What Discworld Series to Start With?

[VogonPoet]

Hey there!

I am reading Good Omens at the moment and enjoying it very much. I was wondering where a good place to start in the Discworld books. Specifically I was wondering which series to start with? Should I start with the first book? Having looked at some topics here it looks like people recommend starting with Guards! Guards! and reading that series?

Thanks!

 

[Molokov]

If you plan to read them all, I'd suggest starting at the beginning (The Colour of Magic) and then read them in publication order.

If you want to just try a few to see if you like the series, then I'd pick something that matches stuff you like. (e.g. Guards! Guards! if you like police procedural/mystery books).

Here are some good starting points, which don't really require much background knowledge:
Mort
Pyramids
Wyrd Sisters
Guards! Guards!
Moving Pictures
Small Gods
The Truth
The Wee Free Men
Going Postal

Others probably have other recommendations too!

 

[Tonyblack]

Welcome to the site!

I always recommend Guards! Guards! in situations such as this for the simple reason that one of the main characters is a fresh-faced country boy arriving in the big city for the first time, so we get to see how the city works through his eyes. It's a great introduction to a place where so many of the stories take place.

Happy reading!

 

[Nomad]

I recommend Guards Guards or Wyrd Sisters. The first two books have a bit different styles than the others and those two are a good place to start from.
I suggest those to new readers, who I can convince to read the series. I only know 4 Discworld readers, beside myself.

 

[raisindot]

I too would recommend Guards! Guards! or Wyrd Sisters. Each is the first of Pterry's two best 'series' and catch Pterry at a time when he was moving away from trying to be the Douglas Adams of fantasy to create something much more interesting and long-lasting. Since each succeeding book in each series represents a large jump in quality and complexity, by the time you finish these series you'll get a very good survey of his literary development.

 

[janet]

I would go along with the above.....Guards, Guards is a brilliant read in its own right and introduces the City Watch, Sam Vimes and all the complexities of keeping the peace (!) in Ankh Morpork (AND it has dragons!!)....it's the opening to one of the richer seams of Discworld gold. Wyrd Sisters is the introduction to the witches of Lancre and their world. I would be completely at home there!
My voyage of Disc-overy was when Death was a boy and my brother handed me Colour of Magic with the words 'You might like this'. I read my way through his collection in publication order until he moved away just before Maskerade when I had to start my own collection.
Let us know how you get on VogonPoet but in prose please

 

[VogonPoet]

Thanks for the responses! I have actually started reading P.G. Wodehouse, what!
But after I finish the book I am reading I will probably pick up a Discworld novel.
Thanks again!

 

[Sister Jennifer]

Vogonpoet Eh? No micturations on this Forum or thy gobberwarts will be rent in three with my blurglecruncheon! You see if I don't!

I'm a biiiiig Douglas Adams fan :greetings-waveyellow: .

I recently had a PG Wodehouse marathon, read 5 in a row. Love em.

I started with Reaper Man, then Witches Abroad. I forget after that. I do know I didn't start reading them in publication order until I was well down the list.

Happy reading.

 

[author3]

I'd recommend start with Wyrd sisters,you don't need any previous information and it's where the series really starts to get good.

 

[Mycroft Vimes]

I'll always recommend to start a series at the start,that way you can follow the developing story along with the author and not miss out on any references to earlier books.

Vogonpoetry eh?

Well some of the metaphysical imagery can be really particularly effectice and the interesting rhytmic devices seem to counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphores of the (humanity/scratch that) vogonity of the poet's compassionate soul and so forth..

(Pssst,have the big things in the sky,that hang in the air much in the way that bricks don't,gone?)

 

[simmonds91]

For any trolls that are reading this, I reccomend reading a humans version of "last book published" and reading them non-chronologically, like time.

 

[raisindot]

That's a good 'un!

And for any dwarfs reading this, you must start at the first book, and everything wroten in that book is 100% true. If you read anything else in a book that comes after it that contradicts anything in the first book, it's nothing but lies unless it's anti-troll. And you must never tear a page from one of the books, or write on the page, or get any liquids on it that might stain a page, because this will desecrate the words, which will invoke the curse of the Summoning Librarian.

 

[SimonAtford]

The first Discworld book I read was Mort which was a good introduction.

If you after reading a whole sub series however I'd recommend the City Watch books starting with Guards! Guards! Probably taking some slight detours for The Truth (after The Fith Elephant) , Monstrous Regiment and Going Postal (after Night Watch) and Making Money (after Thud!) as they tie in pretty well and feature guest appearances by Vimes et al.

Hope this helps

 

[simmonds91]

it's funny, I had the first seven books most of my life on the shelf, rotting. They had belong to my sperm donor who apparently enjoyed them himself. It was because of the cover art and my never having read a book before that I always left them alone. I did of course end up reading them due to circumstances but I never replaced them, even now (same with strata, dark side of the sun and truckers).

 

[n4nny0gg]

so far I have read all the witches series but now I am stuck, where do I go from there?. :shifty:

 

[Tonyblack]

so far I have read all the witches series but now I am stuck, where do I go from there?. :shifty:

Have you read the Tiffany series yes, n4nny? Starting with Wee Free Men?

Or you could try Guards! Guards! and start the Watch books.

 

[n4nny0gg]

yes thankyou TIffany aching is probably one of my most favourite characters so far.... just finishing the wintersmith, I have read all of the witches books once ive finished this one. I think I will start with Guards Guards , it seems to be very popular

 

[Tonyblack]

You'll love I Shall Wear Midnight if you like the Tiffany books.

 

[=Tamar]

yes thank you TIffany Aching is probably one of my most favourite characters so far.... just finishing the Wintersmith, I have read all of the witches books once I've finished this one. I think I will start with Guards Guards , it seems to be very popular

That's a good one, but you might also like the Death series. Mort is the first one where he plays a larger role but a friend of mine started with Soul Music and enjoyed it.

 

[n4nny0gg]

Thanks for the advice im going on to I shall wear midnight next and then its either guards guards or the death series. theres soooo many! do you read them in a series order or just which ever takes your fancy?