'Good Omens' hilarious, irreverent

Some of the best books on the market get lost in the shuffle, and unless they appear on the New York Times bestseller list few people get the chance to enjoy them. As a guide to these books, we will present you with a series reviewing The Greatest Books You've Never Read.\nThe world is about to end. The Antichrist is 11 years old. And no one knows where he is -- not even the representatives of Heaven and Hell.\nThis is the premise of "Good Omens," a book that explores the much-traveled road of the Apocalypse with a fresh humor and an outright silliness that will make you laugh out loud. \nThe reader rides along with the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale -- who, through the millenia, have become friends by virtue of working together. The two, who suddenly decide they like the world as they know it, begin working together to prevent Armageddon. \nBut first, they have to find the Antichrist. \nThey sort of misplaced him several years ago, and now they have find him in a matter of days. \nAll this makes for a hysterically funny book where the footnotes are often the best part. Although the authors start to take the story somewhat seriously toward the end of the book, the vast amount of research behind their efforts excuses them. But readers should be forewarned that this is a very British book, and non-Anglophiles might not get every joke. But the occasional American-bashing is all in good fun, and there are plenty of universally humorous comments. \nThis irreverent novel is a testament (pun intended) to the simultaneous stupidity and genius of the human race. Religious zealots might deem the novel's tone as sacrilegious, and maybe it is. But no book on religion has been this entertaining since the Bible. \nJust keep in mind the caveat at the beginning of the book: "Kids! Bringing about Armageddon can be dangerous. Do not attempt it in your own home"