Which Discworld Book Should I Start With?
Discworld is a massive collection of fantastical works by Terry Pratchett; they feature recurring characters and locations as well as plot threads that weave throughout the story… and yet, there are many different starting points for this series, and there isn’t necessarily an agreed-upon beginning for people who want to dive into Discworld. In today’s post, I’m not even going to bother trying to give you a definitive answer to the question of which book you should begin with. Instead, this post is about suggesting different starting points for the Discworld series so that you can choose which one you want to begin with!
The Colour of Magic
This is actually the book I recommend starting with the least but there is an argument to be made for starting with this book. For one, this is the very first Discworld book that was published by Terry Pratchett. Advising readers to begin with this book is a bit like advising them to start the Souls games with Dark Souls I—there’s a definite advantage to starting at the beginning, and if you begin with later entries, you may have a harder time returning to the older ones. The Colour of Magic is by no means a bad book, but in my opinion, it doesn’t hold a candle to much of the rest of Discworld, which is understandable when it’s Terry Pratchett first dipping his toes into this robust universe he’s creating.
If you want to read Discworld in its chronological publication order, then I would recommend beginning with The Colour of Magic. That is only if you plan to read in chronological publication order. If that isn’t important to you, I have other starting point recommendations!
The Wee Free Men
My own entry into Discworld was The Wee Free Men, the first book in the Tiffany Aching collection. I was pretty young when I read this—I think roughly thirteen or fourteen—and I fell in love with Pratchett’s world and writing style. You can read the complete Tiffany Aching collection. I myself have been saving Pratchett’s last published work, The Shepherd’s Crown, and it’s the conclusion to this collection. The Wee Free Men is a really simple, silly adventure in which a would-be witch named Tiffany discovers a population of tiny people called the Nac Mac Feegle, whose dialect largely consists of Scottish or Gaelic slang. It’s absolutely delightful, but the stakes definitely increase throughout the series.
If you’re someone who typically reads Young Adult novels, I think that this is an excellent place to start. Once you’ve finished the Tiffany Aching collection, you can dive into some of his other novels and you’ll feel right at home in Discworld!
Small Gods
Small Gods is, by my recollection, one of Terry Pratchett’s more insightful and philosophical works (but not overwhelmingly so). I’ve read it a couple of times and on any reread, there’s something new to think about. It also serves as an excellent standalone—there are only two books in the Gods Collection, so you may consider following this up with its predecessor, Pyramids. The premise of this book seems silly—as is the case with many of the Discworld novels—but there is a surprising amount of depth to the story in this one. Additionally, you’ll learn a lot about the world by reading this book, but without info-dumping (something I can’t recall Terry Pratchett doing much of). Definitely an excellent standalone starter for getting into Discworld.
Hogfather
Weirdly, I don’t often see this one recommended as a starter book. I think that it’s an excellent starter book! In my opinion, you can read Hogfather at any point in the year, but it is of course best as a book read through the Christmas season. Truthfully, I can’t recall anything in this book that would be inappropriate for kids, though it is heavily implied that tooth fairies may not be as real as children might think, so do with that what you will. That said, just because it’s appropriate for children doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun book for adults! Not only is there plenty of insight in this book to consider and explore, but it also features the character of Death, my favorite Discworld character! If you read this book and enjoy it, I strongly recommend continuing on with the Death Collection. At the time of this writing, Reaper Man is my personal favorite!
This is a fantastic starting point if you want a light, silly, wintry story. If you’re unfamiliar with Discworld, the idea of Death being a main character may be a little daunting, but trust me: it’s fun. This is a really light-hearted and whimsical book with a compelling message at the end.
Guards! Guards!
This one is the very first of the novels in the City Watch collection. I personally recommend reading the City Watch collection in chronological order, as you follow a consistent cast of characters throughout this series of books and get to watch them develop and grow. Guards! Guards! is also just a lot of fun (as are, truly, all of the City Watch books and the majority of Discworld). Samuel Vimes, the character we primarily follow throughout the City Watch collection, is pretty easy to relate to; I really enjoy any interaction we get with him, and he has a great number of cameos in other Discworld novels, so once you’ve finished with the City Watch collection, you’ll have a lot of fun spotting Captain Vimes in other Discworld works!
This is a great one to start with if you want to stick with a dedicated, chronological collection for a series of books and you like mystery or political intrigue stories. Regardless of how much he begrudges it, Vimes is always getting dragged into political affairs. Some of these stories get a little complicated, at least in comparison to the other Discworld novels.
Or… Just, Any of Them
This is by no means a definitive list. Discworld is a huge collection of works by Terry Pratchett and there is an incredible cast of characters here. In truth, you can start with just about any of Pratchett’s works—his world is really easy to get into! The easiest way for most people may be to choose one of the standalone novels that I recommended, but if you want to just start with a series and get started, there are many collections within Discworld that you can sink your teeth into and enjoy. It depends on what interests you! Do you want a lot of magic and some strange, zany characters? Check out the Unseen University collection! Or perhaps witches are more your jam—I feel you there—the Witches collection is definitely for you! If you do some digging, you’re bound to find a book in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld setting that interests you.
Conclusion
Terry Pratchett is my favorite author and has been for a considerable amount of time, so picking only a handful of starter novels was tough. My hope in writing this post is that it helps at least one person find the Discworld collection to be more approachable. I know, believe me, that seeing a vast array of over 40 novels is daunting, but believe me when I say that once you get started, it feels like that collection isn’t big enough at all. This is a setting that is just as insightful as it is whimsical, so I hope you find looking at Discworld to be a little less overwhelming, now.