Discworld books in order

Chronological order

Discworld is a flat disc balanced on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant turtle swimming through space. Terry Pratchett used this absurd premise to write 41 satirical fantasy novels over 32 years. The series parodies everything from religion to journalism to rock music, always with jokes and usually with something genuine to say.

Reading order is famously complicated. Publication order works, but the series contains multiple subseries that can be read independently. The City Watch books follow cynical cop Sam Vimes in Ankh-Morpork. The Witches books feature Granny Weatherwax and her coven. The Death books star the Grim Reaper himself, who speaks IN CAPITAL LETTERS and develops a worrying fondness for humanity.

The early books parody fantasy directly. The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are loving mockeries of sword-and-sorcery conventions. Later books use fantasy as a lens for real-world satire. Going Postal is about capitalism and redemption. Small Gods is about religion and faith. Night Watch is about revolution and time travel.

Pratchett wrote with increasing difficulty after his 2007 Alzheimer’s diagnosis, dictating his final books. The Shepherd’s Crown, published posthumously in 2015, ends the series. His unfinished work was destroyed per his instructions. No one else will write Discworld.

Start with Guards! Guards! or Mort if you want the good stuff early. Start with The Colour of Magic if you want the complete journey.