How should I start reading Discworld?

I've decided to give it a try, but I've heard the publishing order isn't necessarily the best order to read them.

So what's a good way to get started?

:silly:

'The Colour of Magic' and 'The Light Fantastic' - I just don't find Rincewind and Cohen the Barbarian my favourite characters. Perhaps they seem too obvious a parody of fantasy writing (albeit a clever parody), rather than Pratchett's own style and ideas.

Having said that, they do introduce a few of the running themes (basics of Discworld, the city of Ankh-Morpork, Unseen University and the Librarian, Death) so it might be a good idea to start with them.

I've actually missed out a few of the earlier ones - I think 'Wyrd Sisters' is the next in the publishing sequence I've read (and although 'Equal Rites' features one of the 3 witches, 'Wyrd Sisters' is the first to feature all 3, I think - and should definitely be read before any of the other 'witch' books; similarly, 'Guards! Guards!' is the first of the City Guard books, and should be read before any others).

'Mort' is highly spoken of, though (never seen it in my library, though, and I never remember to look for it in a books hop, so I've never read it) - that could be a good starting point, I suppose.

He was a joke that ran dry before the end of the page, yet he persisted throughout The Light Fantastic and lived to appear again in equally played-out glory.

Start with the first Night Watch book because the characters grow so much that if you start in the middle, you won't understand their arcs -- or half the jokes. Sam Vimes is one of the great characters of fiction -- not just fantasy, not just satire -- fiction. Once you've got a good base, having read Guards, Feet of Clay, and Men at Arms, you'll understand how the Discworld works and you can indulge in any of the others. Personally, I'd also read Reaper Man or Soul Music to understand the character of Death, and Lord and Ladies to understand the Witch sequence. But my favorite book out of all the Pratchett canon is probably Truth, followed by Going Postal, and Moving Pictures, none of which fall neatly into any of the Big Three Character Groups (headed by Sam Vimes, Granny Weatherwax, and Death, respectively.)

Not that I'm a fan or anything. ;-)

Thereafter, you can read pretty much whatever you want. TIme-continuity isn't much of an issue for Pratchett except where it pertains to the same group of characters. The Witches intersect only incidentally with The Watch, who relate very little to The Wizards, etc.

Pratchett makes little reference in any one book to things that have transpired before, so you're seldom stuck playing catch-up. However, certain relationships between characters make more sense if the stories are read in the published order.

except for the last one
http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/index.html

and this site has a useful chart
http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-1-5.ppt

I have read all the books more than once. I discovered Pratchett while we were stationed in Germany. That was years ago when it wasn't so easy to find his books. I started out with whatever I could get my hands on. Then I read them in published order. It showed me how he developed the concept(s) of Discworld. Then I read them by groupings: Rincewind, Witches, Watch, Death. That is the order I prefer.

I read them more than once because there is so much to be discovered, so many layers of satirical treasure to uncover, that one reading just didn't suffice.

But whatever book you happen to read first will probably get you hooked.

... on your head, and hold the books sideways.

That's how they're meant to be read. :-)

My daughter actually graphed out the story order of the books. Took her awhile. Then she discovered websites that have this already, and it irritated her.

But, really, my advice is just to pick one and go with it. There is an order to them that doesn't mesh with the publishing order, detailed to some extent in links already provided.


FWIW, I started with Colour of Magic, which is the first book, but it didn't quite capture me the way some of the others did, so I dunno if that would be the first one I'd recommend.

...which begins with The Wee Free Men. Tiff is quite a young witch growing up on a sheep farm, so if you have a preteen girl in your life that you'd like to introduce to a good read, this would be great. He does NOT talk-down to kids, and I enjoy the Tiffany books very much.

As for the rest, I too would recommend beginning with Guards! Guards!

A friend of mine kept recommending The Hogfather to me when I was in grad school in Mythology, but the guy is such a smirking superior sort that when I read it I was impatient. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get all the mythological references.

A couple of years later I picked up Reaper Man on my own, and halfway through the book, when the old woman dances with Death, I got it. Pratchett is one of the great ones. You laugh, you cry, you think... After that I hunted down everything by Pratchett that I could get my hands on. Eventually I worked my way back to The Hogfather, and this time I enjoyed it a lot. I read Jingo in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, and it was as if the man had written the book exactly for this occasion.

Enjoy.

Hekate

It's not to be missed.