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The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion
The ultimate TV companion book to Good Omens, a massive new television launch on Amazon Prime Video and the BBC for 2019.
The ultimate TV companion book to Good Omens, a massive new television launch on Amazon Prime Video and the BBC for 2019, written and show-run by Neil Gaiman and adapted from the internationally beloved novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Based on the cult classic novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens is one of the most hotly anticipated TV shows of 2019. Reinvented for television with scripts by Neil himself, and featuring a stellar cast including David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Jack Whitehall and Miranda Richardson, to name but a few, this major TV show will be shown first on Amazon Prime Video and then on the BBC later in the year.
Keep calm, because The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion is your ultimate guide to the upcoming apocalypse, which is scheduled to happen on a Saturday, just after tea. The series sees an angel (Sheen) and a demon (Tennant) team up in order to try and sabotage the end of the world...
Featuring incredible photographs, stunning location shots, costume boards, set designs and fascinating character profiles and in-depth interviews with the stars and crew, this behind-the-scenes look into the making of Good Omens is an absolute must for fans old and new - and will shatter coffee tables around the world.
The ultimate TV companion book to Good Omens, a massive new television launch on Amazon Prime Video and the BBC for 2019, written and show-run by Neil Gaiman and adapted from the internationally beloved novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Based on the cult classic novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens is one of the most hotly anticipated TV shows of 2019. Reinvented for television with scripts by Neil himself, and featuring a stellar cast including David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Jack Whitehall and Miranda Richardson, to name but a few, this major TV show will be shown first on Amazon Prime Video and then on the BBC later in the year.
Keep calm, because The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion is your ultimate guide to the upcoming apocalypse, which is scheduled to happen on a Saturday, just after tea. The series sees an angel (Sheen) and a demon (Tennant) team up in order to try and sabotage the end of the world...
Featuring incredible photographs, stunning location shots, costume boards, set designs and fascinating character profiles and in-depth interviews with the stars and crew, this behind-the-scenes look into the making of Good Omens is an absolute must for fans old and new - and will shatter coffee tables around the world.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2019
160 people are currently reading
2323 people want to read
About the author
Matt Whyman
41 books102 followersMatt Whyman is an award-winning novelist and non-fiction writer. He has co-written bestselling books with some of the world’s leading figures in sport, high performance and popular culture including Gareth Southgate, Matthew Syed, Billy Connolly and Sir David Attenborough as well as the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
April 10, 2023
This is the companion to the TV show that gloriously brought to the screen the End Times as prophesized by Agnes Nutter and documented by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Thus, we get information on the history of the book itself, the authors, their struggle with earlier projects that were supposed to translate the story onto the screen (and failed spectacularly), how the Amazon Prime project eventually came to be, how the cast was found and the mini series was made.
We also get character descriptions complete with original art and costume designs, interviews with the different actors, behind-the-scenes photographs and a closer look at the production.
Personally, I've always loved seeing how movies and shows are made. From costumes to sets to CGI/VFX or pyrotechniques ... I just like to know HOW something is made. Movie (or show) magic is no different.
We even get some glimpses at things that didn't make the final cut!
It is the regular kind of companion book, for sure, but it was so much fun seeing the original plan for the single characters and what they then ended up looking in the series. And like I said, I always loved taking a peek behind the curtain and finding out how things work. :)
I'm also very happy to see that the cover design of this companion is a nod to the one from the hardcover of the original book I have (Gollanz from the early 2000s)
Thus, we get information on the history of the book itself, the authors, their struggle with earlier projects that were supposed to translate the story onto the screen (and failed spectacularly), how the Amazon Prime project eventually came to be, how the cast was found and the mini series was made.
We also get character descriptions complete with original art and costume designs, interviews with the different actors, behind-the-scenes photographs and a closer look at the production.
Personally, I've always loved seeing how movies and shows are made. From costumes to sets to CGI/VFX or pyrotechniques ... I just like to know HOW something is made. Movie (or show) magic is no different.
We even get some glimpses at things that didn't make the final cut!
It is the regular kind of companion book, for sure, but it was so much fun seeing the original plan for the single characters and what they then ended up looking in the series. And like I said, I always loved taking a peek behind the curtain and finding out how things work. :)
I'm also very happy to see that the cover design of this companion is a nod to the one from the hardcover of the original book I have (Gollanz from the early 2000s)
July 17, 2019
First let us start with the cover which not the ghastly white one shown here but dule cover of Aziraphale at the top Crowley on the bottom like a playing card .On Back it is reversed.
This David T's trying to play The Master or The dark Doctor as Crowley I no it is nothing to do with Who but casting both David Tennant Mark Gatiss in the show there is no escape.
This great book with some rare photos of Terry Neil. It is long time in coming so it Shame this did not come out in 2013.
What makes this book is good print, thick paper all extras miss from TV show it is beautiful book to go with the script book too.
I do not care that it is £25 as it is great heavy classy book with dozens of background stores. If love Terry Neil this good Omen and having 75% of the cast been fans of the book long before TV series hitting film makes the series great.
Finally David gets his wish a Big Doctor Who joke -he is ginger!.
This David T's trying to play The Master or The dark Doctor as Crowley I no it is nothing to do with Who but casting both David Tennant Mark Gatiss in the show there is no escape.
This great book with some rare photos of Terry Neil. It is long time in coming so it Shame this did not come out in 2013.
What makes this book is good print, thick paper all extras miss from TV show it is beautiful book to go with the script book too.
I do not care that it is £25 as it is great heavy classy book with dozens of background stores. If love Terry Neil this good Omen and having 75% of the cast been fans of the book long before TV series hitting film makes the series great.
Finally David gets his wish a Big Doctor Who joke -he is ginger!.
June 7, 2019
Companion books to movies and TV shows are always a bit of a dice roll when it comes to their quality. While they're usually filled with interesting anecdotes and tons of pictures, they have a habit of feeling little more than a fluff piece used as advertisement for that film/TV series. Luckily, this isn't the case with either of the two books released as tie-ins for Amazon Prime and BBC's recent adaptation of Good Omens. Both books - a traditional companion and a book featuring all of Neil Gaiman's scripts for the series - are excellent reads, managing to be both informative and worthwhile reads even for those who know everything there is to know about the series and its creation.
This is a gargantuan of a book. Dimension-wise, it's as big as a sheet of paper and as thick as a textbook. Between its covers is a very well-written account of the creation of the Good Omens TV adaptation, from its infancy all the way through its post-production. Included are an enormous array of interviews with the cast and crew, plenty of photographs from behind the scenes, and a litany of other tidbits that should please even the biggest fan of the series. Whyman's time spent on the set has given him a great vantage point from which to write this account of the making of the series and the interviews throughout the book reveal plenty of new information about the creation of the series that fans won't be able to find anywhere else, making this a must-read for those who want to know everything about this series.
I appreciated how well-structured this book was. Many other companion books of this nature hop around from subject to subject as they detail the creation of whatever thing they're covering, but here, it's formatted (more or less) in an episode-by-episode basis, covering topics as they appear within the narrative of the show. It's a great way of formatting such a book and lets readers read behind the scenes secrets of the episodes they just watched as they can pretty easily tell when the subject switches to something that hasn't occurred yet. That being said, I wouldn't read this until you've seen the series as it does contain some spoilers for the show and how it differs from the novel.
I don't often talk about the physical aspects of a book - as I'm typically an ebook reader - but with this one, I must. It's simply a gorgeous book. It's bound very well - though slightly tighter than I'd prefer - which makes it very easy to lay on a table and read. It's very big, which does make it a bit hard to hold but it's no worse than holding a textbook (and weighs a bit less than an average textbook). And, best of all, are the pages themselves. They're thick, glossy pages that reproduce color remarkably well. It feels like a very high-quality book which, for the price, is pretty impressive.
Overall, The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion is an excellent companion book to an excellent TV series. It's filled with a massive amount of information, lots of wonderful photos, and a ton of revealing interviews, all bound together in a beautiful book. It's a must-read for fans of the series and I absolutely recommend it.
This is a gargantuan of a book. Dimension-wise, it's as big as a sheet of paper and as thick as a textbook. Between its covers is a very well-written account of the creation of the Good Omens TV adaptation, from its infancy all the way through its post-production. Included are an enormous array of interviews with the cast and crew, plenty of photographs from behind the scenes, and a litany of other tidbits that should please even the biggest fan of the series. Whyman's time spent on the set has given him a great vantage point from which to write this account of the making of the series and the interviews throughout the book reveal plenty of new information about the creation of the series that fans won't be able to find anywhere else, making this a must-read for those who want to know everything about this series.
I appreciated how well-structured this book was. Many other companion books of this nature hop around from subject to subject as they detail the creation of whatever thing they're covering, but here, it's formatted (more or less) in an episode-by-episode basis, covering topics as they appear within the narrative of the show. It's a great way of formatting such a book and lets readers read behind the scenes secrets of the episodes they just watched as they can pretty easily tell when the subject switches to something that hasn't occurred yet. That being said, I wouldn't read this until you've seen the series as it does contain some spoilers for the show and how it differs from the novel.
I don't often talk about the physical aspects of a book - as I'm typically an ebook reader - but with this one, I must. It's simply a gorgeous book. It's bound very well - though slightly tighter than I'd prefer - which makes it very easy to lay on a table and read. It's very big, which does make it a bit hard to hold but it's no worse than holding a textbook (and weighs a bit less than an average textbook). And, best of all, are the pages themselves. They're thick, glossy pages that reproduce color remarkably well. It feels like a very high-quality book which, for the price, is pretty impressive.
Overall, The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion is an excellent companion book to an excellent TV series. It's filled with a massive amount of information, lots of wonderful photos, and a ton of revealing interviews, all bound together in a beautiful book. It's a must-read for fans of the series and I absolutely recommend it.
June 26, 2019
If you're at all interested in the novel or the tv adaptation of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, then you'll absolutely need to read this tv companion. I loved every second of all of the behind the scenes info and interviews with the actors. I especially enjoyed the character development of the characters for the tv show along with the costume sketches.
August 15, 2019
Wonderful resource for fans of the show!
September 3, 2019
Great photographs and interviews with the cast and crew of Good Omens, an absolutely fantastic miniseries. While in general the quality of this coffee table book is VERY high, for some reason many of the apostrophes are actually end quotation marks (e.g., Good Omens" cast instead of Good Omens' cast) -- it's very strange and seems like someone did a find-and-replace function when they shouldn't have. Typographical errors aside, the behind-the-scenes photos and stories about the colossal scale and ambition of this project are well worth diving into for any fan of the miniseries.
April 21, 2023
I really enjoyed this, but then I am mildly obsessed with the Good Omens TV show. If you are a fan of the show, I'd definitely recommend this book. It's full of interviews and interesting behind-the-scenes information, there's also some concept art that I thought was very interesting. Definitely a beautiful book.
June 8, 2019
Gorgeous inside and out!❤️
October 8, 2022
reading this made me want to rewatch good omens even more than before and got me extra hyped for season 2!!!
July 9, 2019
Beautifully presented book - a great guide to the amazing series.
January 23, 2023
4'5
Muy buen libro complementario de la serie. Me flipa Good Omens, me encantó el libro y poder echar un vistazo detrás de las cámaras ha sido genial. Con muchísimas fotos y entrevistas con los actores, se ven los entresijos de rodar una serie de estas proporciones con anécdotas del rodaje, comentarios del staff y las localizaciones y especificaciones de las escenas más complicadas. La serie es un must y es una gran adaptación de la novela. La verdad es que para mí Neil tiene mi corazón en todo lo que hace.
Recomendadísimo para fans, ya sean nuevos o antiguos
Muy buen libro complementario de la serie. Me flipa Good Omens, me encantó el libro y poder echar un vistazo detrás de las cámaras ha sido genial. Con muchísimas fotos y entrevistas con los actores, se ven los entresijos de rodar una serie de estas proporciones con anécdotas del rodaje, comentarios del staff y las localizaciones y especificaciones de las escenas más complicadas. La serie es un must y es una gran adaptación de la novela. La verdad es que para mí Neil tiene mi corazón en todo lo que hace.
Recomendadísimo para fans, ya sean nuevos o antiguos
February 18, 2024
This is a massive beast of a book, which can break your wrists if you don’t handle it carefully. That might be, because it contains so much background information and footage of filming. A interesting read and I can only recommend it to other fans of the show. Or, if you need a more profane reason to get it, I guess it could make a good striking tool.
April 30, 2023
Loved this book. I love the Good Omens adaptation, Neil and everyone did a really good job. This TV companion was so good, the pictures and the insight in how everything came together is so interesting and it really wants to make me watch the show again. It's like a big warm hug.
December 19, 2023
now i want to rewatch good omens
October 8, 2019
Although this companion to BBC/Amazon Prime's TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's book Good Omens isn't perfect, I did enjoy myself immensely while reading it. There's tons of beautiful photos, behind the scenes looks, and interviews with cast and crew. I especially liked the looks into the costuming and set design.
For such a luxurious, coffee-table type tome, there are some baffling mistakes. For example, every time there should be an apostrophe after a plural 's', there's a typo quotation mark instead (e.g. Good Omens" instead of Good Omens'). You can also tell this was written and published before production had completed, because there is a multi-page, in-depth chapter about the filming of a scene that isn't actually present in the final version of the show (at least, not in the Amazon Prime version I watched).
I'd have preferred less cast interviews (most of which waxed rhapsodic about the performances, and necessarily included quotes about how lucky the actors are to have their role and work alongside such talented colleagues, etc.) and more information about the actual showmaking process. There isn't even a single page of script included in the entire book! Plus, I'd have liked some meta-analysis about the characters' representations, especially the queerness inhabited by several of the characters. Aziraphale and Crowley's love story has a quick mention in a Gaiman quote, but otherwise goes unremarked, and there is a quick reference to Pollution's androgynous portrayal.
Overall, this is a fine book to page through if you're a fan of the show, but I'm glad I read my library's copy instead buying my own.
For such a luxurious, coffee-table type tome, there are some baffling mistakes. For example, every time there should be an apostrophe after a plural 's', there's a typo quotation mark instead (e.g. Good Omens" instead of Good Omens'). You can also tell this was written and published before production had completed, because there is a multi-page, in-depth chapter about the filming of a scene that isn't actually present in the final version of the show (at least, not in the Amazon Prime version I watched).
I'd have preferred less cast interviews (most of which waxed rhapsodic about the performances, and necessarily included quotes about how lucky the actors are to have their role and work alongside such talented colleagues, etc.) and more information about the actual showmaking process. There isn't even a single page of script included in the entire book! Plus, I'd have liked some meta-analysis about the characters' representations, especially the queerness inhabited by several of the characters. Aziraphale and Crowley's love story has a quick mention in a Gaiman quote, but otherwise goes unremarked, and there is a quick reference to Pollution's androgynous portrayal.
Overall, this is a fine book to page through if you're a fan of the show, but I'm glad I read my library's copy instead buying my own.
November 5, 2019
Three things:
1. Even though it's evident on the screen just how much time, effort & money was put into getting 'Good Omens' produced, this look behind-the-scenes is an exclamation point on the work Neil Gaiman, Douglas Mackinnon and the cast & crew did in honoring Terry Pratchett's memory with this adaptation.
2. Now I want to watch 'Good Omens' again. (And I need to check out the BBC Radio production one of these days.)
3. I still dearly miss Terry Pratchett.
1. Even though it's evident on the screen just how much time, effort & money was put into getting 'Good Omens' produced, this look behind-the-scenes is an exclamation point on the work Neil Gaiman, Douglas Mackinnon and the cast & crew did in honoring Terry Pratchett's memory with this adaptation.
2. Now I want to watch 'Good Omens' again. (And I need to check out the BBC Radio production one of these days.)
3. I still dearly miss Terry Pratchett.
August 28, 2019
Nice, comprehensive look at the production. I especially liked learning how they did a lot of the shooting as practical effects - including actually burning down the bookshop set, books and all!
March 11, 2020
This was so much fun to read! I don't think I've truly appreciated how masterful the series was until I've read this book.
June 9, 2019
Full of photos, personal anecdotes and behind the scenes tid bits, this is a worthy companion to a rather unique story. It's carefully woven together to tell the history of Good Omens and how it came to come to the screen, the main characters and the actors playing them, key moments throughout the six episodes and a touching final word from Rob, Terry's man on Earth.
The photos are beautiful, which I will spend many hours pouring over time and time again. The only thing missing is a chat with David Arnold, talented music chap.
This is how TV Companion books should be; full of moments, capturing the experience of many involved, filled with behind the scenes photos and set photos, concept art and costume design. It's done with much love and care, not just another large book about a show, but one that adds little details when you watch Good Omens again.
And I am planning on seeking out some of these locations.
Beautiful.
Some internal photos can be found on my Instagram.
The photos are beautiful, which I will spend many hours pouring over time and time again. The only thing missing is a chat with David Arnold, talented music chap.
This is how TV Companion books should be; full of moments, capturing the experience of many involved, filled with behind the scenes photos and set photos, concept art and costume design. It's done with much love and care, not just another large book about a show, but one that adds little details when you watch Good Omens again.
And I am planning on seeking out some of these locations.
Beautiful.
Some internal photos can be found on my Instagram.
July 11, 2019
I've never read a book about the making of a TV show or movie before, figuring they are mostly fluff, but I couldn't not get this from my library. This one, at least, turned out to be surprisingly informative, with a lot of personal anecdotes and behind the scenes information. Whyman's writing is quite good, with a definite point of view but still able to disappear enough to let the stories shine through. Excellent pictures of the set, cast, and crew, as well as Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman through the years that truly warmed my heart. I could only wish for MORE pictures, if anything, because my passion for this show was not sated in the least.
October 13, 2019
You can tell everyone working on the show really cared for it and gave it their all. All of the interviews were full of praise for the work being done and it was great to see. I also loved getting some insight into the actual filming process; it's always more complicated and interesting than one might initially think!
August 16, 2023
lo amo. da poco è uscita la seconda stagione e me lo sono riletto per cercare di "aiutare" il trauma che questa stagione mi ha dato; tornando al libro amo ogni singola frase. adoro il cambio di punti di vista, ogni volta che succedeva ero curiosa di sapere cosa stava succedendo a chi aveva parlato prima.
non so come descriverlo ma è assurdamente meraviglioso.
non so come descriverlo ma è assurdamente meraviglioso.
December 23, 2019
Really fun dive into the production of the series! I don't normally read books like this, so it was cool to learn about all the different jobs and techniques that go into making a TV show of this scale.
October 14, 2019
a delightful addition to the show, with fun peeks behind the scenes & some great detail shots of places & costumes
June 4, 2021
Very informative. Very insightful. I loved the small details and backgrounds about the show. It makes me want to binge the show all over again.
September 27, 2021
Aziraphale is my spirit animal: a chubby angel who loves food and books - YES!
January 1, 2020
Got this for Christmas and read it over the holiday break. Great pictures, great behind the scenes insight, great way to continue fueling my obsession. :)
August 10, 2019
I have loved the Good Omens novel since I first read it in early 1992, and I absolutely adored the BBC / Amazon Prime adaptation of it (2019). I am very interested in glimpsing behind-the-scenes of filming, and I have a love of locations and visual design. So I bought this as a bit of fond self-indulgence, which I was definitely in the mood for today.
First up, I have to say the cover art (front and back) is so utterly perfect that it alone earns the tome 5 galaxies of stars.
Secondly, though, I was not exactly blown away by the behind-the-scenes detail. While it emphasised and explored the drive for excellence in all aspects of the production, including the desire for authenticity and capturing things in-camera, that is also evident on the screen itself. I didn't learn a whole lot, though some of it was very interesting, and it was thorough. So I guess that adds up to being very interesting and well-written, but perhaps of more use to those for whom much of the substance will be new. This aspect earns 3 stars from me.
Point 2.5: It may seem an odd thing to mention, but I liked how the material was organised. We are led through the production via a mix of chapters and interviews, placed in what feels like a natural order that makes sense. And no odd departures into side boxes and what-have-you. (I am boringly linear in my writing and preferred reading, though of course the Good Omens novel itself is a notable exception!) I am sure such a wealth of material on a huge production was actually quite hellish to wrangle into any kind of sense, so kudos to the author Matt Whyman for making this look easy. 5 stars.
Moving on to three: I enjoyed the occasional mentions of the cohesive visual design, such as the constant use of circles in the imagery (including / illustrating Crowley and Aziraphale's yin-and-yang relationship), and other details such as the three telegraph poles in the African village destroyed by War being a visual echo of the three crosses at Golgotha. I could have done with a whole lot more of this, but I guess this, too, is all there on the screen for us to discover for ourselves. And other fans have noticed and Tweeted about details such as the fake bullet-hole stickers on Crowley's Bentley. 4 stars, just because I could have happily read a whole book about the production design.
D: I was very disappointed that there wasn't a bit more discussion of the relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale, and their identities. Neil Gaiman is quoted as saying he "crafted it like a love story", by which he means the whole script. In talking about the long pre-title sequence of the third episode, director Douglas Mackinnon says it's "clearly about their relationship, and some would say their love affair. I know Michael Sheen is a hundred per cent sure that Aziraphale falls in love with Crowley, and that moment occurs when the bomb drops on the church." Whyman concludes, "With Michael Ralph's detailed production design in evidence throughout, the pre-title sequence is rich in meaning and entirely open to interpretation."
Which is all a bit undecided and second-hand. And, yes, in many ways the queerness of their identities and their relationship is not presented in an in-your-face way. However, it is there, and deliberately so. As many of us know from reading articles, reviews, fan-friendly Tweets from both Gaiman and Sheen, and so on, Gaiman is quite clear that the two characters are non-binary, if mostly male-presenting, and that it's a love story featuring romantic love as well as friendly love. This builds on but is more explicit than in the original novel - and that is one of the benefits of making the series 30 years after the novel was written. Ralph's production design underlines the queerness, which is another reason why I'd love to read more about that aspect of things. It's interesting, for example, that Sheen is quoted as finding the significant moment for Aziraphale in that scene, as Crowley takes a statue from that bombed-out church and places it in his apartment. So it seems it was significant to him, too!
And it's not just them, either. There is queerness happening around them, too, for instance by having God voiced by a woman. The character Pollution was male in the book, but is embodied by a woman actor, and she mentions in this tome that they deliberately played the character as gender-neutral.
So I wonder who decided to only mention rather than directly state and explore the queerness? The book would have been finished before the series was released, so were they waiting to see what the response would be from the fans and the mainstream audiences? And who is "they" in this case? Whyman and/or his editors? Sorry, but this is really bothering me. Neil Gaiman approached this aspect of the series so deliberately and clearly. The show was queer (finally!) and not mere queer-baiting. The BBC and Amazon must have known that all along. Why not celebrate that aspect of it in this otherwise rather comprehensive book...?
2 stars, because at least the queerness did get a mention.
Fifthly and finally, the Companion ends with a visual ode to Aziraphale's love of dancing the gavotte. He is so soft and so pure!!! Which prompted a huge smile from me. 5 stars.
Which by a bit of gavotte-influenced celestial mathematics adds up to a total of 4 stars for the whole.
Well, you will already know whether you want to indulge in this tome or not, so don't mind me. But if someone out there wants to write and/or edit a tome celebrating the queerness of Good Omens, then please do consider it seriously. There's a niche there just waiting to be filled.
First up, I have to say the cover art (front and back) is so utterly perfect that it alone earns the tome 5 galaxies of stars.
Secondly, though, I was not exactly blown away by the behind-the-scenes detail. While it emphasised and explored the drive for excellence in all aspects of the production, including the desire for authenticity and capturing things in-camera, that is also evident on the screen itself. I didn't learn a whole lot, though some of it was very interesting, and it was thorough. So I guess that adds up to being very interesting and well-written, but perhaps of more use to those for whom much of the substance will be new. This aspect earns 3 stars from me.
Point 2.5: It may seem an odd thing to mention, but I liked how the material was organised. We are led through the production via a mix of chapters and interviews, placed in what feels like a natural order that makes sense. And no odd departures into side boxes and what-have-you. (I am boringly linear in my writing and preferred reading, though of course the Good Omens novel itself is a notable exception!) I am sure such a wealth of material on a huge production was actually quite hellish to wrangle into any kind of sense, so kudos to the author Matt Whyman for making this look easy. 5 stars.
Moving on to three: I enjoyed the occasional mentions of the cohesive visual design, such as the constant use of circles in the imagery (including / illustrating Crowley and Aziraphale's yin-and-yang relationship), and other details such as the three telegraph poles in the African village destroyed by War being a visual echo of the three crosses at Golgotha. I could have done with a whole lot more of this, but I guess this, too, is all there on the screen for us to discover for ourselves. And other fans have noticed and Tweeted about details such as the fake bullet-hole stickers on Crowley's Bentley. 4 stars, just because I could have happily read a whole book about the production design.
D: I was very disappointed that there wasn't a bit more discussion of the relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale, and their identities. Neil Gaiman is quoted as saying he "crafted it like a love story", by which he means the whole script. In talking about the long pre-title sequence of the third episode, director Douglas Mackinnon says it's "clearly about their relationship, and some would say their love affair. I know Michael Sheen is a hundred per cent sure that Aziraphale falls in love with Crowley, and that moment occurs when the bomb drops on the church." Whyman concludes, "With Michael Ralph's detailed production design in evidence throughout, the pre-title sequence is rich in meaning and entirely open to interpretation."
Which is all a bit undecided and second-hand. And, yes, in many ways the queerness of their identities and their relationship is not presented in an in-your-face way. However, it is there, and deliberately so. As many of us know from reading articles, reviews, fan-friendly Tweets from both Gaiman and Sheen, and so on, Gaiman is quite clear that the two characters are non-binary, if mostly male-presenting, and that it's a love story featuring romantic love as well as friendly love. This builds on but is more explicit than in the original novel - and that is one of the benefits of making the series 30 years after the novel was written. Ralph's production design underlines the queerness, which is another reason why I'd love to read more about that aspect of things. It's interesting, for example, that Sheen is quoted as finding the significant moment for Aziraphale in that scene, as Crowley takes a statue from that bombed-out church and places it in his apartment. So it seems it was significant to him, too!
And it's not just them, either. There is queerness happening around them, too, for instance by having God voiced by a woman. The character Pollution was male in the book, but is embodied by a woman actor, and she mentions in this tome that they deliberately played the character as gender-neutral.
So I wonder who decided to only mention rather than directly state and explore the queerness? The book would have been finished before the series was released, so were they waiting to see what the response would be from the fans and the mainstream audiences? And who is "they" in this case? Whyman and/or his editors? Sorry, but this is really bothering me. Neil Gaiman approached this aspect of the series so deliberately and clearly. The show was queer (finally!) and not mere queer-baiting. The BBC and Amazon must have known that all along. Why not celebrate that aspect of it in this otherwise rather comprehensive book...?
2 stars, because at least the queerness did get a mention.
Fifthly and finally, the Companion ends with a visual ode to Aziraphale's love of dancing the gavotte. He is so soft and so pure!!! Which prompted a huge smile from me. 5 stars.
Which by a bit of gavotte-influenced celestial mathematics adds up to a total of 4 stars for the whole.
Well, you will already know whether you want to indulge in this tome or not, so don't mind me. But if someone out there wants to write and/or edit a tome celebrating the queerness of Good Omens, then please do consider it seriously. There's a niche there just waiting to be filled.
October 20, 2019
Aneddoti, immagini di scena, interviste e ricordi... tutto quello che gira attorno alla creazione del prodotto televisivo è compreso in questo volume.
Una carrellata nel tempo, con foto e memento vari legati sia alla nascita di Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch come libro, che della genesi della serie tv.
Realizzato ottimamente, è un libro che non può mancare sullo scaffale di un fan della storia.
Una carrellata nel tempo, con foto e memento vari legati sia alla nascita di Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch come libro, che della genesi della serie tv.
Realizzato ottimamente, è un libro che non può mancare sullo scaffale di un fan della storia.
November 21, 2019
Great TV companion that could have been structured a bit more for my liking. Great insight into production, e.g. casting, locations, screenplay writing etc. Interviews with the actors / persons connected to the series could've been a bit longer, but nice. Learned a lot of trivia BUT I AM STILL MAD THAT THEY BURNED REAL BOOKS IN THE SCENE WHERE A.Z. FELL'S BOOKSHOP BURNS DOWN. I MEAN WHAT THE FUCK? And they burned a Bentley.
4,5 Stars because I would've wanted some deeper insight into, for example, the general aesthetics etc.
4,5 Stars because I would've wanted some deeper insight into, for example, the general aesthetics etc.
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