I always throw out a little bit of a curveball on where to start with Discworld! I always say Going Postal because it's the most conventionally formed (it has chapters!), it follows a traditional hero's journey but you're following a scumbag, and it is so so funny! So glad you enjoyed Small Gods! Pratchett's biography that came out last year is also an absolute delight!
Going postal wouldn’t be a bad place to start, but I do feel like it’s around, or may be slightly past the climax of the overall Discworld narrative, to the extent that one exists. Pratchett spent so long, gradually building up these pieces of the world, and their institutions and technology, and then, towards the later end of his writing, all of that groundwork is paying off fast and furious. I am sure it would be an enjoyable place to start reading, but I feel like I appreciated it more for having read more of the books that did the building up first. I’m going to be boring and put forward the standard recommendation of “guards, guards“ as a good place to get into the meat of the series, or else, possibly the witches stories, which are a step removed from the major plots, but take their time developing their own characters in a really thoughtful and empathetic way that I found quite uplifting. Some of those books were written specifically as YA, which might be reflected in how they spend more time on characters, and less on politics, but in my mind there at the same level of quality.
I recommend starting Pterry in "Guards! Guards!" (book 7), and then in publication order from there. While each book is independent, there is a gradual building of small ideas and character growth from book to book. Starting with Small Gods the books just consistently start getting great with few exceptions until near the end, the last two or three books. The early books are also good but I recommend those last as more curiosities than anything, especially books 1 and 2 which are really only interesting for old farts like me who remember what fantasy was like in the early 80s and can appreciate parody of it. I'm a Pratchett completist and reread his entire catalogue every few years. It's an incredible body of work and very different from anything else I've ever read.
I started with Colour of Magic and *thoroughly* enjoyed it even without really any experience with 80s fantasy, so I’d still strongly recommend it and The Light Fantastic to anyone
Death features in every Discworld novel, and there's always a 'Cut Me Own Throat' Dibbler character. As an Australian, one of my favourites is The Last Continent, where Rincewind finds himself in the Outback. I was fortunate to have met Terry Pratchett once when he visited Australia. He was a quiet man, but he exuded warmth and charm. Over the years I've collected most, if not all the Discworld novels, and they will remain amongst my most precious books.
I've read (and re-read) the entire series, except for the Shepard's Crown (the last book). All i'll say is that the further along the series goes, the richer the world becomes (and some characters, concepts, and developments show up in the background or have supporting roles in later books) so it does provide some extra context to read them in release order. But it's rare for them to be so impactful that you really miss out on something. That said, I saw the advice of reading "moving pictures" before starting the Watch books elsewere in the comments, and i fully agree. I'd also say the same about reading the Watch books and "The Truth" before "Monsterous Regiment" (an otherwise stand alone book). Some world context adds to the already awesome experience, imho. Anyhow, by what ever order, enjoy the ride.
Omg so glad you checked it out and picked such a good place to start. (The writing gets better but small gods is almost there, and it’s a good relatively contained story that doesn’t require much background) You’ve got so much fresh material to enjoy now.
Regarding book order: I'm very glad I read Moving Pictures before Men at Arms or the later Watch novels. It's more impactful in that order. Won't say why though :)
I'm pretty sure the best character in the series is the city of Ankh-Morpork itself, so I'd suggest books that take place there. The City Watch is a solid route, but there's also The Truth (personal favorite at present) or Going Postal which are stand alone stories that wholely live in the city.
After you have read the books I recommend checking out the Annotated Pratchett File which points out and explains pretty much all the jokes/references that you might have missed. It's a great way to get more laughs out of each book.
I know most people recommend against reading them in release order because it took him a bit to really find his footing with the series, but I think once you’ve got your feet wet with one of the more standalone books it’s really satisfying to read them in order. My usual suggestion is to start with Small Gods, Equal Rites, or Pyramids, and then go in order, but don’t feel beholden to reading Colour of Magic or Light Fantastic. I like them both, but they’re definitely the weakest books in the whole series
All this talk of 'reading orders' for reading Discworld obscures an important point - you really might as well just start at the beginning and work your way through. This way you can track the development of the world from spoof fantasy silliness to, um, spoof steampunk slightly more profound silliness, in real time. People say that because they don't like Rincewind, or they don't like old school fantasy, and certainly at the initial stages the world feels a little underdeveloped and rough round the edges, but it also feels very satisfying watching it blossom, and familiarity with the earlier books will help you appreciate the later ones. Also the order they were written very consciously switches between the main groups of recurring characters, so you never get bored. The absolute worst thing you can do is follow the suggestion of various websites to 'read all the Watch books', then 'read all the Witches books'. It's much more interesting if you mix it up a bit.
Small God's is such a good Terry Pratchett book. Hog father has probably the most philosophical paragraph of any of the books. You'll know it when you read it.
I've read all of the Discworld books, and own copies of almost all of them. Depending on your preferences, you can either read them in publication order or skip around the different themes & subsets of recurring characters. Either way works. After you've read the books that have been adapted into movies, feel free to watch the movies, as well, even the animated ones. --Dan
Ive only read Mort, Equal Rights, and the Monsterous Regiment. All were great books and I would recommend them all but ive got a narrower view sense I havent read much.
I’ve read all his books. Every Discworld is a gem in its own right. However, the novel of his that will always hold the top spot for me is Nation (not a Discworld). I urge you to try it
Pterry got much more into the world building as he went on so much so that he sometimes felt constrained because setting books to certain locations pretty much dictated what the book should be for it to make sense. It's not the most extensive world building ever but Pterry basically took a world he created as a setting for somewhat generic fantasy parody and over the years made it complex and coherent.
Small Gods was my first foray into Discworld as well, I really loved it, especially considering I'm a religious person and I thought it took real talent to write a book that contains many anti-religion ideas yet does so with real tact, I found myself enjoying it and not feeling my faith being disparaged in any way, it's also very funny and creative! The downside to starting with small gods is others entries of the series failed to meet that high standard, I had to wade through a couple that felt mediocre before I found some hidden gems . I think I've read about 10 discworld books so far, small gods is still my favorite, followed by Night Watch and Mort.
I've heard a lot of both religious and non-religious people say they enjoyed this book, and I agree that that speaks so much to Pratchett's abilities as a writer.
In my experience, it's good not to try to read too many Discworld books too close together; I personally find them funnier if I leave some time in between them.
The Discworld is as if you took a bunch of myths, religious beliefs, incorrect theories, historical events, popular science, and parodies of such things, and then made a solid functioning world out of them. Basically if Pratchett felt like satirising something, he'd make a space for it on the Disc. The original idea was that it was a kind of theme park out in space. And there's nothing wrong with starting at the beginning as long as you keep in mind book 1 won't tell you anything about what the later books will be like. Starting at the beginning didn't put me off... almost, but not quite.
Wonderful book, my favorite. Sorry you missed the joke about Brutha's name. He's a monk. Brother Brutha. Pronounced bruh-thah, not broo-thah. Don't worry, it's not the last Discworld joke you'll miss. I find new ones constantly!
The height of meshing things together in this book, in my view, is that it imagines a war between democratic Athens and a theocracy that mixes the Islamic empires and the Vatican at the height of its power
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I always throw out a little bit of a curveball on where to start with Discworld! I always say Going Postal because it's the most conventionally formed (it has chapters!), it follows a traditional hero's journey but you're following a scumbag, and it is so so funny! So glad you enjoyed Small Gods! Pratchett's biography that came out last year is also an absolute delight!
That sounds great! I'll have to check that one out.
Going Postal is one of my favorites! I usually don't recommend it as a starting point for that reason because it sets a really high bar
Going postal wouldn’t be a bad place to start, but I do feel like it’s around, or may be slightly past the climax of the overall Discworld narrative, to the extent that one exists. Pratchett spent so long, gradually building up these pieces of the world, and their institutions and technology, and then, towards the later end of his writing, all of that groundwork is paying off fast and furious. I am sure it would be an enjoyable place to start reading, but I feel like I appreciated it more for having read more of the books that did the building up first.
I’m going to be boring and put forward the standard recommendation of “guards, guards“ as a good place to get into the meat of the series, or else, possibly the witches stories, which are a step removed from the major plots, but take their time developing their own characters in a really thoughtful and empathetic way that I found quite uplifting. Some of those books were written specifically as YA, which might be reflected in how they spend more time on characters, and less on politics, but in my mind there at the same level of quality.
If Death was a highlight for you, you're in for a treat; Death is in almost every Discworld book, I think all but one or two.
Yeah the only one I can think of is the wee free men
FYI, in British English, "Brutha" is basically the phonetic transcription of "brother", so the joke is that he's Brother Brother
I recommend starting Pterry in "Guards! Guards!" (book 7), and then in publication order from there. While each book is independent, there is a gradual building of small ideas and character growth from book to book. Starting with Small Gods the books just consistently start getting great with few exceptions until near the end, the last two or three books. The early books are also good but I recommend those last as more curiosities than anything, especially books 1 and 2 which are really only interesting for old farts like me who remember what fantasy was like in the early 80s and can appreciate parody of it. I'm a Pratchett completist and reread his entire catalogue every few years. It's an incredible body of work and very different from anything else I've ever read.
I started with Colour of Magic and *thoroughly* enjoyed it even without really any experience with 80s fantasy, so I’d still strongly recommend it and The Light Fantastic to anyone
Death features in every Discworld novel, and there's always a 'Cut Me Own Throat' Dibbler character. As an Australian, one of my favourites is The Last Continent, where Rincewind finds himself in the Outback. I was fortunate to have met Terry Pratchett once when he visited Australia. He was a quiet man, but he exuded warmth and charm. Over the years I've collected most, if not all the Discworld novels, and they will remain amongst my most precious books.
I've read (and re-read) the entire series, except for the Shepard's Crown (the last book).
All i'll say is that the further along the series goes, the richer the world becomes (and some characters, concepts, and developments show up in the background or have supporting roles in later books) so it does provide some extra context to read them in release order.
But it's rare for them to be so impactful that you really miss out on something.
That said, I saw the advice of reading "moving pictures" before starting the Watch books elsewere in the comments, and i fully agree. I'd also say the same about reading the Watch books and "The Truth" before "Monsterous Regiment" (an otherwise stand alone book). Some world context adds to the already awesome experience, imho.
Anyhow, by what ever order, enjoy the ride.
Thanks for the tips! The Watch books were some of the ones I was thinking about reading next, so I'll keep that in mind.
Omg so glad you checked it out and picked such a good place to start. (The writing gets better but small gods is almost there, and it’s a good relatively contained story that doesn’t require much background) You’ve got so much fresh material to enjoy now.
Regarding book order: I'm very glad I read Moving Pictures before Men at Arms or the later Watch novels. It's more impactful in that order. Won't say why though :)
I'll keep that in mind!
I'm pretty sure the best character in the series is the city of Ankh-Morpork itself, so I'd suggest books that take place there. The City Watch is a solid route, but there's also The Truth (personal favorite at present) or Going Postal which are stand alone stories that wholely live in the city.
Small gods is great! I have read other Discworld books, and if you want to see more of Death specifically than read “Mort” next.
After you have read the books I recommend checking out the Annotated Pratchett File which points out and explains pretty much all the jokes/references that you might have missed. It's a great way to get more laughs out of each book.
The Turtle Moves!
The scene between Brutha and Death (and the other guy) at the end of the book gets me every time.
I know most people recommend against reading them in release order because it took him a bit to really find his footing with the series, but I think once you’ve got your feet wet with one of the more standalone books it’s really satisfying to read them in order. My usual suggestion is to start with Small Gods, Equal Rites, or Pyramids, and then go in order, but don’t feel beholden to reading Colour of Magic or Light Fantastic. I like them both, but they’re definitely the weakest books in the whole series
All this talk of 'reading orders' for reading Discworld obscures an important point - you really might as well just start at the beginning and work your way through. This way you can track the development of the world from spoof fantasy silliness to, um, spoof steampunk slightly more profound silliness, in real time. People say that because they don't like Rincewind, or they don't like old school fantasy, and certainly at the initial stages the world feels a little underdeveloped and rough round the edges, but it also feels very satisfying watching it blossom, and familiarity with the earlier books will help you appreciate the later ones. Also the order they were written very consciously switches between the main groups of recurring characters, so you never get bored. The absolute worst thing you can do is follow the suggestion of various websites to 'read all the Watch books', then 'read all the Witches books'. It's much more interesting if you mix it up a bit.
Small God's is such a good Terry Pratchett book. Hog father has probably the most philosophical paragraph of any of the books. You'll know it when you read it.
Reaper Man and Hogfather are probably my two favorite Discworld novels, and yes that particular paragraph packs a wallop
I've read all of the Discworld books, and own copies of almost all of them. Depending on your preferences, you can either read them in publication order or skip around the different themes & subsets of recurring characters. Either way works. After you've read the books that have been adapted into movies, feel free to watch the movies, as well, even the animated ones. --Dan
I read Small Gods last year and have recently started the Death series. Mort (the first) was great, I enjoyed it at least as much as Small Gods.
Homie fitted up w the Morpheus shirt
Ive only read Mort, Equal Rights, and the Monsterous Regiment. All were great books and I would recommend them all but ive got a narrower view sense I havent read much.
Ill be giving discworld a try i believe. also youre the only youtuber (book guy) that makes entertaining content. so Thanks!
That really means a lot. Thank you!
I’ve read all his books. Every Discworld is a gem in its own right. However, the novel of his that will always hold the top spot for me is Nation (not a Discworld). I urge you to try it
One of the most influential books of all time for me.
Discworld is incredible. Please read and review more 🙂 - Read the City Watch sub series, it starts with Gaurds Gaurds. Its amazing!
Pterry got much more into the world building as he went on so much so that he sometimes felt constrained because setting books to certain locations pretty much dictated what the book should be for it to make sense. It's not the most extensive world building ever but Pterry basically took a world he created as a setting for somewhat generic fantasy parody and over the years made it complex and coherent.
Ah, okay. That's sort of the impression I got form this one book, but that's interesting.
He found some things he thought would be constraints turned out to be a framework to build on.
Small Gods was my first foray into Discworld as well, I really loved it, especially considering I'm a religious person and I thought it took real talent to write a book that contains many anti-religion ideas yet does so with real tact, I found myself enjoying it and not feeling my faith being disparaged in any way, it's also very funny and creative!
The downside to starting with small gods is others entries of the series failed to meet that high standard, I had to wade through a couple that felt mediocre before I found some hidden gems . I think I've read about 10 discworld books so far, small gods is still my favorite, followed by Night Watch and Mort.
I've heard a lot of both religious and non-religious people say they enjoyed this book, and I agree that that speaks so much to Pratchett's abilities as a writer.
You're literally me! I read small gods then the death trilogy
In my experience, it's good not to try to read too many Discworld books too close together; I personally find them funnier if I leave some time in between them.
The Discworld is as if you took a bunch of myths, religious beliefs, incorrect theories, historical events, popular science, and parodies of such things, and then made a solid functioning world out of them. Basically if Pratchett felt like satirising something, he'd make a space for it on the Disc. The original idea was that it was a kind of theme park out in space.
And there's nothing wrong with starting at the beginning as long as you keep in mind book 1 won't tell you anything about what the later books will be like. Starting at the beginning didn't put me off... almost, but not quite.
Wonderful book, my favorite. Sorry you missed the joke about Brutha's name. He's a monk. Brother Brutha. Pronounced bruh-thah, not broo-thah. Don't worry, it's not the last Discworld joke you'll miss. I find new ones constantly!
The height of meshing things together in this book, in my view, is that it imagines a war between democratic Athens and a theocracy that mixes the Islamic empires and the Vatican at the height of its power
Very funny book😊
Seems like you'd enjoy the death books.
Small Gods is my favorite Discworld book, so unfortunately it's all downhill from here 😊
HA HA nice i just read that going through pyramids now. De chelonian mobile
Vorbis thinking is just religious (fundamentalist) thinking.