I remember my brother’s room, piled high with Terry Pratchett novels. He loved his work.
I want to read one or two to see what’s up (and hopefully more). Pratchett has a lot of books. What one would be best for me to jump right into?
I love sci fi and fantasy. I’ve enjoyed Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide series. Going Postal is one Pratchett title I’ve seen a lot. And I saw that The Colour of Magic is the first in the Discworld series so that seems like a starting place.
by Hopp503
3 Comments
Don’t read **Color of Magic**. It’s the first in the series, but not a good place to start. You can split the **Discworld** into a few sub-series. For example, one of them is Ankh-Morpork City Watch series. You can see the reading order in this sub-series here: https://www.goodreads.com/series/106221-discworld—ankh-morpork-city-watch
Going Postal is I think generally considered the best starting point for Discworld. I would say that if you read this first though, come back again later, once you’ve read the rest, so you can really enjoy all the little references which will now make sense.
I started with Colour of Magic and reread recently and while I get it now, it’s not the best example of what Discworld or Sir Terry have to offer.
I will also always recommend Nation. It’s a standalone, not connected to Discworld and to my mind the best thing Pratchett wrote.
Personally I like recommending Good Omens (cooperation with Gaiman) for people just checking out Pratchett for the first time. It’s not Discworld, but if you liked Hitchhiker’s Guide I think it will tick some of the same boxes.
If you do want Discworld I mainly just want to second not starting with the Colour of Magic. Personally I probably lean more towards recommending Guards, Guards, but I do also see the logic behind Going Postal.
My personal favourite Discworld book is Small Gods, and it’s also a good stand-alone, but it might just have hit me at a time where the heavier philosophy fit right in.
Also, if I am reading things right, my condolences on the loss of your brother. I hope you can find some comfort in sharing that part of his life.