Small Gods: Discworld #13

In this Discworld novel Terry attacks the subject of religion, while bashing philosophy and science on the side. While Terries satire is indeed set on the very fictional Discworld. It deals with the fundamental issues that lay at the base of human society. While in other Discworld novels, Terries criticism can be a bit random or spread over a wide range of subjects. In Small Gods it is more concentrated and directed, giving us a fuller discussion of the given subject.
Just like in my other Discworld favorite, The Truth.

In Small Gods, that great and funny mirror, in the shape of a disc, that rotates on the backs of four elephants that stand on top of Atuin the great space turtle, shows us a new location on the disc, Omnia. And tells the tale of the rise and fall and rise of the Great God Om. Well falling or should I say dropping has allot to do with it. And well, don't mention eagles, just don't.

Oh, and did I say "Read by Nigel Planer" yeat?
Well, I rest my case.

I thought this went on a tiny bit longer than it needed to, but overall I was very impressed. I loved Pratchett's sense of humor and enjoyed the narration very much. I have never read (or listened to) any other Pratchett novels in this series, and I didn't feel that hindered my understanding or enjoyment of this one.

Small Gods should be considered one of the greatest books of all time. Terry Pratchett is our modern day Mark Twain, using satire to comment on the state of 'civlization' and also bringing the thinking man or woman a great laugh. The narrator, a regular on the unabridged Pratchett circuit is perfectly matched to this work!

If you're coming to "Small Gods" from nearly any other Pratchett Series it may fee 'slower'; Pratchett is tackling Organized Religion here, and not in his usual appetizer portions: this is breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it takes a little more time to set the table, but never at the expense of Pratchett's trademark humor, insight, and wit.

I, too, felt this was slow; until I realized it just wasn't as manic as Pratchett's other books.

There are not only no familiar characters here (except the Librarian and Death), but there are fewer characters in general and, for a fair portion of the book there are only two making their way through the desert engaged, for the most part, in conversation.

And this is where Pratchett shows his chops: no dwarfs, no trolls asking "what be a safety catch?" No carnivorous luggage, no zombies, no wizards, no nac mac feegles; yet long after I had finished "Small Gods' I found myself thinking about the characters in this book, how they suffered, changed, and grew, and pondering the story's insights long after I had put space between me and 'Small Gods' with a number of other Pratchett greats.

I listened to 'Small Gods' again, and it was even better. and no less funny.

Come on: Planer as a self-absorbed God trapped in the body of a tortoise? This is a very, very funny book. Through and through. I not only think this is Pratchett at his best, I think this is the place Pratchett most likes to be.

I've probably converted half a dozen literary snobs to Pratchett and "Small Gods" is where I start.

Nigel Planer reads Terry Pratchett -- it doesn't get much better than this. "Small Gods" is one of my favorite Pratchett books. It has the humor and thoughtfulness that are the hallmarks of his best works.

This was a great book by a great reader! I like the earlier books of Pratchett where he is trying out his big ideas and concepts and this is one of the better ones. Given that on the Discworld a god's power is dependent on the number of believers, what happens when a god returns to find he has many people who pay lip service but only one believer? Ha - you'll have to read to find out. You can find a plot synopsis almost anywhere on the Internet so let me tell you about the audio book. It is well-voiced, the humor is nuanced and thoroughly enjoyable.

People have been recommending Pratchett books to me for a decade and a half, but I never got around to picking one up until now (after Stephen King, I'm a bit leary of prolific authors). I have to say, I enjoyed this one: Monty Python's Life of Brian meets Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with a little more of a plot. The humor is more light-hearted and irreverent than-laugh-out-loud funny, but Pratchett's thoughts on theology and the excesses of religion (including anti-religion) have an underlying substance that gets the reader to think. Highly quotable, especially if you're a Unitarian. Can anyone recommend another good Pratchett book?

I'm a great reader so I never consider the audio to be better, but I will say that I think it does justice to the book.

Good Omens. Nation. What they have in common with Small Gods is Pratchett's take on modern culture, the way he turns things on their heads and makes you look at things differently.

Hard to choose just one. I did especially enjoy his Didactus, but he does them all justice.

Is the world round, or isn't it?

This book is chock full of all the delightful things Pratchett brings to any story: quirky characters that are somehow so much like people you know and a slyly irreverant but never cruel humor being just two of them. Pratchett isn't just a fantasy author, he's a brilliant satirist who uses the fantasy genre to poke fun at the way we see the world. He makes you think.

The narrator is excellent, and the author's lanugage is delightful. I first checked this book out from the library many years ago on audio tape! I missed it when tapes no longer were realistic. Having a digital copy of this rocks.

Yes. If I were audible, I'd remaster the original audio to clean out the dull sound quality. Nigel Planer is too good a narrator to waste on poor audio quality.

Yes, but I seldom get them because so many have the same audio problem.

Planer *is* the characters he portrays. (I was pleased to see that the BBC cast him in their adaptations of Pratchett's books. I hope it was because of his role in helping create the feeling of Pratchett's Discworld.)