Good Omens.
- Thread starter mspanners
- Start date
It's a book that I'm very fond of as well. 
I love the feelings of nostalgia that Adam creates. Even though Adam lives in a world of computers and TV, he seems to live a sort of 'Just William' existance.
I'd also recommend the books of Neil Gaiman if you like Good Omens. I think my favourite so far in American Gods, but Anansi Boys, Neverwhere and Stardust are all really good and well worth checking out.
I love the feelings of nostalgia that Adam creates. Even though Adam lives in a world of computers and TV, he seems to live a sort of 'Just William' existance. I'd also recommend the books of Neil Gaiman if you like Good Omens. I think my favourite so far in American Gods, but Anansi Boys, Neverwhere and Stardust are all really good and well worth checking out.
Oh gods no.
Just.... no.
The beauty of Good Omens is that it's the normal world with paranormal things happening in it. If Gillingham gets hold of it it'll become Fantasy Earth with crazy people doing crazy things and the entire flavour of the story will be lost. Gillingham is a fantasy director, Good Omens is not a fantasy book.
Or at least, not to me it isn't.
Just.... no.
The beauty of Good Omens is that it's the normal world with paranormal things happening in it. If Gillingham gets hold of it it'll become Fantasy Earth with crazy people doing crazy things and the entire flavour of the story will be lost. Gillingham is a fantasy director, Good Omens is not a fantasy book.
Or at least, not to me it isn't.
So far I'm on my fifth edition of good omens. It's generally the book I say to people "Give this a read if you enjoy it there is a universe on a parallel plane that was never meant to fly that I'd like to introduce you to". For my money Terry Gilliam is the only director that could do it justice as a film though Guillermo del Toro might run him a close second.
Crazy people doing crazy things? This 'real' world is full of those already I would venture... The US voting in the Dumbest most war-mongering Man in the World not once... but twice!???? And 'Flash in the Pan' Gordon Brown convincing everyone that we're having a 'downturn' and not a full-blown recession if we trust the Bank of England - yeah right! :x
Terry Gilliam - eminently suitable for Good Omens I'd have thought - Twelve Monkeys? Brazil? Years of sending up the 'Establishment' in Monty Python (for TV and film)... give the man the job 8)
Or maybe Ridley Scott - he had us pretty convinced that climate change was inevitable in Blade Runner and that Unicorns SHOULD exist in Legend and did humankind a HUGE favour by holding his hands up to the long-denied phenomenon that Men do drive Women completely lala in Thelma & Louise?
Plus Black Hawk Down which vaguely brings us back to the Father of the Dumbest war-mongering Man in the World and the Biggest Bull-sh*tter in the World just to convince us that this Planet is doomed to have callous, mendacious, and idiotic world leaders... there is no sanity out there folks *goes off to get a permanent visa to Ankh Morpork and/or Mordor* (at least Vetinari is an efficient cynic in his autocracy and Sauron gives megalomania bags of conviction and of course black is sooo flattering on any minion...) :twisted:
And 'Flash in the Pan' Gordon Brown convincing everyone that we're having a 'downturn' and not a full-blown recession if we trust the Bank of England - yeah right! :x Terry Gilliam - eminently suitable for Good Omens I'd have thought - Twelve Monkeys? Brazil? Years of sending up the 'Establishment' in Monty Python (for TV and film)... give the man the job 8)
Or maybe Ridley Scott - he had us pretty convinced that climate change was inevitable in Blade Runner and that Unicorns SHOULD exist in Legend and did humankind a HUGE favour by holding his hands up to the long-denied phenomenon that Men do drive Women completely lala in Thelma & Louise?
Plus Black Hawk Down which vaguely brings us back to the Father of the Dumbest war-mongering Man in the World and the Biggest Bull-sh*tter in the World just to convince us that this Planet is doomed to have callous, mendacious, and idiotic world leaders... there is no sanity out there folks *goes off to get a permanent visa to Ankh Morpork and/or Mordor* (at least Vetinari is an efficient cynic in his autocracy and Sauron gives megalomania bags of conviction and of course black is sooo flattering on any minion...) :twisted:
and...breathe
What I perhaps failed to adequately convey was that I find Gilliam's work, especially lately, has tended to create a wacky alternate reality where everything is Fantasy wrote large. What I believe Good Omens needs is to be set in very much an actual reality, with no jolly arch winking at the how Fantasy we're being. If you give it a wacky treatment, you lose the subtlety of the narrative. Gilliam has produced decent work in the past, but it's never been in touch with reality and his portfolio has been sadly lacking in quality for the last decade or so.
What I perhaps failed to adequately convey was that I find Gilliam's work, especially lately, has tended to create a wacky alternate reality where everything is Fantasy wrote large. What I believe Good Omens needs is to be set in very much an actual reality, with no jolly arch winking at the how Fantasy we're being. If you give it a wacky treatment, you lose the subtlety of the narrative. Gilliam has produced decent work in the past, but it's never been in touch with reality and his portfolio has been sadly lacking in quality for the last decade or so.
Good Omens is the greatest book ever written!!! I'm on my third copy, as the books keep falling apart!!! 
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Clem Peppermint
Good omens
I absolutely love this book apart from the fact I like almost anything by Neil Gaiman (except stardust I felt it read slightly wishy washy, not at all up to his normal standards) it was the first book to introduce me to Terry Pratchett, I think one of my favourite characters in the book apart from Crowley is DOG it's the mutt of hell
I absolutely love this book apart from the fact I like almost anything by Neil Gaiman (except stardust I felt it read slightly wishy washy, not at all up to his normal standards) it was the first book to introduce me to Terry Pratchett, I think one of my favourite characters in the book apart from Crowley is DOG it's the mutt of hell
Did anyone see on television (Mary, Queen of Charity Shops) - tucked into a box of 'unwanted' donations - the white cover hardback edition of Good Omens? I wonder if it got thrown out? It just goes to show that one person's recycling is someone else's treasure.
About five years ago there were several Clarecraft discworld figures including DW70 the big Great Atuin piece being sold for bargain prices in a Norwich charity shop. The shop staff couldn't understand why they were so popular, none had heard of Terry, yet he had been at a booksigning in the same street only a few months earlier!
About five years ago there were several Clarecraft discworld figures including DW70 the big Great Atuin piece being sold for bargain prices in a Norwich charity shop. The shop staff couldn't understand why they were so popular, none had heard of Terry, yet he had been at a booksigning in the same street only a few months earlier!