When I first read Good Omens, I was exhilarated, and a little bit sad. Happy because it is such a fun book yet disappointed that I had gone so much of my life without reading this masterpiece.
I had heard of the book, of course. After all, both Neil Gaiman, and Terry Pratchett were authors I had read and loved. But I first started reading the book after the show was announced. I never want to watch the movie first, there is just something about reading something and then watching the adaptation of the book. There is joy in wanting to see your favorite characters come to life, eagerly anticipating how your favorite scene would translate to the screen. There is outrage in all the scenes that didn’t make the cut, and there is the novelty in seeing new scenes that weren’t in the book.
So, with the thought of familiarizing myself with the book before I could see David Tennant play a demon who did not so much fall from Heaven as saunter vaguely downwards, I started reading. There was a light drizzle of rain outside, I was curled up on the sofa with a mug of tea and a book. I was entranced from the first sentence, from the first page, from the first chapter. The rain grew in intensity as I read on, my tea slowly disappeared, and I kept turning the pages.
The experience of reading, the joy in discovering a brand new world and getting lost in the pages, the excitement and the pull is truly remarkable, and that was what I felt on that day. I have read the book again and again, dived back into that familiar world but everything pales to the experience of reading a book like that for the first time.
It is a truly great story. One of an angel and a demon finding more solace and friendship in each other than they ever did in midst of their own kin, an antichrist who just doesn’t want to end the world and only wants to play with his friends, of a witch guided by years of prophecy with a man who can break computers just by touching. And to no one’s surprise, it is exactly as baffling and entrancing as it sounds.
All the characters had made a place into my heart and I was excited for the TV adaptation, to see everything brought to life. How could I not be, when Neil Gaiman himself was involved in the production, when from all teasers I could tell that it was going to be fantastic.
I remember having an exam right the next day that Good Omens was slated to release. I don’t know how I resisted watching it, or how I convinced myself that the sweet reward of watching it the next day would trump the feeling of rebellious excitement that comes with losing yourself in TV when you have deadlines aplenty, but I did.
And it was a sweet reward indeed. The TV show was all that I had anticipated and more. I mourned not being able to see some of my favorite scenes brought to life, some of my favorite background characters written off, but I welcomed all the new ones. It was the perfect adaptation, it brought so many people into the fandom, me included and it was truly spectacular.
And now, as the second season has been announced, I find myself being more and more excited about it. I find myself looking forward to seeing my favorite characters on screen once more. And this time, with the knowledge of what to expect, I doubt I can restrain myself to delay watching it for even one second, let alone one day.
Em's world 