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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pratchett at his best. A look at his take on godliness, exposing a bit more about how divinity works on the Disc — and making a lot of critiques of religious authority while he does so.
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Classic Discworld. When a god's power is determined by his believers and the religions they inspire can get rather out of hand, what should the god Om do when he is faced with the reality that he only has one true believer? In standard Terry Pratchett style, Small Gods managers to be both hilarious and thought provoking at the same time.
medium-paced
What can I say? Do you ever like a book so much you want to say the kindest things about it but can't quite find the right words to make a large and glowing review do justice? So perhaps less words is more in this case.
This was a weird read. First time dipping my toes into Pratchett's Discworld. I picked up this book for a change of pace and because it was highly recommended to me.
I was confused at first; the first few chapters are difficult to get into because Pratchett does NOT hold your hand. He throws you right into the world with some vague references and descriptions; but it's refreshing not to have a massive world-building dump in the first chapter.
I enjoyed the tale/caper/romp. The story is crass, thought-provoking, imaginative, and laugh-out-loud surprising.
I'll be picking up another Discworld book soon!
This was a weird read. First time dipping my toes into Pratchett's Discworld. I picked up this book for a change of pace and because it was highly recommended to me.
I was confused at first; the first few chapters are difficult to get into because Pratchett does NOT hold your hand. He throws you right into the world with some vague references and descriptions; but it's refreshing not to have a massive world-building dump in the first chapter.
I enjoyed the tale/caper/romp. The story is crass, thought-provoking, imaginative, and laugh-out-loud surprising.
I'll be picking up another Discworld book soon!
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
I am (re)reading all Discworld novels: this is book #6 out of 41.
I enjoyed Small Gods. It is a witty mockery of an oppressive religion (think Catholic Church during the time of the inquisition), but it is also a deep analysis of human beliefs, faith, and ultimate desire to understand and explain the world.
Here, Terry Pratchett explores what gods are and how they came to be. This is much more tangible on Discworld: after all, gods are present here in everyday life, so atheists have a hard time not believing in them (or rather believing that they do not exist). But this is also not a one-sided relationship: gods need belief, this is what makes them powerful and without believers they simply die. This isn’t a particularly novel idea, but Pratchett wrote this wonderfully.
Pratchett also didn’t stop here. Here on Roundworld, Greek philosophy was partly a structured and logic-driven development of beliefs of ancient Greece, so Small Gods also ventures into Ephebe where we explore the relationship between beliefs, logical reasoning and truth.
(And we also explore the difference between subjective and objective truth a bit here, though obviously the church subverts what objective truth is in order to manipulate people.)
Pratchett takes this further by mocking the evolution of philosophy into natural philosophy (which later became mechanics and physics as we know it). Spoiler alert: not unlike in our world, this evolution doesn't always end well.
What a wonderful novel!
I enjoyed Small Gods. It is a witty mockery of an oppressive religion (think Catholic Church during the time of the inquisition), but it is also a deep analysis of human beliefs, faith, and ultimate desire to understand and explain the world.
Here, Terry Pratchett explores what gods are and how they came to be. This is much more tangible on Discworld: after all, gods are present here in everyday life, so atheists have a hard time not believing in them (or rather believing that they do not exist). But this is also not a one-sided relationship: gods need belief, this is what makes them powerful and without believers they simply die. This isn’t a particularly novel idea, but Pratchett wrote this wonderfully.
Pratchett also didn’t stop here. Here on Roundworld, Greek philosophy was partly a structured and logic-driven development of beliefs of ancient Greece, so Small Gods also ventures into Ephebe where we explore the relationship between beliefs, logical reasoning and truth.
‘You can’t believe in Great A’Tuin,’ he said. ‘Great A’Tuin exists. There’s no point in believing in things that exist.’
…
‘Sir, surely only things that exist are worth believing in?’ said the enquirer, who was wearing a uniform of a sergeant of the Holy Guard.
‘If they exist, you don’t have to believe in them,’ said Didactylos. ‘They just are.’
(And we also explore the difference between subjective and objective truth a bit here, though obviously the church subverts what objective truth is in order to manipulate people.)
Pratchett takes this further by mocking the evolution of philosophy into natural philosophy (which later became mechanics and physics as we know it). Spoiler alert: not unlike in our world, this evolution doesn't always end well.
‘How does it work?’ he said.
‘Very simple,’ said Urn. ‘The fire makes—’
‘We haven’t got time for this,’ said Simony.
‘—makes the water hot and so it gets angry,’ said the apprentice philosopher. ‘So it rushes out of the globe through these four little nozzles to get away from the fire. The plumes of steam push the globe around, and the cogwheels and Legibus’s screw mechanism transfer the motion to the paddles which turn, pushing the boat through the water.’
‘Very philosophical.’
What a wonderful novel!
Took me a while to wade through, it’s fun, the concept is fun, it’s just maybe not my thing aaaasss much
This is indeed a good "standalone" Discworld novel. It has less slapstick and hyperbolic humor, and more political and religious satire. If you have read Lamb by Christopher Moore, this book will likely be enjoyable.
It pokes fun a democracy and theocracy, as well as state religions in general, and contains veiled prods at both the Catholic Church and Islam. Most of it is in good fun, and no direct statements are made (names changed to protect the innocent, perhaps), but you will see the inflexibility of "orthodox" interpretations mocked and its injustices highlighted.
If you enjoyed the movie Dogma, this book will seem somewhat familiar.
It pokes fun a democracy and theocracy, as well as state religions in general, and contains veiled prods at both the Catholic Church and Islam. Most of it is in good fun, and no direct statements are made (names changed to protect the innocent, perhaps), but you will see the inflexibility of "orthodox" interpretations mocked and its injustices highlighted.
If you enjoyed the movie Dogma, this book will seem somewhat familiar.