Small Gods

by Terry Pratchett

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 10/13/2008)

Amazon Reader Review of Small Gods:

Philosophers Have Right of Way, November 21, 2004
By Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
If there is truth to the old adage that humor is simply tragedy revisited, then Terry Pratchett's Small Gods may be the world's funniest books. Pratchett has revisited the whole bloody history of religion, philosophy, government, and science as they are put to use in the service of war, death, and destruction, and served them up as a feast of knowing smiles, wicked grins, meaningful chuckles, spontaneous laughter, and a couple of uncontrollable guffaws for desert. But be warned, if you don't find it palatable to mix a bit of thinking and contemplation with your laughter, you might want to pass on this one.
Pratchett may be a philosopher disguised as a fantasy novelist and humorist. He gives us characters that brilliantly capture the gamut of human endeavor, from the pure malice of Vorbis, the true believer inquisitor, to the equally pure humanity of Brutha, the peasant prophet of brotherly love. He shows a keen understanding of the entire muddle in between, where most of us dwell, as well. He dissects the nature of belief and the relationship that humans have to their gods and vice-a-versa. And he shows exactly why the best human instincts so rarely win out in the end and what could happen when they do. Along the way, he scatters a plethora of erudite and silly jokes like land mines. Dissertations could be written on this book, but that would miss the point.
Avoid this book if you are adverse to cleverness and hilarity. Otherwise, put your hands on a copy post haste and join the delighted initiates of Pratchett's marvelous and witty world.