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So begins the first Discworld book: The Color of Magic,
the adventures of the Discworld's first tourist, Twoflower, and his possibly not-so-incompetent
guide, Rincewind the Wizard. The pair, along with The Luggage, engage in an incredible
journey on which they meet (take pictures of, sell insurance to, and/or run away from),
thieves, assassins, shopkeepers, dryads, barbarians, dragon-riders, and many others.
Oh, and of course, Death.
The Discworld is the creation of British writer Terry Pratchett.
The style is light and humorous, but satires with great wit many of the functions
we all take for granted. I've GREATLY enjoyed reading the series and I HIGHLY
recommend them to anyone, particularly fans of Fantasy/Comedy books (on par with the
Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams).
Another good way to think of the books: blend Monty Python
and Harry Potter, with a
dash of Conan the Barbarian and
Law & Order.
Now you ask me, "Bob there are over 30 books in the Discworld collection, which should
I choose after reading The Color of Magic?"
Mr. Pratchett
has followed certain characters very closely making it easy to group these books together
into what I call "Chronicles." The four Chronicles are: Wizards, Witches,
Death, & The Watch. I recommend reading them in order, going through
this list, top to bottom. You can also skip a Chronicle, or read them in any order.
Just pick the top title within the Chronicle list. For example, Equal Rites
is the first of the Witch Chronicles.
A couple of books don't really belong to any particular Chronicle, but I've fit them
in as appropriate. Then there are the Young Reader and
Additional Material sections at the very bottom of the page. And
finally, for your ordering convenience, each book title is linked to
Amazon.
=The Wizard Chronicles=
The Color of Magic
This book introduces the reader to The Disc and the adventures of Rincewind & Twoflower.
This is, without question, the first Discworld book.
The Light Fantastic
More Rincewind & Twoflower attempt to save the world from a comet on a collision course.
Sourcery
Rincewind and the UU Wizards must deal with the Sourcerer Coin.
Eric
Rincewind's return from the Dungeon Dimensions.
Interesting Times
Rincewind visits Twoflower's home along with Cohen the Barbarian and some new friends.
The Last Continent
Rincewind adventures through the land of EcksEcksEcksEcks, but no worries, mate.
=The Witch Chronicles=
Equal Rites
Intro to the Discworlds Witches and how they compare to the Wizards.
Wyrd Sisters
- Also available as a cartoon on DVD.
The creation of the Lancre Coven.
Witches Abroad
More Weatherwax, Ogg, & Magrat, this time they have to play the part of Fairy Godmothers.
Lords and Ladies
Has Granny finally met her match? &Find out when the Lords & Ladies arrive!
Maskerade
The Witches in the Big City and... the Opera! Oh, and in the story Nanny Ogg does a
bit of authoring herself. If you want to read some of it, try her
Cookbook.
Carpe Jugulum
Lancre's in Trouble again, but this time Trouble has fangs and a hunger for blood.
=The Death Chronicles=
Mort
Death takes an apprentice.
Soul Music
- Also available as a cartoon on DVD.
Death takes a vacation.
Hogfather
When the Hogfather (the Disc's Santa Claus) disappears, Death takes over Christmas.
Reaperman
Death is forced into early retirement.
Small Gods
Not a Death book, but a stand alone story about the Small God Om that introduces a
character seen later in this Chronicle.
Thief of Time
The Thief of Time, the Sweeper and the Monks of History must battle to save Death.
=The Watch Chronicles=
Moving Pictures
Not a Watch book, but a stand alone story that introduces us to a couple of characters
seen later in this Chronicle.
Guards! Guards!
In this, the first of The Watch Chronicles, our heroes have to save the city from a Dragon!
Men at Arms
The Night Watch gets some new recruits and deals with a new weapon.
Feet of Clay
The New City Watch has to deal with a serial killer!
Jingo
Vimes, in his usual role of ironic observer and moral center, confronts nationalism,
militarism and racism.
The Fifth Elephant
The Watch is sent to Uberwald and gets mixed up with dwarfs, werewolves, and vampires.
The Truth
Ankh-Morpork gets it's first newspaper.
Night Watch
Vimes chases a vile murderer into the past where a less refined Watch awaits him. And
the Sweeper from Thief of Time
makes another appearance.
Monstrous Regiment
This book deals with all new characters (The Watch only plays in the background) and the aspects of
women in the military. This has to be my least favorite Discworld book. Not because of
the subject matter (I don't care if women are in the military, police, fire departments, etc. so
long as they meet the same physical requirements as the men.), I just didn't care about any of
the characters and I kept getting confused about who was who (lots of people with multiple names).
Though the Sarge was cool.
Pyramids
A stand alone book about the land of Djelibeybi - The Discworld's version of Egypt.
=New Releases=
Going Postal
A new book, I haven't read this one yet. I've ordered the paperback and am awaiting it's arrival.
Thud!
The latest book, I haven't read this one yet. Once available in paperback, I will order it.
=The Young Reader's Selections=
Mr. Pratchett
has written a series of Young Adult books that are set on the Disc, and although targetted
for a younger audience, I've read the first book
and enjoyed it so much I recently ordered the second.
Save for the settings and geographical references, the stories are independent
from the above Chronicles.
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
A captivating mix of Garfield,
The Pied Piper,
and The Secrect of Nihm.
The Wee Free Men
Meet young Tiffany Aching who, with some "Wee" help, must learn to be a witch to save her little brother from the Queen of Faerie. The Lancre Coven makes a cameo appearance.
A Hat Full of Sky
I haven't read this one yet. I've ordered the paperback and am awaiting it's arrival.
=Additional Material=
An excellent aid of the true fan is the Discworld Roleplaying Game
created by Steve Jackson Games for
GURPS. The artwork is
outstanding (done by Paul Kidby)
and the book is written with great humor. Even if you don't want to play the game I
would still recommend this treat! And if you like that, SJ
has made a "sequel" in Discworld Also.
Nanny Ogg's Cookbook
Nanny Ogg first introduced herself as an author in Maskerade
and now you can read some of her wonderful anecdotes and try her recepies.
The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable
This graphic novel has Leonard, Captain Carrot, Rincewind & the Librarian launch the first Discworld
Space Mission to stop Cohen the Barbarian and the Silver Hoard as they try to return fire to the
gods.
Here's a list of more Disc-related material that I have yet to read:
The Discworld Companion
The Pratchett Portfolio (Discworld)
Streets of Ankh Morpork
Death's Domain: A Discworld Mapp
A Tourist Guide to Lancre
Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" Quizbook
The Discworld Companion
Related Sites:
Terry Pratchett Books.
PJSM Prints - The Discworld Artwork of Paul Kidby.
The L-Space Web.
The Discworld MUD.
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