So, you want to start reading Discworld, but have no idea where to start?
Great news! It doesnt matter! (I mean, it sort of matters. Some books are better starters than others, but none are truly bad.)
Discworld is a shared universe, more like a collection of smaller series, not one cohesive story. It has retcons and contradictions and each book can stand alone, though many are improved if read in their order of publication within their set of characters.
It might be tempting to just start at the beginning- The Colour of Magic. Except...The Colour of Magic...isnt very good. It's fine, of course! But Sir Terry hadnt quite worked out the tone and vibe of the books yet, which makes CoM a poor representation of the world as a whole. I dont recommend it.
This article gives many great options.
This reading order map is fun visually.
And my personal recommendations:
- Guards Guards is the first of the City Watch books. I think it is the best starting place for most people. It is funny, thoughtful, and both Sam and Sybil are among the best characters on the disc.
- Mort is the first Death book. While not my favorite Death book, it's a good introduction to the character. Very funny.
- Equal Rites is the first witch book. A lot of its details about the Unseen University get retconned later, but it gets you a fun peek at how magic works on the disc.
Other options:
- Hogfather is the 4th Death book, but certainly the most iconic and its Christmas-y! (Hogswatchy?) It also has a great TV adaption.
- Small Gods is a stand alone novel set long before most of the other books. It is thoughtful and funny and really good.
- Wee Free Men is the first Tiffany book, which themselves are kind of sequels to the Witch books. They are also maybe my favorite books in the whole series. I only put it down here because the final Tiffany book (Shepards Crown) is the final Discworld book, and I'd wait to read that one until you've read though more of the series.
