Discworld discussion
First time reader.
I just received my copy of Snuff as a Christmas gift, so I haven't had a chance to read it, but if you start with Snuff you will miss a lot of the backstory of Sam Vimes.Although I am not a purist when it comes to Discworld, I would recommend reading the earlier books first just to understand the character and their motivations.
I would start with the first book of a series. I'm not sure to which series Snuff belongs, but i'm now using this guide:http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-o...
Lauren wrote: "I have been wanting to read the Discworld series for a while now. I have been reading the thread about the best place to start.I just read the description for Snuff, and I really like the sound o..."
Lauren - I'd suggest not. Start with Guards! Guards! and work up though the Watch sub-series to Snuff.
Hi!I have started with "Guards! Guards!" and then read the second book of the Watch series "Men at Arms":
I highly enjoyed seeing the characters developing and so recommend to stick to the order within the novel series.
Check out the guide Lu recommended, it's a great overview.
How wrong you all are.Discworld was written to be read in PUBLISHED order. Even terry Pratchett says that is the order to read. Terry does not summarize from earlier books. He does make references to earlier books. Characters are easier to understand if you read about them as they appear. Don't do reading out of order and spoiling the series.
That chart is a complete piece of garbage and never should have been allowed on the net. All it does is tell people who have never read Discworld that's it is OK to read out of order and it's not OK. I'm reading in order and I've come to know that reading out of order I would have had a lot less enjoyment.
Marcus wrote: "Hi!I have started with "Guards! Guards!" and then read the second book of the Watch series "Men at Arms":
I highly enjoyed seeing the characters developing and so recommend to stick to the order ..."
It's garbage for anyone who has not read Discworld COMPLETELY! It's a good way to ruin the series.
Thanks for the help everyone.I've heard more than a few people (including those here) suggest "Guards! Guards!" as a good place to start, and I think that is what I will do.
In a perfect world I would have time to read every single book from the very start in published order, as has been suggested. But unfortunately I do not live in a perfect world where I can read non stop until I achieve this.
JSWolf, I understand your opinion on this topic, and in regards to the chart. I personally found the chart very helpful in breaking the books into individual sets, without it I would have had no idea of what books belonged together, and while you are of the opinion that it is a piece of garbage that should never have been allowed on the net, that is the wonderful thing about the internet, what is garbage to one person, is a useful tool to another.
Pratchett fans have developed their own opinions of how to read the books, and I respect any and all opinions on this topic. The chart simply means I can finally become a reader of Pratchett's work, without thinking that I have decades worth of reading to do, a fact which would most likely stop me from reading any of them at all.
As far as I am concerned, no matter what you thought, no one here is wrong in their opinions, because they are giving exactly that, an opinion.
Thanks everyone, I'll be reading Guards Guards just as soon as I'm finished with my current book club book. Thanks for all the help. I can't wait to get stuck into this book.
Louise wrote: "sigh"Thanks for breaking that ice. I had no idea how to respond until I saw your comment, and it put my brain into gear.
That chart is only really of any use to those that have already read then entire series or read enough to want to go back and reread. Guards! Guards! is not a good place to start. There's things that came before that you'll want to know that you won't know.
Lauren, what you have to understand with Pratchett is that his readership falls into three main subgroups.these are, 1. Chronological jackboot fascists, 2. the Mystical hidden meaning subset Zealots, and the third group that just enjoy the books, and mercilessly mock the other two groups as they both hit a point where they forget that they got into the whole thing because Terry Pratchett is a great writer.
Annoy everyone, start with The Wee Free Men.
Oh and while I remember, "within the history of the Discworld there are many individual stories, which can be read in any order, but reading them in sequence can increase your enjoyment..." from Introducing the Discworld, Hogfather (not quite Harvard referencing, but hey hoe).
so Sir Tel won't hunt you down for not starting at the beginning.
In fact there you go. read Hogfather first, it's season appropriate
All I can offer is what worked for me. I started, more or less randomly, with Guards!Guards! (still, for my money, one of the funniest of the Discworld books, though I suspect some of that might be because it was my first, and my introduction to Pratchett's magic), and worked backward and forward as books became available at the bookstore or the library.Personally, I don't particularly like either The Colour of Magic or The Light Fantastic; Rincewind doesn't do it for me and never did. I suspect that if I had started with those two, I wouldn't have read the rest of the series, and I would have missed out on so much great fun.
But really, it comes down to your own personal preferences, and if you don't get a couple of the jokes in one of the later books, it really won't matter.
Niall wrote: "Lauren, what you have to understand with Pratchett is that his readership falls into three main subgroups.I'm currently in the midst of reading Hogfather. It will in no way be all that enjoyable if you start with t. There are a lot of things that went before and if you've not read them, you'll miss out on what's going on.
It's not that you HAVE to read in published order, but the way Discworld is written, it expects you to have read what went before. Hogfather is a very good example of that.
The way Death is acting won't make as much sense if you've not read previous books with Death in them. It also makes it easier to understand if you know more about Susan and Albert.
So sure you could jump in starting with Hogfather but it won't be nearly as good as it should be.
If you start with The Colour of Money and The Light Fantastic know you might not find them wonderful, then you'll do fine with the books after those. Rinceind show up in other books and it's good to have an understanding of him in order for those other books to be more enjoyable. It's not a matter of what we want, it's just how Terry writes the series.
I've read them all. And some books made me laugh and others not so much. Some books are very re-readable and others... well they take some time to work trough. But I have my favourites and those became my favourites because I did not start in reading order as they are published. And I don't care what people think of me now. I read what I want to read and one of this days I start re-reading Thief of time. I think, maybe Thud or perhaps Monstrous Regiment. But deffinitly not The color of magic or that other one. I want to laugh, I need to laugh. And I will with those books. People happy new year. And be nice to eachother.
The big bad Wolf falls into the first group.I'm getting bored now!
They are just books. they do not expect to be read in any order. no one needs to chain them to shelves or earth the power from them. there is no hairy orange librarian fussing over them.
the only two books that are directly related are the colour of magic and the Light fantastic. THE REST ARE STAND ALONE STORIES!!! that use characters from other novels.
Lauren. Start where ever you want, I just hope that you enjoy them as much as I have, and if you get into them, you will eventually read them all and pick up all the back stories, so it WON'T MATTER how you got there.
I am now off to sit on my wardrobe with my luggage. that is a Sourcery reference, but your life will not be less for not knowing that. So, Bugrit (another ref), and good night
If it was just the librarian you could get rid of him with a box of bananas. I'm off to middle earth now. A totally other world and book, but I love it. see ya
Louise wrote: "If it was just the librarian you could get rid of him with a box of bananas. I'm off to middle earth now. A totally other world and book, but I love it. see ya"Classic!!! :-D
I lost my Hobbit years ago, but I have a new copy en route to me. want to have a read before the filn comes out
Niall, Louise, Nora....thank you for your input.Niall, you made me laugh with your first post up there.
It's 130pm on new years eve here, and I need to finish my current read, book 1 of The Dresden Files, before the end of the year. But I'm thinking Pratchett is going to be in my new year.
I'll still start with Guards Guards, as often suggested, because I want to read a book that has a chance at sucking me in, and because I like to live life on the edge and do things different to how they are supposed to be done. :)
I hope you all have an excellent new year! I'll see you around the Discworld message boards where I will be the newest Pratchett addict.
Niall enjoy the book, my Middle Earth is a little darker at this moment. Mordor is going to attack Gondor.Lauren a happy new year to you back and enjoy your book. excellent choice.
Niall wrote: "Lauren, what you have to understand with Pratchett is that his readership falls into three main subgroups.these are, 1. Chronological jackboot fascists, 2. the Mystical hidden meaning subset Zeal..."
The Wee Free Men is an excellent book. One of those where you sigh at the end and think, "that was wonderful." If you can, get the illustrated edition. The pictures are amazing.
Lauren, starting with Guards is fine.I will, however, make two contradictory suggestions.
1. It's better to read in order, as references and jokes are made between books, not only within 'subseries'. So while I think it's useful to have a chart of the subseries, it's probably worth bearing in mind this interdependency, and not chasing each series down to its end before starting another. So rather than reading all the watch novels and then all the witches novels, maybe read one or two watch novels, and then try witches.
2. If you don't like Guards Guards, do still give some other books a try. I think the 'sequel', Men at Arms, is a lot better, myself. And beyond it taking you a few pages more to get used to the characters, you won't miss anything by not having read the earlier books.
I'll also make two more general recommendations:
a) personally i think the best starting point is Small Gods. It's one of the most standalone of the series, and is arguably the best.
b) be tolerant of confusion. Even in Small Gods, for instance, iirc you'll find a sentient orangutan who can, essentially, teleport between libraries. You have to be the sort of reader who can accept that this was explained at some point without needing it to be explained right this second. If you can do this, Discworld is fun. If you can't, you'll end up like the Wolf who posted above.
Wastrel wrote: "Lauren, starting with Guards is fine.I will, however, make two contradictory suggestions.
1. It's better to read in order, as references and jokes are made between books, not only within 'subse..."
Thanks for the tips. I'm generally able to accept things without them always needing to be explained so that's no problem. And now that you've mentioned it I will certainly know to be tolerant of it and patient too.
Thanks for the heads up.
Hi Lauren :) I'm a first time reader too (of the series, I have read Hogfather before a few years ago and was a bit young so I had no idea what on earth was going on). I think I've decided to read them in order just as thats I do with almost all books (when I re-read The Lord of the Rings I have to read all the books that are set before it!) I'm quarter of a way through The Colour of Magic and really enjoying it I can't stop laughing reading it. I am now going to buy equal rights and mort on amazon (I have The Light Fantastic already) then trawl some charity shops for some more :)
Becca wrote: "Hi Lauren :) I'm a first time reader too (of the series, I have read Hogfather before a few years ago and was a bit young so I had no idea what on earth was going on). I think I've decided to read ..."Yes, Hogfather is a very good example of one of the Discworld books that you will get lost in if you have not read what came before. The character are all flushed out before this. I too would have been lost and a lot of the jokes not making sense.
If you look at the chart, you'll see it's a Death book. But it does have some of the watch in it and you'll want to know about the watch. There really is no place to read that's not going to cause you to miss out on something if you don't read in order.
I suggest you start at the beginning, light fantastic or the color of magic, his earlier work is amazing don't skip it.Ive been traveling the disc for over a decade and have read his novels dozens of times over. They never lose their charm.
Robert wrote: "I suggest you start at the beginning, light fantastic or the color of magic, his earlier work is amazing don't skip it.Ive been traveling the disc for over a decade and have read his novels dozen..."
Starting at the beginning is not The Light Fantastic or The Colour of Magic. The beginning is only The Colour of Magic
Starting at the beginning is not The Light Fantastic or The Colour of Magic. The beginning is only The Colour of MagicI am aware of the book order. Replace 'or' with 'and'. The Colour of Magic AND The Light Fantastic.
Ohh the trivial things we waste our time on..
But for someone not familiar with the series, that error (or) could mean the difference between starting the series correctly or incorrectly.
I know with what I say now all hell break lose. but you can always begin with the books the bookstore is selling. and if that is not the first book shrug and read the cover. if you think after reading: wow this book is what I was looking for. buy it. my first book was the only book of pratchett back then. I read the cover and I was hooked. I read it and laughed and giggled and lots of it.
I have to disagree. I would have been doing a lot of "huh?" if I had not started in order.
You're a girl. Read 'Wyrd Sisters'. Girls like 'Wyrd Sisters'. It may have something to do with reading about women who can turn men into toads. Who can say?
Nah even then there wont be as many huh moments in the earlier books. Start as close to the beginning you can, but you wont miss as much as you would by starting with say the last continent. Which I speak from experience as that was the first I read years ago and the initial scene at UU was lost on me that first time around. Some books stand on there own better than others. But all of them have a high reread value and the more you do read them the more you'll pick up on when set against his other books. Its better to start somewhere than not at all. In an ideal world start with the the colour of magic.
I have read the books in order after my first book. I started with book 4 and than 1,2,3 and so on. but still I was lost with reading the last continent back then in 2001 when the dutch translation was out. A few months back I read it again and I enjoyed it much better. I have a tiny suggestion for our first time readers. Why not begin with wee free men. No wizzards, no nightwatch. and no people telling you you are doing it wrong. or.... read the grafic novel of color of magic and light fantastic. I enjoyed that just a little better than the books. and before people are beginning to yell at me. I am a book reader but sometimes grafic novels are also fun to raed.
JSWolf wrote: "I have to disagree. I would have been doing a lot of "huh?" if I had not started in order."that would appear to be because have an inbuilt inability to think in anything other than a very thick straight line. Sorry but reading your replies in this thread, reminds me of the scene in "Bugs life" where the ant line is broken because of a falling object, and the little ants can not function until he is lead back to the line.
Pratchett's books are a marvel, because the creator of them thinks outside of the norm.
and If we are playing the "I know better than you because I've been reading the series for years" game, I'll see your over a decade, and raise to you 23+ years. by the logic of Wolf, this means I know best.
So I say, read in the published order is good, but if you are not bright enough to enjoy the books without the full back story, then you don't deserve the privilege of the Pratchett.
Jings Crivens!!!
"the privilege of the Pratchett"lool
Soup Nazi, no Pratchett for you!
My grandfather has been reading Pratchett for 50 years and says that its best to spend two years as a hermit in the alps between each book reflecting on the wisdom it contains before continuing. But hes old so he may be senile.
Pratchett, like ladies in skin tight cats suits, is a privilege not a right :)
I just don't get why you feel the need to tell others to go ahead and SPOIL the series. It is SPOILED if you read out of order the first time you read it. I don't care what sort of reasoning you give. It's just WRONG. The way Terry writes, he doesn't recap and he expects you to know what's come before.
How well do you know pratchett mr. jswolf. sometimes i am wondering what he thinks of this discussion. didn't he write his books for the people to enjoy them and have fun reading them. do you know him personally? I am just wondering you know.
Reading them out of order wont spoil the story, that's just rediculous. The only thing that will happen is you miss out on the occasional reference, as I said in a previous post. You will appreciate his books the more of them that you read, and the more that you reread them, regardless of the order.Say you start with monstrous regiment, how does not reading previous books spoil the story? So you miss out on the more or less irrelevant background of Sam and the Times. Big deal.
Louise wrote: "How well do you know pratchett mr. jswolf. sometimes i am wondering what he thinks of this discussion. didn't he write his books for the people to enjoy them and have fun reading them. do you know ..."Terry himself has posted/said that the reading order is in published order.
But by reading ahead, you learn things you are not meant to know in the earlier books. Also, if there is are "cliffhangers" in the earlier books, you can easily spoil them.
I'm sticking with Terry's recommendation on how to read the series for the first read through.
What cliffhangers did you have in mind? Just out of curiosity.
I think we should just agree to disagree.JSWolf IS wrong, but he has read himself into a corner, and can't back down as his world will collapse, but hey ho some people are are just very dogmatic in their views.
I think I will leave it with an actual quote from a Terry Pratchett Novel, "INTRODUCING DISCWORLD- The Discworld is a continuous history of a world not totally unlike our own except that it is a flat disc carried on the backs of four elephants astride a giant turtle floating through space, and that it is peopled by, among others, wizards, dwarves, policemen, thieves, beggars, vampires and witches. Within the history of Discworld there are many individual stories, which can be read in any order, but reading them in sequence can increase your enjoyment through the accumulation of all the fine detail that contributes to the teeming imaginative complexity of this brilliantly conceived world."
taken from the fore-pages of "Hogfather"
No one is saying you don't get more from knowing what has gone before, in fact I believe just about everyone knows this is correct, but you are being an unmitigated ass by not understanding that the books are perfectly enjoyable when read just for the book and not for saga that is Disc.
Jog on fool, jog on :p
(yes that's right, I stuck my tongue out at you)
the tongue was to much, wasn't it?hahahahahahahahahahahaha hehehehehehehehehehehehehe
if you can't have a laugh, what's the point:)
Discworld
Books mentioned in this topic
Hogfather (other topics)The Wee Free Men (other topics)
Guards! Guards! (other topics)
I just read the description for Snuff, and I really like the sound of it.
For those of you who have read it, do you think that a new Pratchett reader can start with this particular book?
Thanks.