Small Gods is a great read to lose yourself in the fantasy stories of disc world. Brutha is a funny character with a good heart living in a city controlled by the Church and the horrible Vorbis. Along comes his one and only God in the form of a turtle... It’s a great book to lose yourself in and just enjoy the story and funny one liners. It’s not my favourite disc world novel but it’s right up there.

First things first. If you are new to Pratchett’s writing and that ‘Book 13’ is a problem for you – please feel free to completely ignore it. While Small Gods is set on the Discworld, because the desert location is a long way from Ankh-Morpok, or Lancre where most of the main characters get caught up in adventures, this is essentially a standalone. This is the book where Pratchett tackles religion and the nature of faith. I suspect that’s why he set it away from the more well-trodden parts of the Discworld and provides us with a completely new cast of characters. The protagonist is endearing Brutha, a novice who is cursed with an infallible memory and is in the lower echelons of a highly aggressive sect that worships the great god Om. Om had decided to make one of his regular transformations – but instead of becoming a huge, powerful ox with steel hooves designed to trample unbelievers into the earth, something went wrong. And three years later he surfaces to discover he’d turned into a tortoise, instead. And he has only one steadfast believer, who is Brutha, a humble novice who works in the garden. Harried by an eagle, he manages to make telepathic contact with Brutha, who protects him. The first thing that struck me about the book is that although there is a strong, pacy storyline featuring Brutha and the machinations of Vorbis, the ideas around the nature of faith and religion are just as important. It’s no accident that Om spends a fair amount of time trying to get away from an eagle, as the tale of the eagle and the tortoise is one of those foundation fable/myth stories that pops up all over the world and has been around for hundreds of years. Interestingly, the outcome of the classic story varies. Sometimes the tortoise gets eaten by the evil eagle who tricks him, other versions have the tortoise as the discontented grumpy one who insists on being taken up to see the world. Holding onto a stick with his mouth as he soars through the air, he then lets go to moan about something and falls to his death. Pratchett doesn’t go into all these variations – but I love the fact that he chose such a multi-faceted myth as a main reference point. The other aspect that stood out for me is the violence. I hadn’t remembered just how savage it is – though it makes sense when considering the bloody history of many of the main religions. What I’d loved the first time and also impressed me all over again, is how effectively Pratchett disguises his own views on a really tricky topic. While he clearly dislikes the heavy-handed violence of the Omnians, he also makes some hefty arguments about the need for humanity to have something bigger and better to aspire to. In typical Pratchett fashion, he turns the issue on its head and focuses on the responsibilities that gods have towards their believers. It’s a clever book with lots of apt, witty observations on the nature of faith, including philosophy and the love of knowledge. Any niggles? I got a bit fed up with the desert version of Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibber, who sells dodgy stuff on sticks at any large religious gathering. The gags were funny the first time, but didn’t really bear the repetitions. And my arc copy didn’t have any hyperlinks to the enjoyable and very funny footnotes, though I’m assuming the published ebook has these in place. Nonetheless, once more I was impressed at the quality of the satire throughout – and moved at the merciful act at the very end. If you have ever wondered about some of the big questions around our existence, reading Pratchett’s take will provide some thought-provoking insights as well as an entertaining story. Highly recommended. While I obtained an arc of Small Gods from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own. 10/10

Om was a powerful and revered God, he had many thousands of followers, they say he took the form of a mighty bull to stomp on the sinners, or sometimes a magnificent swan because....well swans are pretty impressive. So how come he's now found himself hunted by eagles and sprawled on his back in a lettuce patch in the form of a tortoise? Oh, and it seems that his believers have dwindled a bit....well....a lot...he has one. Brutha, a novice of the Citadel in Omnia. But sometimes all you need is one person to believe in you... It took a few chapters to really get into this one, but Pratchett knows how to expertly capture the hearts of his readers with his literary wit! The second in The Gods Collection is full of hilarious mishaps, grumpy reptiles, philosophers in bath towels, desert journeys and "fundamental truths".

This book is good it is about gods another in now and then the Grim Reaper will appear in to the story I gave it four stars because it didn’t greet me straight away !

I came to the discworld series through my brother who recommended it after reading the first four books. When I read the colour of magic book 5 had just been released. I loved the books when I read them. Over the coming years I read each book and enjoyed them but unfortunately I started to waver with pratchett's writing. The books at first and for some time after, were very good stories and very funny. But I started to find that they became either a brilliant story but not funny or extremely funny with a weak plot. So after book 25, the truth I stopped reading pratchett. I do have very fond memories of the books though. None were terrible, most were brilliant I just fell out with them. The discworld series is packed with invention and humour. Characters leap off the page from rincewind, to the guards of Ankh-morpork, the witches to death, who is my absolute favourite character. The rating will give my feelings for each book. I still recommend pratchett to others despite my stopping reading him. The books are good and one day I may consider returning to them, time and money permitting.