IMHO, the video games probably wouldn’t hold up well to someone who didn’t play them in the 80s.
I really like Johnny and the Dead. I thought of it a lot when I was reading Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book.
“IF”.
I’m another one who insists on reading series in order, but I’ll also ask “When does this get good?” and give it that long of a chance (in this case, I think the advice I got was to read at least through Mort). Sometimes (for non-Pratchett series), the answer I get is within the part I’ve already read, and then I know I can safely just give up.
Start with Guards, Guards; that’s when he really hits all his marks as a writer in the series: TCoM really, really isn’t a very good book, and as a fairly leaden fantasy parody, it’s not really very indicative of the humour that makes the series.
If you’re dead set on reading them in order (and I’m another one who’d recommend against it), then yeah, I’d agree that Mort is the earliest book that seems in retrospect like a “proper” Discworld novel. Reading on through Guards, Guards! would give you a more complete introduction to what the Discworld series is all about, as that would take you through the first books in most of the subseries, but I wouldn’t really expect someone to force themselves through eight books if they weren’t enjoying the first few.
The Color of Magic isn’t up to the standard of his later work, but that’s not surprising. I still like it, but that’s because it introduces the Luggage, and I love the Luggage. And the Librarian.
A ditto on this.
I agree with the sentiment; but alas, I think that Pterry went into his decline some time ago. Snuff and Unseen Academicals really weren’t that good.
UA in particular came as a shock: to read a Pratchett book that just didn’t seem…well written.
I’d first tried reading Pratchett in the late 80s, when I was in the Science Fiction Book Club, and the first few Discworld books were offered. I wasn’t impressed, and I didn’t continue past the second book I read.
A few years ago, I became friends with a fellow RPG player who is a huge Pratchett fan; she finally recommended that I try reading Pratchett again by starting with Guards, Guards. My best opportunity for “reading” these days is while driving to and from work, so I got Guards, Guards as an audiobook, and just loved it. I’ve been gradually working my way through the Watch books (I’m about to start The Fifth Elephant), and have really enjoyed them.
Ha! Granny Weatherwax would take over, and Death could retire (again) 
Rincewind would be too busy running to notice he was dead. Carrot would arrest Death-Granny for something-or-other
Sadly, I agree. 
I just finished “Dodger” though, and after a shaky start, I was very *very *impressed. I know it’s not technically Discworld, but oh, come on, it might as well be - scruffy urchins in dirty alleys, and a river so thick you can walk on it, he might as well have changed a few names and called it Ankh Morpork rather than Dickensian London 
I liked Snuff. It was a bit darker than some of the other books (references to prison rape) but Night Watch had its dark moments too. The book I liked least was The Last Continent but that’s probably because a lot of the humor was Australian related.
No need to shout. Pterry’s talent, achievement, fame and fortune are all by his own deserving, and it’s only over the issue of his illness and forthcoming death that we need to drag God in, and then only to scream “Unfair?”.
Oh, and I was reading Pratchett before it was cool, and I really enjoyed TCoM, TLF and Equal Rites. So there.
I liked Snuff too, I thought the jokes with the Wizards were old schol hilarious, and once I understood it was about supermodels marrying football stars and the trappings of fame, it all snapped into place.
Last Continent is one of my favourites, but then I live in Australia.
Supermodels marrying football stars was Unseen Academicals, not Snuff.
And I’ll agree with the consensus that those were both subpar, but I Shall Wear Midnight and both of the Lipvig books have been great, so I’m not sure it’s time to give up on him yet.
Oh yeah! I got them confuzzled. In that case, I didn’t like Snuff, I liked Unseen Academicals.
Also, I think I need to re-read Making Money, as I cannot remember anything about it at all.
I liked both Snuff! and Unseen Academicals. I thought Snuff! dealt with issues of marginalized peoples in a fairly good way, without pulling any punches. I found the scene with Wee Mad Arthur on the plantation to be very emotional.
And Unseen Academicals is about the footie. 'nuff said. Although I also really like how it deals with Tolkien’s dilemma re: Orcs and the “Always Chaotic Evil” problem.
I kinda felt like Snuff tied up the Watch story line pretty well. And that I Shall Wear Midnight did pretty much the same with the Witches. And if there are no more books with those characters, I think I’m ok with that.
I’d rather it all end decently than otherwise. I personally don’t want to read books where Vimes or Granny Weatherwax or Nanny Ogg or any of those folks dies. I’d rather remember them living on, mythically.
That was done very well in Last Hero.