The Crow Road: 'One of the best opening lines of any novel' Guardian

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Just as with sightings of crows, the meaning traditionally depends on the number. A single cawing crow is held to be an augur of bad news, while two herald good tidings. Three cawing crows are considered a sign of good health, four of riches and five of bad news or illness. Up until the midpoint of the book, we are confused whether there is a story at all - it's all just episodes of the (mostly eccentric) doings of the various characters (the novelist holds our interest through his terrific turn of the phrase and his competence in spinning a yarn, though). Suddenly in the middle, Prentice gets hold of a set of papers which are fragments of a novel the absent Rory was purportedly going to publish. Rory already has a name as a travel writer, based on a best-selling book on India he wrote as a young man - but this is something sure to be much more explosive. But unfortunately, tantalising fragments are the only thing Prentice can find.

That seems like a solid philosophy to me. I’ll try more by Banks. I also nabbed a free copy of The Wasp Factory, which I take it is very different in tone. Any recommendations after that? Could I even cope with his science fiction (published under the name Iain M. Banks)?The appearance of "The Crow Road" in Good Omens season 2's ending, where Crowley gives it to Muriel, holds symbolic significance in relation to the overall storyline. It reflects the heartbreaking finale for Aziraphale and Crowley and delves into themes of unrequited love and defying societal norms. An interesting evocation of the lives of three interconnected Scottish families over three generations. Part of the interwoven narrative is in the first person from Prentice, one of the third generation, a young man who loses his way after falling in love with a woman not suited to him, and goes off the rails until it looks as if he will fail at university. He also has a serious rift with his father Kenneth, who is a socialist, a weaver of stories and an atheist.

But that interpretation misses the deeper spiritual meaning of death as a process of transformation. If this chimes with you, the crow could be prompting you to reflect on your actions. Why did you behave the way you did, and what have you learned from the experience? Do you need to clear the air with the person you’ve wronged? Or better yet, apologise to them? This is the tale of the McHoan clan of Gallanch: a gifted, eccentric and somehow cursed Scottish family, told mostly through the eyes of young Prentice McHoan. As the novel begins, we see him going through the angst of a young man at the beginning of the nineties; estranged from his father, jealous of his successful elder brother Lewis, hopelessly in love with his cousin by marriage Verity, and totally lost as to what to do with his life. Even though nobody knows it, the world is on the verge of the First Gulf War, and the tapestry of fragile international relations are about to be torn for ever.Although filled with philosophical ponderings, and commentary on life and death, Banks also inserts little vignettes of memory, which are often hilarious in their delivery. That life can be filled with sorrow, yet with little moments of complete joy, is perfectly true, and Banks highlights this perfectly. These were the days of fond promise, when the world was very small and there was still magic in it. He told them stories of the Secret Mountain and the Sound that could be Seen, of the Forest drowned by Sand and the trees that were time-stilled waters.

The other parts of the story are third person narrations from the viewpoints of various characters in the earlier generation including Kenneth. The storytelling and anti-religion elements in Kenneth's nature often come into conflict. On the one hand he pours scorn on his son's Christianity, but on the other hand, when his children and their friends and cousins were much younger, he enjoyed making up tales of mythological creatures etc for them, something that eventually leads him to become a children's novelist. A larger group of cawing crows is sometimes seen as a message of a future death. But remember – this need not refer to physical death. It could also be interpreted as the ending of one phase of life and the beginning of something new. 6. A Crow Landing on or Striking Your HeadThe magic shop seen in Episode 4’s minisode ‘Nazi Zombie Flesheaters’ has a stuffed orang-utan sitting on a shelf, a nod to beloved Discworld character The Librarian (a wizard who was turned into an orang-utan in a magical accident early on and decided to stay that way). The first thing to notice is the context for your meeting with the crow. Was the encounter something could reasonably be expected to happen in the course of a normal day? Did you, for example, see crows whilst out walking somewhere where there are lots of wild birds? Some people interpret this as a sign of negative karma. Is it possible that you’ve harmed someone in some way? It may be that this person is harboring resentment towards you. And you may yourself be carrying feelings of guilt. Herzog by Saul Bellow, a novel about a protagonist named Moses E. Herzog having a mid-life crisis. Not only is Moses, of course, a Biblical name, but Saul was the original name of Paul of Tarsus, otherwise known as St Paul, one of the founding figures of Christianity. The opening line, which is very appropriate for Gabriel’s situation in that moment, is, “If I am out of my mind, it’s all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.”

In episode six, Aziraphale says “I haven’t done this since the Great War” when he weaponizes his halo, implying that he was one of the Angels of Mons supposedly seen fighting for the British in 1914.When Gabriel/Jim shows the angels a “bendy” book in episode two, the book he shows them is the very first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic. In addition to this broad symbolism, the details of your meeting with a crow may affect its meaning. Let’s take a look at some of the different scenarios and what they could signify. 1. A Single Crow There are also several glaring references to Gaiman’s departed coauthor and dear friend, Terry Pratchett. And they’re all so good… Aziraphale excitedly proposes to Crowley that he come to heaven with him, as his second-in-command. But Crowley wants to be away from the ‘toxic’ heaven and hell, he wants them to run away together and be an “us.” Crowley says “you can’t leave this bookshop” and Aziraphale responds; “nothing lasts forever”– which is almost as heartbreaking as Fleabag’s “it’ll pass.”