Top 10 best Discworld books by Terry Pratchett!
Discworld reading order, for those that feel completely lost in their Discworld journey
Sir Terrance David John Pratchett, known to the world by his artistic moniker "Terry Pratchett", is one of our all time favourite authors. Over his staggering 44 year career he managed to complete more than 50 novels, 41 of which are based in the fictional universe of Discworld - a world full of wonder, magic and no small dose of humorous characters and satirical conversations.
Given the sheer number of books in the Discworld series, it can be a daunting task to jump into it, especially for newcomers who wouldn't even know where to start. Thankfully, the entire collection has a non-linear storytelling structure, meaning that books don't need to be read in the order of their release and, while many characters, landmarks and organizations are present in multiple books, it does not necessarily mean that there is any chronological connection to the events happening there.
Here are our picks for 10 of the best Discworld books of all time, which represent, in our modest opinion, the heights of Pratchett's talent as a storyteller and satirist.
Mort
Small Gods
Guards! Guards!
Interesting Times
Wyrd Sisters
The Color of Magic
Men at Arms
Night Watch
Lords and Ladies
Thief of Time
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Mort
Our absolute favourite Discworld book is actually one of the first books to be published from the series. It focuses on Mort, who accidentally finds himself apprenticed to non-other than Death, the Grim Reaper of the Discworld universe, who takes the form of a black-robed terrifying skeleton, wields a scythe, and... has a great fondness for cats and the baffling humans he is tasked with reaping.
Yearning to understand the "human experience" first hand, Death decides to hire some help and offers an internship to a teenager called Mort. It's an offer Mort can't refuse... Literally, as being dead apparently is not compulsory. At least the job comes with some awesome perks, like free boarding, use of the company's horse and, of course, reaping the occasional annoying king or queen. But when Mort starts to develop feelings for Death's daughter, he'll quickly discover that his boss can be the death of his love life.
Buy Now: Mort
2. Small Gods
Religion has always been a rather controversial topic, but nowhere is this more evident than in the universe of Discworld, where religions are a cutthroat business. Everyone wants a voice and is pushing for a spot at the top, making it a pretty competitive environment to stand out in. Shape and size can play a vital role in making your presence felt, so imagine the Great God Om's predicament when he finds himself in the body of a tortoise.
Stuck between a rock and... A shell... Om's only bet is to find an acolyte to do his bidding, and fast. Ergo, he bestows his patronage on Brutha, a mere novice who becomes the Om's Chosen One (mainly due to the lack of other candidates). But will Brutha's peace-loving nature and desire for brotherly love be enough for the Inquisition to stop torturing him?
Buy Now: Small Gods
We can’t discuss the best Discworld novels without mentioning the honorable (and sometimes not so honorable) City Watch!
3. Guards! Guards!
Released as the eight book in the series, Guards! Guards! Focuses on the legendary City Watch of Ankh-Morpork, where insurrection runs amok and The Haves and Have-Nots are about to fall out all over again.
But Captain Sam Vimes has a great way to handle the stress of the job - drinking. And when things get tougher? Drinking more. But when a plot to usurp power and unleash a terrible weapon on the city becomes known. Vimes must quickly sober up and marshal his ramshackle forces to save the day.
Guards! Guards! Is the first book in the City Watch sub-series of Discworld, and is the first instalment to introduce Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson, a six foot six inch volunteer, who was raised by dwarves. For a full review of the book, check out our article dedicated specifically to the City Watch!
Buy Now: Guards! Guards!
4. Interesting Times
There are too many heroes in the Discworld, but there is only one Rincewind. Fortunately. For the whole of Discworld. As incompetent at magic, as he is inept to stay out of trouble's way, Rincewind finds himself the recipient of a great honour - becoming Ankh-Morpork's "Great Wizard" emissary for the faraway Counterweight Continent. Unfortunately for our protagonist, he can barely spell "wizard", yet alone be one, but for some mind-boggling reason someone believes that he will have a pivotal role in stopping the ensuing war and turmoil.
One of Pratchett's most hilarious novels, Interesting Times has always amazed us with it's strong plot and writing, as well as Rincewind's hysterical attempts at balancing his ineptitude for everything he touches with his desire to save his own skin.
Buy Now: Interesting Times
5. Wyrd Sisters
The story focuses on three witches, who sit on vastly opposite ends of the "witch" spectrum - Granny Weatherwax, the embittered and self-assured almost-leader of the witches; Nanny Ogg, the goofy matron; and Magrat Garlick, who has some very interesting and "progressive" ideas.
When a king is brutally murdered by his cousin, who usurps the throne shortly after, the trio take it upon themselves to find the missing infant heir and the crown that disappeared with him. But Granny Weatherwax and team will soon discover that meddling in royal schemes is far more complicated than a certain playwright makes it out to be.
Buy Now: Wyrd Sisters
6. The Colour of Magic
Ah, the first ever Discworld book is something truly special. It first brought us to the Discworld, a place very similar to our own world, apart for some minor differences, such as the existence of magic, fantastical creatures, disturbing smells and grim reaper's with affinity for cats. Oh, and we should probably mention that the whole world is carried on the back of a giant turtle.
When the entire world is endangered by a new and terrible threat, it's first dedicated tourist, the entire fate of the universe rests on non other than the spectacularly inept Rincewind. How this universe survived for 40 more books afterwards is beyond us.
Buy Now: Colour of Magic
7. Men at Arms
You know what's the problem with destiny? She can be as absent minded as Rincewind sometimes, casually pointing her finger in a random direction and suddenly a random chap minding their own business is tasked with saving the world from yet another calamity. This time, she sets her gaze on the city of Ankh-Morpork, where someone is starting to get some dangerous ideas about crowns and legendary swords.
Thankfully, destiny also usually sends heroes to battle such threats. This time, however, she sends a six foot six inch man, who thinks he's a dwarf, an actual dwarf, a troll, a woman... Most of the time, and Corporal Nobbs, who's been disqualified from the human race for shoving. And they'll need all the help they can get.
Buy now: Men at Arms
8. Night Watch
What's worse than a serial killer in the city you've been charged with protecting? A serial killer who specifically targets coppers, that's what! Add in a pending bloody revolution to the mix and you have an almost normal day for a man of the City Watch of Ankh-Morpork.
In this hilariously brilliant mix between The Terminator and The Ghost of Christmas Past, Sam Vimes, commander of the Watch, finds himself teleported back to his own past, arriving there as naked as Arnold in that iconic movie scene. But Sam is a tough bloke and he resolves to face the demons of his past to find a way to get back to his own time and change the outcome of the revolution. The only problem - if he succeeds, he's got no wife, no child and no future. Well, maybe not the only problem. We probably should have mentioned that the serial killed gets sent back in time with him and knows exactly where Vimes lives. A standard day for a man of the City Watch indeed.
Buy Now: Night Watch
9. Lords and Ladies
Granny Weatherwax and her coven of witches are back in this instalment of the Discworld series to face their greatest adversaries yet - real elves and a bunch of fairies who want more than just your teeth.
Even in a world of dwarves, trolls, wizards and orang-utan librarians, there is a natural order of things and walls around the fabric of reality, for outside of those walls reside nasty little things that tend to mess with the way of things. And wreck general havoc everywhere they go. So when Midsummer Night arrives and shatters the walls between realities, the hilariously mismatched coven must come to the rescue again with the support of an unlikely group of characters, Morris dancers and lots of hey-nonny-nonny-s.
Buy Now: Lords and Ladies
10. Thief of Time
Everything in the Discworld operates under certain rules, including magic, gods, death and even time. The flow of time has always been managed by The Monks of History, charged with making sure it is not abused, misused or unused. They store it, pump it and generally do everything in their power to prevent time from standing still. For when time stands still, everything in existence stops with it.
But with the construction of the world's first truly accurate clock, Lu Tze and his suspiciously talented apprentice Lobsang Ludd must literally race against time to ensure that the Discworld has a future.
Buy Now: Thief of Time
What did you think of our picks for the top 10 best Discworld books of all time by Terry Pratchett? Do you agree with our list? Let us know in the comments below.