Book:Good Omens: Difference between revisions

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m (angles?)
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|isbn=057504800X
|isbn=057504800X
|pages=
|pages=
|series=  
|series=  
|characters=[[Aziraphale]]<br/>[[Anthony Crowley|Crowley]]<br/>[[Adam Young]]
|characters=[[Aziraphale]]<br/>[[Anthony Crowley|Crowley]]<br/>[[Adam Young]]
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|notes=
|notes=
}}
}}
{{GO}} is a comic novel about demons, angels, prophecies and Armageddon, in which a mix-up at a hospital causes the Antichrist to be brought up as a perfectly normal kid with bizarre consequences as he develops his special talents with neither demons nor angels for guidance.  
{{GO}} is a comic novel about demons, angels, prophecies and Armageddon, in which a mix-up at a hospital causes the Antichrist to be brought up as a perfectly normal kid with bizarre consequences as he develops his special talents with neither demons nor angels for guidance.  


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**[[Pepper]]
**[[Pepper]]
**[[Wensleydale]]
**[[Wensleydale]]
*Demons and Angels etc.
*Demons and Angels etc.
**[[Aziraphale]]  
**[[Aziraphale]]  
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**[[Earl Beezlemoth]]
**[[Earl Beezlemoth]]
**The [[Metatron]]
**The [[Metatron]]
*Riders Of The Apocalypse
*Riders Of The Apocalypse
**[[Death (Good Omens)|Death]]
**[[Death (Good Omens)|Death]]
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**[[Scuzz]]
**[[Scuzz]]
**[[Big Ted]]
**[[Big Ted]]
*[[Witchfinder Army]]
*[[Witchfinder Army]]
**[[Nurker]]
**[[Nurker]]
Line 53: Line 48:
**[[Shadwell]]
**[[Shadwell]]
**[[Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer]]
**[[Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer]]
*[[Anathema Device]]
*[[Anathema Device]]
*[[Julia Petley]]
*[[Julia Petley]]
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The United States edition of Good Omens had numerous alterations to the text. The most significant alteration to the main text is the addition of an extra 700-word section just before the end, dealing with what happened to the character of Warlock, the American diplomat's son, who was swapped with Adam. The American edition also adds numerous footnotes not found in British editions as well as changes to the spelling throughout so that the text corresponded to American English norms rather than British English. One howler of an error has "Aziraphile nipping across the city of Hell" early on. Comparing this to the British text, it appears the American editor was correcting a non-existent error, not knowing ''Hull'' is an English port city on the east coast. It may be grim, it may have had the pugnacious John Prescott as its MP and it may be in the East Riding of Yorkshire - but it isn't quite Hell...
The United States edition of Good Omens had numerous alterations to the text. The most significant alteration to the main text is the addition of an extra 700-word section just before the end, dealing with what happened to the character of Warlock, the American diplomat's son, who was swapped with Adam. The American edition also adds numerous footnotes not found in British editions as well as changes to the spelling throughout so that the text corresponded to American English norms rather than British English. One howler of an error has "Aziraphile nipping across the city of Hell" early on. Comparing this to the British text, it appears the American editor was correcting a non-existent error, not knowing ''Hull'' is an English port city on the east coast. It may be grim, it may have had the pugnacious John Prescott as its MP and it may be in the East Riding of Yorkshire - but it isn't quite Hell...


Editions since 2006 have contained [[Contributions to other works|extra material]] by [[Terry Pratchett]] and [[Neil Gaiman]]: a new Foreword to the book, 'Good Omens, The Facts' an interview with the two authors and two articles by each author, 'Neil Gaiman On Terry Pratchett' and 'Terry Pratchett On Neil Gaiman.'
Editions since 2006 have contained [[Contributions to other works|extra material]] by [[Terry Pratchett]] and [[Neil Gaiman]]: a new Foreword to the book, 'Good Omens, The Facts' an interview with the two authors and two articles by each author: 'Neil Gaiman On Terry Pratchett' and 'Terry Pratchett On Neil Gaiman.'


==Adaptations==
==Adaptations==
[[File:GO Radio.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Radio Drama CD Cover]]
[[File:GO Radio.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Radio Drama CD Cover]]
Good Omens was adapted by BBC Radio 4 as a [[Radio Adaptations|full audio drama]], this was later released on CD.
Good Omens was adapted by BBC Radio 4 as a [[Radio Adaptations|full audio drama]], this was later released on CD.
In 2017 Neil Gaiman announced that he would be partnering with [[Narrativia (production company)|Narrativia]] to create a [[TV and film adaptations|TV Series adaptation]].


==Annotations==
==Annotations==
The book satirizes some aspects of the '70s movie ''[[wikipedia:The Omen|The Omen]]'', where an American diplomat has Damien, the Antichrist, for a child. Although Damien is dismissed as a name, and isn't the Antichrist anyway, he is raised by a supernatural nanny, and with a birthday party that gets out of hand.
The book satirises some aspects of the '70s movie ''[[wikipedia:The Omen|The Omen]]'', where an American diplomat has Damien, the Antichrist, for a child. Although Damien is dismissed as a name, and isn't the Antichrist anyway, he is raised by a supernatural nanny, and with a birthday party that gets out of hand.


Right on the very last page of the book, there is a line stating:  
Right on the very last page of the book, there is a line stating:  
Line 97: Line 93:


This is softened in ''Good Omens'' to a sneaker, or trainer, with untied laces, on the foot of the Antichrist, who has just succeeded in thwarting the desire of both Heaven and Hell to stamp on the collective face of the human race until something breaks beyond repair. (What else is Armageddon, after all)  
This is softened in ''Good Omens'' to a sneaker, or trainer, with untied laces, on the foot of the Antichrist, who has just succeeded in thwarting the desire of both Heaven and Hell to stamp on the collective face of the human race until something breaks beyond repair. (What else is Armageddon, after all)  
==Gallery==
{|
|-
| valign="top" | [[File:Good Omens.jpg|thumb|110px|First Edition Cover by Chris Moore]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO Proof.jpg|thumb|110px|Book Proof]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO Kirby.jpg|thumb|110px|Cover by [[Josh Kirby]] (German)]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO Black.jpg|thumb|110px|Paperback 2004]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO CD.jpg|thumb|140px|Audio CD]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO GW.jpg|thumb|110px|Cover by Graham Ward]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO DF.jpg|thumb|110px|Cover by David Frampton]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO Ace.jpg|thumb|110px|Cover by Ace Books]]
|}
{|
|-
| valign="top" | [[File:GO MA.jpg|thumb|110px|Cover by Michael Astrachan]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO MA2.jpg|thumb|110px|Cover by Michael Astrachan-alt]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO JB.jpg|thumb|110px|Cover by Jim Burns]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO HC.jpg|thumb|220px|Dual covers by Hayden Cornner 2005]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO HC2.jpg|thumb|220px|Dual covers by Hayden Cornner 2006]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO HC3.jpg|thumb|220px|Dual covers by Hayden Cornner 2007]]
|}
{|
|-
| valign="top" | [[File:GO HCUK.jpg|thumb|110px|UK cover by Hayden Cornner 2014]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO G.jpg|thumb|110px|Gollancz hardcover 2007]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO PI.jpg|thumb|110px|Cover by Patrick Insole]]
| valign="top" | [[File:GO CL.jpg|thumb|110px|Collectors Library Edition]]
|}
==External Links==
[https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/good-omens.html  ''Good Omens'' on the Annotated Pratchett File]
[http://goodomenslexicon.org/ The Good Omens Lexicon]


[[Category: Books by Terry Pratchett|Good Omens]]
[[Category: Books by Terry Pratchett|Good Omens]]
[[de:Buch:Ein gutes Omen]]
[[de:Buch:Ein gutes Omen]]
[[Category:Good Omens]]
[[Category:Good Omens]]

Revision as of 13:19, 15 May 2017

Good Omens
Cover art for Book:Good Omens
Co-author(s) Neil Gaiman
Illustrator(s) {{{illustrator}}}
Publisher Victor Gollancz
Publication date 10 May 1990
ISBN 057504800X
Pages
RRP {{{rrp}}}
Main characters Aziraphale
Crowley
Adam Young
Series [[:Category:|]]
Annotations View
Notes
All data relates to the first UK edition.

Good Omens is a comic novel about demons, angels, prophecies and Armageddon, in which a mix-up at a hospital causes the Antichrist to be brought up as a perfectly normal kid with bizarre consequences as he develops his special talents with neither demons nor angels for guidance.

Terry Gilliam would make a movie of this book if those with the money and inclination to make such a thing possible were not as rare as Klatchian Mist.

Blurb

According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter – the world's only totally reliable guide to the future – the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just after tea...

Characters

Locations

Additional Material

The United States edition of Good Omens had numerous alterations to the text. The most significant alteration to the main text is the addition of an extra 700-word section just before the end, dealing with what happened to the character of Warlock, the American diplomat's son, who was swapped with Adam. The American edition also adds numerous footnotes not found in British editions as well as changes to the spelling throughout so that the text corresponded to American English norms rather than British English. One howler of an error has "Aziraphile nipping across the city of Hell" early on. Comparing this to the British text, it appears the American editor was correcting a non-existent error, not knowing Hull is an English port city on the east coast. It may be grim, it may have had the pugnacious John Prescott as its MP and it may be in the East Riding of Yorkshire - but it isn't quite Hell...

Editions since 2006 have contained extra material by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman: a new Foreword to the book, 'Good Omens, The Facts' an interview with the two authors and two articles by each author: 'Neil Gaiman On Terry Pratchett' and 'Terry Pratchett On Neil Gaiman.'

Adaptations

Radio Drama CD Cover

Good Omens was adapted by BBC Radio 4 as a full audio drama, this was later released on CD.

In 2017 Neil Gaiman announced that he would be partnering with Narrativia to create a TV Series adaptation.

Annotations

The book satirises some aspects of the '70s movie The Omen, where an American diplomat has Damien, the Antichrist, for a child. Although Damien is dismissed as a name, and isn't the Antichrist anyway, he is raised by a supernatural nanny, and with a birthday party that gets out of hand.

Right on the very last page of the book, there is a line stating:

"If you want to see the future, imagine a boot..."

Pratchett and Gaiman amend "boot" to "sneaker", but the reference is clearly to the closing paragraphs of George Orwell's 1984:

"If you want to see the future, imagine a boot, stamping on a human face, forever."

This is softened in Good Omens to a sneaker, or trainer, with untied laces, on the foot of the Antichrist, who has just succeeded in thwarting the desire of both Heaven and Hell to stamp on the collective face of the human race until something breaks beyond repair. (What else is Armageddon, after all)

Gallery

First Edition Cover by Chris Moore
Book Proof
Cover by Josh Kirby (German)
Paperback 2004
Audio CD
Cover by Graham Ward
Cover by David Frampton
Cover by Ace Books
Cover by Michael Astrachan
Cover by Michael Astrachan-alt
Cover by Jim Burns
Dual covers by Hayden Cornner 2005
Dual covers by Hayden Cornner 2006
Dual covers by Hayden Cornner 2007
UK cover by Hayden Cornner 2014
Gollancz hardcover 2007
Cover by Patrick Insole
Collectors Library Edition

External Links

Good Omens on the Annotated Pratchett File

The Good Omens Lexicon