Disclaimer

This review was written before the Neil Gaiman allegations came to light and were corroborated by many people interviewed by Vulture writer, Lila Shapiro. We at Audio Drama Reviews do not condone what Gaiman has done or said in his defense. Most notably blaming his actions on his autism and downplaying the claims. All links to his work have been removed across this site. We apologize to those who worked on these projects, but we don’t like the idea of providing any author accused or such things with more money to potentially help continue their behavior.

Michael Bergonzi

Review

The adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s pre-apocalyptic story on the events of the book of Revelation makes for an interesting story, and an even better audio drama. It was produced by Dirk Maggs, who also worked on the Neverwhere audio drama, and like the underground city of London, it adds life and complexity to this co-authored work of fiction.

If you haven’t experienced the story before in its original form, this audio drama will be that much more effective, I feel. Having never read the book, I was going into this story blind. What sets this story apart from other apocalypse stories is the humor. It’s hilarious, but at the same time unlike the usual comedic dribble movies released every couple of months. At times the humor is juvenile, sure, but there’s only one example of that and it’s kind of running gag, so it’s okay.

Author Brandon Sanderson said it best on a recent Tor.com blog post on Terry Pratchett’s death this year:

Pratchett is transcendent. There are lots of funny writers. Some are hilarious. A few are good at making you think at the same time. But most humorists, while brilliant, have trouble with story. If I put their book down, I remember the laughter, but feel no urgency to return.

That “transcendence” is what most  comedies by Pratchett have in spades. He also delivers a style unique to him and almost universal to all (there’s always going to be haters). Of course, let’s not forget Neil Gaiman, whose own literary skill can be found in spades, despite Pratchett’s comedic and storytelling genius.

If there was a gateway drug for both Gaiman or Pratchett work, this would be as popular as a commonly used anti-depressant. All I can say is I’m going to my local library and checking out a few Pratchett books, because now I see what all the fuss is about.

5/5 Stars