Book Review: Small gods by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #13)

“ Only a mile away from the shepherd and his flock was a goatherd and his herd. The merest accident of microgeography had meant that the first man to hear the voice of Om, and who gave Om his view of humans, was a shepherd and not a goatherd. They have quite different ways of looking at the world, and the whole of history might have been different.

For sheep are stupid, and have to be driven. But goats are intelligent, and need to be led.”

                                        -Terry Pratchett, Small gods

For the most parts of my career as a reader, I have always been some sort of a “proto-fan” for Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. That is, I've heard of what Discworld is about, I knew it exists, and without reading it, I already knew I would like it. Discworld is a comedic fantasy series, often poking fun at things in our society using satires. The stories are set in a fantastic world, flat as a disc, supported on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant, space turtle who, swims across space. I thought this idea was grand when I heard it for the first time, it was love at the first sight! This sort of things are right up my alley, and immediately, I knew that I was going to be a fan for it.

My experience with Discworld franchise is limited to the TV adaptations for “Going Postal”, and “Hogfather”, and I liked both of them. However, I have never read any Discworld novels, mainly because the amount of books in this series, add up to a jaw-dropping number of 40 books! I simply didn't know where or how to start. But I always wanted to read these books. After doing some extensive research, in collaboration with Dr. Google, I sheepily acquired a handful of Discworld novels, subsequently arrived at the decision that Small gods, would be my entry to the eccentric yet fantastic world of Discworld. Small gods is a satirical portrayal of organized religion (in particular, Christianity) and politics, and I love this book! While reading this book, I laughed so hard and loud in a manner, that I suspect my neighbors were probably wondering if it was time for them to call the men in white coats. Today, I would like to provide a review for this book.

Synopsis:

Religion is a serious business.

Even on Discworld, a flat, circular world carried by the Star Turtle A'tuin, religion is as serious a business as it is anywhere else in the universe. On Discworld, many religions exist, competing against each other to have its influence and presence felt. At this point in time, our story takes us to an empire called Omnia, a theocratic kingdom who believed in a monotheistic religion, worshiping the one and true God, Om. The time has come again for Om to manifest himself in the world. However, this time, Om found himself manifested in the form of a small tortoise, stripped of all of his power. This is a most unexpected result! Under these drastic circumstances, Om knew he needed a disciple. This is when brother Brutha, a young novice from the temple of Om, came into the play..

What I think about this book:

I love this book! This book is full of humors and satires, and very well written. This book was poking fun at a variety of aspects in the human society; from religion, philosophy, to politics. Terry Pratchett made sharp and crisp observations about these things, then dressed them up in the colorful cloth of parodies, inviting his readers to unwrap and think about these issues for themselves, in a light-hearted, humorous manner. The characters in this book, from heroes to villains, are vividly portrayed and unforgettable. I especially enjoyed reading the interactions between Om and Brutha, and watched Brutha gradually develop from an unthinking novice in a religious order, into a wise and compassionate sage.

This book explored some thought-provoking themes. For example, (without spoiling the story), one aspect of the story questions religious individuals, that between the actual God of their religion, and the structure/theology/doctrine/worldview they established for their religion, which one is the true basis for their belief? Hence, should this God be surprised, when He found out, that just as silence stole into the heart of a moonless night, His followers has ceased to believe in Him, but are now believing in the system that promotes the religion instead?

This question touched me deeply, because my personal experience showed me that, most times, organized religion is often busy playing the role of a gatekeeper, separating the “true believers” from the “non-believers” (or fake believers) by enforcing a narrow-minded certainty and division, based on a non-negotiable, systematic dictatorship over one's theology/doctrine, or worldview.

This book, also suggested an alternative perspective on how to look at humanity. i.e. one of my favorite quotes from the book is this: “Just because you can explain it doesn’t mean it’s not still a miracle”. I believe the book is suggesting that there is awesomeness, and something miraculous about the things that occur in daily lives. Allow me to explain: A lot of the times, some people (such as moi) have the tendency to find amazement ONLY in things that we are unable to understand. While taking for granted, failing to notice, that miracles are in fact, all around us. For example, comparing to the rest of the (known) universe, it is indeed miraculous for humans to build street lamps and sewerage system on earth, while we could have just sat around and did no such thing! I mean, where else in our solar system, would you find a group of corporeal creatures, transforming metals, glasses and concrete into street lamps and sewerage system, to serve a purpose? Among the things in our dark and cold solar system, humans can give meanings to things that don't necessarily have meanings, isn't that miraculous and special? This book widened the way I look at things, and broadened my perspective. It made me appreciate humanity in a whole different, positive way that was previously absent from my religious worldview.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed Small gods. It has a thought-provoking and humorous story, set in a fantastic and imaginative world, filled with eccentric and funny characters who are absolutely unforgettable. Most importantly, I am so glad that I have now, been initiated into the universe of Discworld. I look forward to reading other Discworld novels in the near future. In the meantime, I would recommend this book to those who like comedy, fantasy, and satires, also to those who like thinky books that explore religion, philosophy and politics in humorous and creative ways.