# Favourite Discworld book. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459 "2009-10-03T16:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Keweenaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Keweenaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keweenaw)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/21 "2009-10-04T17:39:48Z")
I read Going Postal as my first last spring and enjoyed very much. I’ve recently decided to plow through the entire series chronologically. I’m currently about a third of the way into Wyrd Sisters. So I’m not going to vote, but it’s interesting to see I have some good material to look forward to. ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/22 "2009-10-04T18:37:05Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > FTR I was very tempted to make it multiple-choice. But I thought people would click too many books and it would get messy. I figured this way we’d be able to establish a clear idea of most popular books (and in doing so give newcomers an idea of which book(s) they should definitely read) May you be cursed to never be able to read another Pratchett book for making me choose only one! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/23 "2009-10-04T18:40:51Z")
> [@Animastryfe](#): > > May you be cursed to never be able to read another Pratchett book for making me choose only one! Not even Unseen Accademicals, which I have already paid for (and am waiting for the damn postal workers to finish their strike so it can be delivered)? ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/24 "2009-10-04T20:04:37Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Not even Unseen Accademicals, which I have already paid for (and am waiting for the damn postal workers to finish their strike so it can be delivered)? Well, since you’ve already ordered it… it turns out that it’s Twilight, but just with the UA cover. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/25 "2009-10-04T20:05:05Z")
> [@Animastryfe](#): > > Well, since you’ve already ordered it… > > it turns out that it’s Twilight, but just with the UA cover. I hate you. ---
**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:** [October 4, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/26 "2009-10-04T21:06:06Z")
_Night Watch_ is Literature. MY UK copy of **UA** has been despatched, according to Amazon UK. Woot! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/27 "2009-10-04T21:11:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _Night Watch_ is Literature. > > MY UK copy of **UA** has been despatched, according to Amazon UK. Woot! So was mine. I was supposed to get it on Thursday! Never have I been in the horrible sitiuation of seeing it there in the shelf in Waterstones, mocking me, saying “Look at me. You can’t buy me. You haven’t got me yet” ---
**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:** [October 4, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/28 "2009-10-04T21:22:21Z")
_Going Postal_ was my first Discworld book, and I liked it so much I went back to start from the beginning with _The Colour of Magic_. I’m only up to _Interesting Times_, which I’m reading now, so that limited my choices. That said, I voted for _Reaper Man_. Death is probably my favorite character so far, and _Reaper Man_, while just as funny as any of the other books, also turned out to be an incredibly touching story by the end. _Small Gods_ was a close second. ETA: I’m starting to get really pissed off with [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). I don’t know if they suffered some sort of ordering snafu with the publisher or what, but the “mass market paperback” versions of Discworld books seem to have completely vanished and all I can find are Kindle editions. And I don’t have a Kindle. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/29 "2009-10-05T01:51:18Z")
I voted for Last Hero because a) I love it, b) almost no one else will vote for it, c) it’s FANTASTIC and d) it was tied in my mind with 6-8 others and what the heck, I had to pick something. I did a +/- poll (rather than just-pick-one) and the results are in the thread–which I can’t find right now. They won’t be surprising. The useful bit there is we also got to find out which books most people like the least. I can post the data here if anyone is interested. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/30 "2009-10-05T01:55:13Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > …ETA: I’m starting to get really pissed off with [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). I don’t know if they suffered some sort of ordering snafu with the publisher or what, but the “mass market paperback” versions of Discworld books seem to have completely vanished and all I can find are Kindle editions. And I don’t have a Kindle. I just searched [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) for “pratchett discworld” and got a bunch of the Mass Market Paperback listings. Let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll order them and have 'em shipped to you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/31 "2009-10-05T02:04:24Z")
I had to vote for _Small Gods,_ simply because as a stand-alone I believe it captures the essential feel of Discworld. My other favourites are favoured because they are excellent examples of their story lines, but I really don’t think _Lords and Ladies_ can be appreciated without having read _Wyrd Sisters_ and _Witches Abroad_, and I cannot imagine enjoying _Night Watch_ anywhere near as much without knowing Vimes already. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/32 "2009-10-05T02:06:23Z")
Small God’s for me. It was my first Disc world book. The only one I couldn’t get thru was Night Watch. Don’t know why, I’ve tried it twice now and still can’t finish it. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/33 "2009-10-05T03:15:43Z")
> [@NoCoolUserName](#): > > I just searched [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) for “pratchett discworld” and got a bunch of the Mass Market Paperback listings. > > Let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll order them and have 'em shipped to you. 🙂 Oh, I can do that if I just search for “Discworld”. The problem I’ve been having is in looking for specific titles. I have a [page on my personal site](http://www.mister-rik.com/reading.html) listing everything I’ve read in the last few years, including a link to each book’s Amazon page. Lately, as I’ve finished individual DW books and added them to the list (including titles that I purchased from Amazon in the first place), I’ve gone to Amazon to look up the title to get the correct link and been presented with a list that has the Kindle edition, the audio version, the stage play version, versions translated into other languages, and a whole bunch of “out of stock” links. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/34 "2009-10-05T03:55:25Z")
Nightwatch Hoggfather Soul music and Going Postal for the tie in 3rd. Def. my top 3 right there. Though I’m amused to see that Small Gods- the one book I couldn’t get through is in 2nd place. Maybe I should give it yet another try… The 5th time’s a charm perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/35 "2009-10-05T11:18:35Z")
My copy of Unseen Academicals was just delivered! About 20 seconds ago. And I’m pleased, and relieved, to reveal that it isn’t Twilight wrapped in the UA cover! ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/36 "2009-10-05T13:49:37Z")
It was difficult for me to choose as well. I went with **Going Postal** , but all the _Tiffany Aching_ books together are very special to me. She is one of the most real fictional characters I know, and I’ve really grown to care about her emotionally as if she were real, as if she were a relative or a friend of mine. Reading the Aching series is a different type of experience for me than reading the other books. Interestingly enough _Mosit Von Lipwig_ is a role model of mine even though IRL I am much more alike _Commander Vimes_. It may be that Lipwig has the talents I don’t have but have always wanted. In the words of _The Patrician_, I am seriously “style-lacking”. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/37 "2009-10-05T15:20:16Z")
I went with _A Hat Full of Sky_ because I think the Aching books are the best work he’s ever done. Brilliant, eloquent, and touching. And, I think, a very important counterpoint to the “rely on authority and/or luck” ethic that I think the Harry Potter books had a bit too much of. Of the “normal” Discworld books, I’d say Night Watch is the best-written and most engaging, and Wyrd Sisters and The Last Continent are probably the funniest. The witches and the Unseen faculty make for the best comedy, and I think those books show them at their funniest, respectively. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/38 "2009-10-05T15:41:13Z")
Wait a sec! I voted for _Thief of Time_, not _Interesting Times_! I mean, I love IT too, but my vote was supposed to got to ToT. No wait, don’t tell me, sloppy patchwork by the History Monks? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/39 "2009-10-05T15:47:54Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > No wait, don’t tell me, sloppy patchwork by the History Monks? I’ll fix that. ---
**Author:** ![D.Fenestrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@D.Fenestrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.Fenestrator)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459/40 "2009-10-05T16:00:24Z")
Drat - you made me choose just one!! I love _Witches Abroad_, but it’s closely followed by\* Night Watch\*. This has to be my favorite series of books, ever. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-discworld-book/512459.md?page=3)