All 41 Discworld novels ranked best to worst.

This year Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series turns 40 years old. If you asked him what it was about he’d probably say something along the lines of “it’s about how real people would act if they were in a fantasy novel, it’s about societies and people and how they tick”. If you asked anyone else, they’d tell you it’s about a flat world on the back of four giant elephants travelling through space on a huge turtle. Both versions are true.

From The Colour of Magic, published in November of 1983 (when its author was a 35-year-old former journalist working in PR for the electricity board) to The Shepherd’s Crown (published posthumously in the summer of 2015 when its author was a national treasure, a millionaire many times over and a celebrated knight of the realm) there were 41 Discworld novels. Even when struggling through the impossibly horrible fug of Alzheimer’s disease, he still managed to write one nearly every year. That’s a staggering output. For three decades we got at least one new Discworld book almost every year. Usually two. In 2001 he managed three.*

And they’re all good. Honestly, they are. There’s no such thing as a bad Terry Pratchett book, although obviously some are better than others. Indeed, some of them are incredible: legitimate masterpieces and timeless classics. And some of them are just “quite good”. What follows is my pretty thoroughly researched, but still definitely subjective attempt to rank them from best to worst, though it should be noted that Terry Pratchett’s worst book would be many other author’s masterpiece. As I said, there are no bad books here, just different gradients of wonderful. Your personal list will probably be totally different; but think of the fun you’ll have finding out …

1. "Night Watch" (2002) 

Commander Vimes, arguably Pratchett’s greatest character and one of literature’s best ever cops, travels back in time and has to mentor his younger self. It's the closest Discworld gets to a thriller, it’s profound, exciting, moving and it’s a masterclass in character development. An astonishing novel. 

2. "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" (2001) 

Discworld for kids, but don't let that put you off. It's a complex look at morality, society, the nature of the self and probably the darkest thing Pratchett ever wrote. It justly won the Carnegie Medal that year, giving Pratchett his first ever major award … A must-read, no matter your age. 

3. "Thud!" (2005) 

Vimes and the City Watch investigate a dwarfish murder that could set off a war. It's a deep dive into ethnic tensions and religious divisions, very much informed by the atmosphere of the post-9/11 real world and treated with the seriousness it deserves. It’s really good, honestly. Has an accompanying book for toddlers, “Where’s My Cow”, that is charm itself. 

4. "Monstrous Regiment" (2003) 

A young woman disguises herself as a man to join the army. It's Mulan meets Discworld, with a heavy dose of commentary on the futility of war and the boundaries that gender puts around us. One of his sharpest and angriest. 

5. "The Wee Free Men" (2003) 

Tiffany Aching, an eight-year old would-be witch, makes her debut. She's smart, resourceful, and has to rescue her brother from the Queen of the Fairies. What's not to love in this great updating of the Alice in Wonderland archetype? Pratchett was made an honorary Brownie Guide after this for writing a “proper girl”.

    6.    "Hogfather" (1996) 

The Grim Reaper as Santa? Yep, it works, and it's magical. Pratchett’s look at belief and folklore is one of his very best, and Death’s speech about the function of storytelling in human society (“take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve and show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy …”) gets to the heart of the author’s personal philosophy. 

    7.      "I Shall Wear Midnight" (2010) 

Tiffany is now a full-fledged witch and has to confront one of the most horrible villains in Pratchett’s canon. For an ostensibly young-adult book, this one goes to some incredibly dark places, but it’s also absolutely beautiful. 

    8.    "Carpe Jugulum" (1998) 

Witches vs. vampires! Granny Weatherwax, another of Pratchett’s best creations, struggles with her own mortality here, making this one a high-stakes and slightly bleak entry, as befits a book that plays with vampiric lore. Granny’s speech on the definition of sin (“sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself”) is another one that cuts to the heart of the author’s morality. 

    9.    "Going Postal" (2004) 

Meet Moist von Lipwig, a con man turned postmaster. A refreshing change in protagonist and an interesting look at communication and con-artistry that opened up the “industrial revolution” of Discworld. A plot that ticks like a finely balanced Swiss watch. 

    10.    "The Fifth Elephant" (1999) 

Vimes gets diplomatic in this politically charged police procedural. The Discworld take on international relations is funny, genuinely action packed and razor-sharp. Plus there’s a scene riffing on Chekov’s Cherry Orchard which is solid gold.

    11.    "Wintersmith" (2006) 

Tiffany Aching accidentally joins in a supernatural Morris dance and nearly dooms the world to eternal winter. Rich with folklore, mythology and charm with Pratchett finding new notes to play in his world. Fun fact – prog/folk legends Steeleye Span wrote a genuinely good concept album based on this book.

    12.    "Small Gods" (1992)

Anyone thinking that early Discworlds are all silly jokes and parodies can be pointed here, as Pratchett takes aim at the tension between pure faith and religious dogma, and the difference between truly believing and simply following the rules. It’s deep stuff, and it’s powerful – we start to see the author’s genuine anger here, and he still manages to make it funny. One of the very best. 

    13.    "Feet of Clay" (1996)

Commander Vimes investigates a series of murders and the poisoning of the Patrician. A deep dive into identity, personhood and the soul, all wrapped in a very smart detective story. It’s properly brilliant, and a surprisingly good starting point to the series. 

    14.    "Making Money" (2007)

Moist von Lipwig’s second adventure takes on the world of banking and rips it to shreds. By the time the paperback came out the global financial crash had happened, making Pratchett look like a prescient genius. The fact it has an artful skewering of the financial system and a scene where a dog thinks a dildo is a chew toy is solid-gold Pratchett, and the ending is perfect. 

    15.    "A Hat Full of Sky" (2004) 

Tiffany Aching is back, and she's taking on a body-stealing monster. This darker sequel to Wee Free Men delves deeper into her character, cementing the young witch as one of Pratchett’s finest creations. It has a lot to say about growing up and perception, and there’s oodles of great folklore stuff. 

    16.    "Snuff" (2011) 

Vimes on vacation—but not really. He can't help but sniff out crime wherever he goes. A smart and incredibly impactful instalment, absolutely vibrating with anger at the way a race of people can be treated as subhuman (back to the definition of sin again). The central mystery is never as compelling as the morality, but the story whips along at a pace. 

    17.    "Guards! Guards!" (1989)

Pratchett’s first police procedural, and one of his best. In many ways it sets the tone for the rest of the franchise. He plays with the expectations we’ve been trained into by centuries of fairy tales by having a dashing, charismatic young man with a mysterious destiny come to town and then making him a secondary character – leaving room for the real hero of the piece; the cynical, angry alcoholic Captain Vimes, one of Pratchett’s best creations and a character that would grow with the series and its author. It works brilliantly as a parody and as a crime caper and as a very human, character-led piece. 

    18.    "Lords and Ladies" (1992)

Doing for A Midsummer Night's Dream what Wyrd Sisters did for Macbeth, this is one of the most action-packed Discworlds. Again, the expectations of the story are the key theme, and Terry pushes his central trio of witches as far as each will go. It’s masterful character writing, and in the evil Elves we get a proper boo-hiss villain we can truly be scared of. 

    19.    "Witches Abroad" (1991)

Really hitting his stride on the theme of stories, Pratchett sends his three witches on holiday, puncturing classic fairy tales as they go. It’s a delight, with some surprisingly emotional bits. The central trio continue to deepen as characters. It’s an author absolutely feeling his oats. 

    20.    "The Truth" (2000)

The Discworld gets its first newspaper. It’s All the President’s Men with a fantasy twist. Clever, but not as emotionally resonant as others. Important as the point in the series where Pratchett does away with a lot of the fantasy trappings of the early books for good and moves on to what is, essentially, Victorian London. 

    21.    "Maskerade" (1995) 

Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg tackle the Discworld's version of opera. It's the "Phantom of the Opera" but with practical witches and many exclamation marks!!!!! Stellar in wit and tension, and a really good mystery – though if you know the career of the actor Michael Crawford then you’ll guess the twist. 

    22.    "Thief of Time" (2001) 

Time is literally of the essence in this one. Death and his granddaughter, Susan, have to stop a plot to freeze time. It’s philosophical and action-packed, and also contains a clever way to explain away any continuity errors you might have spotted in earlier books. Literary giant AS Byatt claimed this one deserved the Booker Prize.

    23.    "Wyrd Sisters" (1988)

Having spent the first five books in the series doing Disc-trotting adventures, Pratchett finally has the confidence to keep his focus in one place (more or less), bringing back Equal Rites’ Granny Weatherwax and giving her a little coven of her own to (sort of) run, for a thoroughly entertaining re-treading of Macbeth. This is the first time we see Pratchett playing with our expectations of stories – we know what’s supposed to happen when the rightful heir to throne takes on the evil usurper. Confounding those expectations is what powers the plot. It’s a trick he would return to time and again. The characters and the jokes here absolutely sing (often about Hedgehogs). 

    24.    "Men at Arms" (1993)

We return to the characters of Guards! Guards! for a true police procedural. It’s a solid mystery that deals with the ethics of violence and the law. The character of Vimes really comes into his own here, as does the expanded cast of watchmen. Great stuff. 

    25.    "Mort" (1987)

The book where Pratchett himself said he discovered the “joy of plot”, and the one he would often recommend people started with. Mort is an utter joy – funny, very smart and like nothing else that was around at the time. Giving the scythe-wielding CAPITAL LETTER SPEAKING grim reaper the centre stage (which, incidentally, was Neil Gaiman’s idea) was genius and in Death, Pratchett creates one of his all-time great characters.

    26.    "The Shepherd's Crown" (2015)

Terry Pratchett's final novel is an emotional rollercoaster for fans. By this point, Pratchett knew he was unlikely to complete another story (though he still planned to try) and this book is as much about passing the torch as it is about wrapping up the series. We say goodbye to some series-long characters, and while some elements of the plot feel a little under-baked (an afterword by Pratchett’s assistant, Rob Wilkins, says the author’s alzheimer’s disease progressed during the writing to the point he couldn’t give the book his accustomed final polish – he wouldn’t live to see it published), it leaves us with a sense of closure. It's not Pratchett at his peak, but considering the circumstances of its creation, it's a dignified and touching finale. And do you know what? Removed from those circumstances and the weight it inevitably carries, this is still a cracking YA adventure, with loads to love. 

    27.    "Unseen Academicals" (2009)

Football comes to Discworld. The breakthrough came when the decidedly sports-averse author realised that football isn’t actually about football – it’s about people. There’s lots going on here (it’s Pratchett’s longest book by some measure) and the whole never quite stitches together its constituent parts, but there’s still plenty to enjoy. The “crab bucket” speech is a wonderful piece of social commentary.

    28.    "Raising Steam" (2013)

In the last adult Discworld novel, Pratchett introduces steam power to the world and effectively brings his creation to the modern age. It's an ambitious tale of progress versus tradition, focusing mainly on Moist von Lipwig, the reformed scoundrel now responsible for the Discworld’s railways. While its core message about technological progress is well-executed, and its points about fundamentalist terrorism are powerful, the book does feel like it’s stretching to accommodate all its characters and themes. Pratchett’s encroaching Alzheimer’s had taken some of his edge by this point, though frankly when you consider what he was going through, it’s an astonishing achievement. Many writers at the peak of their powers couldn’t get close to this. 

    29.    "Reaper Man" (1991)

A game of two halves. Reaper Man has two intertwining plots, and they are by no means equal. The first, in which Death is relieved of duty and gets a job as a farm hand called Bill Door is absolutely wonderful, and has a conclusion that will squeeze tears from the most stubborn of souls – possibly the first Pratchett book to do so. Sadly, the second plot, about a zombie wizard and a gang of persecuted undead, is a bit lacking – despite some sharp observations about consumer culture and horror movie riffs. Pratchett later said he wished he'd written two books. 

    30.    "The Last Hero" (2001) 

A final send-off to the classic "sword and sorcery" characters of early Discworld. It's shorter and lighter than most, especially in this period, though Paul Kidby’s illustrations (unlike the earlier Eric this has never been published without the artwork) are absolutely gorgeous and the whole thing is worth it for Cohen the Barbarian’s “no more worlds to conquer” moment. 

    31.    "Moving Pictures" (1990)

Pratchett takes aim at the movie industry, giving him endless parody opportunities. It’s one of his funniest, especially if you know your Hollywood history (inverting King Kong by having a giant woman climbing a tower holding a struggling ape is inspired), though it’s not one of his deeper works. That said, there’s some creepy HP Lovecraft influences if you know where to look. The audiobook, narrated by Hollywood star Jason Issaacs, is really good. 

      32.    "Soul Music" (1994) 

Death takes a break, and his granddaughter Susan has to step in, just as "Music with Rocks In" hits Discworld. Rock & roll plus Pratchett equals a hilarious and poignant look at the power of music and a surprisingly subtle treatise on grief. This one gets an extra half-point for the sly musical references.

    33.    "The Last Continent" (1998) 

Rincewind the wizard tackles Discworld's version of Australia. There are jokes aplenty, but they sometimes get in the way of the plot, leaving it a bit disjointed. Still fun, but not Pratchett's best. Fun fact – I know two Australian Discworld fans, one of whom loves this book for its take on Aussie culture and the other absolutely hated it for the same reason. 

    34.    "Pyramids" (1989)

A good little adventure story, part The Mummy, part Tom Brown’s School Days, with an excellent Ouroboros twist. Not one of the most essential of the early Discworlds, but an entertaining romp all the same. It sets another Pratchett template: take a single subject (here, ancient Egypt) and wring it for all the jokes you can find. 

    35.    "Interesting Times" (1994)

Rincewind is back and he's off to the Agatean Empire—a parody of ancient China (and sometimes, slightly problematically, Japan). While it’s often funny, and has something to say about revolutions and class, the book sometimes falls into stereotypical pitfalls. It’s saved by the jokes though, and by this point in the series Pratchett always has something meaningful to say. 

    36.    "Jingo" (1997) 

War looms over Ankh-Morpork and Klatch. The City Watch has to stop it. A timely tale of nationalism and prejudice (Pratchett is particularly good at unpicking the mechanics of racism), although sometimes a little too on the nose. 

    37.    "Equal Rites" (1987)

Moving away from the characters of books one and two and creating a female-focussed and rural story was a smart move, and the third Discworld novel expands the universe in enough ways to ensure the franchise would have a future. What’s more, it’s the first Terry Pratchett novel that really has something to say. Its look at gender roles in the genre is canny, and the character of Granny Weatherwax, though not yet the force she would become, is instantly wonderful. Not as funny as others, but wise and compelling. It’s the book that proves Pratchett had more than one trick up his billowing sleeves. 

    38.    "The Light Fantastic" (1986)

Pratchett was later dismissive of the first few Discworld books, and that was perhaps unfair. There’s a lot in The Light Fantastic to enjoy – here the author starts to stretch his legs a bit and ventures beyond just D&D puns and nerdy references, and as ever Rincewind and Twoflower are likeable companions who both have interesting character arcs. It’s a light story, and Pratchett isn’t always aware that he’s sending up epic fantasy whilst also falling into its traps, but it holds up surprisingly well. It was certainly his most accomplished book up to this point. 

    39.    "The Colour of Magic" (1983)

The very first Discworld book (though not a novel – technically it’s four interlinked short stories). It's naive, absolutely, especially compared to what Pratchett was writing just a few years later, and a lot of the jokes require some knowledge of 1970s fantasy archetypes. It contains a couple of gags that simply don’t work, and clangingly so – something you could never accuse him of down the line. Pratchett gets just a little too excited about world-building, ladening his new world with unnecessarily details (a lengthy, joke-free footnote on how the seasons work on a flat world, for example) establishing rules and physics he’d simply ignore a few books down the road. And yet, 40 years on, The Colour of Magic still has real charm, mostly because, in its central duo of Rincewind, the inept wizard, and Twoflower, the naive tourist, Pratchett created solid, relatable, likeable companions around whom all the fantasy madness could happen … and those characters still work. Rincewind was essentially the 30-something Terry Pratchett, baffled and vexed by the sheer unfairness of the universe and frustrated by the obstacles thrown in the way by gods playing silly buggers. He’s a great character, though Pratchett gets bored of him pretty quickly. 

A lot of people start here, which annoyed Pratchett no end, given how much better the stories got, but most readers are hooked enough to carry on. By no means his best, but it’s an important book. 

    40.    "Sourcery" (1988)

Something of a backwards step. After broadening the world with Equal Rites and Mort, Pratchett felt it was important to throw his early fans a bone and go back to the pure-fantasy roots of the series. Unfortunately all he really does is retread Rincewind’s arc from the Light Fantastic in a more convoluted way. It’s not a bad book (there are no bad Pratchett books), but despite some fun gags, it’s pretty inessential. 

    41.    "Eric" (1990)

Intended as an illustrated novella (though most people will have read the text-only version), Pratchett whipped up a plot designed to give artist Josh Kirby plenty to draw. By its nature it’s quite thin. Rincewind is back, and has even less development as a character this time, since his job is just to guide us between eye-catching scenes. It’s fun, but it’s inessential. 

Further reading

Unbelievably the journey doesn’t end there. Obviously there’s the rest of Pratchett’s output, usually set on our depressingly spherical planet. The Bromeliad Trilogy is wonderful, as is the Johnny Maxwell trilogy, and Terry himself considered his 2008 novel Nation to be his masterpiece – he may well be right, it’s an incredible book.

And there’s still more Discworld. The 2011 anthology A Blink Of The Screen collects 32 of Pratchett’s short stories, among them 11 set on Discworld. The jewel of the bunch is ‘The Sea and Little Fishes’, a witches' short story that’s almost long enough to be a novella and is a stellar piece of character writing.

Also worthy of note are the four Science of Discworld books, co-written with scientists Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart. The books all have a short Discworld adventure, featuring Rincewind and the wizards, interspersed between science and philosophy chapters. They can be a little dry, but they do a good job of underlining Pratchett’s personal philosophy about the importance and power of stories. The Discworld stuff is funny, too.

And even beyond those, there are the innumerable spin offs – the maps, diaries, art books, encyclopaedias and even a cookbook. Pratchett was obsessive about his work, and nothing went out unless he was happy with it. Even the annual Discworld diaries contained thousands of new words which, though thin on plot, were often heavy on jokes and sometimes illuminating on character. Nanny Oggs Cookbook (1999), for example, is a wonderful feat of character writing, even if you don’t have the nerve to make the “Banana Soup Surprise”, and the children’s spin-off story book, Miss Felicity Beadle’s World of Poo (2012) is completely wonderful. 

That’s plenty to keep you busy.

THE MAGIC OF TERRY PRATCHETT

Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon St, London WC1H 0AH

12th October 2023, 19:30

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/whats-on/magic-terry-pratchett  

Author, comedian and Terry Pratchett fan, Marc Burrows invites audiences to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the landmark comic fantasy Discworld series with this beautiful tribute. 

In 2020, Marc penned the first ever biography of Sir Terry. The book received critical acclaim, won a Locus Award and was embraced by fans. This new, live multimedia show, based on the book, was then created with the full endorsement and support of Narrativia, the company founded to protect and promote the late author’s work in association with his estate. 

The Magic of Terry Pratchett is a comic lecture in which Burrows explores Pratchett's influences, his rise to fame, impact, and unique life, becoming one of the most beloved storytellers of all time. From the national treasure’s days as a school librarian, his time as a trainee journalist to his untimely death in 2015 and in keeping with Pratchett’s own style, the show is a gently comic celebration and exploration of his work. It will also seriously examine his death, and the activism he was involved with toward the end of his life surrounding dementia treatment and the right- to-die; an important part of his story and legacy.

In addition to using the framework of the ‘The Magic of Terry Pratchett’ book, the show will incorporate additional elements of Rob Wilkins’ official biography, ‘Terry Pratchett: A Life in Footnotes’, (A Sunday Times Bestseller) as well as licensed media. 

Sir Terry Pratchett OBE is one of the world’s most widely read authors. Conventions dedicated to his work are held globally every year. His works have been translated into 40 different languages, sold 100 million copies and have been performed on stage on seven continents. John Lloyd was right when he said “of all of the dead authors in the world, Terry Pratchett is the most alive”. Pratchett’s short story ‘The Abominable Snow Baby’ was adapted by Channel 4 as a Christmas Day animation in 2021. Sky released a feature film adaptation of his Carnegie Award winning book ‘The Amazing Maurice’ in cinemas in 2022, and ‘Good Omens’, a TV series based on the book Pratchett wrote with Neil Gaiman, will have a second Amazon Prime season in the autumn. 

Marc Burrows often writes on culture and social issues for The Guardian, New Statesman, Big Issue and Independent and his Edinburgh Fringe shows include ‘The Ten Best Songs of All Time’ and ‘Mind Your Head’. Marc’s second book, The London Boys: David Bowie, Marc Bolan and the 60s Teenage Dream was published to considerable acclaim in 2022, and is in the early stages of adaptation into a feature-length documentary. Outside of writing and comedy, Marc plays in the cult punk band The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, regularly performing at the Download, Glastonbury, Bestival and Latitude festivals and touring the UK and US.