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A review by mgerboc
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I know I've raved about Terry Pratchett before, but it's so well deserved. This was my first non-series, non-City Watch Discworld book, and it did not disappoint. The characters, especially Brother Brutha and The Great God Om, are just perfect. The world feels so natural and filled in around you that you feel like you're experiencing the story along with the characters, no matter how absurd it is. And I think what Small Gods showcases as well as, if not better than, any other Discworld book I've read so far, is Terry Pratchett's clear outlook on life and humanity. This is definitely a critique of organized religion, but it never feels unduly cruel (even though, as it pointed out in the book, religion itself can be) or mocking. As with everything I've read by Pratchett so far, the overarching theme is profoundly humanistic and compassionate. If there is/are god(s) as we are taught, they are aloof and selfish, requiring unquestioning belief and faith, but Brutha points out that this belief should be a two way street. The god(s) that create(s) us should believe in us and our ability to think for ourselves. And when we focus less on an ethereal afterlife and the structures that are supposed to get us into the good version of that, and more on our relationships with each other, we can create a truly just society.
Here are some quotes I lifted from the book. As in most Pratchett books, you can basically quote the whole thing, but these stuck out:
“Another pause, a tar pit of silence ready to snare the mastodons of unthinking comment.” (about intentional pauses used by inquisitors during interrogation)
“We are here and it is now. The way I see it is, after that, everything tends towards guesswork.”
- The Philosopher Didactylos
“Do unto others before they do unto you.”
- The Great God Om
Here are some quotes I lifted from the book. As in most Pratchett books, you can basically quote the whole thing, but these stuck out:
“Another pause, a tar pit of silence ready to snare the mastodons of unthinking comment.” (about intentional pauses used by inquisitors during interrogation)
“We are here and it is now. The way I see it is, after that, everything tends towards guesswork.”
- The Philosopher Didactylos
“Do unto others before they do unto you.”
- The Great God Om