Write Out Loud (Reviews and Writing)

“Pratchett has the ability, second to none, of bringing us characters who will become our friends.”

It is always a delight to read one of Pratchett’s Discworld novels. It is a forever mystery to me how he managed to write so many (uncharitably, you could say ‘churned out’ so many) and yet make every single one different and delightful.

He has, of course, invented an entire world – flat though it is – so there’s lots of different cultures, characters and storylines he can explore. Still, how Pratchett avoids becoming stale in both humour and plot is a wonder.

This particular story is set in Omnia, a place devoted to the worship of the ‘Great God’ Om who has, unfortunately, found himself stuck as a very real turtle due to the lack of belief in him (making him a ‘small god’). No one really believes in Om it seems, despite the strict religious rules, painfully inflicted by Vorbis – the Grand ‘Quisitor’. The only one who can hear Om speaking is Brutha, a simple, uneducated novice who is generally considered a no-hoper in the temple grounds, even though he remembers everything – literally. Brutha doesn’t know if the turtle is a demon or if he is going mad; but he is stuck with Om and finds that, if this really is the god he supposed to be worshipping, he’s far from the god he’s been taught about.

Of course, as with all Discworld novels, this is an excursion into some aspect of our very real world. In this case, organised religion both of the past and the present. While Pratchett does ridicule and criticise religion, he does so remarkably without offence. He is careful to mock the ‘manmade’ institutions and the crimes which have come from them – something that most reasonably-minded believers, as well as non-believers, would nod approval at. There is atheism – but in the face of a world where gods are very real indeed. This makes for a fascinating play with the meaning, purpose and even benefits of belief. There’s no black and white, simplistic thinking here. Where you expect Pratchett to turn, he twists instead – and vice versa. His books always get you thinking.

All of this is done with the author’s classic ability to conjure characters we can see, hear, taste and feel. Some of the old favourites return in bit parts – most notably DEATH who is always a joy to meet in this universe. But the characters of Brutha and Om are allowed to grow and develop as the story progresses. I liked them both. When the book ended, I was sad to see them go. Pratchett has the ability, second to none, of bringing us characters who will become our friends.

While there are many amazing novels out there, some much deeper than Discworld stories, some possibly even funnier, if you put me on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs and asked which book I would like to take with me, I would cheat and answer ‘The entire collected works of Terry Pratchett’. There are so many books I think I will see my own life out before I get through them all (I am a terribly slow reader for a writer and reviewer!) and many of them are very much worth reading again. I suspect I shall come to ‘Small Gods’ again one day. Unlike Brutha, I DO forget things – with increasing ease – so I shall allow a little time for this story to feel fresh again before I read it. But I miss Brutha, Om and all the other characters (even the evil Vorbis!) even now and hope I won’t wait too long before I enjoy their company a second time.

My Verdict:

Social Entrepreneur, educationalist, bestselling author and journalist, D K Powell is the author of the bestselling collection of literary short stories “The Old Man on the Beach“. His first book, ‘Sonali’ is a photo-memoir journal of life in Bangladesh and has been highly praised by the Bangladeshi diaspora worldwide. Students learning the Bengali language have also valued the English/Bengali translations on every page. His third book is ‘Try not to Laugh’ and is a guide to memorising, revising and passing exams for students.

Both ‘The Old Man on the Beach’ and ‘Sonali’ are available on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Published by Shopno Sriti Media. The novel,’The Pukur’, was published by Histria Books in 2022.

D K Powell is available to speak at events (see his TEDx talk here) and can be contacted at dkpowell.contact@gmail.com. Alternatively, he is available for one-to-one mentoring and runs a course on the psychology of writing. Listen to his life story in interview with the BBC here.

Ken writes for a number of publications around the world. Past reviewer for Paste magazine, The Doughnut, E2D and United Airways and Lancashire Life magazine. Currently reviews for Northern Arts Review. His reviews have been read more than 7.9 million times.

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