Brutha has been chosen. His god, the great and powerful god Om, has spoken to him. Brutha is a simple lad, but, he's quite good at growing melons. Among other things, he wants peace, justice, and brotherly love. But what he wants, more than anything, is for his god to choose someone else.

Possibly the best of the Discworld novels; I say possibly since I haven't actually read them all yet. But it's not everyday that you find a book that forces you to care about the characters and think about the philosophical implications of the plot at the same time that you're rolling around on the floor in tears of laughter. I find that humorous books don't usually stand up well to multiple readings, but this one certainly does.

If you only read one Pratchett novel ever, read this one. The world at large tends to agree that it's the best introduction to the series, because it's hilariously funny but doesn't rely on characters or plot points introduced in previous books. ( )

A bit of a parody on the Persians and the Greeks, this story could also apply to many eras of our history when "religion" ran away with godliness. The great god, Om, finds himself in a tortoise body with only one true believer left. We follow him and his believer through trials and errors as they are caught between a tyrant and a fanatic. Of course this is full of Discworld humor, fun characters and thought-provoking ideas. I enjoyed the spotlight on the weakness of organized religion compared to true faith. Sadly, I don't think Pratchett is convinced there is such a thing as true faith, so it is lacking in answers, but that doesn't hurt the story. ( )

The turtle moves! ( )

http://pixxiefishbooks.blogspot.com/2...

So while I was going through my mini sci-fi/fantasy reading binge, I added this book to the list (yes, same bookshelf). The only other Terry Pratchett I have read is Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman. And I am, oddly enough, constantly getting the two books confused. But Small Gods is a good book, though not laugh-out-loud funny like Good Omens. It takes place in a time when the various small gods have been largely forgotten in favour of a few large, very important gods. One of these, Om, unfortunately has somehow gotten trapped in the body of a very small tortoise, and he must convince his chosen disciple, Brutha, and the people of his land that he is in fact the god Om and must be obeyed. There are, of course, neighbouring lands with competing gods, and most worrying of all, the Quisition, a thinly-veiled version of the Spanish Inquisition. Hilarity ensues. Read it. ( )