Good Omens
#744.25 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1990 Reading commitment Low Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
A one-off comic apocalyptic fantasy co-written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, first published in 1990. Its premise follows the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley, both long resident on Earth and grown fond of human life, who join forces to avert Armageddon after a mix-up at birth means the intended Antichrist is raised as an ordinary English boy rather than in a prepared household, throwing off the carefully arranged prophecies of the coming apocalypse. The Four Horsemen gather regardless, and the two supernatural agents must race to find the misplaced child before the end of the world arrives on schedule. Blending horror, farce and satire of both apocalyptic fiction and suburban English life, the novel became one of the most celebrated comic fantasies of its era and a gateway book for readers into both authors' wider work. A six-part television adaptation, with Michael Sheen and David Tennant as Aziraphale and Crowley and Gaiman as showrunner, premiered on Prime Video in 2019 and ran for three seasons.
Comic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Good Omens (1990) core · 4.25 (840,721 ratings); co-authored single-work: a standalone comic-apocalyptic novel (Gollancz UK / Workman US, 1990), no prose sequel or companion narrative (the 2019/2023 television adaptation is a different medium, not registered). Both authors already in this canon: Terry Pratchett (Discworld) and Neil Gaiman (American Gods, The Graveyard Book, Stardust).
Quick answers
- How many books are in Good Omens? Good Omens's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Good Omens finished? Complete (1990).
- How much reading does Good Omens take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~384 pages).
- How is Good Omens ranked? #74 in this site's official ranking, based on 840,721 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #74?
Ranked #74 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.25 across 1 core book.
- Backed by 841k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #73, Vampire Academy / Bloodlines (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 1 book · Complete · 841k ratings · Ranks #74 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment comic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 1991: nominated: Good Omens
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1991: finalist: Good Omens; 2nd place, no-cutoff convention.
- Locus Award (HOMer Award, fantasy novel), 1991: nominated: Good Omens
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.25 across 840,721 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Good Omens admitted as a co-authored single-work universe accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Good Omens Tier 2
- sfadb: Neil Gaiman Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: A co-authored, single-work admission: one fully resolved novel by two authors (Gollancz UK / Workman US, 1990), no prose sequel or companion narrative (the 2019/2023 television adaptation is a different medium, not registered).