Terry Pratchett virgin here. Where do I start?

[Littlefiendsusan]

Over the last few days I've come across Granny Weatherwax in various places and learning about her has piqued my interest in TP.
So, which book would I best start off with? I have absolutely no idea!

I agree that I think it really matters where you start and not the beginning. I’ve not read that much Pratchett, but eg I struggled with Small Gods and loved Going Postal.

Excellent stuff- these quotes have got me chuckling and wanting more.
Someone said about there being a touch of Python about it and that's what came to my mind too. That lovely intelligent silliness.

Right. I'm leaving my first book choice up to the Gods.
I'm going to start with Guards Or First Rites- whichever is the cheapest on Amazon secondhand.

Now that I think about it, some of the good female characters (other than the witches) emerge later on, like Sacharissa Cripslock and of course Adora Belle Dearheart.

My “gateway” book was Wyrd Sisters.

Had tried Pratchett but never really got hooked, until Dh picked that one for me to start on.

Proper fan now :)

@Sc

Ignore that last post.

Of course I meant Equal Rites, not First and I'm going to go with this purely because if Granny Weatherwax.

Ok. What am I missing? Page 50 and just not getting this at all. There's a tortoise which claims to be a God talking to a Novice and a lot of characters with very contrived names and I havent a fucking clue whats going on!

Small gods is not one of the best to start with. To get much of it you need to understand discworld. I agree Mort is a good starting point.

Thud! and Unseen Academicals are my favourites.
DD loves Rincewind and Death and DS recommends the guard books.

We all started with the Colour of Magic, but it is not the best to start with.

Oh god how I wish I could read them for the first time again!

The first one I ever read was Mort, and I was instantly hooked. (no witches in that one, but Death is the most fantastic character.)

I've read The Shepherd's Crown, I think in one sitting. I cried. A lot.

I watch The Hogfather every Christmas. Tony Robinson is just perfect, and his reading of the audio books is just fabulous too.

DM has the Pratchett collection, I only have the more recent ones that I bought as they came out once I was an adult. I'm working on getting the rest from charity shops, it might be a life's work...

And that bloody point and click game with the dribbly candles!!

I've been meaning to try Pratchett for ages - downloading the Wyrd Sisters to dip my toe in!

@dementedma, I didn't enjoy Small Gods (although it is a savage takedown of organised religion). Put it down and grab Mort/Wyrd Sisters/Guards! Guards!

I started with Mort, but reading the witches books in order is probably a good start. Diskworld is really falling into place by the time he writes Mort.

HIs first couple of books only work if you know the books he is poking fun at I would say.

My absolute favourite is The Night Watch. I also really love Going Postal and Making Money. The Tiffany Aching books are fantastic too - the Nac Mac Feegle are so funny!

@ScarfaceCwaw

I agree, I actually think Thud... isn’t quite right somehow. It seems to Peter out, like he’d set Plot devices up, but not fully utilise them. His finest works are written with such scathing hilarious precision.

I remember reading it and thinking somethings wrong here.

OP, I’m so,jealous. How glorious to be reading them all for the first time. Love the witches so much. I want to be Granny Weatherwax when I grow up.

@SirSamuelVimes

Amazing book, absolutely scathing deconstruction of organised religion.

Not just religion, any society that tries to control not just the actions of its populace but the actual thought they think.

Vorbis, who hurts and controls people not because he hates them because he thinks it’s what they need to be good, is the ultimate Pratchett evil. And Brutha, who knows all this about Vorbis and still extends his hand to rescue him not because of who Vorbis is but because of who Brutha is, is the ultimate hero.

It’s a theme that comes up again and again in Discworld: “sin is when you treat people like things”; “the problem wasn’t that you had the wrong sort of government but the wrong sort of people”; “you can’t go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it’s just a trap.”

This is so interesting! I tried The Colour of Magic a while back, thinking I would read the whole lot chronologically, and couldn’t get into it. I was so disappointed. Going to go back and try Mort instead. I did think it was strange I didn’t like it, as I love Good Omens (read as a Gaiman fan).

My favourite is carpe jugulum- love it. Favourite ever book is good omens - and the serial on tv was excellent- not something that I usually say!

Yeah skip to Mort. It's great!

Just found the full length animation of Wyrd Sisters on Utube along with many TP audio books. Happy days.

I have just finished 'equal rites' and loved it! Where do I go next?! Mort is next chronologically and is supposed to be good. But if I stick with theme then I think 'wyrd sisters' would be next. Not sure which way to go!

I have read a couple before with death and liked them too, and some with some guards I think. Bit of a scruffy bunch, misfits, one cool woman. From what I remember!

I’d start with wyrd sisters. Witches abroad was my first DW book (saw the cover in the library not realising it was part of a series) and remains one of my favourites. I wish I could go back and start again.

Love Terry Pratchett. I reread at least yearly. After Equal Rites I would definitely go for Wyrd Sisters then Witches Abroad. Really get into the characters. I'm so jealous of you for finding them for the first time.

I'd go chronologically and go onto Mort, partly because it's great and partly because I like the gaps created by reading them that way; there's a passage of time between Equal Rite and Wyrd Sisters so it makes sense in my head to read a different Discworld in between, because then I've been away too, so time has passed for me as well.... But as I write that I'm realising it sounds bonkers!

The discworlemporium.com has a reading guide if you're not sure which series order books belong to.

This thread inspired me to re-listen to the witches audio books. Always funny no matter how many times I've listen to them. Currently on Maskerade at the bit where they are eating the pudding Nanny Ogg made from her recipe book. 🤣 I have the recipe book and recommend it if you love the witches books. It has many helpful tips. 🤣🤣😂