It’s a close call between this and The Wee Free Men, but Jingo will always be my favourite Discworld novel. More relevant than ever - it should be compulsory reading for anyone who wants to fight in the Middle East - and has not only Vetinari, Nobby and Colon undercover in Klatch, but the crowning moment of Vimes’ career, arresting an entire war - both sides - for breach of the peace and carrying concealed weapons. Sheer glory.
Either Small Gods or Guards! Guards!, *Small Gods *is a good takedown of religous extremism, but Guards! Guards! is just hilarious. (As is *Small Gods * of course)
I was going to ask this very question, but was too lazy to set up all the poll options.
My Top 5:
- Night Watch - Wherein Pterry commits Literature and we discover the origins of oh so many things.
- Soul Music - What can I say, I’m a sucker for bad Blues Brothers references.
- *Jingo *- “Tuppence more and up goes the donkey!”
- *Going Postal *- Moist von Lipwig takes the stage, and things are never the same again.
- Lords and Ladies - Witches vs Elves and Greebo as an IED.
The list below those changes daily. Right now I am re-reading Interesting Times, and the Silver Horde is making me smile for the first time since I read the news.
I started reading Jingo again last night:
Another vote for Small Gods from me. It just shades out Nightwatch because it can stand alone better.
Either The Truth, Feet of Clay, Wyrd Sisters, or* Hogfather*. Or The Fifth Elephant. Or Interesting Times. Or Going Postal. Or . . .
Maskerade, The Truth, and Last Continent are my favourites.
Usually it’s whatever one I happen to be reading at the time.
Oh, speaking of Jingo, I loved Vimes’ amusement at 71-Hour Ahmed’s amazement as he saw Carrot unleash his power during the football (soccer) game.
Night watch is head and shoulders the best Discworld book IMHO.
Honorable mentions would be
Small Gods
Jingo
The Truth
Thief of Time
The Fifth Elephant
Three way tie between Nightwatch, Small Gods, and Wee Free Men.
Going Postal, the first Pratchett book I read, remains my favorite. It’s such a perfect blend of the silly and serious. It’s both incredibly funny and incredibly moving in places. This also applies to my other favorite Pratchett novels, Night Watch and Small Gods.
It’s a difficult balance, and one that Pratchett often (IMHO, obviously) failed to hit. But when he did find the mark, there was nothing out there better, or even remotely like it.
Small Gods and The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents are neck and neck. The first because I love the snark and the second because it makes me cry.
The gamut of choices here is very interesting.
I have to say Night Watch. Much more serious tone than most discworld and a really tight, moving story. I Shall Wear Midnight comes next for me.
Another vote for Night Watch, but chosen out of so many great works.
Small Gods.
Night Watch is a close second, though.
Guards! Guards! wins by a hair over Lords and Ladies probably because it has my favourite plot line setup and scene in any of his books.
Do I really need a spoiler? OK.
Error, the ‘whittle’ swamp dragon has re-plumbed his insides into a jet engine, and defeats the huge noble dragon with a sonic boom
I like the later more ‘serious’ books plenty too, but the earlier ones with laugh out loud stuff every few pages win out. I just opened GG at random (I wanted to check up on Errol) and read this…
A book has been stolen…
Carrot. 'Why don’t you just tell the head wizards, or whoever they are?
‘Oook.’ The Librarian indicated with some surprisingly economic gestures that most wizards would not find their bottoms with both hands.
Night Watch, for me. But I think you have to read the previous Watch books to enjoy it that much.
Night Watch is head and shoulders above the rest, as many have said. After that… *Jingo, Feet of Clay, Reaper Man, Going Postal *and *The Truth *in no particular order. Although you could add Thief of Time and Carpe Jugulum and…
It’d be easier to list the bad ones, really. *Snuff *went from nowhere to nowhere with lots of pointless meanderings in between (yes, yes we do get it, racism is bad, what else ?), Unseen Academicals I guess is OK if you like dick jokes and the footie, The Colour of Magic / The Light Fantastic of course weren’t that funny to begin with but are even worse now in comparison, and I’m not sure I remember much about The Fifth Elephant or whatever Pterry was saying with that one despite having read it multiple times (along with the others). Something about dwarven scones and Nazi werewolves ? I dunno. I think the only bit I found really funny was the riff on Chekhov, and that was one throwaway section.
I remember thinking *Pyramids *was a bit naff, back in the day, but I’ve reread it recently and it’s actually a lot better than I remembered.
One more vote for Night Watch - it is both an awesome book and it also adds a tremendous amount to the lore of Ankh-Morpork. Not as hilarious as some others but what it loses in humor it more than makes up otherwise.
Soul Music is mine. Not so much for the plot, as the endless music puns.