Small Gods
by Terry Pratchett
★ Top 10 book of 1992 · #7 on Best Books of 1992
Brutha, a humble novice, discovers he is the Chosen One, though all he really hopes for is peace, justice and kindness. The Inquisition's habit of tormenting him is a rather unwelcome complication.
Best for: Readers who like comic fantasy with a satirical edge on religion
Small Gods is #7 on BookWard's Best Books of 1992, out of 43 1992 books that cleared our data bar.
What Small Gods is about
Brutha is a novice in the church of Omnia, a young man with a perfect memory who can't read and has never needed to think for himself. Then the great god Om speaks to him, and only him. Om, who meant to appear in glory, has landed in the body of a tortoise, with little left of his power beyond the ability to singe an eyebrow with a tiny thunderbolt.
When the church's feared inquisitor, Vorbis, takes Brutha along on a diplomatic mission to Ephebe, the novice meets philosophers who ask questions he has never been allowed to ask. Om, meanwhile, discovers that Brutha may be his only true believer. Pratchett's thirteenth Discworld novel looks at faith, dogma, and the use of religion as a tool of power, with plenty of wit and a good deal of warmth for the people caught in the middle.
Small Gods on the Best Books of 1992
Small Gods came out in 1992. Of the 43 books first published in 1992 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #7 on our Best Books of 1992 list.
Why it made the list: 326 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (75 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Reader favorite.
Nearby on the 1992 list
- The Shadow Rising Robert Jordan, #5
- The Artist's Way Julia Cameron, #6
- Your Money or Your Life Vicki Robin, #8
- Gerald's Game Stephen King, #9
See all Best Books of 1992 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1991 Best Books of 1993.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 197 want to read it, 7 are reading it now and 122 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.3 out of 5 from 75 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 81 | 55% |
| Reader love | 95 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 30 | 20% |
Questions about Small Gods
When was Small Gods published?
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett was first published in 1992.
Was Small Gods one of the best books of 1992?
Small Gods is #7 on BookWard's Best Books of 1992, out of 43 1992 books that cleared our data bar. 326 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (75 ratings).
Why is Small Gods on the Best Books of 1992 list?
326 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (75 ratings).
More of the best books of 1992
- Welcome to Dead House Robert Lawrence Stine, #1
- The Secret History Donna Tartt, #2
- The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes Bill Watterson, #3
- Snow Crash Neal Stephenson, #4
- The Shadow Rising Robert Jordan, #5
- The Artist's Way Julia Cameron, #6
See the full Best Books of 1992, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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