Fantasy

Small Gods

Small Gods

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-26 09:54:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Terry Pratchett
  • ISBN：1473200156
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Summary

In the beginning was the Word。

And the Word was: "Hey， you！"

For Brutha the novice is the Chosen One。 He wants peace and justice and brotherly love。

He also wants the Inquisition to stop torturing him now， please。。。

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Reviews

Петя Спасова ，

Интересна книга。 Не мога да преценя доколко е сатирична， но определено предлага храна за размисъл。

Nancy ，

A philosophical commentary on religion， faith & society/community with loads of humor。 So far this is my 4th Discworld book。 Of the 4 books I think this one could be read at any point in the series because no character that I know of is a repeat so far but a short appearance by Death。 💕The God Om wakes up in the body of a small tortoise & wants to find out why and Brutha attempts to find truth in religion。 This alone 😂 Though provoking！

Brittany Murphy ，

An absolutely beautiful read with such humor and poignancy。 It was basically an examination of religion and how people have used it in varying degrees with a bit of Monty Python humor。 I'd recommend this book to everyone。 An absolutely beautiful read with such humor and poignancy。 It was basically an examination of religion and how people have used it in varying degrees with a bit of Monty Python humor。 I'd recommend this book to everyone。 。。。more

Carina ，

This is a prime example of me struggling with a Pratchett book， for most of this （until the desert scenes） I was reading for something to do， not out of pleasure， and when you read just to kill time you generally aren't enjoying the book。It was nice to see DEATH again， and his acquaintance Rat Death。 They were both missing from the last Pratchett book I read， and I missed them。I don't know if this is more of a stand alone Discworld novel， but if it is part of a smaller series I'm not sure it's o This is a prime example of me struggling with a Pratchett book， for most of this （until the desert scenes） I was reading for something to do， not out of pleasure， and when you read just to kill time you generally aren't enjoying the book。It was nice to see DEATH again， and his acquaintance Rat Death。 They were both missing from the last Pratchett book I read， and I missed them。I don't know if this is more of a stand alone Discworld novel， but if it is part of a smaller series I'm not sure it's one I'd pick up more of （a bit like any of the wizarding books tbh！ I can't abide Rincewind。。。）， but I'm still glad I read it。 。。。more

Michal Anderle ，

I've read Pratchett before， but this was the first from Discworld series。 I must say that actual prose was bit difficult for me and it subtracted from the overall experience。 Mainly because I'm not a native speaker and dialogues were complex and multilayered。But few books made me genuinely laugh as this one with its witty remarks。 And the depth of the ideas that were explored in the story was astounding and I've really enjoyed it。I will end with the best quote from the book （without context so g I've read Pratchett before， but this was the first from Discworld series。 I must say that actual prose was bit difficult for me and it subtracted from the overall experience。 Mainly because I'm not a native speaker and dialogues were complex and multilayered。But few books made me genuinely laugh as this one with its witty remarks。 And the depth of the ideas that were explored in the story was astounding and I've really enjoyed it。I will end with the best quote from the book （without context so go ahead and read it）: "Is one less than fifty-one？" "It's the same！" 。。。more

Nicholas D。 ，

This is the first book I’ve read in the discworld series， as I’m following a reading order recommended by a friend。 It’s a very funny and introspective little read that definitely got me excited to read the rest of the series。

triceratops-stomp ，

TW in book for 2 anti-Asian slurs thrown around in the book （the slurs are portrayed as hateful/racist things to say）

Debbi Rec ，

You always learn something new about yourself when you find a new favorite book， this one is a great ending really does it for me。 But don't get me wrong， Small Gods is not only great in its ending but in everything it does。 There might be things I like more about the book but overall it's very cohesive and I'll be re-reading this next year for a proper review。 I like to let great books simmer in glory on my head for a while before doing a review since it might be skewed。 So wait for next year t You always learn something new about yourself when you find a new favorite book， this one is a great ending really does it for me。 But don't get me wrong， Small Gods is not only great in its ending but in everything it does。 There might be things I like more about the book but overall it's very cohesive and I'll be re-reading this next year for a proper review。 I like to let great books simmer in glory on my head for a while before doing a review since it might be skewed。 So wait for next year to see me pick apart this book and why I love it or if it was that good in the first place。What I'm telling you now is that if you want to read Discworld， this is the best place to start。Guards！ Guards！ is good and Mort too but not on this level， trust me。 。。。more

elias ，

My introduction into the Discworld series。 Loved every word。 The humor was， as expected， the best part。 But the characters， the mastery in tackling a big topic such as organized religion， and the pacing of the story were also superb。 Excellent book to dive into the Discworld with。

Turky ，

Small Gods is the best novel I've red in a long time， the entire story is built on the back of the brilliantly written relationship between The Great God Om that has recently fallen from power and been forced to take the form of a turtle and his sole remaining believer Burtha。Pratchett's ability to go from serious emotional moments to laugh out loud hilarious often in the span of single paragraph is as impressive as always and cameos from returning characters （for example a certain librarian） ne Small Gods is the best novel I've red in a long time， the entire story is built on the back of the brilliantly written relationship between The Great God Om that has recently fallen from power and been forced to take the form of a turtle and his sole remaining believer Burtha。Pratchett's ability to go from serious emotional moments to laugh out loud hilarious often in the span of single paragraph is as impressive as always and cameos from returning characters （for example a certain librarian） never fail to put a smile on my face 。 My only regret is that I hadn't started it sooner， and I can't wait to continue my journey with Discworld。Overall I would recommend it to practically everyone， whether you're looking for some exploration on the topic of organized religion， great character dynamics or some good old absurdism and satire this book is for you。And at the end to all you Round Earthers out there a good advice， no matter what you choose to believe in the facts are such The Turtle Moves。 。。。more

Entropy Law ，

Pratchett never fails to break me from a slump。 Three instances and three books were all from the man。 There was truly always something new in the mind of Pratchett。

Toket ，

Usual case with Discworld books。 Starts off strong， continues that momentum into the mid but always loses its ground near the end。 To be honest， this one was too long or too short， just right， but the ending just felt unsatisfying。 The development was really in Om， and so the conclusion pretty much hung on him and the other characters felt unnecessary， which is why I didn't feel it was a 5-star book。 All the same， definitely one of the best of the Discworld series。 Usual case with Discworld books。 Starts off strong， continues that momentum into the mid but always loses its ground near the end。 To be honest， this one was too long or too short， just right， but the ending just felt unsatisfying。 The development was really in Om， and so the conclusion pretty much hung on him and the other characters felt unnecessary， which is why I didn't feel it was a 5-star book。 All the same， definitely one of the best of the Discworld series。 。。。more

Chris ，

Starts off a little slow but it got really interesting about 1/3 into it。 Once it gets going， it's witty， thoughtful， and surprisingly profound work of fiction。 Starts off a little slow but it got really interesting about 1/3 into it。 Once it gets going， it's witty， thoughtful， and surprisingly profound work of fiction。 。。。more

Natalia ，

Tym razem Pratchett na warsztat wziął filozofię， religię， instytucje religijne， dodał trochę Iliady i jest super jak zawsze ✨

Isaac Clarke ，

მე რომ მეგონა რო "ამერიკელი ღმერთები" რა კარგად მოიფიქრა გეიმანმა თურმე და რა გადასარევი იდეაა გულით მორწმუნეების გაქრობასთან ერთად ღმერთებიც რო სუსტდებიან და ქრებიან მეთქი， თურმე აუღია ჯიგარს და აგერ აქედან დაუკოპირებია ეგ კონცეპტი ერთი-ერთში， თან ცუდად და ჰოლივუდურ პოპკორნულად。 საოცრად კაი წიგნია და ძალიან კარგად გაჩვენებს რეალურად რა განსხვავებაა ღმერთსა და რელიგიას， ნამდვილ რწმენასა და მერკანტილური， ბოროტი არსებების გამოგონილ სიგიჟეში არსებობას შორის。 იდეაში ბნელი საუკუნეების კათოლიკური ეკლე მე რომ მეგონა რო "ამერიკელი ღმერთები" რა კარგად მოიფიქრა გეიმანმა თურმე და რა გადასარევი იდეაა გულით მორწმუნეების გაქრობასთან ერთად ღმერთებიც რო სუსტდებიან და ქრებიან მეთქი， თურმე აუღია ჯიგარს და აგერ აქედან დაუკოპირებია ეგ კონცეპტი ერთი-ერთში， თან ცუდად და ჰოლივუდურ პოპკორნულად。 საოცრად კაი წიგნია და ძალიან კარგად გაჩვენებს რეალურად რა განსხვავებაა ღმერთსა და რელიგიას， ნამდვილ რწმენასა და მერკანტილური， ბოროტი არსებების გამოგონილ სიგიჟეში არსებობას შორის。 იდეაში ბნელი საუკუნეების კათოლიკური ეკლესიის （და არამარტო， ზოგადად ქრისტიანული რელიგიის） დაცინვაა， თავისი ინკვიზიციით， აბსოლუტური ჭეშმარიტების არ დანახვით （ომნიანურ ეკლესიას სჯერა რომ დისკი， რომელზეც ცხოვრობენ სფეროსებრია და მზის გარშემო ბრუნავს და ნებისმიერს ვინც სიმართლეს ამბობს ინკვიზიცია უსწორდება）， პროგრესის და საღი აზრის აუტანლობითა და სინამდვილეში აბსოლუტური უღმერთობით， თუმცა იმდენად იდეალურად აღწერს იმ ჯოჯოხეთს რაშიც ქართველებს გვიწევს ცხოვრება რომ ცოტა მძიმე წასაკითხიც იყო。 დიდი ხნის წინ მომხდარი ამბების გაშარჟების კითხვა კი სასიამოვნოა， მაგრამ გარეთ რო გაიხედავ და ზუსტად იგივე გარემოში გიწევს ცხოვრება， ძნელია ცოტა。იმას რომ ძალიან სასაცილო წიგნია， უმაგრესი კონცეპტები აქვს მოფიქრებული ავტორს და საოცარი ენით არის დაწერილი， აღარც აღვნიშნავ， პრეტჩეტია， ისედაც ცხადია ეგ。 მთელი მუღამი ზუსტად რო იმაშია ამ， ერთი შეხედვით 400 გვერდიანი ანეკდოტით， რამხელა აზრს გადმოგცემს და რა მნიშვნელოვან თემებზე რა მაგრად გიყვება。 მაგიტომაც არის ყველა დროის ერთ-ერთი უდიდესი ავტორი პრეტჩეტი （ნუ ფენტეზი ავტორებში რო ულაპარაკოდ მეორეა და ხანდახან პირველზეც გადადის ხოლმე ეგ ისედაც ცხადია）。 ყველა ადამიანისთვის უმარტივესად გასაგები და კომფორტული ხერხით， იუმორით და სატირით， ძალიან მნიშვნელოვან თემებს შლის და ეგ არის ზუსტად მწერლისთვის ნამდვილი სუპერძალა - არ დაღალო， პირიქით გაართო და სასიამოვნოდ გაატარებინო დრო მკითხველს და პარალელურად ძალიან ღირებულ და ფილოსოფოსები რო ათტომეულებში ვერ ატევენ ისეთ თემებზე ელაპარაკო。tl;dr: 100/100 。。。more

Victoria Lightning Reads ，

Pure genius。 One of my favourite discworld novels！

Wendy ，

There are a lot of good things in this， but the fact it was written in 2009 is obvious because of a lot of tone-deaf references to other cultures。

Amanda ，

it took longer than expected it to since it’s a fairly short book but as my first ever terry pratchett i think taking the time to savor every sentence is worth it。 i wouldn’t want to read it too fast and miss a joke

David Olsen ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book is wonderfull， hilarious， and incisive。 I think I laughed more in this book than any other since Catch-22。 I could say it’s a critique of organised religion， but it is much more than that。 In a book where gods， albeit small ones， can undergo character growth， it’s easy to say that nothing is sacred。 In a way it is similar to Catch-22， where everything is absurd and irreverent。 Yet， while it seems to have all the pieces for such a conclusion， I don’t think it lands there。 Spoilers for t This book is wonderfull， hilarious， and incisive。 I think I laughed more in this book than any other since Catch-22。 I could say it’s a critique of organised religion， but it is much more than that。 In a book where gods， albeit small ones， can undergo character growth， it’s easy to say that nothing is sacred。 In a way it is similar to Catch-22， where everything is absurd and irreverent。 Yet， while it seems to have all the pieces for such a conclusion， I don’t think it lands there。 Spoilers for the next sentence: Actually it lands on Vorbis’s forehead。 The gods here are basically humans with undue power and trust （surely not a metaphor for our world）。 And many of the humans are the same。 The conclusion is rather humanistic， but doesn’t seem to fall prey to the naïveté that often accompanies it。 Rather， it maintains a healthy dose of realism， noting the atrocities of a religious empire and its people with the same irreverent care that it handles its heroes。 。。。more

Jessica Harkey ，

So good！ It's such an interesting satire on the role religion plays in the world， and explores every perspective of it。 Highly recommend！ So good！ It's such an interesting satire on the role religion plays in the world， and explores every perspective of it。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more

Alex ，

This was the first Terry Pratchett book I have read， recommended by Daniel Greene on Youtube。 I read this novel as it is considered by many online to be a great introduction to Discworld and an excellent fantastical satire on various religious institutions。 I would say the explanations about the book were correct， I just wished I enjoyed it more。 It was in not way bad， two stars being "it was okay"。 I felt the story itself was hard to follow and I did not love any characters。 It seemed tracking This was the first Terry Pratchett book I have read， recommended by Daniel Greene on Youtube。 I read this novel as it is considered by many online to be a great introduction to Discworld and an excellent fantastical satire on various religious institutions。 I would say the explanations about the book were correct， I just wished I enjoyed it more。 It was in not way bad， two stars being "it was okay"。 I felt the story itself was hard to follow and I did not love any characters。 It seemed tracking where they were， which character perspective I was reading from， what the goals were， it was all just un-clear to me。 Now I have not heard that complaint elsewhere online， so maybe that's just me。 I believe the purpose of the book was to reach certain situations which could allow the author to make startling and funny comparisons to religions。 And on that note it was achieved， but at the sacrifice of good character development。 As it so happened， I started with this book but what really interests me from Discworld is the character Death。 I plan to read Mort next and am hoping for a better reading experience。 I don't love the world of Discworld， it was all in all a fine novel， just nothing I'm going to dive back into。 I think Pratchett said what he wanted to say， and if you're into that specific type of satire， than this book is for you。 I hope my next trip to Discworld makes me want to stay。 。。。more

Belug ，

It was a difficult start， this was the first book of disque world that I've read and the first part was hard to follow， but a few pages later the story started and it became a great book。 I happy to have finished it。 It was a difficult start， this was the first book of disque world that I've read and the first part was hard to follow， but a few pages later the story started and it became a great book。 I happy to have finished it。 。。。more

Tanner Morton ，

“What have I always believed？ That on the whole， and by and large， if a man lived properly， not according to what any priests said， but according to what seemed decent and honest inside， then it would， at the end， more or less， turn out all right。”― Terry Pratchett， Small GodsTerry Pratchett's Discworld is the cozy family blanket of fantasy series–I don't find myself wrapped up in it all the time， but it's always a delight to return to。 Visiting the standalone that's most often recommended to “What have I always believed？ That on the whole， and by and large， if a man lived properly， not according to what any priests said， but according to what seemed decent and honest inside， then it would， at the end， more or less， turn out all right。”― Terry Pratchett， Small GodsTerry Pratchett's Discworld is the cozy family blanket of fantasy series–I don't find myself wrapped up in it all the time， but it's always a delight to return to。 Visiting the standalone that's most often recommended to me– Small Gods –my opinion of Pratchet's work only grows grander。 Small Gods tells the story of the naive and faithful Brother Brutha and his journey with his not-so-great god Om， descended to Discworld in the form of a turtle。 Caught up in religious machinations and the ongoing conflict between nations， Brutha must return his god to his proper form and keep his faith along the way。As with all works by Terry Pratchett， the plot acts as the framework to build the humour， social commentary， and characters around。 Unlike some of the early Discworld novels–this one is lucky number 13 in the scantly connected series–Pratchett isn't satirizing a specific work in the Western canon。 Without needing to follow a story that's been already told， the plot of Small Gods –though simple–bounds along in interesting directions and at a remarkably readable pace。 Even as standalone Discworld novels go， this one is incredibly new reader-friendly。 As long as you're willing to go along with Brutha on his pilgrimage， there's little else you need to know before you begin。 In a world replete with tightly interwoven fantasy epics， which sometimes need an encyclopedia of their lore to keep up with， Pratchett's ability to create a world that can be entered at any point， but still holds additional surprises for long-time readers， can't be matched。Humour is one of the thorniest aspects of any work to comment on or critique–I don't know how comedy reviewers do it。 All art is subjective on some level， but the things that make us laugh？–well， that's another challenge altogether。 On some days， it's a simple knock-knock joke or an unsuspecting dumb bit of humour on the internet。 On others， you might be sitting down to watch a carefully constructed stand-up special that'll leave you laughing and in awe。 Humour is a core element of human experience that connects us but is also an intensely personal experience that can shift and change with each of us as time marches on toward its inevitable denouement。 This is all to say I thought Small Gods was quite funny quite often， and I chuckled a good few times while reading。Aside from the humour， another aspect of Pratchett's Discworld series is the deftly made social commentary and satire throughout。 The key reason why Pratchett's musings hold up so well over time–keep in mind this novel was written in 1992–is the humanity and care that he puts in his work。 Often when you hear a book described as a satire of Western religions， it's fair to expect the novel to beat you over the head with a Christ-adjacent figure and big ol' bearded man in the sky。 Sir Terry Pratchett has a defter touch that isn't any less critical or biting， but he examines the universal truths behind why people believe， how others can abuse that faith， and how folks turn to religion despite the conflicts， controversies and hypocrisies found in pretty much every religious institution。 It never feels like Pratchett is taking the easy joke or playing to the cheap seats with his humour。 With all the care he puts into his critiques， it'd be difficult for someone of the opposite opinion to brush off his thoughts as some sort of bad-faith–sorry for that–argument。“Belief， he says。 Belief shifts。 People start out believing in the god and end up believing in the structure。”No matter if you're a long-time Discworld acolyte or a novice， Small Gods is a brief worthwhile romp through the world that Terry Pratchett imbued with so much character and life。 。。。more

Carolyn ，

It certainly had its moments， but I think this is one of the bitterest books Pratchett ever wrote。 So much feeling against the Christian， sorry， Omnian church。 Things started moving once we got to Ephebe， and the Greek philosopher jokes were priceless， but—that’s a lot of bitter to swallow。

Anthony ，

Recommendation from my sister， and what a doozy - a madcap， whirlwind exploration of religion， morality， death， turtles， technology， the guiding hands of the universe， and if any of it matters at the end。 Wrapped in an engaging and propulsive style and dominated by wit and charm， this is a series I will need to return to。

Shardblade ，

I was not sure what to expect going into this book since people told me that Discworld is unlike any other fantasy series in that it is a comedy and that each novel can be read as a stand alone。 So I picked the book that sounded the most interesting to me and that was Small Gods。 I am glad I picked this book because of how ridiculous the subject sounded。 The great god Om gets turned into a pretty useless tortoise and somehow still has to find a way for people to warship him。 This book was a whol I was not sure what to expect going into this book since people told me that Discworld is unlike any other fantasy series in that it is a comedy and that each novel can be read as a stand alone。 So I picked the book that sounded the most interesting to me and that was Small Gods。 I am glad I picked this book because of how ridiculous the subject sounded。 The great god Om gets turned into a pretty useless tortoise and somehow still has to find a way for people to warship him。 This book was a whole lot of fun and I may just have to read more books by Pratchett set in Discworld。 。。。more

Estefania ，

Genial。 Ya me había leído unos cuantos de mundo disco así que pude entender las muchas referencias a otros personajes que se hacen （la muerte， otros pueblos， etc。）。 Aun asi no es necesario leerse los otros antes。 Creo que es el que mas me ha gustado de todos los que he leído de esta saga。 Las explicaciones "sencillas" al comportamiento de los dioses con los humanos son simplemente geniales y super ingeniosas。 No descarto volver a leerlo， se disfruta mucho。 Me ha gustado más el recorrido en sí qu Genial。 Ya me había leído unos cuantos de mundo disco así que pude entender las muchas referencias a otros personajes que se hacen （la muerte， otros pueblos， etc。）。 Aun asi no es necesario leerse los otros antes。 Creo que es el que mas me ha gustado de todos los que he leído de esta saga。 Las explicaciones "sencillas" al comportamiento de los dioses con los humanos son simplemente geniales y super ingeniosas。 No descarto volver a leerlo， se disfruta mucho。 Me ha gustado más el recorrido en sí que el final。 。。。more

Allie ，

A very enjoyable read！ I am curious to read some of the other books in the Discworld universe （this was my first one， as I was told it wasn’t the series of a type that you have to read in order， and I’d agree - I had no trouble following or engaging）， but I’m not jumping at the chance and immediately adding them to my TBR pile。 However， when I’m waiting on a library book or needing a break from dark or difficult nonfiction content， I will definitely turn to another of Pratchett’s novels。 The wri A very enjoyable read！ I am curious to read some of the other books in the Discworld universe （this was my first one， as I was told it wasn’t the series of a type that you have to read in order， and I’d agree - I had no trouble following or engaging）， but I’m not jumping at the chance and immediately adding them to my TBR pile。 However， when I’m waiting on a library book or needing a break from dark or difficult nonfiction content， I will definitely turn to another of Pratchett’s novels。 The writing style is super fun！ 。。。more

Julien Nayet-Pelletier ，

One of the best one-off discworld novels。

Iskar ，

Terry Pratchett es Dios， y no de los Menores。 Esta novela es hermosa e invita a una reflexión muy profunda sobre la religión y el papel que cumple en la vida de la gente creyente， sin resultar algo ofensivo。 Hasta el católico apostólico Romano se reventaría de risa leyendo las desventuras de Om y Brutha。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Small Gods

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Small Gods&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Small Gods&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0