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tarawe's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great set of books to have been put together. If you haven't read any Terry Pratchett it's a pretty good starter book if you like the themes of gods. I'm really happy to have picked this up even if I own all the books in standalone form as well.
frasersimons's review against another edition
3.0
Pyramids was fun, but also, imo, pretty problematic at points. There’s some historical stuff that, wether purposeful or otherwise, is outright disrespectful and punching down, and the Greek/Egyptian bits being conflated for laughs is more-or-less exactly what people cite in cultural appropriation these days. The themes regarding tradition and blind adherence to it is pretty well fleshed out though. And the riddle of the sphinx did make me laugh out loud (though, again, it’d not have spoken unless Greek, right, so kind of odd), and finally—the challenge for becoming an assassin was well handled and probably the funnest sequence.
Small Gods was a stand out for me. I think it’s my favourite, beating out Going Postal. The interrogation of atheism and organized religion feels insightful and respectful of both sides, while also being critical of both viewpoints. It’s honestly a masterful straddling of lines. While the plot isn’t as fun as Pyramids it made me think a lot about certain things and I doubt I’ll forget it. Also, the librarians zipping into your save books at a certain crucial moment and the way the conflict at the end is resolved is just great.
Hogsfather is relegated to a fun romp. The end did come together far more than expected, but the puns and tone and jokes and what not left me a bit cold, especially after Small Gods. The idea that believing in something makes us human and is the cog in our ability to continue on is a good one, but the actual plot, which involves an assassin taking out Father Christmas and what not, should have been a lot cooler than it was. I think it was just a bit too silly for me, whereas the other books walk a line with it.
I can see why these books are grouped together like this. All are about belief in gods, the relationship being far more complex than most tend to perceive it as. It’s like the silly, fun, wildly fantastical version of American Gods at times.
Small Gods was a stand out for me. I think it’s my favourite, beating out Going Postal. The interrogation of atheism and organized religion feels insightful and respectful of both sides, while also being critical of both viewpoints. It’s honestly a masterful straddling of lines. While the plot isn’t as fun as Pyramids it made me think a lot about certain things and I doubt I’ll forget it. Also, the librarians zipping into your save books at a certain crucial moment and the way the conflict at the end is resolved is just great.
Hogsfather is relegated to a fun romp. The end did come together far more than expected, but the puns and tone and jokes and what not left me a bit cold, especially after Small Gods. The idea that believing in something makes us human and is the cog in our ability to continue on is a good one, but the actual plot, which involves an assassin taking out Father Christmas and what not, should have been a lot cooler than it was. I think it was just a bit too silly for me, whereas the other books walk a line with it.
I can see why these books are grouped together like this. All are about belief in gods, the relationship being far more complex than most tend to perceive it as. It’s like the silly, fun, wildly fantastical version of American Gods at times.
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