# Discworld: Where to start? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [April 30, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724 "2025-04-30T19:30:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [April 12, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/101 "2026-04-12T12:50:26Z")
I find the idea that Rincewind is an idiot laughable. What he frequently is, is [the only sane man](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/OnlySaneMan/Literature) in a collection of insane people. Nor is he a coward. Or at least, he _is_ a coward, but doesn’t see anything wrong with that as it’s the sensible way to be, and he can act like he isn’t one - when it counts. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/102 "2026-04-12T13:04:30Z")
Since we now live in a house big enough to have proper bookshelves, I have decided to acquire and read every Discworld novel, in publication order. I already had some of them, and I had read many more, so I know I love Pratchett and his work. I do agree, however, with everyone above who suggested _not_ beginning with _The Color of Magic._ I think that’s one to go back to if and when you decide you’re a Pratchett fan (in fact, I’d suggest skipping at least the first three Rincewind novels) and you wish to be a completist. I would heartily endorse the votes above for beginning with _Guards!Guards!_, _Wyrd Sisters_, or _Pyramids_. I am a terrible example, though, because I think the first Pratchett I read was _Going Postal_, so what do I know? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/103 "2026-04-12T13:24:49Z")
I read the series in order. I actually enjoyed the first two books; I liked the silly parody of Fantasy. A friend had told me about _The Colour of Magic_ and the style so that probably helped set my expectations. I didn’t go into Discworld expecting satire; that was a nice surprise later. Despite my experience, I do heartily agree that it is better to recommend a gateway book, like Going Postal, to new readers. All that said, I can’t understand why _The Colour of Magic_ and _The Light Fantastic_ get so much hate when we can all agree that _Sourcery_ is the absolute worst. After penning _Equal Rights_ and _Mort_ the bar was raised too high to expect (accept?) _Sourcery_. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/104 "2026-04-12T14:12:13Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > What he frequently is, is [the only sane man](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/OnlySaneMan/Literature) in a collection of insane people. You can say that about most of Pratchett’s protagonists, and yet none of them are dislikeable as Rincewind. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/105 "2026-04-12T16:30:43Z")
I have been planning for some time to read _The God of Small Things_, by Arundathi Roy, but _Small Gods_ was just beside it in my shelves, so I have started that one instead. No idea how those two books ended up sitting next to each other. But that Rincewind fellow is making me curious: which book should I try next to get the full Rinceblast? ---
**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:** [April 12, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/106 "2026-04-12T16:32:00Z")
Personally, I find Moist way more unlikeable than Rincewind. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/107 "2026-04-12T16:43:46Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > All that said, I can’t understand why _The Colour of Magic_ and _The Light Fantastic_ get so much hate when we can all agree that _Sourcery_ is the absolute worst. After penning _Equal Rights_ and _Mort_ the bar was raised too high to expect (accept?) _Sourcery_. Nah, Unseen Academicals was the worst. And there were several other bad ones towards the end, when his Alzheimer’s was getting bad. Though, towards the end we also saw I Shall Wear Midnight, which was great, and The Shepherd’s Crown, which could have been polished a bit more but was good. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/108 "2026-04-12T16:48:41Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Nor is he a coward. Or at least, he _is_ a coward, but doesn’t see anything wrong with that as it’s the sensible way to be, and he can act like he isn’t one - when it counts. I have avoided some books just because he’s in there, but I would give them a try if he acts in a non-despicable way in them, can you give me an example? _The Last Hero_ doesn’t count, as we’ve seen he wasn’t volunteering to save his friends, or even to save himself but just because he knew that it was inevitable. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/109 "2026-04-12T16:56:08Z")
_Sourcery_, where he literally sacrifices himself to save Coin, is the best example. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/110 "2026-04-12T16:56:24Z")
Added to my TBR, thanks! ---
**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:** [April 12, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/111 "2026-04-12T16:57:37Z")
_Interesting Times._ Then maybe _The Last Hero_. For that matter, Rincewind steps up in _Interesting Times_. When he isn’t running away, of course. But give him a chance to actually **do** something, he does. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/112 "2026-04-12T17:03:57Z")
Thanks, is noted. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/113 "2026-04-12T17:05:58Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > You can say that about most of Pratchett’s protagonists, and yet none of them are dislikeable as Rincewind. That’s just, like, your opinion, man. I like Rincewind. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/114 "2026-04-12T18:06:13Z")
I like Sam Vimes. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/115 "2026-04-12T18:12:48Z")
I’m only almost a quarter done. But the difference in quality between the books is less than people here think. I enjoyed _Sourcery_ too. Best so far (IMHO) is _Mort_. Of course people will like what they like. Goodreads basically gives all the books ratings between 4-4.5 out of 5 from many thousands of readers. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/116 "2026-04-12T18:18:24Z")
Goodreads ratings are worthless, the level of “star inflation” is so big I had to start giving more stars to books than I felt they warranted because otherwise I would be hurting the author. Goodreads guidance used to say it was something like: (Used to say because I can’t find it anymore) 1 Star: I did not like it. 2 Stars: I liked it. 3 Stars: It was good. 4 Stars: It was really good. 5 Stars: It is excellent. But almost nobody respects it and anything below 4 stars is “bad”. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/117 "2026-04-12T21:20:06Z")
I’ll have to try _Sourcery_ again. I remember burning through the series back-to-back. Maybe I was just a bit burned out for that one. > [@Chronos](#): > > Nah, Unseen Academicals was the worst. And there were several other bad ones towards the end, when his Alzheimer’s was getting bad. I’ve only read it once when it came out, but I liked _Unseen Academicals_. I remember something about the candle that must always stay lit that was pretty funny. To me _Raising Steam_ was more of a farewell or victory lap. A chance to say goodbye to all of the characters, places, and the author that gave us all so much joy. > [@Frodo](#): > > But almost nobody respects it and anything below 4 stars is “bad”. This is a common problem for aggregated ratings by the unwashed masses. A boolean like/disklike is much more reliable. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/118 "2026-04-12T21:35:27Z")
Oh, sure, even Unseen Academicals had its moments. The worst of Pratchett is still better than a lot of authors can do. And The Shepherd’s Crown was definitely a deliberate farewell, but I didn’t get the impression that Raising Steam was trying to be that. I thought that its biggest flaw was that it was too disconnected from the other books: There really wasn’t anything leading up to steam power anywhere else in the series, and if he wanted to do the Industrial Revolution, Discworld style, well, the Axle Device from Thud! was right there. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/119 "2026-04-12T21:42:57Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > I’ve only read it once when it came out, but I liked _Unseen Academicals_. I guess it helps if you know something about British football culture and how it intersects with the British fashion scene. I don’t know much about either of them, so most of the jokes in the book didn’t really land for me. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724/120 "2026-04-12T21:54:44Z")
Goodreads is owned by Amazon, so some have (naturally) complained about self-interested inflation, lack of half star reviews, bots, any number of issues. No review system is perfect, and _ **de gustibus non est disputandum** _, but I don’t believe bots are the cause of Pratchett books being given fairly similar ratings. The ratings are slightly more dispersed (but not that different) on [Librarything.com](http://Librarything.com) or similar sites, and more votes provides better statistical power subject to the limitations already mentioned. Goodreads ain’t the last word, but as a general thing I find it useful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discworld-where-to-start/1017724.md?page=7)