Good Omens

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's 1990 comic novel about the Apocalypse translates perfectly to radio theater. The full cast of British voices enhances the zany nature of the story, which features witches, witch hunters, prophecies, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and an 11-year-old Antichrist. Standouts include Peter Serafinowicz and Mark Heap as odd couple Crowley (a demon) and Aziraphale (an angel), who'd like to avert the end of days because they rather enjoy the comforts of their lives on Earth. Sound effects make the production, which was adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs for BBC Radio, a fully immersive experience. Authors Gaiman and Pratchett even make a cameo appearance. It's all wonderfully silly fun. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine


Who would have thought that the Apocalypse would be so entertaining? For the first time on audio in the U.S., this 1990 collaboration between authors Gaiman and Pratchett follows the (mis)adventures of Aziraphale, an angel, and Crowley, a demon, as they somewhat grudgingly take up their roles--along with all the hosts of heaven and hell--in precipitating the coming of the Antichrist. The thing is, the Antichrist has been . . . shall we say . . . "misplaced." Narrator Martin Jarvis's outstanding performance captures all of Aziraphale's British officiousness and all of Crowley's vaguely disinterested sarcasm. Jarvis also shines as he bounces from Sister Mary Loquacious to Scarlett Zuibiger to Adam Young, the 11-year-old would-be Antichrist, and so many others, with impressive ease. Moreover, Jarvis's attentiveness to the authors' sense of timing and humor enables his performance to accentuate every twinge of irony in this absurd comedy. A.H.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

January 25, 2010
The end of the world is coming, and the portents are everywhere. All is dependent on the anti-Christ—if the agents of good and evil here on Earth can find him. Action-packed with flaming swords and freakish catastrophes, the 20-year-old novel is made even more suspenseful, irreverent, and clever with Martin Jarvis at the helm. Young or old, male or female, angel or demon, human or not, Jarvis’s voices are legion, and his delivery and dramatics make for never a dull moment.