Hello there and welcome to The Turndog Review: the books I read, reviewed.
I aren’t a professional critic, instead all I offer is my honest opinion into everything I read. However, I do this with a difference, as I don’t only offer my personal views on the Writing, Plot, and Story, but also the Book Cover, Book Marketing, and Author Website.
We live in a modern world where being a writer is different to years gone by, and I feel the whole experience of the book matters. This covers everything from the initial find, the actual read, and everything that follows. Therefore I hope this review not only offers a great insight into the book and author, but also into my own mind and what makes me tick.
So without further ado let’s begin, and today I focus on Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen
Published: 1990
Read: March 2012
Discovered: Via the March Goodreads Reading Challenge
Overview:
I have never read any Pratchett (never been too tempted to be honest) or Gaiman (have wanted to for a while though), so this book was always going to be interesting. I wasn’t disappointed either, because interesting is exactly what it is.
I’d love to say I loved it, but the word ‘like’ is a far better indication, and a certainly more honest one. It’s quirky and a little crazy, which is a good thing in my opinion, but at times it just goes on and is a little bit out there.
The basic plot is the end of the world, and paints a very different picture of Armageddon. Not too dissimilar to Dogma, a film I love, it follows two angels (one good and one bad) and how they are ultimately trying to stop the end of the world – a world they have come to like or at very least tolerate.
We get introduced to witch hunters, and witches, and other demons and angels, and even the son of Satan himself. Like I say, it’s interesting.
The Good:
The first thing to note is the obvious talent of both writers. These are both very good at what they do, and different enough to make the story work in a somewhat dysfunctional manner. I thought I would soon be able to tell who wrote what, but the transitions are fairly seamless. This, I feel, is very impressive.
The descriptions are also genius, and the way they paint the picture of the various characters and scenery is great. It’s hard not to be impressed during this book (aka in awe of their talents)
The Bad:
The biggest flaw of this book is that it just isn’t my taste. I’m not a huge fantasy fan, and although dark, that is ultimately what this is. I see how some people idolise this book, and in the two writers as a whole. It makes me want to read more Gaiman (although his Graphic Novels are what draws me the most) and I even want to try some Pratchett (something I’d never thought I’d say).
The only other true flaw is the redundancy of certain things. The dog for example, seems pointless, and some of the scenes just were not needed. This would probably make a very good movie because they would no doubt chop large parts of it out, which for once, would be no bad thing.
Book Cover:
It’s a nice book cover, but certainly not appropriate for an Ebook (which is how I read it). It’s very dark and the details are minimal. I like simplicity, but for an Ebook you need size, otherwise it gets lost in the chaos of everything else.
It is lovely though and very nice, simply for another time. In other words, perfect for 1990 when it was first released. Time for an update maybe?
Book Marketing:
The book does a good job of linking through to both authors, and also has a comprehensive list of all their works. It doesn’t provide links to these individual titles though, which is disappointing as I read the list and wanted to click through on certain titles.
This is literally a two-hour job for someone, which in the long run is nothing!
These two writers both have amazing following, so there is only so much that can, and indeed needs to be done here. Some more links wouldn’t go a miss though, as both authors have grand online followings.
Author Website & Engagement:
Both Neil and Terry have very impressive websites that offer a huge array of details, links, and everything you could imagine. These are two powerhouses, so I’ve no doubt they have people to run them on a daily basis.
What all of their sites offer (they both have several) is an opportunity to engage, and when you have followers like these two writers, this is very important indeed.
As for how the two authors engage, well lets start with Neil. He is a pretty avid Blogger, and a very avid Tweeter. He could get away with being neither, but obviously enjoys it, and I only wish more big authors were like this.
He’s clearly an interesting guy, and he loves to engage. This is great, and to be quite honest, has me man-crushing on him a little. What can I say, there’s nothing wrong with a little Bromance from time to time.
Terry on the other hand is a little more old school, but his following is dedicated!
You don’t get this by not engaging with your audience, so I feel Terry also does a good job, just not in a modern and tech happy manner. This, I’d like to point out, is no bad thing. Marketing is much bigger than Social Media, and the key is engagement. By Tweets or conference, it all has the same end result.
Can you tell I’m impressed by both of these guys?
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Overall this is not my cup of tea, but I never the less enjoyed the experience. As far as fantasy goes, this is pretty darn good. It’s left me intrigued and wiling to read more, but my true excitement for this book is the two authors themselves.
They know how to engage and nurture people, and I can only imagine both are very interesting folk. The book is an ok, but the whole essence these two empower is a wow.
It’s because of this that they get a better grade then they would if I was just reviewing the story, so I’m happy to give them…
4 Turndogs out of 5
Thanks for reading this version of The Turndog Review. I review every book I read, not only for the writing, but the marketing, website, and general communication from the author.
Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million
