Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Title:  Good Omens
Author:  Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fantasy
Length:  432 Pages
Weight:  0.5 lbs
Date of Completion:  May 25, 2013

Thoughts:

I cannot ever find the words to adequately describe Neil Gaiman's work.  Witty, sharp, and classic cover most of the basics, but they never seem to convey the vastness of it.  I don't remember the last time I laughed out loud this much while reading a book.  Intelligent humor is a welcome relief and quite refreshing.  Though I've never really gotten into the Discworld series by Pratchett (more due to time constraints and a 4,000 book long to-read list than any dislike of his works), I can appreciate his talent simply from the praise he receives from my peers.  As a fan of Douglas Adams, it was easy to get caught up in this world when I first read it, and even more so now that I've come back to it as a favorite.  

The British have mastered the art of a dry, scathing, intelligent wit.  It is clever satire and entertaining parody; if you don't have the mindset that God can take a joke, this book is not for you.  Part of this sharp humor is the ability to laugh at our own religious perspectives and have a sense of humor.  Gaiman and Pratchett take a swift kick at the sacrosanct and absurd alike, and don't bother to differentiate the two either.  Their irreverent humor makes this book the most enjoyable form of blasphemy I've found in a long time.  

This book has everything that is missing from popular literature these days--and nearly as absent from American pop culture.  I could go on for quite a while and bemoan the lack of intelligence and cleverness in modern society (specifically the American), but that would mar the tone of this happy post.  Suffice it to say that I have far too much European blood to take kindly to the common ignorance.  

I thought it appropriate to finish this book on Towel Day, though I would have liked to have done so earlier.  So much for a summer full of free time for reading once I graduated.  As Neverwhere is also in the pile of books by my bed, it looks like the Neil Gaiman party will continue.