Small Gods
Terry Pratchett is one of those big names in sci-fi/fantasy books even before he passed away this year. For all that, I'm not actually sure I'd read any of his work. Certainly the Discworld series never really caught my eye. But thanks to a recent article, I finally looked through the list and picked one to try out, anyway.
I'm not exactly won over wholeheartedly and singing his praises as an author, but I enjoyed Small Gods. It had sort of an "old school" fantasy feel and went much more quickly than a lot of fantasy novels out these days. It's a close look at theism in a world where gods are real and their power tied to the belief of followers (and how -followers- may or may not -believe-). It would be easy enough to take that story and turn a critical eye to religious institutions in the real world and ask how much of them is rote, structure, and culture versus actual faith in the divine.
I'm not exactly won over wholeheartedly and singing his praises as an author, but I enjoyed Small Gods. It had sort of an "old school" fantasy feel and went much more quickly than a lot of fantasy novels out these days. It's a close look at theism in a world where gods are real and their power tied to the belief of followers (and how -followers- may or may not -believe-). It would be easy enough to take that story and turn a critical eye to religious institutions in the real world and ask how much of them is rote, structure, and culture versus actual faith in the divine.