# Discworld Latecomers Ongoing Discussion (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [January 12, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979 "2017-01-12T18:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/21 "2017-01-13T05:18:42Z")
I did it all wrong. Never heard of Pratchett before I picked up Thief of Time at a yard sale in my early thirties. My book collections prior to that were Christie, PD James, Dick Francis, Robert Spencer, etc., nothing…otherworldly. So, ToT. I was hooked forever and at the same time, missed most of the references in it, and spent the next few years answering the question, “what the hell did I just read?” I binge-read during the winter. Some winters later there’s a collection of Pratchett on my Kindle that looks like I might have read some in order (but I doubt it) or could give you an idea of what happens in what book. Nope. It’s been long enough now that I barely remember Reaper Man - time to read it again. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/22 "2017-01-13T14:46:43Z")
Sounds like waiting for Tiffany Aching is wise, so I will. I will probably either read Reaper Man or go read the first book involving the Witches. I have read only one Rincewind book, so I wouldn’t mind reading another with him as well, especially since the Light Fantastic continues from the first one. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/23 "2017-01-13T15:12:36Z")
My favorite Rincewind book is _The Last Continent_. _Interesting Times_ is good, too (and reintroduces Twoflowers and Cohen the Barbarian.) And keep in mind that _The Last Hero_ comes in two versions, [one illustrated](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22the+last+hero%22+illustrations&biw=1056&bih=518&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisqcyMtL_RAhVGh1QKHYr1A50Q_AUIBigB). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/24 "2017-01-13T15:19:10Z")
For the Witches, I’d recommend starting with **Wyrd Sisters** , then moving on to **Witches Abroad** and **Lords & Ladies**. Rincewind is a bit more problematic. **Light Fantastic** would be a good continuation. **Sourcery** comes next in the sequence, followed by **[del]Faust[/del]Eric**. Neither of those is all that good, IMO. You could skip to **Interesting Times** quite easily and not be missing much, and it is a much better book. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/25 "2017-01-13T17:41:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No and no. **Lords and Ladies** makes absolutely zero sense out of context. If you don’t know the coven, the whole impact of the book is lost. So **Witches Abroad** needs to be read first. Same same for **Hogfather**. If you don’t know DEATH, the book loses most of its charm. It really needs **Soul Music** as a lead in. > > Publication order really is the best bet here. Considering that I liked both of them just fine, and I have yet to read Soul Music at all, I don’t think this is really true. And Witches Abroad added nothing to my experience of Lord of Ladies, honestly. Pratchett does a pretty good job of making his books self contained. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/26 "2017-01-13T17:59:35Z")
**Carpe Jugulum** is one of my faves, for both how it reveals just what Granny Weatherwax is made of, and its evolution of a priest. But I can find something to enjoy in all of PTerry’s books. “Granny was an old-fashioned witch. She didn’t do good for people, she did right by them.” “Mistress Weatherwax, you are a natural disputant.” “No I ain’t!” ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/27 "2017-01-16T02:40:49Z")
Reaper Man is my choice for the next one. After that, I’ll likely jump over to the first Witch novel, or perhaps read the Light Fantastic. I think my strategy, if there can be one, is to read a bit from each series, kind of jumping around. That kind of keeps me in publication order, but only in the sense that I am reading the earlier ones first. Or I’ll just read whatever next one in whatever series I want. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/28 "2017-01-16T06:03:53Z")
I started with _Going Postal_, but on the recommendations of Dopers I went back and started at the beginning. And … _Small Gods_ is my all-time favorite. I say that as a Christian, knowing that Sir Terry, an atheist, was addressing the Church. It is a novel I would recommend to my pastor. It was a story that spelled out how a Christian should be. I love the Night Watch books, having been raised by a cop dad. I would recommend all of them to my dad, who was a cop for 36 years. And having lived in a men’s homeless shelter for 8 years, I have an appreciation for Foul Ol’ Ron. Buggrit! ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/29 "2017-01-16T09:52:50Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I know he said “open spoilers”, but we really shouldn’t discuss the spoilers in _Shepard’s Crown_. > > (I know how that feels–for some reason the epub of that wasn’t readable on my ebook reader. No automatic conversions in Calibre worked, so I had to export it to RTF and reformat the whole damn thing into a new epub–and in the process, accidentally read the big-ass spoiler.) FUCK. I didn’t realise he managed to get another book out after the last Lipwig book. Even in that book, I thought he was declining somewhat (I recall it was finished by his daughter?) but if it’s the last chance for some new Terry… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/30 "2017-01-16T22:46:03Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > FUCK. I didn’t realise he managed to get another book out after the last Lipwig book. Even in that book, I thought he was declining somewhat (I recall it was finished by his daughter?) but if it’s the last chance for some new Terry… ☹ #41 is The Shepherd’s Crown (the final Discworld book and the 5th Tiffany book) Rhianna did not write or finish any books in the Discworld series. Sir Terry didn’t finish editing Shepherd’s Crown but everything in it he wrote himself. Be sure to check out: A Blink of the Screen–A collection of shorter fiction from Terry Pratchett, spanning the whole of his writing career from schooldays to Discworld and the present day. A Slip of the Keyboard–A collection of essays and other non fiction by the creator of Discworld, with a foreword by Neil Gaiman. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/31 "2017-01-16T22:54:04Z")
Also, not Discworld and it is undetermined how much TP actually put into it, but if you want everything with Terry Pratchett’s name attached to it, you should be aware of the [Long Earth series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Earth_%28series%29), which recently finished up. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/32 "2017-01-16T23:11:07Z")
**Reaper Man** was the one that sealed my love for Discworld. And the Tiffany books, they’re more than just a little girl gets into aventures, they’re about responsibility and doing what’s needed even if it isn’t what is wanted. I went back and reread them in publication order, which worked well for _me._ I seem to like less popular ones, like Snuff, so you might not want to take my advise.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/33 "2017-01-16T23:20:15Z")
> [@DZedNConfused](#): > > I seem to like less popular ones, like Snuff, so you might not want to take my advise.😉 _I_ like Snuff. I’ve read it (I think) 3 times. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/34 "2017-01-16T23:24:23Z")
I’m in the middle of Snuff, actually, and conscious that it’s my third to last helping… but enjoying it quite a bit, certainly! ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/35 "2017-01-17T18:01:13Z")
I didn’t DISLIKE Snuff. But I felt like Mr. Pratchett was getting a bit heavy handed from Night Watch on. (I didn’t DISLIKE Night Watch either, but it’s not one of my favorites like it seems to be for so many others.) ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/36 "2017-01-18T01:26:44Z")
Alright back. I… was ok with Shephard’s crown. It didn’t resonate as deeply as his other books to me, but oh well. It felt like a coming of age story that didn’t quite get there and got interrupted by a Harry Potter style battle at the end. Guess that’s it then. At least he’s written more than Iain Banks… ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/37 "2017-01-18T03:44:58Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Alright back. I… was ok with Shephard’s crown. It didn’t resonate as deeply as his other books to me, but oh well. It felt like a coming of age story that didn’t quite get there and got interrupted by a Harry Potter style battle at the end. > > Guess that’s it then. At least he’s written more than Iain Banks… Most of that is because Pratchett died while working on it. I think had he lived long enough to polish the story, it would have been much better. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/38 "2017-01-19T05:32:13Z")
Just want to note that the\* Science of the Discworld\* books often get ignored in reading lists but they are, AFAICT, actually in continuity as far as the UU staff go. And they’re not the first Discworld book to drag real-Earth into things. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/39 "2017-01-19T19:06:57Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Just want to note that the\* Science of the Discworld\* books often get ignored in reading lists but they are, AFAICT, actually in continuity as far as the UU staff go. And they’re not the first Discworld book to drag real-Earth into things. Are they spoilery? I am only 5-6 books into the world and would not want to be spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979/40 "2017-01-19T19:12:51Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Are they spoilery? I am only 5-6 books into the world and would not want to be spoiled. Not especially, they are pretty much self-contained. I really enjoyed them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-latecomers-ongoing-discussion-open-spoilers/776979.md?page=3)