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Little Gods
Tim Pratt's debut collection brings together fifteen stories, including the Nebula-nominated 'Little Gods' and a previously unpublished novelette, 'Pale Dog'. Within these pages you will encounter a train to the underworld, a feral bicycle, a thief with peculiar eating habits, an amnesiac superhero, a haunted zoot suit, star-crossed monsters, fallen angels on vacation and other wonders.
From fast-paced sorcerer-punk to weird Westerns, from the loss of childhood innocence to the heat death of the universe, these stories will delight, surprise and move you.
From fast-paced sorcerer-punk to weird Westerns, from the loss of childhood innocence to the heat death of the universe, these stories will delight, surprise and move you.
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 21, 2020
I haven't seen the collection, but the title short is really good. A man's wife is killed in a burglary gone bad. His grieving is assisted by the Goddess of Grief, and her small assistants. Nicely done. Earned a Nebula nomination in 2003, his first major award nomination, I think. Here's the story link: http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/li... Recommended: 3.5 stars.
Part of my ongoing Tim Pratt catchup effort. Links to his stories online:
http://www.timpratt.org/?page_id=10
And/or
https://www.freesfonline.net/Search.html
Part of my ongoing Tim Pratt catchup effort. Links to his stories online:
http://www.timpratt.org/?page_id=10
And/or
https://www.freesfonline.net/Search.html
January 7, 2015
Bigger gods do show up here—Lucifer, Odin, Aphrodite... high-profile, celebrity deities like that—but most of Tim Pratt's 2006 collection Little Gods is concerned with just that: little gods, specialists and niche performers, who may be powerful enough in their spheres of influence, but those spheres' radii are often rather confined.
The King of Grief puts in a memorable appearance in the title story, which was nominated for a Nebula Award, once upon a time. In "Bleeding West," the Spirit of that place holds sway. In the science-fiction tale (yes, it is) "The Scent of Copper Pennies," Merrilee says, "There's a voodoo god, the god of the crossroads. He smells of copper pennies and... and motor oil, I think. He's a god of choices made, and choices missed. Every moment could be anything... even your last one." (p.72)
There are fifteen tales of little gods and bigger monsters (Behemoth and Leviathan meet, not so cutely, in "Behemoth," for example) in Little Gods, and they're all worth reading. Pratt's stories mingle the fantastic and the prosaic, adeptly, reminding me of a Kij Johnson or another Tim, Tim Powers (when Powers is working at shorter lengths). Tim Pratt is not quite as prolific as some, perhaps, but everything I've seen from him so far (see also Hart & Boot and Other Stories, a later collection I read in 2009, and the zany Western-tinged novel The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl) has been really fun to read.
The King of Grief puts in a memorable appearance in the title story, which was nominated for a Nebula Award, once upon a time. In "Bleeding West," the Spirit of that place holds sway. In the science-fiction tale (yes, it is) "The Scent of Copper Pennies," Merrilee says, "There's a voodoo god, the god of the crossroads. He smells of copper pennies and... and motor oil, I think. He's a god of choices made, and choices missed. Every moment could be anything... even your last one." (p.72)
There are fifteen tales of little gods and bigger monsters (Behemoth and Leviathan meet, not so cutely, in "Behemoth," for example) in Little Gods, and they're all worth reading. Pratt's stories mingle the fantastic and the prosaic, adeptly, reminding me of a Kij Johnson or another Tim, Tim Powers (when Powers is working at shorter lengths). Tim Pratt is not quite as prolific as some, perhaps, but everything I've seen from him so far (see also Hart & Boot and Other Stories, a later collection I read in 2009, and the zany Western-tinged novel The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl) has been really fun to read.
October 1, 2016
En 2002 Pratt escribió Little Gods, una estremecedora historia de pérdida y realismo mágico que me afectó profundamente. Fue el primer relato que escuché y, aunque la calidad es altísima (tanto en la narración como en el texto), fue un comienzo un tanto triste.
Lee el resto de la entrada sobre la obra corta de Tim Pratt en:
http://sentidodelamaravilla.blogspot....
Lee el resto de la entrada sobre la obra corta de Tim Pratt en:
http://sentidodelamaravilla.blogspot....
December 23, 2017
Sobrecogedor. Esperanzador. Triste y alegre. Un viaje emocional en 10 páginas.
January 2, 2010
The title story is absolutely fantastic, a wonderfully cathartic treatment of grief over the death of a spouse. The subject of the various stories has to do with the fantastic and supernatural. You can actually read the title story here: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/2...
November 14, 2025
Would be five star
For contents are great stories. Unfortunately the book has no normal navigation, no Chapter menu, no Contents page, no Font formatting on the chapter titles to separate one story from the next. The two links I saw were empty text.
Contents:
• Little Gods • Interesting story of loss and personal rebirth.
• The Fallen and the Muse of the Street • Great modern urban magic story of two fallen angels vacationing in New Orleans & their comeuppance
• The Witch's Bicycle • very inventive story of Boy, Girl & the Rival
• Annabelle's Alphabet • Very short Alphabet story of a trapped fae
• The Scent of Copper Pennies • an story of alternate worlds, love, & loss
• The God of the Crossroads • amusing short short conversation with a god
• Fable from a Cage • Very nice Adult Fable of an entrapped Fae on a quest for a wronged Faery Queen, and the Thief she enlists and tries to reward
• The Bleeding West • most unique story of the Spirit of the Old West and a new gunfighter.
• Behemoth • strange Revised Story of the biblical Leviathan & Behemoth
• Bone Sigh • Bizarre Horror story of a man who sees the face of God in scarification
• Daughter and Moon • Fantastic short short of a daughter's playdate with the Moon
• Captain Fantasy and the Secret Masters • Grungy tale of WWII Superhero fight for the world
• Entropy's Paintbrush • very nice story of the Universe's greatest artist, who must paint portraits for a succession of Angels & Gods beginning with Lucifer, with a brilliant ending
• My Night with Aphrodite • Crass lampooning of typical Man
• Unfairy Tale • Inventive take on the trope of stealing the Beauty by the Tuatha Dé Danann, and the challenges to the Hero to reclaim her
• Down with the Lizards and the Bees • Completely cool urban fantasy modern retake of the tale of Orpheus... Much improved frm the original!
• Orpheus Among the Cabbages • Hilarious Spoof.
• Pale Dog • a Marla Mason novelette where she must deal with the wizard who keeps escaping her Doom, coincidentally explains the un-haunting of Rondeau's Zoot Suit.
• The Heart, a Chambered Nautilus • An excellent short short that defies description
For contents are great stories. Unfortunately the book has no normal navigation, no Chapter menu, no Contents page, no Font formatting on the chapter titles to separate one story from the next. The two links I saw were empty text.
Contents:
• Little Gods • Interesting story of loss and personal rebirth.
• The Fallen and the Muse of the Street • Great modern urban magic story of two fallen angels vacationing in New Orleans & their comeuppance
• The Witch's Bicycle • very inventive story of Boy, Girl & the Rival
• Annabelle's Alphabet • Very short Alphabet story of a trapped fae
• The Scent of Copper Pennies • an story of alternate worlds, love, & loss
• The God of the Crossroads • amusing short short conversation with a god
• Fable from a Cage • Very nice Adult Fable of an entrapped Fae on a quest for a wronged Faery Queen, and the Thief she enlists and tries to reward
• The Bleeding West • most unique story of the Spirit of the Old West and a new gunfighter.
• Behemoth • strange Revised Story of the biblical Leviathan & Behemoth
• Bone Sigh • Bizarre Horror story of a man who sees the face of God in scarification
• Daughter and Moon • Fantastic short short of a daughter's playdate with the Moon
• Captain Fantasy and the Secret Masters • Grungy tale of WWII Superhero fight for the world
• Entropy's Paintbrush • very nice story of the Universe's greatest artist, who must paint portraits for a succession of Angels & Gods beginning with Lucifer, with a brilliant ending
• My Night with Aphrodite • Crass lampooning of typical Man
• Unfairy Tale • Inventive take on the trope of stealing the Beauty by the Tuatha Dé Danann, and the challenges to the Hero to reclaim her
• Down with the Lizards and the Bees • Completely cool urban fantasy modern retake of the tale of Orpheus... Much improved frm the original!
• Orpheus Among the Cabbages • Hilarious Spoof.
• Pale Dog • a Marla Mason novelette where she must deal with the wizard who keeps escaping her Doom, coincidentally explains the un-haunting of Rondeau's Zoot Suit.
• The Heart, a Chambered Nautilus • An excellent short short that defies description
Read
April 17, 2023i just read the short story, not the book
strangehorizons.com/fiction/little-gods/
-A man's wife is killed in a burglary gone bad. His grieving is assisted by the Goddess of Grief, and her small assistants.
-a sad little story that made me cry, but made me smile too.
"A hundred other smells, too, all of them keying instantly to memories of my wife, all of them bringing up fragments of images and moments. Memories that a week ago would have been sweet now twist like corkscrews, jabbing like knives, reminding me of all I've lost. I go down on my knees, my eyes closed against that scented wind, my chest twisting and contracting as if there's some horrible crab behind my ribcage, writhing. I put my forehead on the cold linoleum and sob."
"It's not enough that my wife dies in a grocery store on a springtime afternoon; I have to lose my mind, too. But why do I need my mind, with my mind's closest best companion gone?"
strangehorizons.com/fiction/little-gods/
-A man's wife is killed in a burglary gone bad. His grieving is assisted by the Goddess of Grief, and her small assistants.
-a sad little story that made me cry, but made me smile too.
"A hundred other smells, too, all of them keying instantly to memories of my wife, all of them bringing up fragments of images and moments. Memories that a week ago would have been sweet now twist like corkscrews, jabbing like knives, reminding me of all I've lost. I go down on my knees, my eyes closed against that scented wind, my chest twisting and contracting as if there's some horrible crab behind my ribcage, writhing. I put my forehead on the cold linoleum and sob."
"It's not enough that my wife dies in a grocery store on a springtime afternoon; I have to lose my mind, too. But why do I need my mind, with my mind's closest best companion gone?"
December 31, 2019
Charming and unique collection of short stories.
March 2, 2010
A bit hit or miss. The title story was wonderful, and I enjoyed most of the rest. There were a few, however, that were a bit weak.
One thing that I noticed is that there were a couple of similar stories grouped together. Since my version is an ebook and rather badly formatted with little distinction between stories, there was a couple of times I got confused assuming that 2 stories were different parts of the same one.
I think the order of the stories being a bit different might have helped a lot to provide better distinction between the different ideas.
One thing that I noticed is that there were a couple of similar stories grouped together. Since my version is an ebook and rather badly formatted with little distinction between stories, there was a couple of times I got confused assuming that 2 stories were different parts of the same one.
I think the order of the stories being a bit different might have helped a lot to provide better distinction between the different ideas.
May 19, 2012
It's easy to see why Neil Gaiman (who wrote the preface) likes this book. A loosely connected set of short stories reminiscent of Gaiman's American Gods and Terry Pratchett's Small Gods, Little Gods (noting a trend in the titling here?) dips into a wide range of mythologies ranging from Greek, vodun, Arabic and Norse to contemporary "myths" like those of the West and Golden Age comics. Some of the stories are clever and insightful, some feel like throw-aways. Not a bad book--relaxing in a mildly challenging way--but if you haven't read Gaiman or Pratchett, start there.
March 25, 2012
This was a great book. I really love books that have to do with gods and their interactions with humans. I don't know why, I just always have.
This was a wonderful book that helps explain why humans love gods so much, why we can sometimes quite literally go insane for them. Why we so strongly believe in them at times, but at others we spit on anyone who is stupid enough to believe in them.
If you're a fan of books that have to do with gods, then I suggest you check this out.
This was a wonderful book that helps explain why humans love gods so much, why we can sometimes quite literally go insane for them. Why we so strongly believe in them at times, but at others we spit on anyone who is stupid enough to believe in them.
If you're a fan of books that have to do with gods, then I suggest you check this out.
January 6, 2013
One of the first books in a long time that completely drew me in. The stories have interesting characters and concepts (and worlds), many I could envision a whole novel written about. The writing style seems a little heavy-handed, maybe, and is why I didn't give 5 stars - though this did not stop me from finding and devouring Tim Pratt's other short story collection.
April 14, 2010
Very enjoyable. Will definitely look for more from him.
July 24, 2012
An absolute must read and an exciting look at Pratt's writing.
August 10, 2016
Read it you won't be sorry
It will make you smile, laugh, and rip your heart out.
Great for Gaiman fans, you can tell he is one of us
It will make you smile, laugh, and rip your heart out.
Great for Gaiman fans, you can tell he is one of us
February 2, 2010
Amazing and so much fun. I want to explore his worlds!
January 16, 2016
Good stuff.
October 6, 2017
A loving husband lost his wife, his lovely wife who believes in little gods and his embodiment of joys. After the death of his wife, he began to gain vision on these gods... and they helped him through his grief.
"..... better an insane world with Emily alive than a sane world without her."
Losing someone you loved can be really hard, it will always be hard for everyone. This story teach us to understand the grieving process and there is nothing wrong to grief.
"..... better an insane world with Emily alive than a sane world without her."
Losing someone you loved can be really hard, it will always be hard for everyone. This story teach us to understand the grieving process and there is nothing wrong to grief.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews