Discworld Books In Order

​Terry Pratchett’s Discworld has 41 novels, lots of recurring characters, and a world carried by four elephants standing on a giant turtle. It can seem overwhelming at first. Where should you begin? Do you need to read every book? Is it okay to skip around or start later in the series? ​Despite its size, Discworld…

Close-up of a brass compass on an old world map.

​Terry Pratchett’s Discworld has 41 novels, lots of recurring characters, and a world carried by four elephants standing on a giant turtle. It can seem overwhelming at first. Where should you begin? Do you need to read every book? Is it okay to skip around or start later in the series?

​Despite its size, Discworld is quite easy for readers to get into. The series began with The Colour of Magic in 1983 and continued for more than three decades, with the final book published posthumously in 2015. The series became one of the most celebrated fantasy series ever written. While the novels share the same world, the books tend to follow particular groups of characters – the witches, the City Watch, Death and the rather unsuccessful wizard Rincewind.

Who are the Discworld books suitable for?

You certainly don’t have to be a lifelong fantasy and science fiction reader to enjoy the Discworld universe.

​If you love fantasy, you’ll find a huge world full of magic, witches, wizards, trolls, dwarfs, and lots of nods to classic fantasy stories. But even if fantasy usually feels overwhelming, Terry Pratchett’s books are a friendly place to begin. You don’t need to memorise complicated histories or spend ages learning how magic works.

​Discworld is also great for anyone who likes satire, British humour, clever wordplay, or stories that find the funny side of everyday life. If you enjoy mysteries or crime stories, you might like the City Watch books. Going Postal is a good pick if you’re interested in smart con artists and fast-paced stories.

​Younger readers can start with the Tiffany Aching books or The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. Adults will find plenty to enjoy in these stories, too.

​One thing that makes the Discworld books special is how flexible they are. You can read all 41, follow just one group of characters, or pick out a standalone story that catches your eye.

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books in publication order

With so many books, reading them in the order they were published is the simplest way to go through the whole Discworld series. This way, you can see how Pratchett’s world grows from a broad fantasy parody into a much deeper and richer place in the later books.

But that’s not the only way to read them. Below, you’ll find a quick overview of all 41 books in publication order. If that feels like too much, we’ve also listed reading paths grouped on the main characters.

The Colour of Magic (1983)  

The Discworld story begins with Rincewind, an incompetent wizard who reluctantly becomes a guide to Twoflower, the Disc’s first tourist. Together with Twoflower’s remarkably loyal and dangerous Luggage, they set off on a journey through a world filled with magic, heroes and plenty of opportunities for disaster.

The Colour of Magic is more directly a parody of traditional fantasy than many later Discworld novels. It introduces the absurd world that Pratchett would spend the next three decades expanding.

The Color of Magic: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

The Light Fantastic (1986)

Following on directly from The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic finds Rincewind once again trying to survive circumstances considerably beyond his abilities. Meanwhile, the Discworld itself appears to be heading towards catastrophe.

​The second book continues many of the ideas and jokes introduced in the first while beginning to establish Discworld as something more than a fantasy parody. Because this novel follows the first, the two are best read together.

The Light Fantastic: A Discworld Novel (Wizards, 2) Cover Image

​Equal Rites (1987)

When a dying wizard accidentally passes his powers to a baby girl, Eskarina Smith appears destined to become Discworld’s first female wizard. The problem is that everyone knows women become witches while men become wizards.

Equal Rites introduces Granny Weatherwax, who would become one of the most-loved characters in the series. Through Esk’s story, the novel explores gender, tradition and what happens when someone refuses to accept the path society has chosen for them.

Equal Rites: The First Discworld Witches Comic Fantasy – A Hilarious Tale of Gender Equality Cover Image

​Mort (1987)

Mort isn’t proving particularly useful on the family farm, but things change dramatically when he is offered an apprenticeship by Death himself and begins learning the unusual business of collecting souls.

​When Mort interferes with an event that was supposed to happen, the consequences quickly spiral out of control. Mort establishes Death as a major Discworld character and combines Pratchett’s humour with meaningful questions about mortality, fate and being human.

Mort: A Discworld Novel (Death, 1) Cover Image

Sourcery (1988)

Coin is no ordinary wizard. As the eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son, he is a sourcerer, capable of bringing large amounts of magic back into the world. Unfortunately for Discworld, that much power isn’t necessarily a good thing. Rincewind once again finds himself involved in saving a world he would much rather run away from.

Sourcery has plenty of fun with familiar fantasy ideas about wizards, magical power and world-changing battles.

Sourcery: A Discworld Novel (Wizards, 3) Cover Image

​Wyrd Sisters (1988)

Granny Weatherwax is joined by Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick in a story involving a murdered king, a stolen throne and three witches who would really prefer not to interfere in politics. Unfortunately, circumstances have other ideas.

​Drawing heavily on Shakespeare, particularly Macbeth, Wyrd Sisters establishes the witches as one of Discworld’s major groups. It also explores storytelling, theatre and the curious power that words can have over reality.

Wyrd Sisters: A Brilliant Discworld Satire – The Second Comic Fantasy in the Witches Series Cover Image

Pyramids (1989)

Teppic has trained as an assassin in Ankh-Morpork, only to find himself unexpectedly returning home to become king of the ancient kingdom of Djelibeybi. The kingdom is dominated by traditions that have remained largely unchanged for thousands of years, as well as numerous pyramids.

​One of the more standalone Discworld novels, Pyramids takes aim at religion, ancient civilisations and the tendency to keep doing something simply because it has always been done that way.

Pyramids: A Discworld Novel – A Comic Fantasy of Assassins, Pharaohs, and Desert Kingdom Intrigue Cover Image

​Guards! Guards! (1989)

The Ankh-Morpork City Watch has seen better days. Commander Sam Vimes is drinking heavily, Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs are experts at avoiding trouble, and enthusiastic recruit Carrot takes the law rather more seriously than anyone expected. Then somebody summons a dragon.

Guards! Guards! is the beginning of the popular City Watch sequence. It introduces characters who become increasingly important as Pratchett develops Ankh-Morpork into one of fantasy’s most memorable cities.

Guards! Guards!: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​Eric (1990)

Eric Thursley is a teenage demonologist who attempts to summon a demon but somehow ends up with Rincewind instead. Eric wants the usual things: power, immortality and the most beautiful woman who ever lived. His wishes are technically granted, although not quite as intended.

​Inspired partly by the legend of Faust, Eric sends Rincewind through time, mythology and even Discworld’s version of Hell in a fast-moving comic adventure.

Eric: A Discworld Novel (Wizards, 4) Cover Image

​Moving Pictures (1990)

Something strange is happening in Holy Wood. People have discovered moving pictures, and this new form of entertainment is attracting actors, entrepreneurs and hopeful stars from across Discworld.

​In Moving Pictures, Pratchett turns his attention to Hollywood and the movie business, packing the novel with references to cinema and celebrity culture. Beneath the jokes is an early example of something that becomes increasingly important throughout Discworld: new technology changing society faster than anyone expects.

Moving Pictures: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

Reaper Man (1991)

Death receives the unexpected news that his time is running out. Faced with mortality for the first time, he takes a job as a farmhand and begins experiencing life as the mysterious Bill Door. Unfortunately, Discworld isn’t functioning particularly well without Death doing his usual job.

Reaper Man combines some wonderfully strange comedy with one of Pratchett’s recurring themes: knowing that life ends is part of what makes the time before it meaningful

Reaper Man: A Satirical Discworld Fantasy About Death's Existential Crisis and Chaos Cover Image

​​Witches Abroad (1991)

Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick travel to the fairy-tale-obsessed city of Genua after becoming involved in the complicated business of fairy godmothers, handsome princes and supposedly happy endings. The witches soon discover that fairy tales can become dangerous when someone insists that real people follow the story.

Witches Abroad affectionately dismantles familiar fairy-tale conventions while exploring the idea that stories have enormous power over how people see the world.

Witches Abroad: Book 3 in the Discworld Witches Series – A Satirical Comic Fantasy Adventure Cover Image

Small Gods (1992)

Brutha is a novice in the powerful Omnian religion when he discovers the Great God Om has appeared before him. There is one complication: Om is trapped in the body of a small tortoise and appears to have only one genuine believer remaining.

​One of the strongest standalone novels in the series, Small Gods explores faith, organised religion, philosophy, power and the difference between believing in a god and believing in the institutions built around one.

Small Gods: A Discworld Novel – A Divinely Funny Standalone About a Bossy Tortoise-God and His Chosen One Cover Image

​​Lords and Ladies (1992)

The witches return to Lancre, where preparations are in progress for a royal wedding. Unfortunately, the barriers between worlds are weakening, and elves are attempting to enter. But these are certainly not the friendly, charming elves you’ll find in many fantasy stories.

​Terry Pratchett returns to older and considerably darker folklore, portraying elves as beautiful, glamorous and terrifying. Lords and Ladies is especially rewarding after Witches Abroad and continues the development of Granny, Nanny and Magrat.

Lords and Ladies (Modern Plays) Cover Image

Men at Arms (1993)

Sam Vimes is preparing to retire from the City Watch and marry Lady Sybil Ramkin when a mysterious weapon appears in Ankh-Morpork, and people begin dying. Meanwhile, the Watch itself is changing, with recruits representing some of the city’s different communities.

Men at Arms develops the police procedural side of the City Watch novels while examining prejudice, class, and the consequences when an institution has to adapt to the society it supposedly serves.

Men at Arms: A Discworld Novel (City Watch, 2) Cover Image

​Soul Music (1994)

A new musical phenomenon is sweeping Ankh-Morpork: Music With Rocks In. Young musician Imp y Celyn becomes an unlikely star as the strange new sound takes over the city. At the same time, Death’s granddaughter Susan finds herself unexpectedly dealing with responsibilities inherited from her grandfather.

Soul Music enthusiastically parodies rock-and-roll culture while introducing Susan as a major character in the Death novels.

Soul Music: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​Interesting Times (1994)

Rincewind is transported to the distant Agatean Empire, where political unrest is brewing and revolutionaries are demanding change. Naturally, Rincewind would rather be almost anywhere else. Cohen the Barbarian, now accompanied by his elderly band of heroes, the Silver Hoarde, is also back.

Interesting Times mixes political satire with one of Discworld’s most reliable comic combinations: enormous historical events and Rincewind desperately trying not to become involved in them.

Interesting Times: Adapted for the Stage by Stephen Briggs (Modern Plays) Cover Image

​Maskerade (1995)

Agnes Nitt leaves Lancre for Ankh-Morpork with ambitions of becoming an opera singer. The Opera House, however, appears to have a ghost, and its increasingly disturbing behaviour soon attracts the attention of Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg.

​Drawing inspiration from The Phantom of the Opera, Maskerade makes fun of theatrical traditions, performers and the peculiar logic of opera while continuing with witches’ escapades beyond Lancre.

Maskerade: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​​Feet of Clay (1996)

Someone is attempting to kill Ankh-Morpork’s Patrician, Lord Vetinari, while a series of murders gives Commander Vimes and the City Watch another mystery to solve. Golems become central to the investigation, allowing Pratchett to ask increasingly complex questions about freedom, ownership and personhood.

Feet of Clay also continues the evolution of the Watch from a handful of largely ineffective guards into a genuinely important institution within Ankh-Morpork.

Feet of Clay: A Discworld Novel (City Watch, 3) Cover Image

​​Hogfather (1996)

It’s Hogswatch, but the Hogfather has disappeared. Someone needs to deliver the presents, so Death puts on the red suit while Susan tries to work out what has happened.

Hogfather is one of Discworld’s most popular stories, taking a strange yet wonderful look at Christmas traditions while exploring belief itself. Pratchett uses this novel to ask why humans create myths and traditions and why believing in things that aren’t strictly real can be important.

Hogfather: A Discworld Novel – A Twisted Holiday Fantasy Where Death Saves Christmas Cover Image

Jingo (1997)

A previously submerged island suddenly appears between Ankh-Morpork and Klatch, with the two nations claiming ownership. It doesn’t take long for political rivalry to turn into suspicion, nationalism and the threat of war. Sam Vimes and the Watch become caught in the escalating conflict.

Jingo uses the absurdity of Discworld to examine recognisable human behaviours including prejudice, patriotism and the ease with which political leaders can turn neighbours into enemies.

Jingo: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​The Last Continent (1998)

Rincewind finds himself stranded on XXXX (also known as Fourecks), a distant continent that bears a suspicious resemblance to Australia. There, he encounters dangerous wildlife, beer, unusual locals, and a landscape with its own peculiar relationship to time. Meanwhile, the wizards of Unseen University have problems of their own.

The Last Continent is one of Pratchett’s broadest cultural parodies and is particularly entertaining for readers familiar with the Australian references scattered throughout the story.

The Last Continent: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

Carpe Jugulum (1998)

King Verence invites a family of sophisticated vampires to Lancre, only to discover that the Magpyrs are considerably more dangerous than their old-fashioned relatives. They have deliberately trained themselves to overcome traditional vampire weaknesses. That leaves Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Magrat and Agnes facing formidable opponents.

Carpe Jugulum plays with gothic horror and vampire fiction while exploring belief, morality and Granny’s reluctance to surrender control of herself to anyone.

Carpe Jugulum: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​The Fifth Elephant (1999)

Sam Vimes travels to Überwald as Ankh-Morpork’s ambassador, a role for which he considers himself spectacularly unsuited. His diplomatic mission soon becomes entangled with dwarves, werewolves, political tensions and a missing royal artefact.

The Fifth Elephant significantly expands the world beyond Ankh-Morpork and develops Disworld’s dwarf culture. It is also an important Vimes novel, forcing the policeman to operate in a place where his badge carries considerably less authority

The Fifth Elephant: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​The Truth (2000)

William de Worde unexpectedly finds himself running Ankh-Morpork’s first newspaper. It turns out people are willing to pay to discover what has been happening in their city, and soon William and his nontraditional staff are investigating a major story involving Lord Ventinari.

The Truth tackles journalism, advertising, false information and the slippery concept of truth while introducing yet another modern institution into the rapidly changing city.

The Truth: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​Thief of Time (2001)

Someone is building the perfect clock, capable of measuring time with unprecedented accuracy. Unfortunately, completing it could also bring time to a halt. Susan Sto Helit and the mysterious History Monks become involved in preventing a disaster.

Thief of Time mixes philosophy, martial arts and wonderfully complicated ideas about the nature of time, while bringing together several characters and concepts from earlier Death novels.

Thief of Time: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

The Last Hero (2001)

Cohen the Barbarian and the ageing Silver Horder decide to return fire to the gods, with interest. Unfortunately, their heroic final gesture could have disastrous consequences for the entire Discworld.

​Originally published with extensive illustrations by Paul Kidby, The Last Hero is both an adventure and an affectionate examination of ageing heroes trying to find their place in a world that is rapidly moving past traditional heroics.

The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable Cover Image

​​​The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (2001)

Maurice is an intelligent talking cat travelling with a group of equally intelligent rats and a boy named Keith. Together they operate their own profitable version of the Pied Piper story until they arrive in a town where something genuinely sinister is happening.

​Written for younger readers, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents tackles some dark ideas about intelligence, morality and survival. This book won Terry Pratchett the Carnegie Medal.

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents Cover Image

​Night Watch (2002)

While pursuing a dangerous criminal, Sam Vimes is thrown decades into Ankh-Morpork’s past. The younger city is violent and politically unstable, and Vimes soon finds himself caught up in events he already knows will end badly.

Night Watch is one of the darker and most highly regarded Disworld novels. Its exploration of policing, revolution, political power and memory is particularly powerful for readers who have followed Vimes throughout the earlier City Watch books.

Night Watch: A Discworld Novel (City Watch, 6) Cover Image

​​​The Wee Free Men (2003)

Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching lives on the Chalk and has decided she may be a witch. When her younger brother is taken into a dangerous fairy-tale world, Tiffany sets out to bring him back. Helping her are the Nac Mac Feegle, tiny blue warriors with an enthusiasm for drinking, fighting and stealing.

The Wee Free Men is the start of Tiffany’s five-book story and introduces one of Discworld’s most memorable young protagonists.

The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching, 1) Cover Image

​Monstrous Regiment (2003)

Polly Perks disguises herself as a man and joins the army, hoping to find her missing brother. She quickly discovers that military life and her fellow recruits aren’t quite what she expected.

​Although there are several familiar Discworld characters in this novel, Monstrous Regiment largely stands on its own. Through Polly and her peculiar regiment, Pratchett explores war, nationalism, gender expectations, and the absurdity of institutions that continue to function long after they have stopped making sense.

Monstrous Regiment (Modern Plays) Cover Image

​​A Hat Full of Sky (2004)

Tiffany Aching leaves the Chalk to continue learning how to become a witch. She soon discovers that real witchcraft involves considerably less flashy magic and considerably more hard work, observation and responsibility. When a dangerous entity begins pursuing her, Tiffany must understand herself and her abilities.

A Hat Full of Sky deepens Pratchett’s portrayal of witchcraft while allowing Tiffany to begin finding her own role within it.

A Hat Full of Sky: Tiffany Aching begins her witch apprenticeship, but a disembodied creature hunts her—only her courage and the Wee Free Men can help. (Discworld Book 32) Cover Image

​Going Postal (2004)

Conman Moist von Lipwig is given a choice after being sentenced to death: take charge of Ankh-Morpork’s failing Post Office or face a considerably shorter future. Moist applies his talents for deception and showmanship to rebuild the postal service, bringing him into conflict with the powerful clacks network.

Going Postal is fast, funny and one of the most approachable entry points into later Discworld.

Going Postal: A Novel of Discworld – An Ingenious Satire of Government, Technology, and Human Nature (Moist von Lipwig, 1) Cover Image

​Thud! (2005)

Tensions between Ankh-Morpork’s dwarfs and trolls are growing as the anniversary of the Battle of Koom Valley approaches. When a dwarf is murdered, Sam Vimes must find out the truth before old hostilities erupt into violence. Meanwhile, Vimes is determined to be home every evening to read Where’s My Cow? to his young son. That promise becomes important in a story about prejudice, history, family and duty.

Thud!: A Discworld Novel (City Watch, 7) Cover Image

​Wintersmith (2006)

Tiffany Aching accidentally joins an ancient seasonal dance and attracts the attention of the Wintersmith, the elemental embodiment of winter. His fascination with Tiffany begins upsetting the natural balance of the seasons.

​The third Tiffany Aching novel draws heavily on folklore while continuing her journey towards adulthood. Tiffany must learn that having unusual abilities is very different to understanding the responsibilities that come with them.

Wintersmith: An Award-Winning YA Discworld Fantasy Featuring Young Witch Tiffany Aching, Granny Weatherwax, and the Wee Free Men Cover Image

​​Making Money (2007)

Having successfully transformed Ankh-Morpork’s postal service, Moist von Lipqig is becoming dangerously bored. Lord Vetinari solves the problem by putting him in charge of the Royal Mint and the city’s banking system. Moist discovers that banking may have more in common with confidence tricks than expected.

Making Money turns economics into the basis for a comic fantasy adventure, exploring why money has value and how much of finance depends on confidence and belief.

Making Money: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

Unseen Academicals (2009)

Football is popular in Ankh-Morpork, although rules have traditionally been somewhat optional and violence considerably less so. Lord Vetinari wants the game modernised, dragging the wizards of Unseen University into the process.

​Alongside the football is a story about class, identity, celebrity and belonging. Unseen Academicals introduces several new characters while giving the familiar Unseen University faculty an unusually prominent role.

Unseen Academicals: A Discworld Novel (Wizards, 7) Cover Image

​I Shall Wear Midnight (2010)

Tiffany Aching is no longer simply learning to become a witch. She is responsible for her own community dealing with illness, hardship, disputes and death while receiving very little recognition for the work. Then suspicion and hostility towards the witches begin spreading.

​Darker than the earlier Tiffany novels, I Shall Wear Midnight explores responsibility, fear and prejudice as Tiffany grows into the demanding role she has chosen.

I Shall Wear Midnight: An Andre Norton Award-Winning Young Adult Fantasy About a Witch's Battle Against Darkness in Discworld Cover Image

​Snuff (2011)

Sam Vimes is forced to go on a holiday to the countryside, an activity he regards with understandable suspicion. Predictably, his peaceful break doesn’t last long before evidence of a serious crime emerges. Vimes’s investigation leads him towards the treatment of goblins, who are barely considered people by much of society.

Snuff continues the Watch novels’ long-running interest in justice, prejudice, and who receives the protection of the law.

Snuff: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​Raising Steam (2013)

The railway comes to Discworld when engineer Dick Simnel develops a working steam locomotive. His investigation quickly attracts the attention of businessman Harry King, Lord Vetinari and Moist von Lipwig. As railways begin connecting previously distant places, Discworld changes with them.

Raising Steam explores technological progress and industrialisation, bringing together numerous familiar characters while showing just how far the world has developed since The Colour of Magic.

Raising Steam: A Discworld Novel Cover Image

​The Shepherd’s Crown (2015)

Tiffany Aching faces new responsibilities and profound changes within the witching community just as the boundaries protecting Discworld from the elves begin to weaken.

​Published after Pratchett’s death, The Shepherd’s Crown is the fifth Tiffany Aching novel and the 41st and final Discworld book. Its themes of loss, responsibility, change, and carrying on give readers reaching the end of Pratchett’s remarkable series a sense of significance.

The Shepherd's Crown: A Novel of Discworld (Tiffany Aching, 5) Cover Image

Discworld books by character reading path

Reading all 41 Discworld books in publication order allows you to experience the world as Terry Pratchett created it, but it isn’t essential. Discworld contains several linked series centred around particular characters.

​For readers new to the series, choosing one of these paths can make the world feel much more manageable.

Rincewind and the Wizards

Rincewind is the unfortunate wizard who begins the entire Discworld series. His books tend to involve travel, magical catastrophes and his impressive ability to run away from almost anything.

​The main Rincewind reading order is:

  1. The Colour of Magic
  2. The Light Fantastic
  3. Sourcery
  4. Eric
  5. Interesting Times
  6. The Last Continent
  7. The Last Hero

Unseen Academicals could also be included if you are interested in Unseen University and its wizards.

The Witches

The Witches books revolve primarily around Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and the witches of Lancre. They combine folklore and fairy tales with Pratchett’s observations about people, power and communities.

​Read them in this order:

  1. Equal Rites
  2. Wyrd Sisters
  3. Witches Abroad
  4. Lords and Ladies
  5. Maskerade
  6. Carpe Jugulum

The witches’ stories continue naturally into the Tiffany Aching books.

Death

Death appears throughout Discworld, but five novels place him, his family or his world at the centre of the story:

  1. Mort
  2. Reaper Man
  3. Soul Music
  4. Hogfather
  5. Thief of Time

Death’s granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, becomes particularly important from Soul Music onwards.

The City Watch

The City Watch books follow Sam Vimes and the transformation of Ankh-Morpork’s Watch from a neglected collection of guards into a sophisticated police force. The reading order is:

  1. Guards! Guards!
  2. Men at Arms
  3. Feet of Clay
  4. Jingo
  5. The Fifth Elephant
  6. Night Watch
  7. Thud!
  8. Snuff

The City Watch sequence is worth reading in order, as Vimes and the Watch change significantly over the eight novels.

Moist von Lipwig

Former conman Moist von Lipwig arrives relatively late in Discworld, but quickly becomes central to the modernisation of Ankh-Morpork. His three books are:

  1. Going Postal
  2. Making Money
  3. Raising Steam

Each focuses on an institution being transformed, beginning with the postal service before moving on to banking and eventually the railway.

​Tiffany Aching

Tiffany Aching’s story begins when she is nine years old and follows her development into an increasingly capable young witch.

Read the five books in this order:

  1. The Wee Free Men
  2. A Hat Full of Sky
  3. Wintersmith
  4. I Shall Wear Midnight
  5. The Shepherd’s Crown

Although the Tiffany Aching novels are written with younger readers in mind, they are an important part of Discworld, and aren’t limited to children.

The Industrial Revolution books

The Industrial Revolution novels are more of a thematic grouping than a single character sequence. They explore the fast technological and social changes taking place across Discworld, particularly in Ankh-Morpork.

​Books generally associated with this part of the series include Moving Pictures, The Truth, Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam. Monstrous Regiment is also often connected with this broader grouping.

​Several books work well as standalone Discworld novels, including Pyramids, Small Gods, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents and Monstrous Regiment.

The first Discworld novel was released in 1983, yet new readers continue discovering the series decades later. Part of its longevity comes from the fact that Pratchett’s humour rarely depends solely on fantasy.

​While there are certainly jokes about wizards, magic, barbarian heroes, dragons and fairy tales, particularly in the earlier novels, as the series develops, Pratchett increasingly uses fantasy to poke fun at the real world.

​Newspapers, banking, organised religion, Hollywood, war, racism, class, politics, policing, football and technological change all find their way into Discworld. The setting may involve trolls, dwarfs, witches and an orangutan librarian, but the behaviour Pratchett is examining is unmistakably human.

​That makes many of the books feel surprisingly relevant today. Stories about misinformation, prejudice, political manipulation or the consequences of new technology haven’t exactly lost their significance.

​The characters are another major reason people stay with the series. Sam Vimes doesn’t remain the man readers meet in Guards! Guards!, nor does Tiffany remain the nine-year-old girl from The Wee Free Men. Characters grow older, gain responsibilities, form relationships and change their views of the world.

​Pratchett also had an unusual ability to move from ridiculous to profound without making the transition feel forced. A scene can begin with an appalling pun and wrap up with a remarkably sharp observation about mortality, injustice or human nature.

​While many read Discworld because it is funny, there is a lot more waiting underneath the jokes for readers to discover.

Frequently asked questions

How many Discworld books are there?

There are 41 novels in Terry Pratchett’s main Discworld series. The series begins with The Colour of Magic, published in 1983, and ends with The Shepherd’s Crown, published posthumously in 2015. Pratchett died in March 2015, several months before the final novel was released.

​From time to time, you may see larger numbers of books associated with Discworld because Pratchett’s work reached beyond the novels. There are companion books, maps, guides, illustrated works, and other publications set within or connected to the Discworld universe.

​In what order should Discworld be read?

If you want to read every Discworld novel, reading in the publication order is a great approach. Beginning with The Colour of Magic, you can see the world develop in much the same way that Pratchett’s original readers did.  

​But this is a series you don’t need to read in order, and in fact, you may not read all the books.

​The books contain multiple character sequences, so you could start with Guards! Guards! and follow the City Watch, begin with Mort and read the Death books, or start with Wyrd Sisters if the witches appeal to you.

​There are also some great standalone options such as Small Gods. Discworld rewards familiarity with recurring characters and places, but Pratchett also gave readers enough information to understand the story in front of them without needing to read others.

What is considered Terry Pratchett’s best book?

There is no commonly agreed-upon best Terry Pratchett book, particularly among Discworld fans, but Night Watch is frequently regarded as one of his best novels, bringing together many of the ideas Pratchett had developed through the City Watch series, particularly around policing, justice, political authority and Sam Vimes. The darker tone and emotional depth also demonstrate how far Discworld evolved from the fantasy parody of the earliest books.

Small Gods, Guards! Guards!, Mort, Hogfather and Going Postal are among the other novels regularly recommended as Pratchett favourites.

What is the best Discworld book to start with?

There isn’t a single correct starting point, and while The Colour of Magic is the first book published, it isn’t necessarily the best starting point.

​If you want to read all 41 books in order, starting with The Colour of Magic is the best spot to start; however, it represents an earlier version of Pratchett’s style and is more focused on parodying fantasy conventions than many of the later Discworld books. Guards! Guards! Is another good starting point, while if Death appeals to you, Mort is a great place to start.

​For those who want to try the Discworld series without committing to a sequence of books, Small Gods is one of the best standalone choices. Going Postal offers another good starting point for those wanting to experience Terry Pratchett’s later writing style, while The Wee Free Men is a great introduction to Tiffany Aching and Discworld for younger readers.