Reading Order
Good Omens Reading Order
Good Omens (1990) is the collaborative novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman — the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley working together to prevent the Apocalypse they have both, in their different ways, become rather fond of Earth and its human inhabitants. Pratchett and Gaiman each wrote sections, traded drafts back and forth, and produced something that neither could have written alone: the Pratchett satirical energy combined with the Gaiman mythological scope. The book was adapted into an Amazon Prime Video series (2019–2023) starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant. It has become one of the most beloved comic fantasy novels in English and the founding text of the Pratchett-Gaiman friendship.
Where to start
Good Omens
Complete Good Omens Book List
- 1Buy
Good Omens
Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman·1990·The complete standalone novel — nothing else has been written in the Good Omens universe beyond the Amazon series, which Gaiman supervised and which adds new material. - 2Buy
The Colour of Magic
Terry Pratchett·1983·The entry point to Pratchett's Discworld — Rincewind the incompetent wizard and Twoflower the tourist, the first Discworld novel and the beginning of the 41-volume series. - 3Buy
Neverwhere
Neil Gaiman·1996·The closest Gaiman novel in spirit — Richard Mayhew in London Below, the same comic fantasy register and the same affection for ordinary people stumbling into extraordinary circumstances.
Good Omens — Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote which parts of Good Omens?
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman have both said that the novel was so thoroughly collaborative that neither could reliably identify the other's contributions by the time they were done. As a general guide: Gaiman wrote the opening (and has said he wrote the first line), Pratchett contributed much of the satirical Discworld-style narration, and they traded drafts back and forth throughout. The character of Anathema Device is sometimes attributed primarily to Gaiman; the Four Horsemen sections to Pratchett. Gaiman has said that the only sentence he can confidently identify as entirely his own is the first one.
Is the Amazon Prime Video series a faithful adaptation?
The Good Omens television series (2019, 2023) was developed by Neil Gaiman after Pratchett's death in 2015, and Gaiman has said that Pratchett was involved in planning the adaptation before he died. The first series (2019) follows the novel very closely; the second series (2023) is entirely new material that expands the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley, following no novel source. The casting of Michael Sheen (Aziraphale) and David Tennant (Crowley) has been almost universally praised.
Do I need to read any Discworld books before Good Omens?
No. Good Omens is entirely standalone and shares no characters with Discworld. It is sometimes described as 'Pratchett-meets-Gaiman' in style — the satirical omniscient narrator voice resembles Pratchett's Discworld style — but it requires no prior knowledge of Discworld, Gaiman's other novels, or Pratchett's other work. It is one of the easiest and most enjoyable entry points to either author's work.
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