Rating: 
Summary: The clearest mirror of all
Review: In this era of triumphant religious fundamentalism, Small Gods is a pretty dangerous item to be seen carrying. Terry Pratchett, carrying a reputation of being a major force in writing fantasy and humour has shed both in this penetrating book. It's an incisive satire of the mores and methods of the three major religions of Western Civilization. Pratchett's astute axiom that the Discworld is a "mirror of worlds" applies with more force here than any other Discworld book. Pratchett casts away whatever subtle restraint he's given other philosophical issues to directly confront us with a harsh truth about faiths.The basic theme is a simple, but rarely recognized, truth. Gods are created by people. The fewer the believers, the smaller and weaker the god. When belief fades or believers eliminated, the gods cease to exist. Once mighty, the god Om has been relegated to the body of a tortoise. He retains but one true believer: Brutha, a novice in the Citadel of Om. Brutha makes frequent reference to segments of the "holy book" Om supposedly authored. Mystified by attribution to himself of these writings, Om wonders who really wrote them. And why they were written. What has been perpetrated in His Name? Brutha, who has a photographic memory, is conscripted into a religious crusade against neighbouring Ephebe. The Omnian Church wants to erase Ephebe's false belief that the world is a disc riding on the backs of four elephants standing on a turtle swimming through space. According to Vorbis, head of the Quisition, such false doctrine must be erased, erasing the Ephebians in the process, if necessary. Besides, Ephebe's on the best trade route to the Turnwise coast. Tucked away in Brutha's pocket, Om is taken along. But how does Vorbis expect to conquer mighty Ephebe, home of philosopher kings, with a token force of fifty soldiers? Pratchett is as direct as Vorbis is devious. There's an old saying that runs "I'm not a bigot, I hate everybody". Vorbis doesn't hate anybody, just those following false doctrines. Nor does Pratchett hate anyone, but his scathing wit in this book leaves few untouched . There are some light passages, but this book is deadly serious. It's not small gods, but small minds that Pratchett targets and he hits the mark unerringly [He's nearly prescient about Christian reaction to J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter books]. Pratchett holds the mirror before us to consider our beliefs. What do we have faith in, and what sustains that faith?. If it proves false, how do we respond? What an experience it would be to visit Pratchett when one of the evangelicals arrives at the door! If he's as verbally devastating as he is with the printed word, there'd only be a smudge on the doormat.
Rating:
Summary: Pratchett steps out of humorous fantasy and into satire
Review: People look at me funny when I compare Pratchett to Jonothan Swift or Kurt Vonnegut, but I hold my ground and I point to this book as his satirical masterwork. While Moving Pictures was his first attemt on dedicating a book to satirizing something about our society, Small Gods is his best and led to such stand out satires like Interesting Times, Jingo, Men at Arms, and Hogfather. This book more than the others, I feel, tries to say something serious about its subject matter, that being religion, faith and God. Reading this book influenced the way I look at religion today. Many of my peers (I'm 19) who wish to be rebellious like to make fun of people who believe in god, criticize the Bible because it contradicts itself, and point to violence caused because of religious differences as the reason why faith and belief in religion is a bad thing. What Pratchett says in this book is that faith is what you make of it, orthodox thinking is a stranglehold on belief, and that evil men use religion for evil purposes, not the other way around. It is a very lighthearted book with serious undertones, and I can hardly see how anyone could be offended by it, unless they have a stick up their rears about their particular religion and how it is the one true faith.
Rating: 
Summary: Really great - standalone Discworld
Review: If you haven't read Terry Pratchett before, prepare yourself for some great laughs, inventive plot, and sharp satire. Pratchett's facility with satire within such an overfed genre (fantasy) is always a breath of fresh air. Small Gods starts in Omnia, a country organized around a fundamentalist religion. Novice Brutha (our hero) is a simple, honest novice at the Temple who discovers that the voice that is speaking to him is coming from a tortoise claiming to be his god - Om. The tortoise explains that he's got some head-cracking to do, and he needs help. Why? Because he's a tortoise! Brutha gets set on a path walking between belief in his God and skepticism, while the evil Quisitor Vorbis tries to foment a holy war between Omnia and neighboring Ephebe. As the plot moves forward Brutha has to decide whether to do what he's been told or what he feels is right, even if the directions come from a tortoise. Initially, I thought that Small Gods was a too obvious with the "question religion" type message, but I got over that because of some great writing by Pratchett: you shouldn't have to die for the truth - it's dying for lies makes more sense. Most of all, your god doesn't want you to die for it if the God's existence is dependent on you - you should live a long and fruitful life for your god. If you're really put off by snarky references to religious tradition that may be too close for comfort, you may have probelms with Small Gods. But if you have a pretty good sense of humor and you're ready for some challenging satire that will make you think a little and entertain you, then go get some Terry Pratchett, for small Gods' sake.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have read
Review: Terry Pratchett is an awesome writer and "Small Gods" is a fantastic book. Pratchett has singlehandedly created his own genre and has garnered himself a huge following -- and it's easy to see why. "Small Gods" has to be one of the wittiest books ever written, with incredibly sharp one-liners, in-jokes and pratfalls. Great names and clever words hide subtle parodies and satire, which are a bonus as the plot is entertaining enough on its own. I tried to read this book in contracts class when it first came out and kept on getting busted for laughing out loud, no matter how much I tried to hide it. The only other author able to do this for me is PJ O'Rourke. If you read it on public transport, people will look at you and think you're kinda strange, unless they too know who Pratchett is, in which case they will envy you reading and try to catch furtive glimpses of the text over your shoulder. This is one of my favourite books of all time -- read it and love it too. If I could award it 6 stars, I would.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best
Review: In my humble opinion, Small Gods is one of the best in the discworld series, right up there with Hogfather and Interesting Times. The great thing about Pratchett's books is that they have so many dimensions. This one is no exception. It made me think and it made me laugh.
Rating:
Summary: This book proves that the best humor is the most honest.
Review: _Small_Gods_ was my first Pratchett book. I was unwilling to read it, as I have never been a fan of fantasy novels. Once started, I couldn't put it down! Swinging like a crazed Tarzan between hilarious and depressing, this novel is an insightful and wonderfully funny look at organized religion everywhere. And even with all the slapstick, puns, and biting wit, Pratchett still leaves us with an inspiring message: true faith is a powerful thing.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious but with an undercurrent of truth
Review: It must be one of his best and I believe this is due to the fact that it was not completley a farce. During the middle of the book his tone became more serious and touched on some real issues. But after all this hilarious book was Pratchett at his best. And like all of his books Small Gods was above the average set by the rest of his work. (no I'm not an idiot and that was a meager attempt at a joke.)
Rating: 
Summary: Easy Read, entertaining, a bit offesive
Review: Pratchett takes a hard swing at all organized religion in this book. Though the humor and interesting plot kept me turning pages, as a Christian, some parts that were intended for humor actually ended up offending me. (such as how sheep are stupid and need to be led...and much more that relates with Christian theology). Pratchett once again displays his ability to create humor in anything by jumping from one culture or point in history to the next, while never leaving behind the laughs. No doubt a fun read! The finale was perhaps my favorite part of the book...it was such a long shot...but Pratchett wouldn't let "the bad guys" win. You'll have to check it out!
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites...
Review: Mr. Pratchett is a very good writer, and while not every discworld novel is a knock out, none have been bad. Of all of his work this is my favorite. I reread it at least every couple of months. Bruthra and Om [pointy horns] spin a tale quite entertaining that keeps me coming back. I only wish Mr. Pratchett had spent more time talking about the librarian/watcher monks. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do.
Rating: 
Summary: Zzzz...
Review: In my opinion, the worst book in the series. I read this book through just because I did not want to waste my spent money. do only buy it if you are a HARDCORE Discworld Fan.
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