I have read colour of magic, and I still want to read more, since everyone agrees on this.....
Discworld
- Thread starter Crothian
- Start date
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
I don't think any of the Discworld books are bad -- I'm close to finishing my second complete read-through of the series -- but they definitely hockey stick up in quality about four or five books in.
The "worst" Discworld books are much better than other series that get highly praised around here, which always makes me scratch my head.
Clint_L
Legend
Colour of Magic is good but it's not great, IMO. It's a bit slight and had I read it first I would have enjoyed it but would not have been waiting with baited breath for the next one is all I'm saying. I agree that the books take a massive upturn a few books in, when Pratchett really starts to establish his voice. This is not unusual for authors.
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
Reginald Shoe would be so happy to see this thread dragged un-alive and kicking from its musty tomb.
but because I can I will repost what I wrote in 2007 with slight amendments
1 I recommend that you DO NOT start with The Colour of Magic or its direct sequel The Light Fantastic. These are the first two books but don't quite have the same flow or depth that would define the rest of the series and thus Rincewind is my least favourite character. (In my opinion it's not until the fourth book Mort (the first Death Novel) that Pratchetts Discworld style really starts to shine.)
2 Regarding Ricewind later books "Interesting Times" and the "Last Continent" are much better, so you could start your Rincewind and Twoflower journey there.
3 The Watch series is certainly the most accessible (although it has morphed slightly from being about the Watch to being about the Life of Samuel Vimes). Many consider Night Watch to be Pratchetts masterpiece, although THUD could also claim that title.
I'll sneak Monstrous Regiment in as Watch-Adjacent though it's not about the Watch at all (it is a good meditation on propaganda, nationalism and gender roles in a war comedy wrapper.)
4 The Death series is Pratchetts chance to get philosophical and make observations on the human condition
Susan Sto Helit is part of the Death series but should have got her own series (sadly Thief of Time was the closest we got to that, although Hogfather is a Susan story too)
5 The Witches series gets better over time and requires pantomime sensibilities to really gel. Of the Witches series Lords and Ladies and Capre Jugulum are imho the best.
6 The Tiffany Aching series is also fun, though it fits on the children's literature shelf with The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents.
7 Moist von Lipwig is a later character (first appearance 2004) who got a trilogy that helped modernise the Discworld into the modern industrial age.
Unseen Academicals also fits in this set though it does not feature Moist von Lipwig.
8 The stand alones are Small Gods - which is a quintessential package of all of Pratchetts Discworld philosophy - and Pyramids, Pyramids which really is an isolate that never shows up again, except in the Djelibeybi joke
9 I also recommend you read Nation, its technically not set on Discworld, and may infact be 18th century Earth, but it is written in Pratchetts discworld style and is a great story too
but because I can I will repost what I wrote in 2007 with slight amendments
1 I recommend that you DO NOT start with The Colour of Magic or its direct sequel The Light Fantastic. These are the first two books but don't quite have the same flow or depth that would define the rest of the series and thus Rincewind is my least favourite character. (In my opinion it's not until the fourth book Mort (the first Death Novel) that Pratchetts Discworld style really starts to shine.)
2 Regarding Ricewind later books "Interesting Times" and the "Last Continent" are much better, so you could start your Rincewind and Twoflower journey there.
3 The Watch series is certainly the most accessible (although it has morphed slightly from being about the Watch to being about the Life of Samuel Vimes). Many consider Night Watch to be Pratchetts masterpiece, although THUD could also claim that title.
I'll sneak Monstrous Regiment in as Watch-Adjacent though it's not about the Watch at all (it is a good meditation on propaganda, nationalism and gender roles in a war comedy wrapper.)
4 The Death series is Pratchetts chance to get philosophical and make observations on the human condition
Susan Sto Helit is part of the Death series but should have got her own series (sadly Thief of Time was the closest we got to that, although Hogfather is a Susan story too)
5 The Witches series gets better over time and requires pantomime sensibilities to really gel. Of the Witches series Lords and Ladies and Capre Jugulum are imho the best.
6 The Tiffany Aching series is also fun, though it fits on the children's literature shelf with The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents.
7 Moist von Lipwig is a later character (first appearance 2004) who got a trilogy that helped modernise the Discworld into the modern industrial age.
Unseen Academicals also fits in this set though it does not feature Moist von Lipwig.
8 The stand alones are Small Gods - which is a quintessential package of all of Pratchetts Discworld philosophy - and Pyramids, Pyramids which really is an isolate that never shows up again, except in the Djelibeybi joke
9 I also recommend you read Nation, its technically not set on Discworld, and may infact be 18th century Earth, but it is written in Pratchetts discworld style and is a great story too
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pukunui
Legend
Yeah, I made the mistake of having my cousin start with The Colour of Magic, and it put him off from reading any more.
IMO Thud! and I Shall Wear Midnight are the high watermarks of the series.
Unseen Academicals was a hot mess, and the last few books were missing Pratchett’s spark. It was a real shame he got Alzheimer’s.
I should point out that the Tiffany Aching series is only “children’s” because the main character starts out as a child, but Pratchett wasn’t one to dumb down his writing or shy away from darker, more adult themes. The first four Tiffany Aching books are fantastic. The last one not so much.
Incidentally, I have a signed copy of Going Postal (another excellent entry and the first to have chapters!) from when Pratchett gave a talk in Auckland not long after I moved here.
I think Men at Arms was my first one. My wife introduced me to Discworld when we were dating, and that was the one she had at the time.
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Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
I strongly disagree with these two points. Other than Equal Rites, the first witch book and a crossover with an early version of Unseen University, all of the witch books, including the Tiffany Aching ones, are deeply thoughtful books about gender roles, the meaning of home, death and dying, etc. And if the publishing industry didn't tell readers that some of Pratchett's books were YA, I don't think readers would notice any difference.
The argument for not jumping around series is that there is continuity through the books. It's not strictly speaking necessary to have read other books in the series before you read, say, Making Money, but you'll get both fun Easter eggs and some extra layers of meaning that are, IMO, kind of necessary to understand one of Pratchett's best books. (What's the deal with the angel references? Does the Watch really have a werewolf on its staff? What's the deal with golems?)
If you haven't read any Discworld, I would say to at least glance at The Colour of Magic. The people who dislike it are loud and I suspect over-represented in online discussions of the series.
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