soon.

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Now if you're between 10 and 16 years old and want to have a go at writing your own very short story have a look at Bloomsbury's new competition:

Bloomsbury’s VERY short story competition for young writers is back
LOVING FICTION TWENTY-FOUR-SEVEN. CREATING STORIES IN 247 WORDS.

247tales.com is the online writing competition from Bloomsbury that challenges young writers to create stories using only 247 words or less. Now in its fourth year the competition is set to challenge even more young writers.

In 2012, the competition returns with a blog-style website, a dedicated Facebook page www.facebook.com/247tales  and nine more inspiring themes. Each month a different Bloomsbury author will pen a 247tale on a given topic. It is then over to the UK’s budding young writers aged between 10 and 16 to create their own miniature masterpiece.

One winner will be chosen each month and they will have their 247tale featured on the website as well as winning a selection of books and a framed copy of their story. Ten runners-up will get a signed copy of the latest book from that month's featured author, and their story will appear in the 247Library section of the website.

The competition launches at 2:47pm on Thursday 1st March 2012 (World Book Day) with a 247tale from bestselling author Tony Bradman on the theme of The Ship. Details on how to enter can be found at www.247tales.com. Authors taking part include Anne Cassidy, Jim Eldridge, Sarah Crossan, A.F. Harrold, Laura Powell and Sue Limb.

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If you're a fan of Michael Grant and are free on Saturday the 17th of March then you might want to head to the Foyles store on Charing Cross Road where he will be signing copies of Bzrk, Fear and the whole Gone series from 2-4pm.  This is one of my favourite London book stores - they host some fantastic events and always have a fantastic selection of signed books and US imports so it is well worth paying them a visit and what better chance are you going to get to meet this best selling author?

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Now I have a cover reveal for Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas.  This is Stephanie's debut novel and will be published by Entangled Publishing on the 11th of September 2012.  I don't know about you but I think it sounds fantastic and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since.

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I'm finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.

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If you live in the UK and are 18 or over then you might want to have a go at entering the FutureScapes Short Story Competition.  Stories must be no more than 3,000 words and the deadline is the 15th of March, here are the details:

FutureScapesGuardian.

Inspired by new stories by best-selling authors Michael Marshall Smith, Marcus Sedgwick, Kate Harrison and Lesley Lokko, readers can submit their own short stories, imagining the world in 2025. It’s part of a project called FutureScapes, which aims to get everyone thinking about what the world might be like in 2025. The competition winner will be published alongside our professional authors and win a Sony Tablet.

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If you're a fan of Paul Hoffman's The Left Hand of God then you might want to have a look at the new interactive game Penguin UK have created on Facebook (click here to play) to celebrate the release of sequel The last Four Things.  You could even win yourself an iPad2!  Here is a bit more info about the game:

The Facebook minisite features an interactive map of Thomas Cale's world, with embedded videos that take the reader on a tour around places including Tiger Mountain, Transvaaland and The Sanctuary. There is also an embedded game where users must build 3D equipment from the book. As readers progress through each 'level' within the map, they post to their Facebook wall to encourage all of their friends to participate too! Readers must complete all levels to unlock an Augmented Reality printout of the map which will result in a 3D version of character Thomas Cale, swinging his sword and talking to the reader. Thomas then says a word which will then need to enter to be in with a chance of winning an iPad2 preloaded with a copy of the The Last Four Things.

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So I think that's probably more than enough news for one post but hopefully something here will be of interest to you!