I am half way through this book now and Just wanted to post that so far I think it is amazing, I am flying through it and cant seem to put it down. Could well be the best one I have read yet. ( I am reading them in order ). Brutha and OM are amazing.

I think Small Gods was a bit tricky to start off with, It dosen't seem to hav a point in the begining but after about 70 plus pages it turns for the better.

I also read the books in written order, it just makes more sense that way, i mean if you read the fifth elephant before you read gaurds; gaurds you'd propabley be so confused.

I think this is the best series I hav ever read.

I agree that it is a but tricksy to begin with as it took about wo or three run ups to get in to it. But the story unfolds amazingly. Vorbis is a scary dude. I have just got to the part where Didactylos throws a lantern at him! Great stuff. No spoilers please as I am really enjoying this!

I agree, Vorbis is scary.

You must hurry up and finish the book so we can talk about it.
The book rocks

Give me 2 days and I think I will have it polished off!

Who knows you might get addicted and then you wont put it down. you migh spend all your waking moments reading it, you wont fall asleap, you'll just read, and read, and read.

or you might not you never know

Damn it I fell asleep! Damn Sleep Small God that I believe in!

Humm... I read it in french, and although the translator is really very good, I still think I must have missed loads... must get this in english...


Ok, first things first, I must buy a new bookcase...

ya and relive yourself from sagging bookcase distress

Small Gods really helped to give form to my Agnosticism. Now I just have to hope Pterry was wrong about the 'Now see what we do to wiseasses' bit of agnosticism.

It also gives shape to many of my griviances with religion. Such as the 'we're better than them, so kill them off!' aspects. I also enjoyed the bit in Jingo about the war over a bit of fly crap.

So ironic that there be so little difference between man and god....

I liked it...there was something surreal about the whole story, more so than usual. Probably because it's a stand-alone and he didn't have one of the usual 'anchor' characters - Sam and Granny and so on.

I liked how Om is obviously the Nameless One, parody form. Well, I know he's not really nameless, he's just too good to tell us his name.... But anyway, Pterry pulled elements from the three major monotheistic cults. (Ossory is Mohammed, etc...) Nice to be able to pick and choose. Of course, when the Omnian church appears again in Carpe Jugulum, it's obviously gone Protestant. Weaker, but also less scary.

Heh. Wow, sorry, rambling. Please, nobody take offense.

I think if you read it at a certain age it can shape your views on religion... Like Sir G, it spurred my agnostism. But what I really liked about the book was, that it wasn't just about how 'religion is bad' but about how faith and belief is good.

I am also an agnostic and I did read Small Gods around the time that my views on religion started to take a clear form, but I like to think it was more Pratchett's writing in general that was an influence.

His portrayal of the gods has always struck me as multi-layered. On the one hand, there is a gentle ridicule of every aspect of human faith. On the other hand, there is also always an element of providence or fate playing a role.

Oh, but that's not gods, it's.... Er, something. :? History, possibly. Stories. Something. Not gods. They don't think about things enough. Although Fate did make an appearance in The Colour of Magic, and there it really was gods setting everything up.

Do see what you mean, though.

Hehe, yeah that is certainly true for gods like Offler. But gods do even interfer directly in Discworld, like in Interesting Times. Or just the Lady in... TCOM or TLF. One of the two.

But yeah that does seem to be part of a larger force, along with narrative force, luck, etc., rather than a distinct religious power.