Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Good Omens
The movie Omen or at least one of its numerous sequels is known, at least as hearsay, to everyone. A little boy who is the son of Satan is born into a family of a powerful American ambassador which leads to all kinds of supernatural happenings with generally bad ending. Two well-known authors, Pratchett and Gaiman, ask a question: what would happen if such a son of Satan would by accident be born into a very-very ordinary English family? Good Omens is their brilliant answer to this question.
Done in usual for them, slightly mad and sometimes absurdist style, they give an account that is humoristic, yet interspersed with very deep philosophical ideas and thoughts. What would happen if a being with unlimited supernatural powers is not entirely evil or entirely good, but instead entirely human? How can he influence the life of the world?
As it is usual for Pratchett, the text teems with witty jokes on serious topics, often linguistically conscious and typical for the British humor. Neil Gaiman, an American author, brings in his own view of things, and in tandem they managed to create a humoristic book that keeps the balance of seriousness and light-mindedness, parody and inventiveness in perfect equilibrium.
Pratchett, being one of the most popular modern British writers, is sometimes treated in a somewhat condescending manner as an author of entertaining literature, but in his books he again and again demonstrates that the most important and burning issues can and should be viewed from the point of view he usually uses: ironical, humoristic and always seeing the bright side of things. Good Omens once again prove that it is more than possible.
