“Well,” said Crowley, who’d been thinking about this until his head ached, “haven’t you ever wondered about it all? You know—your people and my people, Heaven and Hell, good and evil, all that sort of thing? I mean, why?”

“As I recall,” said the angel, stiffly, “there was the rebellion and—”

“Ah, yes. And why did it happen, eh? I mean, it didn’t have to, did it?” said Crowley, a manic look in his eye.

“Anyone who could build a universe in six days isn’t going to let a little thing like that happen. Unless they want it to, of course.”

“Oh, come on. Be sensible,” said Aziraphale, doubtfully.

“That’s not good advice,” said Crowley. “That’s not good advice at all. If you sit down and think about it sensibly, you come up with some very funny ideas. Like: why make people inquisitive, and then put some forbidden fruit where they can see it with a big neon finger flashing on and off saying THIS IS IT!?”

The ANTICHRIST is born. ARMAGEDDON is coming! And all that stands in the way (for better /and/ for worse) is an angel/demon best friend combo who happen to /like/ living here.

Oh it’s so good.

I’ve read quite a bit of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, so reading a co-lab between them. Plus, I actually watched the show on Amazon a while back, well before reading this book. From that order at least, it’s one of the particularly faithful and well done adaptations. Both being rather enjoyable.

I really can’t get Michael Sheet and David Tennant out of my head though.

Which is not a bad thing. 😄

It’s a fun ride, political/religious in exactly that fun somewhat blasphemous irreverent sort of way. I enjoy watching the ever increasing highjinks, as more plots get involved. The hundreds of years descendent of the one truly accurate prophetess. The Witch Finder Army–somewhat reduced in manpower. The Four Horsemen–and the dedicated deliveryman who sets them on their way. Plus the Other Four. And of course, the Antichrist himself. All these powers–and no one ever taught him how to use them.

It’s a fun ride. You could do far worse than giving it a go!

As I read it notes (spoilers):

In the Beginning

“I think it was a bit of an overreaction, to be honest,” said the serpent. “I mean, first offense and everything. I can’t see what’s so bad about knowing the difference between good and evil, anyway.”

“It must be bad,” reasoned Aziraphale, in the slightly concerned tones of one who can’t see it either, and is worrying about it, “otherwise you wouldn’t have been involved.”

I can’t really get David Tennant and Michael Sheen’s voices out of my head. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It was going to be a dark and stormy night.

The very first.

Crowley (An Angel who did not so much Fall as Saunter Vaguely Downwards)

A delightful description.

DEATH (Death)

War (War)

Famine (Famine)

Pollution (Pollution)

Perfect (Perfect)

I’m going to have so many notes.

Eleven Years Ago

In fact, very few people on the face of the planet know that the very shape of the M25 forms the sigil odegra in the language of the Black Priesthood of Ancient Mu, and means “Hail the Great Beast, Devourer of Worlds.” The thousands of motorists who daily fume their way around its serpentine lengths have the same effect as water on a prayer wheel, grinding out an endless fog of low-grade evil to pollute the metaphysical atmosphere for scores of miles around.

That, I believe, is an idea worth stealing.

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.

People be peopling yo.

Wednesday

“You’ll be amazed at the kind of things they can do to you, down there,” he said. “I imagine they’re very similar to the sort of things they can do to one up there,” said Aziraphale.

“Come off it. Your lot get ineffable mercy,” said Crowley sourly.

“Yes? Did you ever visit Gomorrah?”

“Sure,” said the demon. “There was this great little tavern where you could get these terrific fermented date-palm cocktails with nutmeg and crushed lemongrass—”

“I meant afterwards.”

“Oh.”

Oh. A good response. :)

That was what some humans found hard to understand. Hell wasn’t a major reservoir of evil, any more than Heaven, in Crowley’s opinion, was a fountain of goodness; they were just sides in the great cosmic chess game. Where you found the real McCoy, the real grace and the real heart-stopping evil, was right inside the human mind.

Cheerful. Likely accurate.

IT IS SAID THAT THE DEVIL HAS ALL THE BEST TUNES. This is broadly true. But Heaven has the best choreographers.

Interesting, for an off comment.

Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft are written by men.

:D

Thursday

It might, or might not, have helped Anathema get a clear view of things if she’d been allowed to spot the very obvious reason why she couldn’t see Adam’s aura. It was for the same reason that people in Trafalgar Square can’t see England.

Got Tiananmen stuck in my head. Makes for rather a different analogy. Friday

Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide.

… that would be a sight to see.

Saturday

“No,” said Adam patiently. “People just got ’em mixed up. He’s just got horns similar. He’s called Pan. He’s half a goat.”

“Which half?” said Wensleydale.

Adam thought about it. “The bottom half,” he said at length. “Fancy you not knowin’ that. I should of thought everyone knew that.”

“Goats haven’t got a bottom half,” said Wensleydale. “They’ve got a front half and a back half. Just like cows.”

‘Reminds me of that if a horse wore pants, how?’ discussion.

Aziraphale patted Crowley on the back. “We seem to have survived,” he said. “Just imagine how terrible it might have been if we’d been at all competent.”

That is a wonderful summary.