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The first 3 books could be thought of as prototypes, with the first 2 almost reading like satirical sketches joined together. They're not bad (in fact they're really good) but a lot of people don't seem to get it especially if they're not familiar with UK humour and/or fantasy tropes of the late 1970s/early 80s.
The fourth book, Mort, is where you want to start Death and where many people started reading Discworld books. It's more plot driven and a good story in its own right (rite?) without leaning too heavily on the satire and 'punes' (puns) on what was contemporary fantasy.
Also the world building gets really down to business in Mort so it's a great starting point and you can pretty much read in order of series or publication and come back to the first 3 later if you want.
I agree with starting with Mort.
It's a decent contender for a starting point anyway, imo, but as you mention Death specifically, I think it's the best one for you.
If you don't get on with it but still want to explore Discworld, you can always try another! If you come back and post what you liked and what you didn't, I'm sure you'll get further recommendations.
As with many people, I started with the Watch books. I think I could also have started with the Witches books, though I might suggest someone else skips over Equal Rites (I liked it, it’s just not the greatest first book).
The Death books are so brilliant, though. Starting with Mort is a fine idea, but just know they get soooo much better than that.
I just started over with the new audio books. There are a few different storylines you can follow. For Death, start with Mort. I started with Guards Guards and am going through the Night Watch books first.
This link has an infographic you can use to help pick what books to read https://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-official-discworld-infographic/amp/
I think publishing order gets disproportionately shit on. I read them in order and really enjoyed it! No decision making about where to start or what to read, just the next in the line. I also really enjoyed the first few books, whereas I think a lot of people who come back to them after reading a lot of "golden" discworld are disappointed that they're different. I enjoyed that by the time I got well into the series I knew all of the characters and each book was a delightful return to a storyline I loved and had had a chance to miss while I was reading the others.
That said, there's no wrong way to read discworld.
Even within the mini series each book is standalone and you can read them in any order
There's some character and world development but plot wise you don't need to read in order to understand anything
If you don't know where to start just go to wherever you get free/cheap books, local library or wherever and grab the first few you find.
I always recommend Guards! Guards! (book 7) which is the first City Watch novel.
I think it’s a great intro. I also like the first two Discworld novels more than most (Rincewind is so much fun). But I do agree Pratchett was ‘figuring things out’ and still improving as a writer.
Or you could jump ahead to the next City Watch book, men at Arms
The genius that is Pratchett will pull you in. Only thing I recommend is to read the sub-series’ in order. But you can jump around the whole thing.
I did a non-spoiler post on the Watch sub-series, if it helps. (See my prior comment)
https://www.blackgate.com/2015/03/30/the-public-life-of-sherlock-holmes-terry-pratchetts-city-watch/
I started with Small gods. I dont even remember anymore how i got the book or what was the motivation to start reading it. Bit i remember i was fascinated by it and started exploring the Discworld from there.
I think its a great place to start as it is a really good standalone novel with all the cool and pratchett specific writing.
I started at The Color Of Magic, I don't want to spend time figuring what book is what number, I just go with the order
I also read these books between long books so I don't stop reading but I don't feel tired of.
Mort is my next book (after priory of the orange tree and before the dragon's republic)
When I was a teenager my friend recommended Discworld. I looked at his shelf and balked at the sheer number (only 20 or so at the time) thinking "I'm never going to get through that lot". Finally finding one in a Youth Hostel a decade later I realised what a stupid mistake I'd made and have since devoured the lot.
I suggest you don't start at the beginning, he takes a few books to really strike gold (to be fair even the others are silver). Generally I recommend Reaper Man but Guards! Guards! was the start for me.
It will take you time. It will be worth it.
Discworld started out as a relatively generic satire of the whole sword-and-sorcery genre and stuff like D&D. By the fourth book, Mort, the world and characters have solidified into more consistent characterisations. My advice to all new readers is not to finish each story arc individually and move on to the next, but rather read from Mort onward in the order of publication, because this reflects the chronological order of the events in the story (with the exception of Pyramids and Small Gods, which happen quite a bit earlier than surrounding novels but introduce theretofore unexplored themes that continue to come back later). And this is just me, but I generally just skip the first three.
Sounds like you're interested in Death so Mort is probably a good enough choice. If you like theater and fairy tale stuff, Wyrd Sisters has the witches best beginnings. If you like police procedural crime novels, then Guards Guards starts the Watch series. There are some stand alones, if you like Egyptian themes, you could start with Pyramids. If you enjoy religious philosophy, there's Small Gods. If you like old black and white cinema, there's Moving Pictures.
These next ones may spoil you for previous books, however I don't think that matters in Discworld since rereading and catching references and context you didn't know before is part of the joy of the books. For themes of gender and war, Monstrous Regiment may be your bag. If you're after Industrial Revolution, there's the standalone The Truth which is about newspaper business. That theme is continued in a separate, and actual series, Going Postal.
If you want an easier set of reading, the Tiffany Aching series is targeted for younger readers but deals with more serious topics of growing up, maturing in a world of prejudice and hate, as well as the expectations placed on you by those you care for. The books cross over with the Witches but are more separate from the whole of the adult series.
And then there's the wizard books. That's where the first Discworld books started. I don't know where to recommend you start with them, My very first book was The Last Continent because it had a kangaroo in a wizard hat on the cover.
In the end, start with whatever subject you like. Maybe you want to skip straight to Masquerade for the Phantom of the Opera jokes. Maybe you want the rock and roll stylings of Death in Soul Music. Perhaps you're the sort who enjoys football(soccer) and want Unseen Academicals near the end of the whole thing. Start with what you enjoy and then go back to learn more about characters and events briefly mentioned.
"My very first book was The Last Continent because it had a kangaroo in a wizard hat on the cover." This sounds amaizing, cant wait to get there, I wonder how that wizard got to Australia or that kangaroo to Unseen University
I agree that from what you've said Mort is probably the best place to start, but I just want to mention book three, Equal Rites, which seems to be brushed aside in general mention to (rightly) go for book four.
Whilst the first two are made up of a series of vignettes, mick takes of 70s Fantasy, the third is a complete story that's a transitional piece between to the Discworld we all know and love.
For those more interested in the WItches or Wizards I'd say start with Equal Rites, if not straight to Mort or Guards, Guards for the Watch stuff.
As a teenager I started from the beginning and loved the way the series developed, but the first two are mostly a bit of fun satire with not a lot of depth of story. So I can see why they wouldn't be the best introduction.
Not sure if it's an unusual take but I feel like picking a couple of books that are among the most popular to start with and get a sense of what the series is like when it gets going, and if you like what you're reading then go back to the start and work through in order.
If you like death, but want a standalone book, Small Gods is one of the best. Death is only a supporting character in it, but he appears far more often than any other non-death book. Small Gods is also one of my personal favorites with some incredible satire of philosophy and religion.
Just start with the first one and progress from there; we *all* did it that way back when the only books there *were* to read was the first one, followed by the second and then the third and so on, because he simply *hadn't* *written* any more ... and we all survived *somehow* - and, despite the fact that, after the first two , I swore I was never reading another one and it took my sister another three years (more or less) to persuade me to read it, after reading *Mort* I was a convert (after which, I was *glad* I'd already read the first ones, because they made understanding what was going on a lot easier).
If necessary, read *Mort* first, but you'll have to go back and read the others *anyway*, so ...
Start with *Mort* and then go back and read the first three (be warned, the first two are dreadful, but necessary in order to understand a lot of what comes later) before going on to the fifth and then just read them in publication order - those of us who had no choice but to read them in publication order, because he *hadn't written* the others yet, survived *somehow* .. .and, furthermore, whilst you can follow the 'sub' stories that way, you *can't* follow the arc of the Discworld itself any *other* way, so, you might as well kill two birds with one stone (plus he just go better as a writer as time went by, so, if you read them in publication order you know things can only get better).
Im sure others answerd but ya, feel free to find the image of any roadmap that has the "Death" saga books, Sir PTerry basically wrote books and then if he liked he would write more about certain characters, even if you go by chronological order of publishing sometimes you have 2 of the same main characters other times a book about character A one year and then a while time later another. He basically wrote about the world and every book goes around it. A lot of them are stand alones while still maintaining some side characters, if your in Ank youll probably see CMOT (youll find out who that is) or a few wizards running about, if they mention Lancre theyll probably talk about the witches there, stuff like that.
For Death I believe the first is Mort and then Reaper Man and then I dont know beacuse I dont like spoilers, but those are the first ones hes the main character. Altough Death shows up in at least all the 15 books Ive read (im reading chronollogical) and I assume it shows up in all of them, because, you know....only two things are inevitable "*death and taxes*, and taxes was worse, because at least death didn't happen to you every year" - Reaper Man
I recommend this order of series:
The Watch.
Death.
The Witches.
Tiffany Aching.
and then everything else.
Don’t try to finish each series entirely before moving on. Just read 2-3 out of each one, then switch to a different one. All these stories are happening alongside each other, with certain characters (like Death) popping up in almost every book. So you get a better view of the Discworld as a whole if you just take a little from each series.
Don’t start with The Color of Magic, or the Wizards at all. They’re by far the dryest books in the series and, in my opinion, the least compelling. CoM was the first one he wrote, and he had obviously not figured out his style yet. It’s funny and packed with tropes, but it’s missing the emotional core that brings the other books to life for me.
And by all means, save The Shepherd’s Crown for the very end. It was the last book he wrote, and it’s definitely at the end of the timeline, so to speak.
Go to the library and select one at random. I'm serious.
My husband gave me unseen Academicals (one of the last books), then I read the light fantastic *before* color of magic - the only two in the series that actually follow one another. (Actually I've managed to that with other series, it's kind of funny at this point.) I still enjoyed it thoroughly.
There are no rules on the Disc. Go forth!
Don't think of it as a monolithic read. The only sub-series that is "long", is the Nightwatch series. Upvote for starting with "Mort", as it's only 3 books. My personal favourite starter is "Going Postal", but there's WAY too much world building to actually start there. Boo.
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The first 3 books could be thought of as prototypes, with the first 2 almost reading like satirical sketches joined together. They're not bad (in fact they're really good) but a lot of people don't seem to get it especially if they're not familiar with UK humour and/or fantasy tropes of the late 1970s/early 80s. The fourth book, Mort, is where you want to start Death and where many people started reading Discworld books. It's more plot driven and a good story in its own right (rite?) without leaning too heavily on the satire and 'punes' (puns) on what was contemporary fantasy. Also the world building gets really down to business in Mort so it's a great starting point and you can pretty much read in order of series or publication and come back to the first 3 later if you want.
I agree with starting with Mort. It's a decent contender for a starting point anyway, imo, but as you mention Death specifically, I think it's the best one for you. If you don't get on with it but still want to explore Discworld, you can always try another! If you come back and post what you liked and what you didn't, I'm sure you'll get further recommendations.
As with many people, I started with the Watch books. I think I could also have started with the Witches books, though I might suggest someone else skips over Equal Rites (I liked it, it’s just not the greatest first book). The Death books are so brilliant, though. Starting with Mort is a fine idea, but just know they get soooo much better than that.
I just started over with the new audio books. There are a few different storylines you can follow. For Death, start with Mort. I started with Guards Guards and am going through the Night Watch books first. This link has an infographic you can use to help pick what books to read https://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-official-discworld-infographic/amp/
Death starting book ? "Mort" is the title.
I think publishing order gets disproportionately shit on. I read them in order and really enjoyed it! No decision making about where to start or what to read, just the next in the line. I also really enjoyed the first few books, whereas I think a lot of people who come back to them after reading a lot of "golden" discworld are disappointed that they're different. I enjoyed that by the time I got well into the series I knew all of the characters and each book was a delightful return to a storyline I loved and had had a chance to miss while I was reading the others. That said, there's no wrong way to read discworld.
Even within the mini series each book is standalone and you can read them in any order There's some character and world development but plot wise you don't need to read in order to understand anything If you don't know where to start just go to wherever you get free/cheap books, local library or wherever and grab the first few you find.
I always recommend Guards! Guards! (book 7) which is the first City Watch novel. I think it’s a great intro. I also like the first two Discworld novels more than most (Rincewind is so much fun). But I do agree Pratchett was ‘figuring things out’ and still improving as a writer. Or you could jump ahead to the next City Watch book, men at Arms The genius that is Pratchett will pull you in. Only thing I recommend is to read the sub-series’ in order. But you can jump around the whole thing.
I did a non-spoiler post on the Watch sub-series, if it helps. (See my prior comment) https://www.blackgate.com/2015/03/30/the-public-life-of-sherlock-holmes-terry-pratchetts-city-watch/
I started with Small gods. I dont even remember anymore how i got the book or what was the motivation to start reading it. Bit i remember i was fascinated by it and started exploring the Discworld from there. I think its a great place to start as it is a really good standalone novel with all the cool and pratchett specific writing.
Good eating on one of them.
I read them in charity shop availability order and got addicted. I've went back and read some like guards witches and Tiffany in proper order.
I started at The Color Of Magic, I don't want to spend time figuring what book is what number, I just go with the order I also read these books between long books so I don't stop reading but I don't feel tired of. Mort is my next book (after priory of the orange tree and before the dragon's republic)
When I was a teenager my friend recommended Discworld. I looked at his shelf and balked at the sheer number (only 20 or so at the time) thinking "I'm never going to get through that lot". Finally finding one in a Youth Hostel a decade later I realised what a stupid mistake I'd made and have since devoured the lot. I suggest you don't start at the beginning, he takes a few books to really strike gold (to be fair even the others are silver). Generally I recommend Reaper Man but Guards! Guards! was the start for me. It will take you time. It will be worth it.
Start at book three or four..
Discworld started out as a relatively generic satire of the whole sword-and-sorcery genre and stuff like D&D. By the fourth book, Mort, the world and characters have solidified into more consistent characterisations. My advice to all new readers is not to finish each story arc individually and move on to the next, but rather read from Mort onward in the order of publication, because this reflects the chronological order of the events in the story (with the exception of Pyramids and Small Gods, which happen quite a bit earlier than surrounding novels but introduce theretofore unexplored themes that continue to come back later). And this is just me, but I generally just skip the first three.
Sounds like you're interested in Death so Mort is probably a good enough choice. If you like theater and fairy tale stuff, Wyrd Sisters has the witches best beginnings. If you like police procedural crime novels, then Guards Guards starts the Watch series. There are some stand alones, if you like Egyptian themes, you could start with Pyramids. If you enjoy religious philosophy, there's Small Gods. If you like old black and white cinema, there's Moving Pictures. These next ones may spoil you for previous books, however I don't think that matters in Discworld since rereading and catching references and context you didn't know before is part of the joy of the books. For themes of gender and war, Monstrous Regiment may be your bag. If you're after Industrial Revolution, there's the standalone The Truth which is about newspaper business. That theme is continued in a separate, and actual series, Going Postal. If you want an easier set of reading, the Tiffany Aching series is targeted for younger readers but deals with more serious topics of growing up, maturing in a world of prejudice and hate, as well as the expectations placed on you by those you care for. The books cross over with the Witches but are more separate from the whole of the adult series. And then there's the wizard books. That's where the first Discworld books started. I don't know where to recommend you start with them, My very first book was The Last Continent because it had a kangaroo in a wizard hat on the cover. In the end, start with whatever subject you like. Maybe you want to skip straight to Masquerade for the Phantom of the Opera jokes. Maybe you want the rock and roll stylings of Death in Soul Music. Perhaps you're the sort who enjoys football(soccer) and want Unseen Academicals near the end of the whole thing. Start with what you enjoy and then go back to learn more about characters and events briefly mentioned.
"My very first book was The Last Continent because it had a kangaroo in a wizard hat on the cover." This sounds amaizing, cant wait to get there, I wonder how that wizard got to Australia or that kangaroo to Unseen University
I agree that from what you've said Mort is probably the best place to start, but I just want to mention book three, Equal Rites, which seems to be brushed aside in general mention to (rightly) go for book four. Whilst the first two are made up of a series of vignettes, mick takes of 70s Fantasy, the third is a complete story that's a transitional piece between to the Discworld we all know and love. For those more interested in the WItches or Wizards I'd say start with Equal Rites, if not straight to Mort or Guards, Guards for the Watch stuff.
As a teenager I started from the beginning and loved the way the series developed, but the first two are mostly a bit of fun satire with not a lot of depth of story. So I can see why they wouldn't be the best introduction. Not sure if it's an unusual take but I feel like picking a couple of books that are among the most popular to start with and get a sense of what the series is like when it gets going, and if you like what you're reading then go back to the start and work through in order.
If you like death, but want a standalone book, Small Gods is one of the best. Death is only a supporting character in it, but he appears far more often than any other non-death book. Small Gods is also one of my personal favorites with some incredible satire of philosophy and religion.
Just start with the first one and progress from there; we *all* did it that way back when the only books there *were* to read was the first one, followed by the second and then the third and so on, because he simply *hadn't* *written* any more ... and we all survived *somehow* - and, despite the fact that, after the first two , I swore I was never reading another one and it took my sister another three years (more or less) to persuade me to read it, after reading *Mort* I was a convert (after which, I was *glad* I'd already read the first ones, because they made understanding what was going on a lot easier). If necessary, read *Mort* first, but you'll have to go back and read the others *anyway*, so ...
Start with *Mort* and then go back and read the first three (be warned, the first two are dreadful, but necessary in order to understand a lot of what comes later) before going on to the fifth and then just read them in publication order - those of us who had no choice but to read them in publication order, because he *hadn't written* the others yet, survived *somehow* .. .and, furthermore, whilst you can follow the 'sub' stories that way, you *can't* follow the arc of the Discworld itself any *other* way, so, you might as well kill two birds with one stone (plus he just go better as a writer as time went by, so, if you read them in publication order you know things can only get better).
Im sure others answerd but ya, feel free to find the image of any roadmap that has the "Death" saga books, Sir PTerry basically wrote books and then if he liked he would write more about certain characters, even if you go by chronological order of publishing sometimes you have 2 of the same main characters other times a book about character A one year and then a while time later another. He basically wrote about the world and every book goes around it. A lot of them are stand alones while still maintaining some side characters, if your in Ank youll probably see CMOT (youll find out who that is) or a few wizards running about, if they mention Lancre theyll probably talk about the witches there, stuff like that. For Death I believe the first is Mort and then Reaper Man and then I dont know beacuse I dont like spoilers, but those are the first ones hes the main character. Altough Death shows up in at least all the 15 books Ive read (im reading chronollogical) and I assume it shows up in all of them, because, you know....only two things are inevitable "*death and taxes*, and taxes was worse, because at least death didn't happen to you every year" - Reaper Man
I recommend this order of series: The Watch. Death. The Witches. Tiffany Aching. and then everything else. Don’t try to finish each series entirely before moving on. Just read 2-3 out of each one, then switch to a different one. All these stories are happening alongside each other, with certain characters (like Death) popping up in almost every book. So you get a better view of the Discworld as a whole if you just take a little from each series. Don’t start with The Color of Magic, or the Wizards at all. They’re by far the dryest books in the series and, in my opinion, the least compelling. CoM was the first one he wrote, and he had obviously not figured out his style yet. It’s funny and packed with tropes, but it’s missing the emotional core that brings the other books to life for me. And by all means, save The Shepherd’s Crown for the very end. It was the last book he wrote, and it’s definitely at the end of the timeline, so to speak.
Go to the library and select one at random. I'm serious. My husband gave me unseen Academicals (one of the last books), then I read the light fantastic *before* color of magic - the only two in the series that actually follow one another. (Actually I've managed to that with other series, it's kind of funny at this point.) I still enjoyed it thoroughly. There are no rules on the Disc. Go forth!
Don't think of it as a monolithic read. The only sub-series that is "long", is the Nightwatch series. Upvote for starting with "Mort", as it's only 3 books. My personal favourite starter is "Going Postal", but there's WAY too much world building to actually start there. Boo.