Small Gods: Discworld Novel, A

Terry Pratchett

Harper Collins, Mar 17, 2009 - Fiction - 400 pages

"Humorously entertaining. . . subtly thought-provoking. . . Pratchett's Discworld books are filled with humor and magic." —Chicago Tribune

"Think J.R.R. Tolkien with a sharper, more satiric edge." —Houston Chronicle

The thirteenth novel in the Discworld series from New York Times bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett.

Lost in the chill deeps of space between the galaxies, it sails on forever, a flat, circular world carried on the back of a giant turtle— Discworld —a land where the unexpected can be expected. Where the strangest things happen to the nicest people. Like Brutha, a simple lad who only wants to tend his melon patch. Until one day he hears the voice of a god calling his name. A small god, to be sure. But bossy as Hell.

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 realized.

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.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - TobinElliott - LibraryThing

The more Discworld novels I read, the more I respect Pratchett and his pisstaking ways. This time, he goes after both religion and philosophy (...but mostly religion). It's fantastic in that he ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - NannyOgg13 - LibraryThing

Gods, I forgot how much I loved this book. And an excellent narration by Andy Serkis!

Contents

• Section 1: 1
• Section 2: 2
• Section 3: 30
• Section 4: 60
• Section 5: 83
• Section 6: 103
• Section 7: 119
• Section 8: 221
• Section 9: 255
• Section 10: 278
• Section 11: 299
• Section 12: 317
• Section 13: 359
• Section 14: 360
• Section 15: 361
• Section 16: 362
• Section 17: 363
• Section 18: 364
• Section 19: 365
• Section 20: 366
• Section 21: 367
• Section 22: 368
• Section 23: 369
• Section 24: 370
• Section 25: 371
• Section 26: 373

Popular passages

Page 5 - And it came to pass that in that time the Great God Om spake unto Brutha, the Chosen One: "Psst!

Page 47 - And you dictated to him the Book of Ossory," said Brutha. "Which contains the Directions, the Gateways, the Abjurations, and the Precepts. One hundred and ninety-three chapters." "I don't think I did all that," said Om doubtfully. "I'm sure I would have remembered one hundred and ninetythree chapters.

Page 6 - They are the small gods — the spirits of places where two ant trails cross, the gods of microclimates down between the grass roots. And most of them stay that way. Because...

Page 122 - When he was alone he spent a lot of time staring at the wall, or prostrate in prayer. Vorbis could humble himself in prayer in a way that made the posturings of power-mad emperors look subservient. "Um," said Brutha, and tried to pull the door shut again.

Page 346 - Om rubbed his forehead. I spent too long down there, he thought. I can't stop thinking at ground level. "I think," he said, "I think, if you want thousands, you have to fight for one.

Page 32 - The Great God Om waxed wroth, or at least made a spirited attempt. There is a limit to the amount of wroth that can be waxed one inch from the ground, but he was right up against it.

About the author

Sir Terry Pratchett was the internationally bestselling author of more than thirty books, including his phenomenally successful Discworld series. His young adult novel, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, won the Carnegie Medal, and Where's My Cow?, his Discworld book for “readers of all ages,” was a New York Times bestseller. His novels have sold more than seventy five million (give or take a few million) copies worldwide. Named an Officer of the British Empire “for services to literature,” Pratchett lived in England. He died in 2015 at the age of sixty-six.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Small Gods: Discworld Novel, A
• Author: Terry Pratchett
• Edition: unabridged
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2009
• ISBN: 0061803200, 9780061803208
• Length: 400 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure; Fiction / Fantasy / Contemporary; Fiction / Fantasy / Humorous