Small Gods
core novel 1992 Discworld
Record
| First published | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.32 (137,454 ratings, collected 2026-09-11) |
| Page count | 389 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780575052222 |
Synopsis
The god Om finds himself trapped in the body of an ordinary tortoise, able to make himself understood only to Brutha, a sincere, illiterate young novice of the Omnian religion who happens to possess a perfect memory. As Om struggles to convince Brutha that he really is divine, Brutha is chosen by Vorbis, the ruthless head of the Omnian church's feared inquisitorial arm, to join him on a diplomatic mission to the free-thinking city of Ephebe. There Brutha is exposed for the first time to philosophers who entertain and argue over ideas without needing to be certain of them, a way of thinking utterly unlike the rigid faith he was raised in. As their journey continues, Om comes to realize that Brutha may be his last true believer, while Vorbis quietly manipulates events toward a pretext for religious war against Ephebe.
Where it sits
- Universe: Discworld
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Terry Pratchett
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within Discworld (standalone work): position 13 of 56: previous Witches Abroad (1991) · next Lords and Ladies (1992)
Sources
← Discworld dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.