Reading Order
Discworld
by Terry Pratchett
Discworld Reading Order
Forty-one novels of razor-sharp satire dressed as comedy fantasy — organized into seven subseries you can read in any order. Pratchett used a flat world on the back of a turtle to say more about humanity than most literary fiction manages. Every book is a standalone. Start anywhere. The recommended Discworld reading order for new readers is Guards! Guards! (City Watch) or Mort (Death sub-series) — both work immediately with no prior context required.
Looking for the complete Discworld reading order? This guide covers all 41 Terry Pratchett books in Discworld in order — including which are essential, which are optional, and the best place to start. Whether you're reading Discworld for the first time or catching up before the next release, this is the order we recommend.
⚡ Where to start
Guards! Guards! for the full Watch experience. Mort or Hogfather for Death. Going Postal for a quick, funny standalone. Small Gods if you want Pratchett at his most serious.
⚠️ Skip books 1–2
The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are Pratchett finding his voice — they're fine but very different from the rest. Most fans recommend starting from book 3 or later.
📚 41 Books, No Pressure
You don't need to read all 41. Each subseries is self-contained — pick the arcs that interest you and ignore the rest. Most fans never finish the full series and don't feel they missed anything.
Reading Order
Organized by subseries — each arc is self-contained. Start with City Watch or Death. Book numbers in the sublabels refer to publication order.
Guards! Guards!
#8 in series
Discworld – City Watch #1
Core★ 4.44
1989
Men at Arms
#15 in series
Discworld – City Watch #2
Core★ 4.38
1993
Feet of Clay
#19 in series
Discworld – City Watch #3
Core★ 4.36
1996
Jingo
#21 in series
Discworld – City Watch #4
Core★ 4.39
1997
The Fifth Elephant
#24 in series
Discworld – City Watch #5
Core★ 4.43
1999
Night Watch
#29 in series
Discworld – City Watch #6
Core★ 4.52
2002
Thud!
#34 in series
Discworld – City Watch #7
Optional★ 4.49
2005
Snuff
#39 in series
Discworld – City Watch #8
Optional★ 4.30
2011
⚡The most popular entry into Discworld. Start with Guards! Guards! — the Watch arc tracks a corrupt city over 20+ years of stories. Night Watch is considered one of the finest books in the series.
Equal Rites
#3 in series
Witches #1
Extra★ 4.19
1987
Wyrd Sisters
#6 in series
Witches #2
Core★ 4.36
1988
Witches Abroad
#12 in series
Witches #3
Core★ 4.34
1991
Lords and Ladies
#14 in series
Witches #4
Optional★ 4.27
1992
Maskerade
#18 in series
Witches #5
Optional★ 4.21
1995
Carpe Jugulum
#23 in series
Witches #6
Optional★ 4.29
1998
📖Start with Wyrd Sisters, not Equal Rites. The Witches trilogy (Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies) is feminist, sharp, and very funny. Granny Weatherwax is one of the great characters in all of fantasy.
📖Mort is the best entry after Guards! Guards!. The Death subseries is warmer and more philosophical than the Watch. Hogfather (book 4 of the arc) is a December read.
The Colour of Magic
#1 in series
Discworld #1
Extra★ 3.88
1983
The Light Fantastic
#2 in series
Discworld #2
Extra★ 3.98
1986
Sourcery
#5 in series
Rincewind #3
Optional★ 4.19
1988
Eric
#9 in series
Discworld #9
Extra★ 4.09
1990
Interesting Times
#17 in series
Discworld #17
Optional★ 4.29
1994
The Last Continent
#22 in series
Discworld #22
Optional★ 4.19
1998
The Last Hero
#27 in series
Discworld #27
Extra★ 4.29
2001
Unseen Academicals
#37 in series
Discworld #37
Optional2009
📖The original Discworld arc — and the weakest. Colour of Magic and Light Fantastic are historically interesting but not representative of what the series becomes. Sourcery or Interesting Times are the better Rincewind entry points.
Pyramids
#7 in series
Discworld #7
Optional★ 4.17
1989
Moving Pictures
#10 in series
Discworld #10
Optional★ 4.09
1990
Small Gods
#13 in series
Discworld #13
Core★ 4.54
1992
The Truth
#25 in series
Discworld #25
Optional★ 4.35
2000
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
#28 in series
Discworld #28
Extra★ 4.24
2001
Monstrous Regiment
#31 in series
Discworld #31
Optional★ 4.35
2003
📖Small Gods is the only mandatory read here — widely considered a top-3 Discworld book and a perfect standalone. The rest can be read in any order or skipped entirely.
The Wee Free Men
#30 in series
Tiffany Aching #1
Core★ 4.49
2003
A Hat Full of Sky
#32 in series
Tiffany Aching #2
Optional★ 4.39
2004
Wintersmith
#35 in series
Tiffany Aching #3
Optional2006
I Shall Wear Midnight
#38 in series
Tiffany Aching #4
Optional★ 4.54
2010
The Shepherd's Crown
#41 in series
Discworld #41
Optional★ 4.43
2015
📖Pratchett's YA series is the best introduction to Discworld for younger readers — and excellent for adults. Start with The Wee Free Men. The Shepherd's Crown is Pratchett's final novel, written as he was dying.
📖Going Postal is the best standalone entry into Discworld after the Watch books. The Moist arc covers postal service, banking, and railways — progressively weaker as Pratchett's health declined.
Reading within each subseries
- → City Watch: Read in order — character arcs build significantly over 8 books
- → Witches: Start with Wyrd Sisters; skip Equal Rites as a first entry
- → Death: Start with Mort; each book works standalone after that
- → Rincewind: Optional arc — start with Sourcery if curious
- → Tiffany Aching: Read in order — a complete coming-of-age arc across 5 books
- → Industrial Revolution: Going Postal first; the arc weakens toward Raising Steam
What to know
- → Every book is a standalone. You can start any subseries without reading the others.
- → Pratchett's satire gets sharper as the series progresses — the later Watch books are darker and angrier.
- → Night Watch is widely considered one of the best books in the series. Save it for when you love Vimes.
- → The Shepherd's Crown was written while Pratchett had Alzheimer's and is visibly unfinished — it's still worth reading as a farewell.
- → Pratchett wrote 41 Discworld novels before his death in 2015. The quality stays remarkably high for 30+ years.
Darkness progression
Scale: 🕯️ Lighthearted → 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️ Brutal
Want more like Discworld?
More reading orders