Small Gods

Small Gods is a comic fantasy novel by Sir Terry Pratchett. First published in 1992 and set in the fictional Discworld, it looks at what happens when religion is a competitive business. It is the 13th book in the popular Discworld saga. There are over 40 books in the saga. Pratchett is an internationally bestselling novelist. Before writing full-time, he worked as a journalist and press officer. He received the 2010 World Fantasy Life Achievement Award, before passing away in 2015.

Small Gods satirises religious practices and institutions. In Discworld, people don’t believe in gods. The gods that do exist don’t know what to do. They must convince the people of Discworld to believe in them before they fade away forever. One such god is Om. He is the Great God, or the first god.

Om knows that Discworld is due a new prophet. Prophets appear every few generations, and they change religious teachings every time. Before the new prophet arrives, Om inserts himself into the Discworld reality. He expects to appear as a powerful, enigmatic man. Instead, he manifests as a tortoise.

Om can’t speak, and he doesn’t have any magical powers. This is a disaster for him. He knows that no one’s going to believe in a divine tortoise without a prophet’s help. He walks as fast as his new body will carry him to Omnia, the Discworld capital. He approaches a sanctuary for prophets and clerics in training, but the men don’t even notice him.

Om approaches a junior cleric, Brutha. Somehow, Brutha can hear his voice, but it doesn’t make him believe in Om’s divinity. Instead, he thinks he’s going mad. Brutha is illiterate and slow, and he knows that no one takes him seriously. If he tells his superiors about a talking tortoise, they might lock him away for good.

In Omnia, no one’s allowed to question prior religious teaching. However, the more Om talks to Brutha, the more he realises that Om might be telling the truth, after all. Brutha journeys to Ephebe which is more open-minded. Here, he plans on learning everything he can about the gods of old.

Om follows Brutha to Ephebe. He’s horrified by what he discovers. The church enslaves everyone and forces them to think a certain way. Literacy is discouraged because it makes people question their superiors. Brutha is the only man alive who still believes in Om, and it’s on him to restore Om’s supremacy.

Although Brutha is illiterate, he has an eidetic memory, which means he can recall images in detail after seeing them only once. Brutha memorises the scrolls in Ephebe’s Great Library. He can’t make sense of them, because he can’t read, but if Om is truly divine, he can help him. This is a great test of Om’s powers.

As Om works with Brutha, he appreciates the complexity and fragility of mortal human life. He realises that, if he wants to appeal to potential believers, he must present himself as compassionate and caring. He ventures into the desert to speak with other lost gods who are trapped out there. He doesn’t want to share their fate, and he vows to change religion to restore all gods to their former glory.

Meanwhile, the church hears of Om’s plans. The leaders decide that they must kill Om and Brutha to maintain their authority. One night in the desert, they steal Brutha away. A man called Vorbis promises to kill Brutha and become the next prophet. Om won’t stand idly by and let this happen. Instead, he goes looking for reinforcements.

Om finds a friend in a large eagle. He convinces the eagle to carry him to Brutha’s prison cell. The eagle grants his wish because he doesn’t like the church much, either. They eventually find Brutha. Vorbis tied Brutha to a bronze turtle. He plans on setting fire to the turtle and burning Brutha alive.

Before Vorbis gets the chance, the eagle swoops from the skies. Om directs the eagle to drop him onto Vorbis’ head. Vorbis stumbles back and Brutha frees himself. To onlookers, it seems that a god fell from the heavens to protect its prophet. Everyone worships Brutha and he must be ordained as the next prophet.

Meanwhile, onlookers shower Om with reverence and affection. They know there’s a god in their midst. Fuelled by the power of belief, Om transforms into a god-like man. He vows to help Brutha set up the church. The problem is that Brutha decides he doesn’t need help. He knows what’s best for the people, not Om.

Om reminds Brutha that he’s the god and he makes the rules. Brutha thinks differently. He wants to set up a church where there’s tolerance for all religions and divine worship. This tolerance will reinstate all lost gods, which is exactly what Om said he wanted. Om admits defeat and lets Brutha look after his church.