The powerful cult of the Great God Om rules an extensive theocratic empire, and rigidly enforces its every tenet and ritual in minute detail. The only problem? Nobody really believes in Om Himself any more, only in the rituals and rules of His cult. And since gods draw their power from the worship of their followers, Om now finds himself powerless and trapped in the form of a small turtle. The lowly acolyte Buthra, Om's last true believer, is the arrogant former deity's last hope.

Small Gods stands somewhat apart from Pratchett's well-known Discworld series. Not only is it noticeably divorced from the series' usual settings and characters, it is also one of his more "meaningful" works.
The author himself once joked that he has been "accused of writing literature" and he has put enough thought into this novel to put some real credence to that accusation.
Pratchett also manages to handle a "dicey" subject like religion without merely lambasting either believers or non-believers. He just points out all the absurdities he sees with both viewpoints and allows the reader draw her or his own conclusions about them, as well as laugh at them.

Despite all that this book is also every bit as hilarious as any of his other Discworld novels. The word jokes, absurd situations ans clever witticisms are all still there, as are the type of original and likeable characters that are another staple of this series. Except that in this book, more so then before, the humour also works to further highlight the ideas the writer is trying to express.

If I had to pick one single Discworld book that shows this writer at his very best, it might very well be this one.
Pratchett's often somewhat meandering writing style and absurd, dry sense of humour will not appeal to everyone, however. But if that's your favourite style of humour, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy this novel.