Small Gods: (Discworld Novel 13) (Discworld, #13)

by Terry Pratchett

'You should do things because they're right. Not because gods say so. They might say something different another time.'

Religion is a competitive business in the Discworld. Everyone has their own opinion and their own gods, of every shape and size - all fighting for faith, followers, and a place at the top.

So when the great god Om accidentally manifests himself as a lowly tortoise, stripped of all divine power, it's clear he's become less important than he realised.

In such instances, you need an acolyte, and fast. Enter Brutha, the Chosen One - or at least the only One available. He wants peace, justice and love - but that's hard to achieve in a world where religion means power, and corruption reigns supreme . . .

'An intriguing satire on institutionalized religion corrupted by power . . .' Independent

'Deftly weaves themes of forgiveness, belief and spiritual regeneration' The Times

The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Small Gods is a standalone.

• ISBN10: 1407034847
• ISBN13: 9781407034843
• Publish Date: 26 December 2008 (first published 21 May 1992)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
• Imprint: Transworld Digital
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 93617
• Language: English

Reviews

[Artemis]

Reviews at The Artemis Reader

The first Terry Pratchett book I ever read was Good Omens, a collaboration with Neil Gaiman (one of my all-time favorite authors). After Good Omens I went on a Gaiman binge and read (almost) everything he’s published. But I never picked up a Pratchett book until a good friend threw his copy at me and demanded I read one.

Small Gods tells the story of unremarkable guy named Brutha, who stumbles upon the Great God Om as a tortoise in the Temple melon garden. Needless to say this is a very interesting little story in the Discworld series. I really enjoyed this story once it got moving. The first 150-200 pages were slow, building the plot slowly but very deliberately. The dialogue between Brutha and Om is fantastic.

Pratchett plays on some great themes in Small Gods, and really opens a nice dialogue on theology, philosophy and the misuse of each by mankind. He also asks a pretty big question – what happens to the gods when people stop believing? This story is funny and sharp with its satire, which weaves throughout Pratchett’s impressive storytelling ability.

[empressbrooke]

I think this is my favorite Discworld novel yet.