It’s turtle time with Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.
This Discworld book is a great and funny commentary on the nature of religion, and how easily it can be abused and used to control people.
It also teaches you a lot about tortoises.
Most of all, I really loved the main villain, Vorbis. He’s a fascinating and utterly horrifying character.
And I love it even more that he gets killed by getting hit in the head by a falling tortoise…
And it came to pass that in that time the Great God Om spake unto Brutha, the Chosen One: ‘Psst!’
Small Gods
by Terry Pratchett
‘Just because you can’t explain it, doesn’t mean it’s a miracle.’
In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was: ‘Hey, you!’ This is the Discworld, after all, and religion is a controversial business.
Everyone has their own opinion, and indeed their own gods, of every shape and size, and all elbowing for space at the top. In such a competitive environment, shape and size can be pretty crucial to make one’s presence felt.
So it’s certainly not helpful to be reduced to appearing in the form of a tortoise, a manifestation far below god-like status in anyone’s book.
In such instances, you need an acolyte, and fast: for the Great God Om, Brutha the novice is the Chosen One – or at least the only One available. He wants peace and justice and brotherly love. He also wants the Inquisition to stop torturing him now, please . . .
