Jo498 Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I didn't find any recent or obvious big thread on this one, so I'll start another one. I read a bunch of discworld novels about 20 years ago. As it was mostly in German I am not even exactly sure which ones, pretty certain two early Rincewind ones, then "Mort", and "Guards! Guards!", probably "Men at arms" as well. Now I recently thought about having another try and I am amazed how many there are. I read "Reaper man" (also a fairly old one) now and while good I didn't find it as funny as I remember the other ones (it's more "philosophical" in a way).So which discworld books are everybody's big favorites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskaral Pust Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 There's an entire thread for Pratchett, which is necessarily 90%+ about Discworld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Well the first Discworld books I read (beyond the children/YA Tiffany Aching books) were The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. I enjoyed these a pot when I first read them but after reading a little more of his work I by no means think they are the best. My favourite is probably "Guards! Guards!" Another favourite is probably Equal Rites.I would like to say that his Tiffany Aching YA stuff was onecof my favourite YA series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Night Watch is the best one. It's also probably the one least suitable to just read standalone, though- while plotwise it's fine, it relies on familiarity with the characters of the City Watch series for most of its emotional beats and much of its humour. But thankfully, the City Watch sub-series is generally the strongest anyway so reading them to get to it is a pleasure. For me, generally the best of the series is found in between book 11 (Reaper Man) and book 33 (Going Postal). Before and after that it's a touch weaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemiNymph Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I have read them all. I would go first for the books which are about your favorite characters. There are a few standalone books, but there are books focused on a segment. So depending on what you choose. 1) Death + Susan2) Sam Vimes3) Witches, afterwards Tiffany4) Wizards, Rincewind5) Moist For a standalone, Small Gods is generally agreed to be one of the better ones. I liked The Truth also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I honestly read them in the order of 'what is in stock' one I read the first two.And it would be easier for me to list the worst at this point and consider the rest awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoë Sumra Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I'm another Watch/Vimes series fan. My favourite of all is Night Watch, but I'd agree that it needs some build-up, and both Men At Arms and Feet Of Clay are top-notch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog-days Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I love Lords and Ladies, but I came to it with an interest in the folk music of Britain and having read Tolkien. I'm not sure if it would be as enjoyable for someone who isn't me. My second favourite witches book is Witches Abroad. I like the one-off book Monstrous Regiment a lot; however, it's a real marmite book, in that tends to split its readers into haters and passionate fans. Feet of Clay is my favourite Vimes book, but most of them are great. It's a good idea to read them in order, starting with Guards, Guards. Small Gods is of course a great stand-alone. Hogfather is the first Discworld book I read, when I was about eight or nine. Really loved it. Hard to imagine what it would be like for an adult reader, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertrude Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Small Gods is my favorite and the one I generally recommend to people. The Witches and the Vimes centric ones are my favorite 'series' (I use the term loosely.). I don't really like anything up until about Guards Guards, or Witches Abroad. They read quite differently to me and it doesn't seem he had hit his stride yet. Unless Reaper Man is before those two ... I just don't remember the order anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasp of Many Reeds Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Haven't read any recently, except Nightwatch, which is very good but probably requires you read the earlier Vimes books first. Some personal favourites (no particular order) would be Small Gods, Thief of Time, The Colour of Magic, Reaper Man and Feet of Clay. Pyramids, The Truth, Lords and Ladies and Men at Arms get honorary mentions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Great: Small Gods, Hogfather, Jingo, Night Watch Above Average: Guards! Guards!, Reaper Man, Men at Arms, Soul Music, Feet of Clay, Carpe Jugulum, Going Postal Average: Mort, Wyrd Sisters, Pyramids, Moving Pictures, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, The Truth, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, Thud! Below Average: Sourcery, Interesting Times, The Fifth Elephant, Thief of Time, The Wee Free Men, Monstrous Regiment, The Last Hero Weak: The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Eric, The Last Continent, Making Money, Unseen Academicals Not Read: A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, I Shall Wear Midnight, Snuff, Raising Steam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyanna Stark Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Men at Arms and Guards Guards are my favourite, mostly because Sgt Colon and Nobby Nobbs, really. Strangely I get very attached to some of the secondary characters, like these two and Sybil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo498 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks to all!I found "Men at Arms" in German translation on my shelves and will look into this, because I am not even sure I ever read this. I am positive that I read Guards!Guards! when Carrot first enters the service. As I said, most of what I read was around 1992-94 in German translations, so I not always sure about the exact books as I had borrowed some of them (and the ones I might have owned got lost or not returned by people who borrowed them from me). I will usually go for the original texts now as Pratchett's zillions of puns and allusions do often get lost in translation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Great: Small Gods, Hogfather, Jingo, Night Watch Above Average: Guards! Guards!, Reaper Man, Men at Arms, Soul Music, Feet of Clay, Carpe Jugulum, Going Postal Average: Mort, Wyrd Sisters, Pyramids, Moving Pictures, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, The Truth, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, Thud! Below Average: Sourcery, Interesting Times, The Fifth Elephant, Thief of Time, The Wee Free Men, Monstrous Regiment, The Last Hero Weak: The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Eric, The Last Continent, Making Money, Unseen Academicals Not Read: A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, I Shall Wear Midnight, Snuff, Raising Steam I disagree with a good share of that list, as would be expected in a forum of this size. I would have both Hogfather and Jingo in the Below Average pile, moving Wee Free Men up a spot or two. The first three books in your 'weak' list I disagree with completely, and Reaper Man is a mix of a great story and a horrible secondary story, making it tough to put into a category but dropping it toward the bottom in my mind. . I think both Soul Music and Moving Pictures can be moved to the bottom as well. I agree with your spotting of Small Gods and Night Watch at the top, The Last Continent, and Unseen Academicals in the bottom though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemiNymph Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 There's a very good title by Terry Pratchett, Good Omens. It's not Discworld but it is a must read if you like him. It's one of his best. I disagree with a good share of that list, as would be expected in a forum of this size. Why don't you make your own list of your own personal likes instead of pointing out what you disagree with one person's list. It would be easier to read, and, there is no need to disagree with anyone's opinion for this kind of thing in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Why don't you make your own list of your own personal likes instead of pointing out what you disagree with one person's list. It would be easier to read, and, there is no need to disagree with anyone's opinion for this kind of thing in the first place. I am sorry but it seems to me a forum is a perfect place to disagree with someone's opinion. Without it there is very little discussion and what is the point? As for making my own list, didn't I kind of? Rather I took an existing one and pointed out the ones i would rate differently, saving me the trouble of rewriting the entire list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo498 Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 I read "Good Omens" a few months ago; it's actually the book that brought Pratchett back to my attention. I just finished "Men at Arms". As "Nightwatch" seems highly regarded, which ones do I have to read not to miss important stuff concerning the watch? Or could I go from !Guards! Guards!" and "Men at Arms" directly to "Nightwatch"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I read "Good Omens" a few months ago; it's actually the book that brought Pratchett back to my attention. I just finished "Men at Arms". As "Nightwatch" seems highly regarded, which ones do I have to read not to miss important stuff concerning the watch? Or could I go from !Guards! Guards!" and "Men at Arms" directly to "Nightwatch"? I would read Feet of Clay too, not because I am certain it is required but because it is good. I am not certain Nightwatch would require you to read past Men at Arms because Vimes' path is already pretty established by then; you will miss some big events in his life but nothing that is OMG SPOILER that actually ruins story lines. Mostly you just won't know a few characters and will immediately get a view at how successful Vimes has become. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Well, I would definitely read Jingo, Feet of Clay and Fifth Elephant before Nightwatch, mostly because they're all great fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonah Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I've read 24 of them so far, and have greatly enjoyed them all. My favourites have been the ones with The Witches or the later ones with The Wizards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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