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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There were two things that struck me immediately when I began reading it. One is the fact that it feels like a prequel to the discworld – it's strange and probably not at all relevant but thinking about the fact that it happened so long before Vimes or Weatherwax or any other Discworld character I've read about really made it feel disconnected and very unique. The other thing is that it is an incredibly dark book, filled with religious themes and how religion, with the influence of tyrants, can progress to become an institution, where people begin to fear the religious figures in power rather than actually believe. Vorbis is a genuinely terrifying villain and an amazing example of how religious figures can warp devotion into a way of controlling others. He genuinely believes that he should be a prophet, and elevates himself above the other Omnians as he is convinced that how he perceives the religion is the correct way, upholding the corrupt traditions he thinks are what the religion upholds, inflicting religious cruelty on anyone who doesn't match his rigid interpretation of faith. An important part of the book is how when Vorbis prays, he does not speak with Om, he only reflects on the thoughts he already has in his head, his ideas bouncing within like an echo chamber – it serves really well in characterising him as the cold and callous villain that he is.
Great God Om is also a really fascinating character. He is the God that the people of Omnia worship, who has become a lowly tortoise. The reason for this being that in the discworld, the strength of a God comes from the power of belief, but no one truly believes in him anymore apart from Brutha, as everyone else is afraid of Vorbis and the Church' wrath rather than actually believing. I think it's an incredibly cool concept, and getting to understand Om more and how Gods progress in the discworld, from being a small god to rising the ranks of Godhood was really interesting, especially seeing how he begins to understand humans more once he spends time with them, seeing them as equals by the end rather than as people to rule over, it adds so much depth to his character and is also really cool in terms of world-building. For examples of compelling parts of the book that talk about how religion works in the discworld, there is a part where it talks about what happens when a God is forgotten, and a part that talks about how the 'small gods' (gods who have not yet been believed in yet) hate seeing a failed God such as Om in the desert is like humans facing mortality, and also a part where Om reflects on the simple act that caused him to be believed in the first place – won't talk about them too much because I think its better to read those parts for yourself, but these are all things that really help in allowing the reader to connect with larger than life beings. Brutha is a character that I found fairly boring at first but really started liking once we got to the part in Ephebe and the desert, where he begins to question more about his religion, and confront both Om, for neglecting the Omnians, and Vorbis for inflicting such cruelty. The ending is also amazing in showing how Vorbis and Brutha are opposites, but I won't say too much about it. It's a really dynamic shift in character that works incredibly well for me.
Aside from all the deep stuff that I probably talked about at its most surface level and has been talked about better by others, Small Gods is, as with all discworld books, really funny. Om as a tortoise is funny, the philosophers are funny. So while having existential thoughts regarding religion, you'll have moments to laugh in between. I want to add as a side note that I also really enjoyed how Death was portrayed in this one, I think it might be the best book in the series aside from the actual Death novels in presenting Death's character.
I think if you're someone who is religious, atheist, interested in religion etc. this book will really speak to you. I always hate seeing in real life how people can twist religious texts into something that allows for their cruelty, and this book really spoke to me when it came to that, while also remaining optimistic on its outlook on both religion and atheism. It's the book in discworld that I really think Terry Pratchett put the most thought into in terms of the level of care he treated the topic. Easy 5 stars, masterpiece.
Great God Om is also a really fascinating character. He is the God that the people of Omnia worship, who has become a lowly tortoise. The reason for this being that in the discworld, the strength of a God comes from the power of belief, but no one truly believes in him anymore apart from Brutha, as everyone else is afraid of Vorbis and the Church' wrath rather than actually believing. I think it's an incredibly cool concept, and getting to understand Om more and how Gods progress in the discworld, from being a small god to rising the ranks of Godhood was really interesting, especially seeing how he begins to understand humans more once he spends time with them, seeing them as equals by the end rather than as people to rule over, it adds so much depth to his character and is also really cool in terms of world-building. For examples of compelling parts of the book that talk about how religion works in the discworld, there is a part where it talks about what happens when a God is forgotten, and a part that talks about how the 'small gods' (gods who have not yet been believed in yet) hate seeing a failed God such as Om in the desert is like humans facing mortality, and also a part where Om reflects on the simple act that caused him to be believed in the first place – won't talk about them too much because I think its better to read those parts for yourself, but these are all things that really help in allowing the reader to connect with larger than life beings. Brutha is a character that I found fairly boring at first but really started liking once we got to the part in Ephebe and the desert, where he begins to question more about his religion, and confront both Om, for neglecting the Omnians, and Vorbis for inflicting such cruelty. The ending is also amazing in showing how Vorbis and Brutha are opposites, but I won't say too much about it. It's a really dynamic shift in character that works incredibly well for me.
Aside from all the deep stuff that I probably talked about at its most surface level and has been talked about better by others, Small Gods is, as with all discworld books, really funny. Om as a tortoise is funny, the philosophers are funny. So while having existential thoughts regarding religion, you'll have moments to laugh in between. I want to add as a side note that I also really enjoyed how Death was portrayed in this one, I think it might be the best book in the series aside from the actual Death novels in presenting Death's character.
I think if you're someone who is religious, atheist, interested in religion etc. this book will really speak to you. I always hate seeing in real life how people can twist religious texts into something that allows for their cruelty, and this book really spoke to me when it came to that, while also remaining optimistic on its outlook on both religion and atheism. It's the book in discworld that I really think Terry Pratchett put the most thought into in terms of the level of care he treated the topic. Easy 5 stars, masterpiece.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the first Discworld book I’ve read and I’m kinda disappointed…the first half of the book was quite fun but after awhile it just feel like repetitive for me….but the end was back to being quite fun again.
So I don’t know what to think about this book whether I like it or not but I lean more on the not liking it side.
People said this is one of the best in the series and I don’t even like it……I don’t even know if I should carry on with this series at this point. I may give the city watch sub series a try to see whether this genre suits my taste.
So I don’t know what to think about this book whether I like it or not but I lean more on the not liking it side.
People said this is one of the best in the series and I don’t even like it……I don’t even know if I should carry on with this series at this point. I may give the city watch sub series a try to see whether this genre suits my taste.
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-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
Hilarious