Small Gods

Everything comes around in the end. The idea that gods are created by belief is a common one that's used elsewhere (the plane of Theros, in Magic: the Gathering lore, operates on this system, and American Gods, by He Who We Shall Not Name Any Longer, was my proper introduction to it), but I think it's best done here.

A lot of this book's philosophy on gods and divinities seems to have made it into my own mindset before I even read the book. I don't personally pass judgment on their existence or non-existence, but their most realistic power is always the effect that belief in them has on people; whether the belief creates the god or the god creates the belief is irrelevant. The sad reality is that, stemming from this, the true power of show more the god is intrinsically linked to the power of their church, even though that is an edifice built by man and not by the god Eventually, the church *becomes* the god, above the original meaning of the religion. The consequences: Vorbis, Harry Powell, and the Westboro Baptist Church.

My personal opinion? I don't tether myself to any religion, or any way of thinking, if I can avoid it. I take what I judge to be of value and leave the rest; I appreciate the value of religion in others, but swear that everything is best in moderation, and worship in particular is best consumed intelligently, lest it become a cult. And, most importantly, THIS IS NOT A GAME. Life is life; live it while you can, and deal with what comes after... well, after.

That's exactly what this book tells us, in Terry's classic way. Absolutely five stars. show less

"You died if you had no believers, and that was what a small god generally worried about." (pg. 61)

I've been reading the Discworld books in publication order and I've been flagging, because the previous few haven't really been the best. Sometimes I've even thought of quietly abandoning the series altogether. Happily, Small Gods proved to be a joy, a real tonic to my jaded outlook on Terry Pratchett's world.

The Discworld in general seems to be hit-or-miss; each book brings the same elements (good ideas, busy plot, magical whimsy, odd humour, and so on) but, with all these variables up in the air, you're never quite sure which ones are going to land right. You just have to read them and hope you've found a good one. That's certainly the show more case with Small Gods: it explores its ideas well, providing some good messages and plenty of opportunities for legitimate humour. The plot also seemed sharper here than in previous books: apart from one sequence towards the end, I never felt confused. I knew who to root for (Brutha's character development is imperfect, but it's there) and who not to root for (Vorbis is one of Pratchett's better villains). The magic was less garish than usual, which I liked, and the rules of the story were clear (there are 'small' gods which require people to believe in them in order to be powerful). I felt like I had a handle on it throughout; I was walking alongside Pratchett rather than struggling to keep up, and the book was all the more enjoyable for that.

Small Gods was one Pratchett book I'd always wanted to read, not only because it's one of the more highly-rated Discworld novels, but because its topics – gods, philosophy, fanaticism, and so on – are ones that I'm particularly interested in. Not only does Pratchett succeed in bringing his thoughtful takes on these ideas to life, he wraps them in a lean, entertaining adventure. That's the Discworld M.O., of course, but it's done as well here as in any I've read so far. It's ironic that this is the book that's got me believing again, and I hope Pratchett continues to show his power in the books ahead. show less

The Great God Om is down on his luck and forced to team up with the only person alive who still believes in him. Unfortunately for Om, it's the village idiot. Now all Om needs to do is raise this kid up to become the next Prophet, and his problems should be solved, but the church has other plans.

Sounds pretty promising, doesn't it? It's a situation ripe for kicking large holes into some of my favorite things that need large holes kicked into them. But at the 2/3 point, I'm still bored and I'm not really laughing much - not as much as people tell me I should be, anyway.

This is the third time I've tried to get on board the Pratchett train and the third time I've been left standing at the station wondering what all the commotion is about. show more Clearly, he is well loved by a great many - enough so that it's earned him a Knighthood, so I'm certainly not going to criticize his writing or his imagination. I am quite willing to say, "It isn't you, Terry. It's me."

I mean, I see the wry commentary and the curmudgeonly asides. I get the various aspects of modern culture that he is lampooning. I even get the very occasional chuckle. But it just feels too forced for me, like that kid I knew in high school who just kept telling jokes and throwing witty barbs at people, hoping one of them would stick and get a laugh. The sheer sense of desperation overwhelmed any actual funny he might have struck, and left me exhausted more than amused.

Now, I'm not pleased with myself about this. Not in the least. I wanted to like Pratchett. I was hoping that maybe this time around, he would finally "click" for me, and I would be the proverbial kid in a candy store, eyes a'glaze, looking out over the vast plains of his delectable works, eager to gorge myself on his books of plenty. But it didn't happen, and I'm disappointed.

If you've enjoyed other Pratchett books, then I'm sure this one will work just as well for you. And if you're a fan of curmudgeonly sacred cow tipping, then by all means, give this a shot. But if you like your humor to arise more directly from character, rather than from the sheer audacity of what he's lampooning, then you might understand my disappointment.

Good-bye and God Speed, Sir Terry. We shall not meet again. show less

This book should be required reading for anyone who has profoundly held religious beliefs. Pratchett effectively, and with pointed humor, parodies institutionalized religion from many angles, but still allows that sincere and simple belief exists within it. One of Pratchett's best, and that's up against some serious competition.

Small Gods is a treasure, a masterpiece of humanistic philosophy. The theocracy of Om is an aberration on this disc, a harsh empire of unyielding fundamentalists. The massive hierarchy of the Church and Inquisition has stamped out all opposition to Om, and also all true faith, leaving nothing but an immense shell of hypocrisy. And on the Disc, where belief is like air to gods, this means that the Great God Om is sadly diminished, diminished down to a single believer, the Novice Brutha.

Brutha and Om, incarnate in the form of a tortoise, are swept up in a war orchestrated by the head of the inquisition, Vorbis, a man of means without ends. Om is pitted against Ephebe, a city-state of philosophers, guarded by a deadly labyrinth. Brutha show more isn't much of a thinker, but he has an incredible memory, one that Vorbis can use to defeat Ephebe. And so a novice is drawn into a game of politics, philosophy, and long arguments with his Greatly Diminished God over the nature of morality, religion, commandments, and priests.

It's simply my favorite Discworld book, one that's helped me immensely, and is always a joy to return to. show less

Pratchett, Terry. Small Gods. 1992. Discworld No. 13. Penguin Audio, 2022.
The new Penguin Audio editions of the Terry Pratchett novels spurred me to reread Small Gods, Pratchett’s sharpest satire on traditional religion and philosophy. What struck me most this time around is how much effort it takes to teach our clerics, philosophers, and gods basic humanity. Left on their own, too many folks make smiting the first resort. It’s a simple message, but an important one. As a side note, I wonder whether Pratchett was thinking of “Lonesome Valley” by the Carter Family (and countless others) in the dialogue between Death and Vorbis. 5 stars.

The high and mighty Om, has been stuck as a tortoise for over three years now. Considering that a god's strength lies in the number of its believers, this is not a normal occurrence for Om. After all, the country is full of zealous believers at His disposal. They're devout enough to wage war in His name. At the same time, they seem to have trouble hearing His request for more lettuce leaves... except for Brutha, the most simple-minded of them all.

In dire need of protection from non-believing eagles, our tiny little Om-as-a-tortoise will take what He can get, where He can get it.

Small Gods was not particularly high up on my Discworld (re)read list: more like a task to be ticked off, on the way to more interesting books. Something that I show more could see being useful to open other people's eyes about organized religion.

I, for one, have already done the
-"fervent little believer, who worries that the Almighty has seen her wish to do her (long put off) chores on Sundays"
or the
- "spiteful atheist who will strive to insert twice as many mean-spirited remarks as anyone else into all her interactions with the devout"
only to become an
- "occasional eye-roller and constant exasperated sigher".
...and I did it all in heels.

But then little by little, the characters started to grow on me, and I suddenly found myself so hooked that I devoured the whole book within a day!

While the Quisition department's tortures, the mindless religious bigotry, and power hungry coups d'état all left me in various states of disgust, when the narrative perspective would switch to Brutha, I was ready to swing my metaphorical pom-poms his way. Brutha's simple-minded yet thoughtful way of believing was so touching, especially because I was expecting him to do a 180 character change with each of his fervently held beliefs that came crashing down.

Having recently finished a children's book whose "love thy enemies" message left me utterly nonplussed, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself earnestly hoping that Brutha's kindness would eventually pay off, even though I would've been happy to have the main antagonist drop dead at any moment.

Score: 4.8/5 stars

I have to admit that I did end up skimming through some of the more philosophical passages, in favor of the more action-packed scenes, but all in all I can't say I was ever bored. As a matter of fact I even cried at the climactic moment, which is highly unusual for me.

P.S. Fans of Carpe Jugulum should definitely read this, in order to have a better understanding of the legends surrounding the prophet Brutha. show less