Reading Order: Discworld

What is the Discworld?

From 1983 to 2015, The Discworld was the main satirical/parody fantasy series written by English author Terry Pratchett.

It’s an anthology series and each novel contains one stand-alone story, most of them exploiting fantasy clichés and talking about religion, politics, business, race, science, technology, pop culture, modern art or more in a satirical way.

Discworld Books In Order:

The can be read in technically any order, as there generally stand alone. There are however recurring characters.

I. Publication Order:

 

1. The Color of Magic
2. The Light Fantastic
3. Equal Rites
4. Mort

  

5. Sourcery
6. Wyrd Sisters
7. Pyramids
8. Guards! Guards!

   

9. Eric
10. Moving Pictures
11. Reaper Man
12. Witches Abroad

 

13. Small Gods
14. Lords and Ladies
15. Men at Arms
16. Soul Music

   

17. Interesting Times
18. Maskerade
19. Feet of Clay
20. Hogfather

 

21. Jingo
22. The Last Continent
23. Carpe Jugulum
24. The Fifth Elephant

   

25. The Truth
26. Thief of Time
27. The Last Hero
28. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

  

29. Night Watch
30. The Wee Free Men
31. Monstrous Regiment
32. A Hat Full of Sky

   

33. Going Postal
34. Thud!
35. Wintersmith
36. Making Money

    

37. Unseen Academicals
38. I Shall Wear Midnight
39. Snuff

 

40. Raising Steam
41. The Shepherd’s Crown

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II. By Characters/Mini-Series

Rincewind

A failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, Rincewind is mostly known for his tendency to solve minor problems by turning them into major disasters. He spends most of his time running away from bands of people who want to kill him. It’s hard to explain, but he’s still alive.

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

Death

The personification of death, so he is a black-robed skeleton carrying a scythe. As a Grim Reaper, he is only a part of the universal Death, also known as Azrael. His jurisdiction is the Discworld, of course.

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

Witches

The witches are very different from the wizard, because their magic consists mostly of finding what makes everything else work … and they rarely do any magic anyway. Most of the time, they work hard, use common sense and their brand of psychology called headology.

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

City Watch

The City Watch is the police force of the city of Ankh-Morpork. Their stories center on Sam Vimes, a commander who loves his city and an incorruptible idealist who believes in justice. He is also a cynic.

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

Tiffany Aching

Tiffany is the sixth of the Aching children, and she is a young witch in training who started her career at 9.

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

Moist von Lipwig

Moist von Lipwig was a conman who was captured in Ankh-Morpork and was to be hanged. That’s when Lord Vetinari offered him a job as Ankh-Morpork’s Postmaster General. It’s his start on the road to respectability.

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

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III. Short stories

A Blink of the Screen collecting almost all of Terry Pratchett’s short fiction work, set in the Discworld or not.

If you only want Discworld short stories, read Once More* With Footnotes . It also contains articles and more.