Small Gods: (Discworld Novel 13)
Dec 2008 · Random House
4.7star
189 reviewsreport
Ebook
400
Pages
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About this ebook
Discover the gloriously inventive and funny fantasy novel from bestselling author Terry Pratchett, a standalone Discworld novel.
'An intriguing satire on institutionalized religion corrupted by power . . .' Independent
‘Thought-provoking comic fantasy...Sir Terry is a master satirist’ 5-star reader review
'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 . . .
The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but Small Gods is a standalone.
Praise for the Discworld series:
'[Pratchett’s] spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction' Mail on Sunday
‘Pratchett is a master storyteller’ Guardian
'One of our greatest fantasists, and beyond a doubt the funniest' George R.R. Martin
'One of those rare writers who appeals to everyone’ Daily Express
‘One of the most consistently funny writers around’ Ben Aaronovitch
‘Masterful and brilliant’ Fantasy & Science Fiction
‘Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own... he is a satirist of enormous talent ... incredibly funny ... compulsively readable' The Times
‘The best humorous English author since P.G. Wodehouse' The Sunday Telegraph
‘Nothing short of magical’ Chicago Tribune
'Consistently funny, consistently clever and consistently surprising in its twists and turns' SFX
‘[Discworld is] compulsively readable, fantastically inventive, surprisingly serious exploration in story form of just about any aspect of our world...There's never been anything quite like it’ Evening Standard
'An intriguing satire on institutionalized religion corrupted by power . . .' Independent
‘Thought-provoking comic fantasy...Sir Terry is a master satirist’ 5-star reader review
'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 . . .
The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but Small Gods is a standalone.
Praise for the Discworld series:
'[Pratchett’s] spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction' Mail on Sunday
‘Pratchett is a master storyteller’ Guardian
'One of our greatest fantasists, and beyond a doubt the funniest' George R.R. Martin
'One of those rare writers who appeals to everyone’ Daily Express
‘One of the most consistently funny writers around’ Ben Aaronovitch
‘Masterful and brilliant’ Fantasy & Science Fiction
‘Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own... he is a satirist of enormous talent ... incredibly funny ... compulsively readable' The Times
‘The best humorous English author since P.G. Wodehouse' The Sunday Telegraph
‘Nothing short of magical’ Chicago Tribune
'Consistently funny, consistently clever and consistently surprising in its twists and turns' SFX
‘[Discworld is] compulsively readable, fantastically inventive, surprisingly serious exploration in story form of just about any aspect of our world...There's never been anything quite like it’ Evening Standard
Ratings and reviews
4.7
189 reviews
Patrik Etschmayer
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May 18, 2025
À funny, clever and thoughtful book on faith, religion, and turtles. Pratchett manages to show the results of believe as a power system and faith as a weapon against otherness. Eerie in its current relevance
A Google user
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January 6, 2012
After "Only You Can Save Mankind," this is the one Discworld novel that I can honestly say influenced me the most in my life.
For a young athiest/agnostic (depending on who I'm talking to at the time) this book just made so much sense in the way it depicted competing deities as, well, smaller than us.
Can thoroughly reccommend to anyone who's ever tried to have an honest conversation with oneself while trying very hard not to look as though you're just muttering to your imaginary friend.
Alice's Dad
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January 12, 2021
The absolute best Diskworld book to start with is a tie between this and Mort for me. If you hate this, there is no point reading the others, it's that simple.
4 people found this review helpful
About the author
Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.
www.terrypratchettbooks.com
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