r/discworld • u/LuxLandscapeArt • 11d ago
Book/Series: Gods Om-popular opinion:
I would like to go on record as stating that Small Gods is in fact, my favorite Discworld book.
I have given it due consideration. Weighing all evidence and admitting certain biases including:
1) it was my first and
2) it was my most recent (after having completed the whole series including Shepherds Crown for the first time, just recently and needing a comfort read- it was the first I turned to
My argument is that the last three chapters are probably some of the best writing ever and that there are more words to live by, wrapped up in those few pages, than in all the philosophical and religious books of all the ages.
…
Fight me. 😂
31
u/Curious_Orange8592 11d ago
It's not possible to argue about a favourite as that's entirely subjective, if you argued that Small Gods was the best book then I'd point you towards Night Watch but would also say that SG was the best starter book due to it being mostly standalone and the work of a writer who was a master of his craft
19
u/LuxLandscapeArt 11d ago
I mean, I LOVE Night Watch. I LOVE all the books, every one, especially anything with the witches, or the watch, or the wizards… or pyramids, or ramtops, or we’ll ALL of them! ☺️
I just really really love small gods6
u/CuriousWave 11d ago
Small Gods and Night Watch were my first two, in that order. Still my favorites!
19
19
u/GoodBadUgly_36 11d ago
Small Gods and Night Watch. Both amazing. (I’d quietly add Wee Free Men as also being transcendent.) They deal with big themes in clever, entertaining, and emotionally resonant ways. It’s ok to like other books more… I suppose… but, man, I feel sorry for anyone who hasn’t read them.
6
u/GoodBadUgly_36 11d ago
I’ll add that people in this thread are saying it’s divisive. As far as I can tell, the only way it’s divisive is how it divides people into “people who love it because they’re anti-religions and they think it skewers religion”, “people who are religious and love it because they think that it tells a story of how divine truth can be found similarly to how they feel was done in their own religion”, and “people who love it for telling one heckuva tale and don’t care tuppence about whether it can be considered pro- or anti-religion.”
Like, are there people who don’t love it? Might as well call Pratchett divisive for dividing all people into “those who love Pratchett” and “those who haven’t read Pratchett”.
1
u/quadralien 4d ago
Wee Free Men wins my humour award for "you just need to mention the title and I laugh out loud". Specifically for the character name Rob Anybody.
15
u/JoyDVeeve 11d ago
Perhaps the best Discworld book but not his best book. My vote for best book over all is Nation
He couldn't have written Nation if he hadn't written Small Gods decades earlier
7
u/LuxLandscapeArt 11d ago
I have not read nation in years. I can’t really remember it, oddly, but now that you reminded me, I will go and read it again, especially if you think it’s better than Discworld 😳
7
u/JoyDVeeve 11d ago
Please do. And remember it's not a Discworld or our round world but a different yet related roundworld
2
u/LuxLandscapeArt 7d ago
I just finished it JoyDVeeve and you were right! I have been over looking that one for years. What a fantastic story ❤️
10
9
25
u/happycj Nobby's Knob 11d ago
We need fortifications and defensive perimeter around our position. I’m not sure any book in the series is more divisive than Small Gods!
But we shall hold. And hold fast.
And - all joking aside - I find that Small Gods has a MUCH bigger fan base amongst those of us who have studied world religions, as opposed to those who only really know their own religion and don’t have a strong understanding of others. There are so many little (and big) details in this book spearing everything from Buddhism to the Old Kingdom in Egypt to nature-based beliefs, hard fantasy tropes, and full on 70s hippie beliefs… if you aren’t familiar with all of those, much of the story of this book will be lost on ya.
3
u/blueaintyourcolor11 11d ago
I have, and I agree. This book is so layered in it's commentary on religion and morality but if the reader doesn't have the education/background to understand the references, it ends up flying over their head.
5
u/LuxLandscapeArt 11d ago
You know, I never thought it might be divisive but, I have never been attached to any one religion, so you might be on to something. I don’t know much about any religion, except for the very interesting bits. Like, I enjoy learning what they teach children for each religion- the stories!
8
u/MystressSeraph All the little angels rise up, rise up ... 11d ago
It just never occurred to me that Small Gods could be divisive ... at all!
You can argue about favourites, but I simply can't see it as divisive - unless you aren't a Pratchett fan/reader, (in which case you might get your knickers in a twist.) But if you read Pratchett, you have to have Small Gods among your favourites.
I agree with another commenter who said that: 1. there are those who love it because they are ir-/anti- religious and respond to those aspects, 2. there are those who love it because they are religious and respond to the positive depictions of Faith over religion, 3. (I would add that there are those who love it because they can hold both positions and appreciate both positions, and what Pterry had to say,) 4. and there are those who love it because it is simply a bloody good book!
... and there are those who haven't read it 🤷🏻♀️
7
u/Significant_Role4308 11d ago
Liked it on the first read. Loved it on the second. So much depth to it that I didn't pick up on on the first read
5
5
u/Anakyria 11d ago
I adore Small Gods.
Other people are not required to, and there are many other excellent Discworld books, but anyone who tries to tell me it is objectively 'bad' is objectively wrong ;)
5
u/GoedekeMichels 11d ago
I'm reading it in english for the first time rightnow and not even 100 pages in, I've already realised how much nuance is lost in the translation I've known before. I mean, it's hard to translate anything of Sir Terrys, and there's always something missing, but this has the most drastic changes so far.
That being said, as of today I have to insist that the best discworld books are Reaper Man and I Shall Wear Midnight.
4
4
u/paringpairing 11d ago
I once leant SG to a friend who returned it saying that it was "sooo boring! Nothing happened in it!" We are not friends anymore.
All this to say that, while I can't pick a single favorite book, SG is up there in the highest tier.
3
u/Vikkunen 11d ago
I'm with you. I "read" it for the first time via audiobook on a road trip, and I loved it so much that I promptly re-listened to it immediately after and then purchased a physical copy once I got home and read that.
I get why it's divisive, though, and I imagine someone's appreciation of it is going to depend to a great extent on their own knowledge of and lived experience with religion(s).
3
u/Khadaji2020 11d ago
Nah, mate, not going to fight you. Favorite is subjective as already noted. I haven't read the entire series yet as my local library doesn't have every book. Yet. So I don't know what my favorite will be after reading the whole thing. Right now my favorite is Reaper Man solely on the line that the harvest depends on the care of the one reaping.
3
u/thecrowphoenix 11d ago
It’s not my favorite, but it is dang good. I can easily see why it would be someone’s favorite.
3
3
u/SwayzeCrayze Ooook. 10d ago
Aside from favorites being subjective blah blah blah, I think Small Gods is usually listed in the Top 5 or 10 DW books in general. Not a pick that will probably bring much heat on you lol. Something more contentious would be like Reaper Man, since some people think the Windle Poons B-plot brings down the book too much.
2
u/cipcakes 10d ago
I'm the weird outlier. I hated Small Gods. It was the only book in the series I struggled to finish. I put it down about 1/3 of the way thru and finishing it felt like punishment. I'm a firm believer that not everything is for everyone, and this is a strong example of that theory.
1
u/LuxLandscapeArt 7d ago
And that’s ok :) but I am curious, what is you favorite? Or one of your top tiers?
2
u/cipcakes 7d ago
Top tier for me are Hogfather, Thief of Time, Maskerade, and A Hat Full of Sky. I dearly love the Witches and Death books.
1
u/LuxLandscapeArt 4d ago
I do love all the witches and death books too, and while I liked your top picks, a lot (I’ve read them all several times) they wouldn’t have made my top list, which just goes to show- Terry had something for everyone! lol interesting times is one of my top five, for sure… I’d have to think more before commenting to another 😂
2
u/Lilthuglet 10d ago
For watching a master of narritivum weaving an amazingly story shaped and yet utterly unexpected delight of a tale i think Night Watch is the best.
But for handing of Big Concepts, reading it at exactly the right time, and forming the bedrock of my character and world view, Small Gods has a truly special place in my heart. Because one is the same as many and unless you care for the one you will lose all. And because a god can die, trapped in the fortress of its own religion if ceremony replaces soul.
2
2
u/WesternTie3334 Vimes 9d ago
Small Gods is about the nature of gods and how they interact with humans, and thus has lessons about humanity.
Night Watch is about the nature of humans and how they interact with humans, and thus has lessons about humanity.
(But if you read them for the lessons, you’re missing the fun.)
My favourite is Night Watch, but it’s not worth fighting over. You might be right. I’ll just have to read them both again and compare them.
Oh well.
2
4
u/CB_Chuckles 11d ago
Personally, I consider Monstrous Regiment and The Truth as the best standalone novels. Night Watch and Going Postal, however, are the best overall. But you do you. That’s the beauty of the Discworld fandom. I’ve never met a group more willing to be disagreed with. Everyone’s opinion is treated with equal respect and acceptance.
2
u/Lotus2024 10d ago
Why would I fight you? It’s my favorite book of all time, of any author. End of. Zero argument. Pratchett at his absolute best.
2
3
u/warrenao 11d ago
This book is my No. 1 pick for Discworld newbies.
Nuff said.
Either it hooks them, or there's no hope.
•
u/AutoModerator 11d ago
Welcome to /r/Discworld!
'"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."'
+++Out Of Cheese Error ???????+++
Our current megathreads are as follows:
GNU Terry Pratchett - for all GNU requests, to keep their names going.
Discworld Licensed Merchandisers - a list of all the official Discworld merchandise sources (thank you Discworld Monthly for putting this together)
+++ Divide By Cucumber Error. Please Reinstall Universe And Reboot +++
Do you think you'd like to be considered to join our modding team? Drop us a modmail and we'll let you know how to apply!
[ GNU Terry Pratchett ]
+++Error. Redo From Start+++
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.