I think that seriousness that you wished for does increase with later Pratchett books in both the death and guards stories. One of my favorite Pratchett quotes is basically "the opposite of funny is not serious, it is unfunny" and his writing really shows this to be true.
41 DW novels, plus some short stories, plus some sort of side projects like Science of DW, and Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook and Where's My Cow and World of Poo.
@@ManCarryingThing only if you space them out with lots of other things. reading all 45 of them if that's all you're reading could definitely be done in a summer.
One of my favorite lines from this book is when Death shows up at Jobs Fair and asks Mort his name the line is something like: - ‘Mortimer, but everyone calls me Mort.’ - WHAT A COINCIDENCE. This one had me stumped for quite a long time and all of a sudden the ball dropped. How clever and such a dad joke at the same time. 😁
@@NitroLemons, Mort originated from Latin and translates into death/die/dead. The word is still used in French and Spanish. In English there's Morgue and Mortician. A workplace and profession for those whom are dealing with the dead. So they're saying "Hello my name is Death" and "My name is also Death" Since Sir Pratchett loved the use of wordplay, this line of reasoning fits.
I have similar feelings, as the only discworld novel I’ve read. Some of the jokes and philosophy was great. “Why don’t poets write about wheat instead of roses”. “Physicists argue that atoms are made of tiny kings because succession must be instant”. Fucking hilarious!
I read all 42 or so books in one single summer when I was 13. In order. I think after you read ten of them you really can't stop. Watching your videos, I assumed you had already read Pratchett, so it's nice that you are actually doing so.
Hahah when I was 13 I remember getting my hands on guards guards at like the beginning of march. By the end, I had finished like 36 of them, and had to buy the few that my brother was missing. It was just read read read, read on the bus, read during class, read before bed, I'd start a book in the morning, finish it by dinner, and start another before falling asleep. It was great
Discworld series really butchered other fantasy books for me. Nothing compares with his stuff after that🥺 Drama, philosophy, interesting plots, characters, humor- i can't really find something of the same level-_-
The City Watch series (starting with Guards Guards), while also funny, somehow manages to be a deep meditation on class consciousness and focuses on themes of racism, xenophobia, and political power. Sometimes the observations are a little too on the nose, but overall it's one of the best works of fiction to deal with those issues that I've read.
I’ve fallen off the reading wagon in the last year. But, I’m going to go start rereading the City Watch series again. Sam Vimes has the best character arc in the entire Discworld series.
I have only read The Color Of Magic from the Discworld and I'm planning on starting Light Fantastic next month. I know some people say The Color Of Magic isn't a great starting point but I enjoyed it immensely. The tone, the prose, the characters, the whimsy and the absurd nature of it all - everything came together to create such a fun read and I can't wait to continue and find out what happens to Rincewind next ^_^
It's fantastic, but it is very different. Like comparing Blazing Saddles or Hot Fuzz to Beverly Hills Cops though. Getting the set up for Rincewind, who is the protagonist of quite a few books and makes cameos in many others, will give you nostalgic feelings as you go through the books. :) You're in for a fabulous experience. But yes, lots of us worry that people will imagine that TCoM or TLF will put people off - that they'll assume every Discworld book is more of the same, and if they don't like them, will miss out on the 90% that are superb but quite different. :)
It's true that the world becomes much more complex, and richer... But COM and LF have some really great writing within. I envy you all the first reads ahead, I wish I could read them all for the first time, again!
I like that you talked about the universe repairing itself when someone alters the timeline because in Night Watch, one of my favourite Discworld books, you get to see how the universe deals with time travel. Night Watch is also the most serious/solemn Discworld book as far as I can remember.
I felt extremely similar with Mort, it's one of my least favourite out of my Discworld books I've read so far which just goes to show how fantastic the series is. I'm reading Guards! Guards! Now and is already working it's way to my favourite entry so far! I go extremely left field with my recommendation of where to start which is Going Postal. It's one of the most traditionally constructed narratives in the Discworld with actual chapters and a plot that keeps moving which I think makes it very accessible to new readers. Also works as a standalone so you don't have to worry about finishing the series and instead view it as a welcoming entry
Going postal sounds right up my alley, and that little bit of plot structure sounds nice too lol. There are too many places to go next, the options feel endless!
Mort is a great entry point into the series and i completely agree with your experience. Guards! Guards! Is great, the same goes for moving pictures. You might want to consider Small gods as well, it's one of my favourite Discworld books and a good entry point.
Small Gods sounds so fun to me, but I love books that take place in "Hollywood" so I may have to do Moving Pictures next. I don't know, too many options lol
@@ManCarryingThing Moving Pictures was one of my favorites when I read it, felt very attached to the characters. I did read it after many other books so it might have been different otherwise though. Strangely my first one was Feet of Clay, which is like right in the middle, but that's what my friend who introduced me recommended as a first one (I think because it was his favorite), but then I read the rest in publication order. There are just enough subtle tie ins that I feel like it's worth it.
I just finished my first discworld book, Small Gods. And I have the same issues that you did. My favorite moments were the more serious and philosophical ones. I had a few other problems but honestly it was good and I’m glad I read it. I’ll definitely pick up other discworld books in the future.
The only discworld novel I've read is Guards! Guards! and I really enjoyed it. The characters and their dynamics are fun. I plan on reading Mort as my next discworld novel but afterwards I will definitely continue the Night Watch "saga" (series? I dunno). Always love watching your vids
"Little bits of philosophy" Yup that is the core reason for my bookshelves carrying every Pterry book written. I agree that his early books had a Mel Brooks flavor (and I like Mel Brooks, but not exactly for world view) but I think you will see later books bringing deeper meaning, while still being fun and funny. Thanks for the thoughtful review!
If you want jokes AND character and story depth then i think everything that includes Sam Vimes as a main role works best, he just feels incredibly real to me while keeping the discworld charm better than most in my opinion.
If you want more seriousness go for Reaper Man (only to see the character developments) and then Thief of time or Hogfather. Both very philosophical in parts. Or you start with "The truth" and the Lipwick books. Later Guards books also are a lot darker then teh first ones. If you want Pratchett outside of Disc World I highly recommend "Nation". I think it truly shows what he was made of as an author.
I’m so happy you started Discworld! Mort was my first ever book too and it’s a good introduction to the series. The philosophical themes are wonderful in Pratchett and I think Small Gods is his best example of that, plus, it’s a standalone so I’d suggest that next for you. Definitely try Guards, Guards! and Wyrd Sisters. They start the best two sequences within Discworld (technically Sourcery is the start of the witches but I prefer Wyrd Sisters). I actually did a video on it a little while back, but I know Daniel Green also has Discworld videos and I’m sure they are miles better 😂
May I humbly but STRONGLY recommend to anyone who reads Mort and agrees with everything--or anything--you said to read either Going Postal or Monstrous Regiment next? They're not "traditional" starting points for Discworld, but they do everything Mort doesn't. They're both extremely clever, witty, insightful, they have amazing characters you really become attached to, they have very interesting philosophies, and you really don't need to read any other books before them. In fact, people stress WAY too much about where to start, when Pratchett really wrote every book to be able to stand on its own, and you lose VERY little by not reading them in order. Guards! Guards! is great, but it suffers from a lot of them same problems (if you view them as problems, of course) as Mort. The characters are a little one-dimensional (though admittedly less so, especially in the cases of Vimes and Sybil), the plot is only barely there to carry the jokes, etc. If you tried Mort and were lukewarm on it, Guards! Guards! should not be your next choice. I love the book, but truly the best thing about it is that it's the first of the City Watch series of books, all of which are better than it (except maybe Fifth Elephant, idk, this is very much my personal opinion). You really can just dive in to the very best of Discworld!
That drawing of how all the books/series within Discworld connect can be your key (you showed it at the beginning of video, the one on the left). I would recommend popping around to the diff series... I did first book in city watch first, then Mort, then first book in witches series then first book (its actually 2 books) in wizards (Rincewind) series. I just started Pyramids a few days ago coincidently. It's great so far. It's about.... the Egyptian culture on the disc. I think the Color of Magic/Light Fantastic prob my fav so far. Pyramids will be my sixth Discworld book.
Small gods was my first Discworld book. It's pretty much a stand alone story and requires basically no previous knowledge of the universe, while giving you the taste of the world and style of the Discworld series.
Death is great, and probably the best stand-alone character in the series. Just for how well he manages to be the _personification_ of something that still isn't a _person_ - it gets talked a lot about in school and everything, but I haven't seen it done a lot better than discworld's Death. It doesn't even strike a balance; he's a humanised face set atop something inhuman, and it still works without breaking every other character in the story. But Rincewind will always be my favourite, because when I first read the books I really related to him being a sarcastic, perpetually terrified loser who is, incredibly, both overqualified and underqualified for every situation life throws at him. And now, I still relate to all of that in the exact same way, because life never stops being an adventure if you have an adventurer's soul, and the heart and mind of a career accountant. I don't know if I could say what the 'best' discworld books are. Maybe the one that gave me the clearest understanding of what Pratchett's writing was, what the stories he wrote were really about, in terms of their form and function - might be 'The Science of Discworld'. It's not even a discworld novel, proper - half of it is the man talking directly to audience about things he's learned and read and thought about, and thinks people might like to know or benefit in some way from reading; the other half is this pastiche of science fiction where the wizards manage to create our universe - the one we live in; or at least something recognisably similar - and then essentially spend the rest of the story trying to figure out if it's any _good_ for anything. And when you get to the end of that, you realise to some degree that's what they have _all_ been - it's someone sharing what he's learned, in an entertaining format, with jokes and things peppered throughout to keep it from seeming too - definitive or authoritative, I think; keep you asking your own questions. They are a unique sort of good, or at the very least a special and rare one, and I think just picking one up as and when you feel like you need it might honestly be the best way to go about it.
Cool! I am fan of discworld for around 20 years and I am glad to see new people joining in! My first one was Pyramids. Felt like a great start since it’s kind of standalone. My favorites are newer ones like Nightwatch, Going Postal… Pratchett really improved in time. Also he morphed from essentially what you are saying here to what you want it to be. No wonder he’s a legend. There’s a lot of books you can continue with. Guards! Guards! Is good pick as any. I think you will like the watch, it’s like bridge 4 crew in Charles Dickens world.
Yeah - I thought that was an interesting parallel. Some of the earlier books poke fun at the best fantasy tropes more, whereas later ones are more of a comedy that reflects some aspect of reality, that happens to be set on Discworld. For instance, Going Postal is based around the quaint notion of writing letters, using stamps as a secondary currency, collecting stamps and growing a business. It's not just an excuse to tell jokes about where all the letters go that didn't get delivered. :)
You will definitely see more serious stuff in the further books as Terry evolves from a satire on fantasy and sci fi into social commentary while keeping the funny bits. I would say the watch series, starting with Guards Guards, is the essential sub series of Discworld. Standalone recommendations for The Truth, Small Gods and The Amazing Maurice and his educated Rodents.
Also read Mort as my first Discworld book last year, but I actually DNF'd it because of some of the critiques you shared. It felt weird having Mort as the main character since he wasn't really interesting as a viewpoint character. I also may have been comparing it a bit too much to Douglas Adams (who I love dearly) because they were contemporaries. It's hard to beat Adams's prose, so that's probably a bit unfair. I'm a huge fan of Adventure Time, and it seems like Discworld has a similar vibe with its worldbuilding, silliness, and occasional touch of sincerity. I'll have to give it another shot when I get the chance.
Yeah, we probably share some of the same critiques. I really feel like some of the other books will be more up my alley. Also the Adventure Time comparison feels very appropriate!
In a way the books are less complicated than the charts and fan discussion might suggest, you can pick almost any of them up and get a complete self-contained story. But there will be lots of references that will tug on your curiosity until you end up reading more. If you want to see it develop from first principles then read them in publication order - I actually really like the Rincewind books so I had no problem with that. Otherwise you could swap over to the beginning of one of the other popular sub-lines like Guards, Guards or Equal Rites. Or like, pick any one that seems interesting.
my first discworld book was hogfather, and while im not a good judge on whether its a good introduction as id seen the miniseries beforehand, i do consider it one of the best and essential reading. i really love the two rather silly b plots happening cocurrently with the more tense and serious a plot, and it has such wonderful ideas and discussions about the nature of belief and imagination and stories. i think understanding sir terrys view on storytelling as a human trait through hogfather gives you a greater understanding and appreciation of his other books
I started as a teen with the Tiffany Aching series and loved it. But I think all his books are fun, easy-to-read, but still somehow deep and diverse books with very climactic climaxes.
If you are familiar with Macbeth, then Wyrd Sisters is one that might be what you found missing in Mort. It is technically the second Witches book, but I see it as the proper first book. It is early enough that there are not too many running jokes, but late enough that he has found the tone that carries forward.
You could easily continue reading the Death series now that you’ve started Mort. (Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather and Thief of Time.) It’s a valid reading route. The Discworld Emporium even suggests it. Personally, though, I’d recommend a detour before coming back to the series. The Death books can be repetitive. Especially if you're reading them one after the other. Instead, given your critiques on Mort, I would read some combination of: • Guards, Guards! • Small Gods • The Truth • Going Postal Hope this helped you out! :D
I also started with Mort, by pure luck (was given it when I commented "oh, never did read Pratchett, is it good?") and I believe Small Gods was the 2nd I read, as I just went through whatever I could find at my local library. Guards Guards and other books in the Night Watch series are what I fell in love with, especially as they do have that serious core which checks more boxes of what entertain me.
Color of Magic is cool and pretty fun. And It's obviously a great start point as the first book in the series. I also loved the Unseen Academicals as a later, sort of more ambitious and compelling entry in the Discworld. Small Gods is another classic and righly so.
The earlier books were still solid, but they get a lot better. The next Death book Reaper Man is much better, and I think has what you're looking for. I agree Mort had great dialogue, but packed in other areas. Guards Guards is fantastic! Moving Pictures is a good one if you are a big old school Hollywood fan. Personally I've enjoyed the Witches books a lot (Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters so far, though I have Witches Abroad next month!). I'm doing publication order which helps with all the running bits and jokes, but mostly you can read out of order with very little issue
The essential Discworld books are all the books. It's permissible to leave the last one on the shelf unread because you know you'll never get to read a new Pratchett book again, and you're still grieving. While everything he wrote is excellent, the sequences like The Guards books, and The Witches have some chronology within them. Mort is a standalone so the only Death re-occurs IIRC. You would find that The Colour of Magic is amazing but also completely different to Mort or Pyramids and is much more about poking fun at fantasy whereas the later books tend to reflect the real world. I tend to think the Guards sequence is the most coherent, so it's a good place for newbies to get invested. But for those who will the do the right thing, and keep reading, I'd just go chronological. You will certainly get a better introduction to recurring characters like that, but if you're going to be put off by the different tone of The Light Fantastic or Equal Rites, that's not helpful. If you didn't find those first books utterly amazing, and stopped, you'd be the poorer for it. It would be like watching all the MCU except for Infinity War and Endgame, and not getting the pay off of the arc. :)
And by chronologically I mean in the order they were published. I'm so old that's how I read them and it has the advantage that you're seeing the world develop as Sir Terry wrote it. But the downside that you have to wait longer for more Granny Weatherwax. Reading just the Guards books would be great for your second to fiftieth readthroughs.
Great review, dude! I've been looking for the right entry point into Discworld for a while. based on your thoughts i think you convinced me this would NOT be the right place for me to start. looking for something a bit more serious and character driven to draw me in. so thanks for the useful review, look forward to seeing your thoughts on other books in the series!
I started with Small Gods and liked it, then I read Jingo and was completely pulled in and then proceeded to read the Watch series from that point forward and backwards. Then eventually everything.
The Death himself appears in most Discworld books at some point or another, but the books centered around him is my favourite part of Discworld. I think the idea that Death is kind and cares for the creatures (not only people) at the end is very soothing. He's goofy and sometimes awkward, obviously not human but somehow relatable. Oh, and he loves cats. I think the later books about Moist von Lipwig (Going postal, Making money and Raising steam) are fun. Guards Guards have kind of slow start which can be boring, but it's worth reading trough, too.
When I said earlier that Mort was my fave Discworld book, I was actually confused and meant Reaper Man! Big oopsie. That's the one you should read next!
Well my first book was a "double feature" containing "MORT" and "Guards! Guards!" that was a good start. For just enjoying the fun of it Going Postal would also be a good starting point. Even though you might lack some funny background about some of the "supporting characters". Which will pull you deeper into their stories.
I would say that Susan and the Death serious you don't invest in much character wise, as they commonly do center around philosophical paradigms, so the characters are more engines to drive the concepts. The Night Watch series is where you want to go for character investment and book to book development. Can't wait to hear your take on Vetinari. Moist Von Lipwig is a series where you see more character expression as well, though it also can be seen as a political or philosophical engine. Keep in mind, many of the books have that one off feeling where the characters are meant to drive concepts, instead of characters reacting and developing in the world. Not entirely, but I think the discworld is meant more to drive concepts instead of grow characters. Nightwatchman being the main exception. The Witches perhaps too, but I don't remember that one too well.
Well done for dipping your toe in. I've never found the love for the city watch series others have but the first (the one with the dragon) and Night Watch are stone cold classics. All the series have their high points and I tend to dip between the ones I love which pretty much stand alone - for example Mostrous Regiment - has only tangential link to the night watch books but its great) and then Moist von Lipwig for me has the 2 best, most modern books of the lot (his third and final one ruins the trilogy a bit for me but then it was very late stage Pratchett starting to tie up his loose ends whilst he had time). Although moist's series comes right at the end so it would be a big spoiler for where the series is going if you went to Moist.
Well, if you want a Fantasy book that has comedy and pokes fun at Fantasy tropes, but also has interesting characters with depth, you should check out The Blade Itself.
I dedicated my first novel to Sir Terry: For making me laugh for a moment, and think for a lifetime. Mort is very good, and it gets a lot lot LOT better. GNU STP Yes, go to Guards! Guards next.
I love most of the Discworld books I've read (they are about the only book series that can hold my attention these days) but if you asked me what went down in the books after I've read them - I could not tell you. Though, I have a good recollection of Small God which I read when I was younger so maybe I am just getting old.
+1 for small gods, he was kind of an angry guy at a certain point in his career and this sort of both highlights and is a product of that. Snuff is a really good one because its a book that he himself said he couldn't written as a younger writer and it feels like it's a short story does a lot while still feeling comfortable which was really interesting. I wouldn't recommend reading snuff on it's own though it's better to get to it organically through the sam vines arc.
This came up in my feed again, so I just wanted to add this: You know how everyone has a favorite author and a favourite book by said author that they recommend to everyone? The problem is when someone finally reads that book, loves it too, and then finds all the other books a disappointment because the first thing they read was the best book of the whole catalog? Read book 3 next, then carry on from book 5, after a few more, you will encounter most of the groups (city watch, witches, wizards) and then if you don't want to to follow a certain group, you can skip it as you go. The other advantage is that you get to see how TP's writing gets so much better, and deeper, the further you go.
The farther you get into Discworld, the more serious it gets and the fewer jokes are told. I started with book one and have been reading them in order. Where to go next really depends on what you're looking for. If you want something more serious, I'd recommend Guards Guards.
I know that this is probably too late to help, but I think that Guards, Guards! is a pretty good place to continue your Discworld journey, as it helps to establish a lot of reoccurring concepts and characters while still telling its own complete story. The watch novels are also probably my favorite "series" of Discworld books, so that also ties into it.
I would suggest "Wyrd Sisters" next. It is chronologically before "Guards Guards!!" and starts the Witches storyline. The 4 major storylines of the books are "Death" starting in Mort, the "Wizards" starting in Colour of Magic, "Witches" starting in "Wyrd Sisters", and "City Guard" starting in "Guards Guards!!". While Guards Guards is where the books hit their stride and keep on running Wyrd Sisters is still essential and the follow-up books in the Witches storyline make little sense without it. It has less early installment vibes than Mort did and is really good but not as good as it keeps getting from then on
guards guards & equal rites are my favourites, but I have only read up to moving pictures. I have to admit that mort, although I too started with it (in 2011) is a bit weird and that the characters don't quite get you invested. But it's good none the less. It was my first too. And really, rincewind is fun too, even if the city watch and witches get you more invested :P Unseen university is just so much fun if you've been to or are going to university yourself.
I am sure it is far too late to answer your question, but next would be Reaper Man, it is one of the first novels where he gets to grips with humanity and ethics and pride and it is still very funny and also very beautifully written. I really hope you space out the books, because I assure you that the day you realize you will never again turn the page to find an unread passage of Terry Pratchett waiting for you is an extremely difficult day.
So very true. I could only manage to get through The Shepherd's Crown once... It just hurts too damn much. New fans may not understand ...but when you've been through the books a time or two, the Disc becomes a sort of "second home, and the characters in it start to feel like family. So many layered meanings, Easter Eggs, nods and winks, reversals of roles, and just a lot of honesty about the condition known as living, and the ways that one can go about it. Discworld is deep, with layers of comedy, satire, philosophy, and just straight-up whimsy, because that's just how it works in Discworld. How lucky are we, that Sir Terry was kind enough to create and grow, and share the story of "a world in a distant and second hand set of dimensions" that under the wrapper, is so very much like ours.
As a lot of people already said, I first went for "Guards, Guards!" and it's still my favorite saga. I must say that every first book of every Discworld saga is acceptable, but they really get awesome in the 2nd-3rd book of each series, I would say that you should take the 1st book as a "test" one. This is where the characters begin. And oh, boy, I can't tell you how incredibly characters develop themselves. The 1st book of the Watch series is very funny, the 2nd one is already fantastic, but you don't fully understand the character's arch if you don't read the beginning, where do they start and what do they become in the end ;) That said, I am glad that you joined Discworld family! Enjoy ^^
A friend lent me a Disc World book. One of the very few books I couldn't finish. Got to page 50 & felt like I was missing something. He had given me a book somewhere in the middle of the series. I'd like to try it from the beginning.
I'd say continue the death books next, then the witch books. Dont try the colour of magic until touve already read several discword books, after that you know enough of the series that you can kinda pick up any of them.
The Witch books might be odd at times, but they do have some promising, interesting stuff as well. With the way he was talking about something with more character development and serious philosophical messages, the Watch novels might be his best bet. Although something that could be done is he reads them in synch with the Death novels. Remember, Thief of Time happens before Night Watch. Night Watch happens because of Thief of Time.
That's weirdly specific. There is no reason not to go for the Watch novels or moving pictures. And while it gets too complex to start a streak from the back it's absolutely fine to start with the second in line. Say, nothing wrong in starting with Men At Arms and then reading Guards Guards as a prequel. It will be fine. Cheers.
My favourite Prachett joke is when Death is told that diamonds are a girls best friend so he presents his lady friend with a diamond "TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU"
You GOTTA make a video when you read the Tiffany Aching books. They, I feel, have the best mix of whimsy and serious depth and character development that you're looking for. The Nac Mac Feegles are the best ever
What books SHOULDN'T you read next? I'd leave Colour of Magic and Light Fantastic until later (read them back-to-back when you do read them though). If you want to read some Witches, I'd also skip Equal Rites. I think you came into the series at the right place, the earlier books were very much still finding their feet. Most of the time, you very much can just pick one of his books and read it out of order, with the exception of the first two, and possibly the Tiffany Aching arc (highly recommended if you also enjoy younger readers fiction, but I'd read those in order). Yeah, whichever of the ones you named sounds most interesting at the time - go for it!
I kind of grew up on the Tiffany Aching series - it’s sort if it’s own story but is still very much intertwined with the rest of the diskworld other personal favourites include Going Postal and Moving Pictures - also The Last Continent bc im Australian
I just finished my first Pratchett novel Guards! Guards! and it was cool but I had to kinda force myself to get thru it... I suspect I've just been too overstimulated lately to appreciate a chill, low-stakes book, because I did find a lot of his writing to be very witty and creative, despite mostly being eager to start a new book the whole time...
I read Mort first too, then i went into following rincewind chronologically. As that path opened up a lot of the in-jokes knowledge you would like later. After that it was witch's starting with equal rites then night watch. That said I thought Pratchets early Sci-fi book was fun too, it was my first intro to that style of English comedy, after Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy .
ooh Mort is a difficult one to start with. I find Guards Guards a better one personally. I'd definitely recommend that as your next one, and while it technically is the second one in the Witches of Lancra series I would recommend Wyrd Siters, as Equal Rights is so different from the rest of the Witches books (I think of it like a stand-alone) that Wyrd Sisters is a better intro to their arc. I'd recommend reading stand-alone like Pyraminds, Small Gods, Equal Rights, The Truth, Thief of Time, Eric, The Last Hero in-between one-another. I would also not start Tiffany Aching books until you finished at least Lords and Ladies, or even Maskerade, and don't start Thief of Time before you haven't finished The Hogfather, as they make a lot more sense after each other.
For more seriousness you can't beat Sam Vimes in the Nighwatch starting with Guards Guards but if you liked Death as an anthropomorphic personification you will eventually have to meet Rincewind. While on our round world we sometimes have Near Death Experiences - Discworld's Death keeps having Near Rincewind Experiences. My fav Discworld character when I first started was Carrot, but I have come to really appreciate Rincewind especially after watching him played by David Jason and then playing him as a character in a D&D home game - and you have to love the Luggage. Oh and of course the Nac Mac Feegle.
Discworld easily divides into a few genres. Rincewind books are all about setting and world building. Rincewind goes to a place, and leaves it at velocity. There are very few places on the disc Rincewind does NOT flee from at some point. Guards (Vimes) books tend to center on Anhk Morpork and the day to day life therein. They are mysteries first and foremost, but they really make the city feel like a place with a breathing population and an economy and a political reality that just feels right. Death books are more Cosmology focused, as well as an excuse for Terry to wax philosophical, which is a particular talent of his that I love. Especially once Susan gets involved. The witches of Lancre are good stories for subverting old fantasy tropes, finding your voice, and generally poking a lot of fun at the Bard. My least favorite but by no means bad. The later books featuring the 'Modernization' of the disc with characters like Moist, William, and the later Vimes books are excellent. Pratchett at the peak of his game. Philosophy, mystery, misdirection, villainy for a good cause and just some of the most finely crafted satire you will ever see in your life. Then there's the one-offs. Pyramids, Monstrous Regiment, Moving Pictures... these books tackle a specific thing with characters you'll.probably not see again, or maybe just catch a passing reference to. They are all good, most are great, and they fill the world with so much personality that they help color in the other books as well. I like to think of Discworld not as a single series of books, but as a Literatu Universe, a sort of book version of the MCU. You don't have to read them all to get all the references, you don't even have to be a big fan to enjoy them, but damned if every time I pick up Theif of Time or Making Money I go back an re-read most all of them again.
Thief of time, is the only book I've ever read that when I got to the end, I went straight back to the start and read it all over again. You can read each book as a stand alone story but I strongly recommend reading each series in order as the character arcs grow over each story, you will grow to love them. May I suggest you read the watch series of books starting with guards guards, and then Men at Arms and so for the above reason. And one last thing avoid at all costs the abomination that is the new BBC fantasy drama 'based' on the Watch, as it will mess with your head and understanding of the stories if you haven't read the books first.
I think that seriousness that you wished for does increase with later Pratchett books in both the death and guards stories. One of my favorite Pratchett quotes is basically "the opposite of funny is not serious, it is unfunny" and his writing really shows this to be true.
nice - that's a really great quote
I never liked Rincewind. All the other characters, love them, but never could get on with his first protagonist.
Great video mate! Guards Guards and Small Gods are my next recs.
Isn't that all you've read though? :)
@@MagusMarquillin He has read like 26 some books in Discworld, so he has read a lot.
I started Small Gods few days ago (my first Discworld book) and I am really enjoying it. I’m not very confused, so I think it’s a good start.
Thank you! I thought it was Gods Gods! and Small Guards, but that was my confusion
I second the vote for Small Gods.
Go on, finish the series ... there's only 45 of them.
yeah just gonna go finish discworld real quick. see you all in 5 years
There's 45 days in a year, isn't there??
41 DW novels, plus some short stories, plus some sort of side projects like Science of DW, and Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook and Where's My Cow and World of Poo.
@@nixhixx Don't forget Nanny Ogg's Cookbook!
@@ManCarryingThing only if you space them out with lots of other things. reading all 45 of them if that's all you're reading could definitely be done in a summer.
One of my favorite lines from this book is when Death shows up at Jobs Fair and asks Mort his name the line is something like:
- ‘Mortimer, but everyone calls me Mort.’
- WHAT A COINCIDENCE.
This one had me stumped for quite a long time and all of a sudden the ball dropped. How clever and such a dad joke at the same time. 😁
I still don't get it, is the implication that Death also has a longer name or something?
@@NitroLemons, Mort originated from Latin and translates into death/die/dead. The word is still used in French and Spanish. In English there's Morgue and Mortician. A workplace and profession for those whom are dealing with the dead.
So they're saying "Hello my name is Death" and "My name is also Death"
Since Sir Pratchett loved the use of wordplay, this line of reasoning fits.
I have similar feelings, as the only discworld novel I’ve read. Some of the jokes and philosophy was great. “Why don’t poets write about wheat instead of roses”. “Physicists argue that atoms are made of tiny kings because succession must be instant”. Fucking hilarious!
He definitely gets better at integrating the humour, philosophy and plot as the series goes on, keep going!
Uh huh. Excruciating more like it.
I read all 42 or so books in one single summer when I was 13. In order. I think after you read ten of them you really can't stop. Watching your videos, I assumed you had already read Pratchett, so it's nice that you are actually doing so.
that"s incredible- must've been a memorable summer
So basically they're the Jaffa Cakes of literature then?
Hahah when I was 13 I remember getting my hands on guards guards at like the beginning of march. By the end, I had finished like 36 of them, and had to buy the few that my brother was missing. It was just read read read, read on the bus, read during class, read before bed, I'd start a book in the morning, finish it by dinner, and start another before falling asleep. It was great
Discworld series really butchered other fantasy books for me. Nothing compares with his stuff after that🥺 Drama, philosophy, interesting plots, characters, humor- i can't really find something of the same level-_-
The City Watch series (starting with Guards Guards), while also funny, somehow manages to be a deep meditation on class consciousness and focuses on themes of racism, xenophobia, and political power. Sometimes the observations are a little too on the nose, but overall it's one of the best works of fiction to deal with those issues that I've read.
I’ve fallen off the reading wagon in the last year. But, I’m going to go start rereading the City Watch series again. Sam Vimes has the best character arc in the entire Discworld series.
It's not often when "thank you for bullying me" is good. However readers know the value in sharing books. Now continue reading!!
If I'm being bullied into reading good books, I am always happy
It's just like in elementary school, when we were bullied for not reading enough of the right Fantasy novels. Those were the days.
@@ManCarryingThing and make it snappy!
I have only read The Color Of Magic from the Discworld and I'm planning on starting Light Fantastic next month. I know some people say The Color Of Magic isn't a great starting point but I enjoyed it immensely. The tone, the prose, the characters, the whimsy and the absurd nature of it all - everything came together to create such a fun read and I can't wait to continue and find out what happens to Rincewind next ^_^
I've heard that about the color of magic too! glad to hear you enjoyed it though
It's fantastic, but it is very different. Like comparing Blazing Saddles or Hot Fuzz to Beverly Hills Cops though. Getting the set up for Rincewind, who is the protagonist of quite a few books and makes cameos in many others, will give you nostalgic feelings as you go through the books. :)
You're in for a fabulous experience. But yes, lots of us worry that people will imagine that TCoM or TLF will put people off - that they'll assume every Discworld book is more of the same, and if they don't like them, will miss out on the 90% that are superb but quite different. :)
@@jonevansauthor so I'm in for a ride! This makes me even more excited for the later books ^^
It's true that the world becomes much more complex, and richer... But COM and LF have some really great writing within. I envy you all the first reads ahead, I wish I could read them all for the first time, again!
They are great books, but still some of the worst discworld books just by comparison
"The Truth" and "Monstrous Regiment" are two of my favourites
Reaper man is wonderful. :)
I like that you talked about the universe repairing itself when someone alters the timeline because in Night Watch, one of my favourite Discworld books, you get to see how the universe deals with time travel.
Night Watch is also the most serious/solemn Discworld book as far as I can remember.
I felt extremely similar with Mort, it's one of my least favourite out of my Discworld books I've read so far which just goes to show how fantastic the series is.
I'm reading Guards! Guards! Now and is already working it's way to my favourite entry so far!
I go extremely left field with my recommendation of where to start which is Going Postal. It's one of the most traditionally constructed narratives in the Discworld with actual chapters and a plot that keeps moving which I think makes it very accessible to new readers. Also works as a standalone so you don't have to worry about finishing the series and instead view it as a welcoming entry
Going postal sounds right up my alley, and that little bit of plot structure sounds nice too lol. There are too many places to go next, the options feel endless!
@@ManCarryingThing Pratchett did say it took him a few books to "discover the joy of plot."
Going postal was the first DW that i read and i LOVED IT
Mort is a great entry point into the series and i completely agree with your experience.
Guards! Guards! Is great, the same goes for moving pictures. You might want to consider Small gods as well, it's one of my favourite Discworld books and a good entry point.
Small Gods sounds so fun to me, but I love books that take place in "Hollywood" so I may have to do Moving Pictures next. I don't know, too many options lol
@@ManCarryingThing not a bad choice, Moving Pictures is hilarious with a captivating plot.
@@ManCarryingThing Moving Pictures was one of my favorites when I read it, felt very attached to the characters. I did read it after many other books so it might have been different otherwise though. Strangely my first one was Feet of Clay, which is like right in the middle, but that's what my friend who introduced me recommended as a first one (I think because it was his favorite), but then I read the rest in publication order. There are just enough subtle tie ins that I feel like it's worth it.
Daniel and MCT thanking people for bullying them, back to back 😂 perfect
Every single time I see man carry the thing...I'm blown away at the way in which that specific thing was indeed carried.
thank you so much. i carry thing, indeed
So you’re one of us now.
"one of us - one of us"
Gooble gobble gooble gobble ONE OF US! ONE OF US!
We accept him! We accept him!
@@MagusMarquillin yea verily!
@@muhammadhashir6136 I'm a fraud; I haven't read Discworld. I did watch the movie Freaks though - I just wanted to be one of the Freaks!
Terry put scits from movies all through the Disc world. Every book is a joy to read. So delightful.. Night watch and the Death series are favorites.
Scits from stories, be they books, films, cave paintings, or even blokes down the pub.
I literally just finished this book half an hour ago (also first discworld) and saw you posted this now. Freaky
I ve only read small gods and mort, but small gods is reaaally good
I just finished my first discworld book, Small Gods. And I have the same issues that you did. My favorite moments were the more serious and philosophical ones. I had a few other problems but honestly it was good and I’m glad I read it. I’ll definitely pick up other discworld books in the future.
The only discworld novel I've read is Guards! Guards! and I really enjoyed it. The characters and their dynamics are fun. I plan on reading Mort as my next discworld novel but afterwards I will definitely continue the Night Watch "saga" (series? I dunno).
Always love watching your vids
Thanks! Guards Guards looks so fun, that may be the next one I read
"Little bits of philosophy" Yup that is the core reason for my bookshelves carrying every Pterry book written. I agree that his early books had a Mel Brooks flavor (and I like Mel Brooks, but not exactly for world view) but I think you will see later books bringing deeper meaning, while still being fun and funny. Thanks for the thoughtful review!
I love this so much!
If you want jokes AND character and story depth then i think everything that includes Sam Vimes as a main role works best, he just feels incredibly real to me while keeping the discworld charm better than most in my opinion.
If you want more seriousness go for Reaper Man (only to see the character developments) and then Thief of time or Hogfather. Both very philosophical in parts. Or you start with "The truth" and the Lipwick books. Later Guards books also are a lot darker then teh first ones. If you want Pratchett outside of Disc World I highly recommend "Nation". I think it truly shows what he was made of as an author.
I’m so happy you started Discworld! Mort was my first ever book too and it’s a good introduction to the series. The philosophical themes are wonderful in Pratchett and I think Small Gods is his best example of that, plus, it’s a standalone so I’d suggest that next for you. Definitely try Guards, Guards! and Wyrd Sisters. They start the best two sequences within Discworld (technically Sourcery is the start of the witches but I prefer Wyrd Sisters). I actually did a video on it a little while back, but I know Daniel Green also has Discworld videos and I’m sure they are miles better 😂
I keep hearing Wyrd Sisters is great!
@@ManCarryingThing it’s Pratchett’s Shakespeare homage - great fun.
May I humbly but STRONGLY recommend to anyone who reads Mort and agrees with everything--or anything--you said to read either Going Postal or Monstrous Regiment next? They're not "traditional" starting points for Discworld, but they do everything Mort doesn't. They're both extremely clever, witty, insightful, they have amazing characters you really become attached to, they have very interesting philosophies, and you really don't need to read any other books before them. In fact, people stress WAY too much about where to start, when Pratchett really wrote every book to be able to stand on its own, and you lose VERY little by not reading them in order.
Guards! Guards! is great, but it suffers from a lot of them same problems (if you view them as problems, of course) as Mort. The characters are a little one-dimensional (though admittedly less so, especially in the cases of Vimes and Sybil), the plot is only barely there to carry the jokes, etc. If you tried Mort and were lukewarm on it, Guards! Guards! should not be your next choice. I love the book, but truly the best thing about it is that it's the first of the City Watch series of books, all of which are better than it (except maybe Fifth Elephant, idk, this is very much my personal opinion). You really can just dive in to the very best of Discworld!
That drawing of how all the books/series within Discworld connect can be your key (you showed it at the beginning of video, the one on the left).
I would recommend popping around to the diff series... I did first book in city watch first, then Mort, then first book in witches series then first book (its actually 2 books) in wizards (Rincewind) series.
I just started Pyramids a few days ago coincidently. It's great so far. It's about.... the Egyptian culture on the disc.
I think the Color of Magic/Light Fantastic prob my fav so far. Pyramids will be my sixth Discworld book.
Small gods was my first Discworld book. It's pretty much a stand alone story and requires basically no previous knowledge of the universe, while giving you the taste of the world and style of the Discworld series.
Death is great, and probably the best stand-alone character in the series. Just for how well he manages to be the _personification_ of something that still isn't a _person_ - it gets talked a lot about in school and everything, but I haven't seen it done a lot better than discworld's Death. It doesn't even strike a balance; he's a humanised face set atop something inhuman, and it still works without breaking every other character in the story.
But Rincewind will always be my favourite, because when I first read the books I really related to him being a sarcastic, perpetually terrified loser who is, incredibly, both overqualified and underqualified for every situation life throws at him.
And now,
I still relate to all of that in the exact same way, because life never stops being an adventure if you have an adventurer's soul, and the heart and mind of a career accountant.
I don't know if I could say what the 'best' discworld books are. Maybe the one that gave me the clearest understanding of what Pratchett's writing was, what the stories he wrote were really about, in terms of their form and function - might be 'The Science of Discworld'. It's not even a discworld novel, proper - half of it is the man talking directly to audience about things he's learned and read and thought about, and thinks people might like to know or benefit in some way from reading; the other half is this pastiche of science fiction where the wizards manage to create our universe - the one we live in; or at least something recognisably similar - and then essentially spend the rest of the story trying to figure out if it's any _good_ for anything.
And when you get to the end of that, you realise to some degree that's what they have _all_ been - it's someone sharing what he's learned, in an entertaining format, with jokes and things peppered throughout to keep it from seeming too - definitive or authoritative, I think; keep you asking your own questions. They are a unique sort of good, or at the very least a special and rare one, and I think just picking one up as and when you feel like you need it might honestly be the best way to go about it.
Awesome, will definitely check it out. Would be awesome to hear you review Without Remorse, Tom Clancy. Or maybe Rainbow 6. Both are fun books:)
Just saw Jack Ryan amazon show - I read The Hunt for Red October when I was kid. I've been considering revisiting Clancy soon
@@ManCarryingThing sweet! ♥️🤘🏽
Cool! I am fan of discworld for around 20 years and I am glad to see new people joining in! My first one was Pyramids. Felt like a great start since it’s kind of standalone. My favorites are newer ones like Nightwatch, Going Postal… Pratchett really improved in time. Also he morphed from essentially what you are saying here to what you want it to be. No wonder he’s a legend. There’s a lot of books you can continue with. Guards! Guards! Is good pick as any. I think you will like the watch, it’s like bridge 4 crew in Charles Dickens world.
Oh I'm so glad you read Mort. One of my favourites! I read think if you read it in order, you would feel much, much more connected with Death.
Pratchett is the master of comic fantasy with heart ❤
Well dang! If it reminded you of space balls then I’m reading this next!
*You have the ring, and I see your schwartz is as big as mine!*
Yeah - I thought that was an interesting parallel. Some of the earlier books poke fun at the best fantasy tropes more, whereas later ones are more of a comedy that reflects some aspect of reality, that happens to be set on Discworld. For instance, Going Postal is based around the quaint notion of writing letters, using stamps as a secondary currency, collecting stamps and growing a business. It's not just an excuse to tell jokes about where all the letters go that didn't get delivered. :)
I recommend go for Guards! Guards! next. The Night Watch series gets better and better with each book.
You will definitely see more serious stuff in the further books as Terry evolves from a satire on fantasy and sci fi into social commentary while keeping the funny bits.
I would say the watch series, starting with Guards Guards, is the essential sub series of Discworld. Standalone recommendations for The Truth, Small Gods and The Amazing Maurice and his educated Rodents.
Small Gods is one of his best ever! That's definitely when Discworld got fully into satire and out of the parody
Great series, I've read the hole thing and every single book will make you laugh
I recently bought Guards! Guards! as my first Discworld book and I'm so excited to start it some time!
Also read Mort as my first Discworld book last year, but I actually DNF'd it because of some of the critiques you shared. It felt weird having Mort as the main character since he wasn't really interesting as a viewpoint character. I also may have been comparing it a bit too much to Douglas Adams (who I love dearly) because they were contemporaries. It's hard to beat Adams's prose, so that's probably a bit unfair.
I'm a huge fan of Adventure Time, and it seems like Discworld has a similar vibe with its worldbuilding, silliness, and occasional touch of sincerity. I'll have to give it another shot when I get the chance.
Yeah, we probably share some of the same critiques. I really feel like some of the other books will be more up my alley. Also the Adventure Time comparison feels very appropriate!
In a way the books are less complicated than the charts and fan discussion might suggest, you can pick almost any of them up and get a complete self-contained story. But there will be lots of references that will tug on your curiosity until you end up reading more. If you want to see it develop from first principles then read them in publication order - I actually really like the Rincewind books so I had no problem with that. Otherwise you could swap over to the beginning of one of the other popular sub-lines like Guards, Guards or Equal Rites. Or like, pick any one that seems interesting.
my first discworld book was hogfather, and while im not a good judge on whether its a good introduction as id seen the miniseries beforehand, i do consider it one of the best and essential reading. i really love the two rather silly b plots happening cocurrently with the more tense and serious a plot, and it has such wonderful ideas and discussions about the nature of belief and imagination and stories. i think understanding sir terrys view on storytelling as a human trait through hogfather gives you a greater understanding and appreciation of his other books
I started as a teen with the Tiffany Aching series and loved it.
But I think all his books are fun, easy-to-read, but still somehow deep and diverse books with very climactic climaxes.
Mort is one of my favorite in the series. That one and the first two
If you are familiar with Macbeth, then Wyrd Sisters is one that might be what you found missing in Mort. It is technically the second Witches book, but I see it as the proper first book. It is early enough that there are not too many running jokes, but late enough that he has found the tone that carries forward.
This is actually a great review! please try small gods, I think you’ll love it
You could easily continue reading the Death series now that you’ve started Mort. (Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather and Thief of Time.) It’s a valid reading route. The Discworld Emporium even suggests it.
Personally, though, I’d recommend a detour before coming back to the series. The Death books can be repetitive. Especially if you're reading them one after the other. Instead, given your critiques on Mort, I would read some combination of:
• Guards, Guards!
• Small Gods
• The Truth
• Going Postal
Hope this helped you out! :D
Thank you! I think I'll read Guards Guards next :)
I also started with Mort, by pure luck (was given it when I commented "oh, never did read Pratchett, is it good?") and I believe Small Gods was the 2nd I read, as I just went through whatever I could find at my local library. Guards Guards and other books in the Night Watch series are what I fell in love with, especially as they do have that serious core which checks more boxes of what entertain me.
Color of Magic is cool and pretty fun. And It's obviously a great start point as the first book in the series. I also loved the Unseen Academicals as a later, sort of more ambitious and compelling entry in the Discworld. Small Gods is another classic and righly so.
The earlier books were still solid, but they get a lot better. The next Death book Reaper Man is much better, and I think has what you're looking for. I agree Mort had great dialogue, but packed in other areas. Guards Guards is fantastic! Moving Pictures is a good one if you are a big old school Hollywood fan. Personally I've enjoyed the Witches books a lot (Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters so far, though I have Witches Abroad next month!). I'm doing publication order which helps with all the running bits and jokes, but mostly you can read out of order with very little issue
Oh nice - I'm looking forward to Reaper Man, for sure
The essential Discworld books are all the books. It's permissible to leave the last one on the shelf unread because you know you'll never get to read a new Pratchett book again, and you're still grieving.
While everything he wrote is excellent, the sequences like The Guards books, and The Witches have some chronology within them. Mort is a standalone so the only Death re-occurs IIRC. You would find that The Colour of Magic is amazing but also completely different to Mort or Pyramids and is much more about poking fun at fantasy whereas the later books tend to reflect the real world. I tend to think the Guards sequence is the most coherent, so it's a good place for newbies to get invested.
But for those who will the do the right thing, and keep reading, I'd just go chronological. You will certainly get a better introduction to recurring characters like that, but if you're going to be put off by the different tone of The Light Fantastic or Equal Rites, that's not helpful. If you didn't find those first books utterly amazing, and stopped, you'd be the poorer for it. It would be like watching all the MCU except for Infinity War and Endgame, and not getting the pay off of the arc. :)
And by chronologically I mean in the order they were published. I'm so old that's how I read them and it has the advantage that you're seeing the world develop as Sir Terry wrote it. But the downside that you have to wait longer for more Granny Weatherwax. Reading just the Guards books would be great for your second to fiftieth readthroughs.
Hogfather is my 'next book' rec, especially if you want to continue with Death. If you liked the philosophy bits in Mort, this one has even more.
Great review, dude! I've been looking for the right entry point into Discworld for a while. based on your thoughts i think you convinced me this would NOT be the right place for me to start. looking for something a bit more serious and character driven to draw me in. so thanks for the useful review, look forward to seeing your thoughts on other books in the series!
Thank you! Glad I could help :)
Pratchett's one of the authors who had motivated me to start learning english initially
I started with Small Gods and liked it, then I read Jingo and was completely pulled in and then proceeded to read the Watch series from that point forward and backwards. Then eventually everything.
The Death himself appears in most Discworld books at some point or another, but the books centered around him is my favourite part of Discworld. I think the idea that Death is kind and cares for the creatures (not only people) at the end is very soothing. He's goofy and sometimes awkward, obviously not human but somehow relatable. Oh, and he loves cats.
I think the later books about Moist von Lipwig (Going postal, Making money and Raising steam) are fun. Guards Guards have kind of slow start which can be boring, but it's worth reading trough, too.
When I said earlier that Mort was my fave Discworld book, I was actually confused and meant Reaper Man! Big oopsie. That's the one you should read next!
You’re so good!!
Mort is the first book Terry said he was totally happy with - it's the book I always recommend people to start with.
Well my first book was a "double feature" containing "MORT" and "Guards! Guards!" that was a good start. For just enjoying the fun of it Going Postal would also be a good starting point. Even though you might lack some funny background about some of the "supporting characters". Which will pull you deeper into their stories.
I would say that Susan and the Death serious you don't invest in much character wise, as they commonly do center around philosophical paradigms, so the characters are more engines to drive the concepts.
The Night Watch series is where you want to go for character investment and book to book development.
Can't wait to hear your take on Vetinari.
Moist Von Lipwig is a series where you see more character expression as well, though it also can be seen as a political or philosophical engine.
Keep in mind, many of the books have that one off feeling where the characters are meant to drive concepts, instead of characters reacting and developing in the world. Not entirely, but I think the discworld is meant more to drive concepts instead of grow characters. Nightwatchman being the main exception. The Witches perhaps too, but I don't remember that one too well.
Thanks for the recs -- yeah based on what others are saying too, I think I'll enjoy the night watch most
Well done for dipping your toe in. I've never found the love for the city watch series others have but the first (the one with the dragon) and Night Watch are stone cold classics. All the series have their high points and I tend to dip between the ones I love which pretty much stand alone - for example Mostrous Regiment - has only tangential link to the night watch books but its great) and then Moist von Lipwig for me has the 2 best, most modern books of the lot (his third and final one ruins the trilogy a bit for me but then it was very late stage Pratchett starting to tie up his loose ends whilst he had time). Although moist's series comes right at the end so it would be a big spoiler for where the series is going if you went to Moist.
Well, if you want a Fantasy book that has comedy and pokes fun at Fantasy tropes, but also has interesting characters with depth, you should check out The Blade Itself.
David not missing an opportunity to recommend some Abercrombie, lol
@@ManCarryingThing Never. lol
I dedicated my first novel to Sir Terry: For making me laugh for a moment, and think for a lifetime.
Mort is very good, and it gets a lot lot LOT better.
GNU STP
Yes, go to Guards! Guards next.
I love most of the Discworld books I've read (they are about the only book series that can hold my attention these days) but if you asked me what went down in the books after I've read them - I could not tell you.
Though, I have a good recollection of Small God which I read when I was younger so maybe I am just getting old.
+1 for small gods, he was kind of an angry guy at a certain point in his career and this sort of both highlights and is a product of that. Snuff is a really good one because its a book that he himself said he couldn't written as a younger writer and it feels like it's a short story does a lot while still feeling comfortable which was really interesting. I wouldn't recommend reading snuff on it's own though it's better to get to it organically through the sam vines arc.
Eventually your catharsis will wither and my power will finally take hold.
YOUR POWER IS FUTILE!!!
I personally love the night watch series, so Guards! Guards! is a great next choice. Also Going Postal and the Tiffany Aching series!
This came up in my feed again, so I just wanted to add this: You know how everyone has a favorite author and a favourite book by said author that they recommend to everyone? The problem is when someone finally reads that book, loves it too, and then finds all the other books a disappointment because the first thing they read was the best book of the whole catalog?
Read book 3 next, then carry on from book 5, after a few more, you will encounter most of the groups (city watch, witches, wizards) and then if you don't want to to follow a certain group, you can skip it as you go.
The other advantage is that you get to see how TP's writing gets so much better, and deeper, the further you go.
The farther you get into Discworld, the more serious it gets and the fewer jokes are told. I started with book one and have been reading them in order. Where to go next really depends on what you're looking for. If you want something more serious, I'd recommend Guards Guards.
I know that this is probably too late to help, but I think that Guards, Guards! is a pretty good place to continue your Discworld journey, as it helps to establish a lot of reoccurring concepts and characters while still telling its own complete story. The watch novels are also probably my favorite "series" of Discworld books, so that also ties into it.
I would suggest "Wyrd Sisters" next. It is chronologically before "Guards Guards!!" and starts the Witches storyline. The 4 major storylines of the books are "Death" starting in Mort, the "Wizards" starting in Colour of Magic, "Witches" starting in "Wyrd Sisters", and "City Guard" starting in "Guards Guards!!". While Guards Guards is where the books hit their stride and keep on running Wyrd Sisters is still essential and the follow-up books in the Witches storyline make little sense without it. It has less early installment vibes than Mort did and is really good but not as good as it keeps getting from then on
guards guards & equal rites are my favourites, but I have only read up to moving pictures. I have to admit that mort, although I too started with it (in 2011) is a bit weird and that the characters don't quite get you invested. But it's good none the less. It was my first too. And really, rincewind is fun too, even if the city watch and witches get you more invested :P Unseen university is just so much fun if you've been to or are going to university yourself.
I am sure it is far too late to answer your question, but next would be Reaper Man, it is one of the first novels where he gets to grips with humanity and ethics and pride and it is still very funny and also very beautifully written.
I really hope you space out the books, because I assure you that the day you realize you will never again turn the page to find an unread passage of Terry Pratchett waiting for you is an extremely difficult day.
So very true. I could only manage to get through The Shepherd's Crown once... It just hurts too damn much. New fans may not understand ...but when you've been through the books a time or two, the Disc becomes a sort of "second home, and the characters in it start to feel like family. So many layered meanings, Easter Eggs, nods and winks, reversals of roles, and just a lot of honesty about the condition known as living, and the ways that one can go about it. Discworld is deep, with layers of comedy, satire, philosophy, and just straight-up whimsy, because that's just how it works in Discworld. How lucky are we, that Sir Terry was kind enough to create and grow, and share the story of "a world in a distant and second hand set of dimensions" that under the wrapper, is so very much like ours.
As a lot of people already said, I first went for "Guards, Guards!" and it's still my favorite saga. I must say that every first book of every Discworld saga is acceptable, but they really get awesome in the 2nd-3rd book of each series, I would say that you should take the 1st book as a "test" one. This is where the characters begin. And oh, boy, I can't tell you how incredibly characters develop themselves. The 1st book of the Watch series is very funny, the 2nd one is already fantastic, but you don't fully understand the character's arch if you don't read the beginning, where do they start and what do they become in the end ;)
That said, I am glad that you joined Discworld family! Enjoy ^^
A friend lent me a Disc World book. One of the very few books I couldn't finish. Got to page 50 & felt like I was missing something. He had given me a book somewhere in the middle of the series. I'd like to try it from the beginning.
Thank you
I'd say continue the death books next, then the witch books. Dont try the colour of magic until touve already read several discword books, after that you know enough of the series that you can kinda pick up any of them.
IMO Witch books are the worst Discworld books. The Death books are the best followed by Vimes.
The Witch books might be odd at times, but they do have some promising, interesting stuff as well. With the way he was talking about something with more character development and serious philosophical messages, the Watch novels might be his best bet. Although something that could be done is he reads them in synch with the Death novels. Remember, Thief of Time happens before Night Watch. Night Watch happens because of Thief of Time.
@@Fatikis42 Rincewind/wizards books are my least favourite.
@@abnunga I agree with that. Especially the early ones. The later ones are decent.
Lets all not forget how great Going Postal and Small Gods are.
That's weirdly specific. There is no reason not to go for the Watch novels or moving pictures.
And while it gets too complex to start a streak from the back it's absolutely fine to start with the second in line. Say, nothing wrong in starting with Men At Arms and then reading Guards Guards as a prequel.
It will be fine.
Cheers.
My favourite Prachett joke is when Death is told that diamonds are a girls best friend so he presents his lady friend with a diamond "TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU"
You GOTTA make a video when you read the Tiffany Aching books. They, I feel, have the best mix of whimsy and serious depth and character development that you're looking for. The Nac Mac Feegles are the best ever
What books SHOULDN'T you read next? I'd leave Colour of Magic and Light Fantastic until later (read them back-to-back when you do read them though). If you want to read some Witches, I'd also skip Equal Rites. I think you came into the series at the right place, the earlier books were very much still finding their feet. Most of the time, you very much can just pick one of his books and read it out of order, with the exception of the first two, and possibly the Tiffany Aching arc (highly recommended if you also enjoy younger readers fiction, but I'd read those in order). Yeah, whichever of the ones you named sounds most interesting at the time - go for it!
I prefer colour of magic to all of his later books.
I kind of grew up on the Tiffany Aching series - it’s sort if it’s own story but is still very much intertwined with the rest of the diskworld
other personal favourites include Going Postal and Moving Pictures - also The Last Continent bc im Australian
I started with Small Gods and absolutely loved it!
I just finished my first Pratchett novel Guards! Guards! and it was cool but I had to kinda force myself to get thru it... I suspect I've just been too overstimulated lately to appreciate a chill, low-stakes book, because I did find a lot of his writing to be very witty and creative, despite mostly being eager to start a new book the whole time...
I read Mort first too, then i went into following rincewind chronologically. As that path opened up a lot of the in-jokes knowledge you would like later. After that it was witch's starting with equal rites then night watch. That said I thought Pratchets early Sci-fi book was fun too, it was my first intro to that style of English comedy, after Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy
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Go with the Watch books. All of them are brilliant. I'm currently re-reading the Tiffany Aching books.
ooh Mort is a difficult one to start with. I find Guards Guards a better one personally.
I'd definitely recommend that as your next one, and while it technically is the second one in the Witches of Lancra series I would recommend Wyrd Siters, as Equal Rights is so different from the rest of the Witches books (I think of it like a stand-alone) that Wyrd Sisters is a better intro to their arc.
I'd recommend reading stand-alone like Pyraminds, Small Gods, Equal Rights, The Truth, Thief of Time, Eric, The Last Hero in-between one-another.
I would also not start Tiffany Aching books until you finished at least Lords and Ladies, or even Maskerade, and don't start Thief of Time before you haven't finished The Hogfather, as they make a lot more sense after each other.
For more seriousness you can't beat Sam Vimes in the Nighwatch starting with Guards Guards but if you liked Death as an anthropomorphic personification you will eventually have to meet Rincewind. While on our round world we sometimes have Near Death Experiences - Discworld's Death keeps having Near Rincewind Experiences. My fav Discworld character when I first started was Carrot, but I have come to really appreciate Rincewind especially after watching him played by David Jason and then playing him as a character in a D&D home game - and you have to love the Luggage. Oh and of course the Nac Mac Feegle.
We need an update on your journey into Discworld.
I also hope you have read Small Gods (my favorite book in the series) and Reaper Man.
Discworld easily divides into a few genres.
Rincewind books are all about setting and world building. Rincewind goes to a place, and leaves it at velocity. There are very few places on the disc Rincewind does NOT flee from at some point.
Guards (Vimes) books tend to center on Anhk Morpork and the day to day life therein. They are mysteries first and foremost, but they really make the city feel like a place with a breathing population and an economy and a political reality that just feels right.
Death books are more Cosmology focused, as well as an excuse for Terry to wax philosophical, which is a particular talent of his that I love. Especially once Susan gets involved.
The witches of Lancre are good stories for subverting old fantasy tropes, finding your voice, and generally poking a lot of fun at the Bard. My least favorite but by no means bad.
The later books featuring the 'Modernization' of the disc with characters like Moist, William, and the later Vimes books are excellent. Pratchett at the peak of his game. Philosophy, mystery, misdirection, villainy for a good cause and just some of the most finely crafted satire you will ever see in your life.
Then there's the one-offs. Pyramids, Monstrous Regiment, Moving Pictures... these books tackle a specific thing with characters you'll.probably not see again, or maybe just catch a passing reference to. They are all good, most are great, and they fill the world with so much personality that they help color in the other books as well.
I like to think of Discworld not as a single series of books, but as a Literatu Universe, a sort of book version of the MCU. You don't have to read them all to get all the references, you don't even have to be a big fan to enjoy them, but damned if every time I pick up Theif of Time or Making Money I go back an re-read most all of them again.
I completely agree with EVERYTHING
Christmas is around the corner... The Hogfather is the essential classic to enjoy through!
Thief of time, is the only book I've ever read that when I got to the end, I went straight back to the start and read it all over again.
You can read each book as a stand alone story but I strongly recommend reading each series in order as the character arcs grow over each story, you will grow to love them.
May I suggest you read the watch series of books starting with guards guards, and then Men at Arms and so for the above reason.
And one last thing avoid at all costs the abomination that is the new BBC fantasy drama 'based' on the Watch, as it will mess with your head and understanding of the stories if you haven't read the books first.
haha don't worry, I've heard to specifically avoid that tv series -- and yes I'll be reading guards guards next. Thank you!
Hogfather is my favourite Discworld book and one of my favourite books of all time, I hope you enjoy that one.
I'm looking forward to Death. Only started Discworld this year with The Night Watch. Absolutely hooked.
Picking MORT as your first Pratchett is goated.
Moving Pictures was a scathing satire of Hollywood that got surprisingly deep IMO
Are you kidding? The characters in Mort are incredible!