As Chomsky said, “If you assume there is no hope, you guarantee there will be no hope”. What good is that? Why sap our hope when we need hope most? I genuinely think such stories are harmful. The stories that DO address the defining issue of our time, are nearly all set AFTER the climate collapse, AFTER mass extinctions, after societal meltdown: they are dystopias where innocent citizens flounder in the aftermath created by the inaction of our present generation. And in these apocalyptic times, what stories do our novelists and film-makers tell us? All their heroes run scared from the monster of climate breakdown, to fight imaginary villains and computer-generated aliens. The largest and most careful collection of scientists ever assembled tells us we are lemmings stampeding towards a cliff. There is a real need for a hopeful novel about the climate crisis.

Most of the following text is also available as a video explanation here:

We plan a paperback, whether Geoff finds a publisher or not.

Some elements of the Discworld universe may reflect this. The first book in the Discworld series – The Colour of Magic – was published in 1983. You can listen to the Discworld novels in any order, but Small Gods is a standalone. He wants peace, justice and love – but that’s hard to achieve in a world where religion means power, and corruption reigns supreme…. Enter Brutha, the Chosen One – or at least the only One available. In such instances, you need an acolyte, and fast. So when the great god Om accidentally manifests himself as a lowly tortoise, stripped of all divine power, it’s clear he’s become less important than he realised. Everyone has their own opinion and their own gods, of every shape and size – all fighting for faith, followers, and a place at the top.

Religion is a competitive business in the Discworld. They might say something different another time.’ ‘You should do things because they’re right. Featuring a new theme tune composed by James Hannigan. The audiobook of Small Gods is narrated by the BAFTA award-winning actor and director Andy Serkis ( The Lord of the Rings Planet of the Apes), BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning actor Bill Nighy ( Love Actually Pirates of the Caribbean Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) reads the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz ( Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Shaun of the Dead) stars as the voice of Death.

Download book small gods