Small Gods
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| Terry Pratchett The Discworld series 13th novel – 4th individual story  |
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| Outline | |
| Characters: | Brutha Om |
| Locations: | Omnia Ephebe |
| Motifs: | Religion, Philosophy |
| Publication details | |
| Year of release: | 1992 |
| Original publisher: | Victor Gollancz |
| Hardback ISBN: | ISBN 0-06-017750-0 |
| Paperback ISBN: | ISBN 0-552-13890-8 |
| Other details | |
| Awards: | |
| Notes: | |
Small Gods is the thirteenth of Terry Pratchett's popular Discworld novels, published in 1992. It tells the origin of the god Om, and his relations with his prophet, the reformer Brutha. In the process, it satirises religion, religious people and practices, and the role of religion in political life. Omnianism bears a resemblance in some aspects to other monotheistic religions, particularly Islam and Christianity. While the dominant tone is cheerful cynicism, the author concludes on a spiritual note.
The character of Vorbis is one that may interest any reader interested in questions regarding institutional religion, heresy, and the direct communication between God and Man. Vorbis has a reputation for being a man touched by destiny (and 'perhaps something else') and as being one of the most devout Omnians in the Empire ('Vorbis could humble himself in a way that made the posturings of power-mad emperors look subservient') yet in the end the reader finds that the only voice Vorbis has been listening to is his own.
Contents |
[edit] Timeframe
This book is the source of some controversy among Discworld fans, as they cannot decide whether it takes place 100 years before all the other books, or takes place in the same timeframe save for the ending, which is 100 years after. Pratchett himself has never really clarified the issue, and indeed seems to get some amusement out of deliberately not answering. Something of an explanation was provided in Thief of Time, where it is suggested that two centuries became enmeshed during that period, and so the question is actually unanswerable. Death, however, had a clear time frame of it, mentioning in Thief of Time that the prophet Brutha proved a chapter of the Book of Om to be a metaphor a hundred years ago. It is worth noting, however, that in Carpe Jugulum, a discussion between Omnian priest Mightily Oats and the witch Granny Weatherwax suggests that the events took place several generations ago. In addition, a number of the Discworld books feature Constable Visit, an Omnian-turned-policeman; if the events of Small Gods had happened in a similar timeframe to the other Discworld books, Constable Visit's presence would have been dubious. Some believe that as Small Gods features some philosophers that also feature in the book Pyramids, and Pyramids features the same head-of-the-assassins-guild as Men At Arms, this means that it does indeed feature in the same time frame as some of the other books. However, it is also stated in Thief of Time that Epheban philosophers pass their names down through the generations.
[edit] Adaptation
In 2006 the book was adapted as a serial on BBC Radio 4. [1]
[edit] Translations
- Малки богове (Bulgarian)
- Malí bohové (Czech)
- Kleingoderij (Dutch)
- Väikesed jumalad (Estonian)
- Pienet jumalat (Finnish)
- Les Petits Dieux (French)
- Einfach göttlich (German)
- Kisistenek (Hungarian)
- Små guder (Norwegian)
- Pomniejsze bóstwa (Polish)
- Мелкие боги (Russian)
- Mali Bogovi (Serbian)
- Dioses menores (Spanish)
- Små gudar (Swedish)
[edit] External links
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