Warning: This review contains spoilers for Good Omens (both novel and TV series).

Much of human collective wisdom is condensed in wise adages, and one of them is “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. Sure, fair enough, but as with any generalized saying, this one also has its exceptions, perhaps most notably the fact that there are over 16 million works on Archive of Our Own. Even more amazing is that many, many of these works are so well written that I often suspect their writers are in fact well-published authors in real life! And so it was a blessing when I soon came across this masterpiece of a fic by Atalan after entering the Good Omens fandom just a month ago. 

#FanFicReview: Pray for Us, Icarus by Atalan (Helen Bright)

A Spoiler-free Overview from TV Tropes (On a side note, this site is tremendously helpful for writers like me who want to learning about the different tropes in books and TV shows. Please check it out if it interests you!):

Pray for Us, Icarus is a Good Omens fanfic series about an emotional rollercoaster of a Reincarnation Romance between Aziraphale and a suddenly-turned-human Crowley.

The year is 2008, and Crowley is a perfectly normal florist going about his business when a strangely familiar and sad man named Aziraphale steps into his shop to ask for a special flower arrangement for a lost love. Even though Crowley has never met Aziraphale before, he feels inexorably drawn to him in spite of Aziraphale’s clear reluctance to let him get too close.

What Crowley doesn’t know is that Aziraphale has spent the last three centuries meeting his past human reincarnations and has resolved to stay away from him after getting both of their hearts broken one too many times. However, Aziraphale’s longing for Crowley proves to be too great for him to keep avoiding him even though he’s convinced that this time is doomed to end in tragedy just like all the others…

Personal Opinion:

+) Pro – A Trope Done well: Though I’m by no means a fervent fanfiction reader, I’ve read enough to know that reincarnation romance is a well-worn trope. That said, Atalan executed phenomenally, leaving me reeling emotionally from every single reincarnation of Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship with him. If you’re afraid the romance will fall flat (especially since the canon characters are so deeply bonded for over 6000 years), no worries, for this fic would never let you down with its sheer amount of emotional damage (and eventual healing!). 

+) Pro – Well-written characters: Despite deviating slightly from the canon plot, the two main characters still behave and develop how I expect them to in this AU! For readers of romance (and Good Omens Season 2 fans), you’re in for a treat as our Aziraphale and Crowley really got to shine and pulled through all the traumas together – a feat that couldn’t be pulled off in the original, comedy-focused Good Omens book.

+) Pro – Overall, A Well-crafted Story: When I read this fic, I was perpetually under the impression that I was reading a proper novel. Everything is well thought out, the wording is refined, and Atalan even uploaded an ebook version with a proper cover that only adds to the experience! (On a side note, reading this fic really makes me regret splurging $20 on the different romance novels that never impress me nearly as much. Helen Bright deserves much more attention as an author!)

-) Con – Relative Sappiness: Though this fic is undeniably well-written, it’s very often prone to sappiness. To be fair, that’s rather characteristic of fanfiction, especially when it’s focused on the main couple, but it was rather tiring for me to read the 195th iteration of “drinking in the sight of him, a little bit flushed, a little bit stunned, a little bit head over heels in love.” 

-) Con – Repetitiveness: Rather similar to the point about sappiness, what the characters do can get repetitive really quickly. I vividly recall a scene where Aziraphale did some equivalent of gasping and flinching at least six times. Six times. In one scene. Such moments can certainly do with more variation.

All in all, Pray for Us, Icarus is, by both fanfic and novel standards, a genuinely worthwhile read that will probably bring you to tears and make you believe in love. If this is not the pinnacle of fanfic (and fandom devotion – I love you so much the Good Omens community!), I don’t know what is!