# Discworld novels, best & worst--you pick **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960 "2009-03-10T14:53:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/1 "2009-03-10T14:53:03Z")
I combed through several other threads and got a count, but I want to get a current State of the Dope re: opinions on Pterry’s writing. Please pick your favorite and least favorite of the novels of the Disc. I will collate the answers after a month or so and publish the results along with my analysis of earlier threads. Each “best” will get +3 points. If you can’t pick one, each “really like it” will get +1. Each “worst” will get -3, each “didn’t like it” gets -1. Limit yourself to 4 or 5 picks, if you would. Feel free to comment as much as you like, but put your likes & dislikes at the top of your post, please. Here’s a list so you don’t have to guess (numbers are publishing order, not rating): 1. The Colour Of Magic 2. The Light Fantastic 3. Equal Rites 4. Mort 5. Sourcery 6. Wyrd Sisters 7. Pyramids 8. Guards! Guards! 9. Eric 10. Moving Pictures 11. Reaper Man 12. Witches Abroad 13. Small Gods 14. Lords And Ladies 15. Men At Arms 16. Soul Music 17. Interesting Times 18. Maskerade 19. Feet Of Clay 20. Hogfather 21. Jingo 22. The Last Continent 23. Carpe Jugulum 24. The Fifth Elephant 25. The Truth 26. Thief Of Time 27. The Last Hero 28. The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents 29. Night Watch 30. The Wee Free Men 31. Monstrous Regiment 32. A Hat Full Of Sky 33. Going Postal 34. Thud! 35. Wintersmith 36. Making Money ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/2 "2009-03-10T15:03:09Z")
Best: Night Watch Worst: Sourcery Really, though, they’re all great. Or at least good. The City Watch books in particular. Sam Vimes may well be my all time favorite fictional character. You might want to include the Science of Discworld books in the list, too. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/3 "2009-03-10T15:07:42Z")
Best: **Small Gods** Worst: \*\*Moving Pictures \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/4 "2009-03-10T15:13:28Z")
Best I can recall: Small Gods Worst I can recall: Eric ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/5 "2009-03-10T15:30:23Z")
Best: Night Watch Worst: The Color of Magic If I’d actually read the first book first, I doubt I would have picked up the others. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/6 "2009-03-10T15:37:07Z")
Best: I’m torn between \*\*Night Watch \*\*and **Lords and Ladies**. Worst: **Eric** But my favorite character is Vetinari. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/7 "2009-03-10T15:43:00Z")
Best: _Soul Music_ Worst: _Eric_ I classify _Soul Music_ as an absolute masterpiece. All of the humor works perfectly, but more importantly it’s the book where Pratchett’s style is the perfect fit for the material. The idea of dropping rock-and-roll music into a fantasy world with dwarves and trolls would seem extremely risky, but he pulls it off magnificently. And for some reason that I can’t quite figure out, the subplot about Death joining the Klatchian Foreign Legion is the perfect addition to the main plot. _Eric_, on the other hand, is a single joke extended to two-hundred pages, and the joke is that teenage boys are horny. Other favorites: _Moving Pictures_, _Wyrd Sisters_ ---
**Author:** ![PerditaX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@PerditaX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PerditaX)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/8 "2009-03-10T15:44:23Z")
Best: **Night Watch** , although **Thief of Time** comes in a close second Worst: **The Color of Magic** , although it’s a tough decision between that and **Eric** Are we, the readers, supposed to like (or at least have sympathy for) Rincewind? Because I don’t. I think my favorite character is the Death of Rats. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/9 "2009-03-10T16:05:43Z")
Best: **Night Watch** , with **Small Gods** a very close second. Worst: **Moving Pictures** **PerditaX,** I like, and sympathise with, Rincewind, he’s my favourite regular Discworld character. He’s the only reason **MP** is listed as worse than **[del]Faust[/del]Eric** by me. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/10 "2009-03-10T16:12:18Z")
I’ve enjoyed a lot of them, but Eric seemed to come bottom of the pile. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/11 "2009-03-10T16:40:10Z")
> [@PerditaX](#): > > I think my favorite character is the Death of Rats. Why, thank you! 🙂 Best: Night Watch or Reaper Man (for obvious reasons) Worst: Eric ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/12 "2009-03-10T16:42:13Z")
As someone up thread said,even the bad ones are excellent but my favourites are the Watch ones(surprise suprise) plus the Von lipwigs,and stand alones Pyramids and Maurice AHARs. I’m not a great fan of Rincewind or the Witches. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/13 "2009-03-10T16:44:13Z")
Best: Small Gods Worst: I haven’t read enough to pick a worst. I’m still working on it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/14 "2009-03-10T17:31:38Z")
Best: **Night Watch** , very closely followed by Small Gods, Thief of Time and A Hat Full Of Sky. Didn’t like **Moving Pictures** much. The first three books aren’t as good as the later ones but at least they’re chock full of stuff. I’ve never read Eric 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/15 "2009-03-10T17:47:53Z")
Best: **Night Watch** , followed by A Hat Full of Sky and Going Postal Worst: **Colour of Magic** , quite closely followed by **Equal Rites**. ---
**Author:** ![maniondl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@maniondl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maniondl)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/16 "2009-03-10T18:05:34Z")
Best: Soul Music, or maybe Going Postal (sometimes Feet of Clay). Tough call. Worst: Thud I’ve heard again and again how fans just don’t like Moving Pictures. While it’s not my favorite, I’ve always held it in high esteem. If it’s not hijacking, why the hate for Victor Maraschino and Delores DeSyn? ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/17 "2009-03-10T18:47:56Z")
Worst; **Eric** closely followed by **Colour of Magic**. Best: Between **Nightwatch, Thud !** , and **The Truth**. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/18 "2009-03-10T18:57:33Z")
> [@maniondl](#): > > If it’s not hijacking, why the hate for Victor Maraschino and Delores DeSyn? To me, they’re completely unrememberable (I really wouldn’t even remember their names if I saw them out of this thread), and the story is sort of messy. Plus the “big bad” is not interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/19 "2009-03-10T19:17:04Z")
I’ve only read through half the list so far, so I won’t place official votes. But I’m a bit puzzled by the number of people who picked _Soul Music_ as best. It certainly wasn’t the worst thus far, but it seemed to me like a rehash of _Moving Pictures_ (art form from 20th-century Earth ends up on Discworld and wreaks havok) combined with _Mort_ (DEATH takes a vacation and a mortal has to cover for him). Yes, he does lampshade that a bit (the wizards talking about “remember last time with the moving pictures”), and the outcome is different, but the bulk of the book was still those old ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960/20 "2009-03-10T19:27:45Z")
I don’t understand all the people who hate _Eric_. Why? 😕 Faves: Thief of Time, Wyrd Sisters, Guards Guards, Pyramids, Eric Least: Color of Magic, Thud, Making Money, Equal Rites, Light Fantastic [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-novels-best-worst-you-pick/488960.md?page=2)