# What's the best Discworld novel? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127 "2004-01-26T08:15:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![metanet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@metanet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metanet)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/41 "2004-01-27T18:53:00Z")
I definitely have to second \*\*Thief of Time \*\* or **Hogfather** – I love Death and Susan. Although, **Thief** and \*\*Hogfather \*\* are the first two I read, and I’m now reading the first two in the series – the differences I’ve already noted are somewhat disconcerting. I daresay I don’t like Death quite as much in his earlier characterization… but so far, they’re all great. I can’t believe I only discovered Discworld this year! btw (and I may have missed this completely – apologies) has anyone played the Discworld games for PC? ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/42 "2004-01-27T21:33:44Z")
I’m reading the books in order of publication. That way it gets better as I go along, and I never have to puzzle over which one to read next 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Adjustable\_Beavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Adjustable\_Beavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adjustable_Beavis)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/43 "2004-01-27T22:46:26Z")
Thief of Time, Hogfather, Soul Music and Small Gods are my favorites. I have read some in order and some not in order. The last one I read was “Night Watch”, which I thought was quite good. Like alot of you, Vimes is one of my favorite chars. I admire that “Do the job that’s in front you.” attidute of his. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/44 "2004-01-27T22:56:09Z")
> [@metanet](#): > > btw (and I may have missed this completely – apologies) has anyone played the Discworld games for PC? I’ve played the first and the third, but not “Missing Presumed …?” Fun, but not really Discworld. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/45 "2004-01-27T23:49:11Z")
I’ve played two of the Discworld PC games, and my experience was that they failed both as Discworld stories, and as computer games. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/46 "2004-01-28T02:57:21Z")
My fave is probably Night Watch. I didn’t read them in order (more or less in reverse in fact). Having just finished Guards Guards I sort of wish I did. It feels weird to read about the Watch with just 4 members and Vimes only the captain. And until I read Guards Guards my image of Lady Ramkin was of a probably attractive average weight woman, not of a huge whale of a wellie-wearing woman. The problem with reading the books in order is that TP’s talent improves with each book. His earliest boos are not a patch on the majority. I couldn’t get into Colour of Magic. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/47 "2004-01-28T11:35:37Z")
It helps to be a fan of old fashioned fantasy to read Color of Magic. Just like it helps to have knowledge of whatever he’s parodying to enjoy others of his books. Part of the reason I loved Pyramids was because I had just taken an egyptian anthropology course and was very amused at the parodies. Personally, I like the Rincewind books more than the Witch books. The witches just annoy me. Also, the Rincewind books tend to have more of the other wizards which I find very amusing. The Archancellor and Ponder Stibbons could do vaudeville together. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/48 "2004-01-28T11:48:16Z")
How could I have forgotten the Archchancellor, he’s a _great_ character. In my own personal “cast” of the Discworld, he’s played by Robbie Coltrane. And Vimes is John Thaw (why’d he have to go and die on me?!), Angua is Sarah Michelle Geller (what a great cult cross-over that would be!) and the Patrician is Angus Deayton (he has the perfect dry delivery) Now there’s gonna be loads of “noooo, you could not be more wrong” - type replies. Hee hee. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/49 "2004-01-28T12:31:40Z")
> [@](#): > > The witches just annoy me. I agree, though the one with the Opera and Carpe Jugulum was better. The Witch books are better when the Witches don’t seem so insufferably arrogant, and when there are other characters to pick up the slack. The Witches can’t carry the whole book. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/50 "2004-01-28T12:41:19Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > How could I have forgotten the Archchancellor, he’s a _great_ character. In my own personal “cast” of the Discworld, he’s played by Robbie Coltrane. And Vimes is John Thaw (why’d he have to go and die on me?!), Angua is Sarah Michelle Geller (what a great cult cross-over that would be!) and the Patrician is Angus Deayton (he has the perfect dry delivery) > > Now there’s gonna be loads of “noooo, you could not be more wrong” - type replies. Hee hee. Nooo!!! I can’t actually assign a “cast” to the characters - though, I do have images of what they all look like in my head. Besides, Sarah Michelle Geller does not, under any circumstances have enough cleavage. Personally, I think that the witches are great; that entire arrogance, and self-assuredness is great. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/51 "2004-01-28T13:06:59Z")
[QUOTE=Angua] Nooo!!! I can’t actually assign a “cast” to the characters - though, I do have images of what they all look like in my head. Besides, Sarah Michelle Geller does not, under any circumstances have enough cleavage. QUOTE] I do this with just about every book I read, but particularly the Discworld books as they are so very vivid. It changes though - I had Dame Judi cast as Lady Sybil, till I found out she was meant to be child-bearing age. As for SMG as Angua - well, it’s amazing what you can do with a wonder bra these days! ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/52 "2004-01-28T13:15:36Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > As for SMG as Angua - well, it’s amazing what you can do with a wonder bra these days! Nope. Still doesn’t cut it for me. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/53 "2004-01-28T23:32:33Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > I had Dame Judi cast as Lady Sybil, till I found out she was meant to be child-bearing age. Not to mention huge. Perhaps Dawn French would be better. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/54 "2004-01-29T02:21:56Z")
Strange how discworld book discussions tend to turn into casting questions 🙂 I personally like the Wizzard’s books (not so much Rincewind himself) and the Librarian. 2 other non-mentioned books are the “science of” books (1 and 2, although 2 wasn’t very good IMO). Of the series I read Small gods first and was hooked. After that, I found, and read, them in order. I would stay away from “dark side of the sun” I found it (rather hard to find really) and didn’t like it at all. My fav is probably night watch but I would only read that after reading all the Watch books in order. ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/55 "2004-01-29T02:43:33Z")
Discworld casting threads are fun. How about Orlando Bloom as Imp Y Celyn? ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/56 "2004-01-29T09:15:53Z")
I always thought Christina Ricci would make a good Angua. How about Pat Morita for Lao Tze? ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/57 "2004-01-29T09:20:14Z")
I’m not sure who I’d cast as Angua. My mental picture of her is interesting - tall, probably blonde, but not neccesairily, and well endowed in the chest area. Who would fit the bill? I’ve always seen Vetinari as Hugo Weaving-esque… ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/58 "2004-01-29T09:24:14Z")
Angelina Jolie? With a bleach job, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/59 "2004-01-29T09:28:22Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > Angelina Jolie? With a bleach job, obviously. Yeah, could work. But I’ve always hated her since Tomb Raider. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127/60 "2004-01-29T10:33:16Z")
Angua has to be lean and powerful, and wolflike in some sense. She’s also Aristocracy, and maybe has a hint of East European about her. Perhaps someone along the lines of Anna Kournikova, if she were a good actress (which I seriously doubt). So if anyone can think of anyone like that, I choose her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-discworld-novel/226127.md?page=4)