My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

Which Terry Pratchett book to begin with?

17 replies

DystopianReality · 25/11/2013 12:57

Ds is 14, loved The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy series and JR Tolkien. Does anyone have any advice about which Terry Pratchett book would be good to intoduce him to, grab his attention and hopefully fuel his interest in the next 40 or so books in the series? Is it strictly necessary to read them in order?

OP posts:
Report
kelda · 25/11/2013 13:01

No it's not necessary to read them in order.

Possibly Hogfather, certainly seasonal! Or Soul Music or Mort are all good ones to start with.

I've just checked, Mort comes before Soul Music is probably best to start with Mort.

Report
SofaKing · 25/11/2013 13:01

Not strictly necessary to read them in order, although I wouldn't read anything later than moving pictures first as later in the series it does help to read them in order.
I read Mort first and recommend it, it is about an adolescent boy so may strike a chord with your ds in many places. The main character is called 'boy' throughout instead of his name so you have an in joke with ds as well Smile

Report
Lancelottie · 25/11/2013 13:02

Don't bother with the first two, according to truly obsessed DS.

Report
kelda · 25/11/2013 13:02

Oh good, both have the same suggestion!

Report
Lancelottie · 25/11/2013 13:03

I like Mort, and I'm not even an obsessed teenage boy.

Report
SofaKing · 25/11/2013 13:03

Great minds Kelda Smile

Report
NeoFaust · 25/11/2013 13:04

Mort or Guards! Guards!

Personally I do think it helps reading them from earliest to latest. In the early books Mr Pratchett adds vast amounts of detail, funny footnotes and tangents that really illustrate the world. Overtime there is less of this in the series, as the world is 'built' and the focus is on plot and characters.

Report
FiveExclamations · 25/11/2013 13:06

It isn't strictly necessary to read them in order, but for some it helps.

Personally I'd start him off with either the Colour of Magic (the very first book in the Discworld series) or Guards Guards which begins the City Watch arc, I haven't read the first for a long time but I remember the humour being broader, more laugh out loud but to me the later Guards books are more interesting.

If he'd rather have a go at a stand alone I'd recommend Small Gods.

I'd expect a wide variety of answers to this question though. Grin

Report
MagratGarlik · 25/11/2013 13:42

Small Gods was the only TP book I couldn't finish. I just found it awful. I'd personally start with The Colour of Magic or Guards!Guards!

Report
Trills · 25/11/2013 13:45

Wikipedia groups them by the groups of characters.

I am not a fan of the Rincewind books - I'd pick the City Watch and start from their first book.

Report
bookluva · 25/11/2013 18:54

Mort's brilliant - definitely one of my favourites.

Report
penguin73 · 25/11/2013 21:06

I'd agree with Mort, although I started with Witches Abroad which got me hooked.

Report
brass · 25/11/2013 21:13

colour of magic

Report
Tuhlulah · 26/11/2013 09:40

Not Pratchett, but also consider Philip Pulman 'His Dark Materials' trilogy starting with the Golden Compass. He is old enough to understand the complexities of the third book.

(MY DS loved Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, plus all of Harry Potter and Hitchhikers' Guide, but he didn't like Pratchett at all. But loved Pulman.

Report
SofaKing · 26/11/2013 09:45

There are some Pratchett books aimed at younger readers- Truckers, Diggers, and Wings are about nomes, small creatures who live a secret life in our world, and the Tiffany Aching books are set in the Discworld and are about witches, I think the first of these is The Wee Free Men.

They may be too young for your ds, although I have 're a d and re-read them as an adult Blush

Report
MrsCakesPremonition · 26/11/2013 09:50

Mort is about a young lad finding his first job and making his own way in the world, so that might appeal to your DS.

Otherwise, I'd go for Hogfather at this time of year.

Report
treas · 26/11/2013 13:41

How about the Wee Free Men?

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.