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Discworld reading order

By Terry Pratchett · Last verified · 9 sources

Quick answer

Discworld has no single correct order: the 41 novels are grouped into character runs (the Witches, the City Watch, Death, Rincewind, Tiffany Aching, Moist von Lipwig) plus standalones, and the publisher's official reading list arranges them by those groups. Pick a group, read its books in publication order, and switch groups freely; the full publication order is always one click away.

A comic fantasy series of 41 novels (1983-2015) set on the same world, grouped by the publisher into character sub-series plus standalones, with related short fiction, illustrated books and companions.

  • The series has 41 novels, 5 short stories, 1 other work, 4 companion books.
  • In publication order, the main sequence starts with The Colour of Magic (1983) and the latest listed is The Shepherd's Crown (2015).
  • Besides publication order, this page offers: Official reading list by character/theme.

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Verification: Every work cites an author or publisher source (51 of 51 works cite an author, publisher or official source). How we verify.

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Sub-series

Ordered by first publication date (original language). Derived automatically from the dates listed for each work.

  1. The Colour of Magic
    Novel #1 1983
  2. The Light Fantastic
    Novel #2 1986
  3. Equal Rites
    Novel #3 1987
  4. Mort
    Novel #4 1987
  5. Sourcery
    Novel #5 1988
  6. Wyrd Sisters
    Novel #6 1988
  7. Pyramids
    Novel #7 1989
  8. Guards! Guards!
    Novel #8 1989
  9. Eric
    Novel #9 1990
  10. Moving Pictures
    Novel #10 1990
  11. Reaper Man
    Novel #11 1991
  12. Witches Abroad
    Novel #12 1991
  13. Small Gods
    Novel #13 1992
  14. Lords and Ladies
    Novel #14 1992
  15. Troll Bridge
    Short story Side work 1992
  16. Men at Arms
    Novel #15 1993
  17. Theatre of Cruelty
    Short story Side work 1993
  18. Soul Music
    Novel #16 1994
  19. Interesting Times
    Novel #17 1994
  20. Maskerade
    Novel #18 1995
  21. Feet of Clay
    Novel #19 1996
  22. Hogfather
    Novel #20 1996
  23. Jingo
    Novel #21 1997
  24. The Last Continent
    Novel #22 1998
  25. Carpe Jugulum
    Novel #23 1998
  26. The Sea and Little Fishes
    Short story Side work 1998
  27. The Fifth Elephant
    Novel #24 1999
  28. The Science of Discworld
    Companion Side work 1999
  29. The Truth
    Novel #25 2000
  30. Thief of Time
    Novel #26 2001
  31. The Last Hero
    Novel #27 2001
  32. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
    Novel #28 2001
  33. Night Watch
    Novel #29 2002
  34. Death and What Comes Next
    Short story Side work 2002
  35. The Science of Discworld II: The Globe
    Companion Side work 2002
  36. The Wee Free Men
    Novel #30 2003
  37. Monstrous Regiment
    Novel #31 2003
  38. A Hat Full of Sky
    Novel #32 2004
  39. Going Postal
    Novel #33 2004
  40. Thud!
    Novel #34 2005
  41. A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices
    Short story Side work 2005
  42. Where's My Cow?
    Other Side work 2005
  43. The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch
    Companion Side work 2005
  44. Wintersmith
    Novel #35 2006
  45. Making Money
    Novel #36 2007
  46. Unseen Academicals
    Novel #37 2009
  47. I Shall Wear Midnight
    Novel #38 2010
  48. Snuff
    Novel #39 2011
  49. Raising Steam
    Novel #40 2013
  50. The Science of Discworld IV: Judgement Day
    Companion Side work 2013
  51. The Shepherd's Crown
    Novel #41 2015

Why the order isn't simple

  • Books can be read in any order according to the publisher; there is no single internal chronology.
  • Several overlapping character sub-series run in parallel and characters cross over.
  • Eric and The Last Hero are illustrated books but are counted among the 41 novels.
  • Some early titles appeared in different years in the UK and US.

Which order should I use?

Publication order follows the publisher's numbering from The Colour of Magic (1983) to The Shepherd's Crown (2015). Because many novels share a year, ties are broken by that official number.

The official reading list by character and theme (Penguin Random House) keeps the same books but groups them, so you can read, say, every City Watch novel in sequence without the other books in between.

There is no official internal chronology for Discworld, and this page does not invent one.

Where each order comes from

Publication order — Derived from publication dates
Ordered by first publication date (original language). Derived automatically from the dates listed for each work.
Official reading list by character/theme — Author / publisher recommended
Downloadable list 'Discworld Reading List - By themes/characters' (V5, 2020) on terrypratchettbooks.com, the Penguin Random House author site. Groups are printed in this order; within each group titles follow publication order. The publisher says the groups can be read in any order. Note column gives the group. Source: Discworld Reading List - By themes/characters (PDF, V5).

Novellas & short stories

Five Discworld short stories are listed. They first appeared in anthologies and magazines, and all five are gathered in A Blink of the Screen (2012), whose other contents are not Discworld.

TitleTypeFirst publishedNotes
Troll Bridge Short story 1992
in After the King (ed. Martin H. Greenberg)
Theatre of Cruelty Short story 1993 Original venue not verified; L-Space lists a 1996 reprint in The Wizards of Odd.
The Sea and Little Fishes Short story 1998
in Legends (ed. Robert Silverberg)
 Often described as a novella; length classification not independently verified here.
Death and What Comes Next Short story 2002 Year differs between sources; see conflicts.
A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices Short story 2005

Collections & omnibus editions: what's inside

Most Discworld omnibus editions bundle the first books of one character group: the Witches, Death, City Watch, Rincewind and Gods trilogies, and two Tiffany Aching collections. Several overlap — Rincewind the Wizzard and The First Discworld Novels both contain The Colour of Magic — so tick what you own to spot duplicates.

Contents below are works from this series only. Tick the editions you own to check for duplicates and gaps.

Tales of Discworld

Omnibus · 2000 · Science Fiction Book Club

  • Pyramids
  • Moving Pictures
  • Small Gods

Overlaps with: The Gods Trilogy (2 shared)

Source: Collections

The Gods Trilogy

Omnibus · 2000 · Gollancz

  • Pyramids
  • Small Gods
  • Hogfather

Overlaps with: Tales of Discworld (2 shared)

Source: Collections

The Rincewind Trilogy

Omnibus · 2001 · Gollancz

  • Sourcery
  • Eric
  • Interesting Times

Overlaps with: Rincewind the Wizzard (2 shared)

Source: Collections

Tiffany Aching Complete Collection

Omnibus · 2015 · HarperCollins

  • The Wee Free Men
  • A Hat Full of Sky
  • Wintersmith
  • I Shall Wear Midnight
  • The Shepherd's Crown

Overlaps with: The Wee Free Men: The Beginning (2 shared)

Ebook bundle; a 2014 four-book edition preceded it without The Shepherd's Crown.

Source: Collections

Your editions

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About the sub-series

Five groups have their own pages here (Rincewind, the Witches, Death, the City Watch, Tiffany Aching) because readers search for them by name; each uses the same tracker, so progress is shared with this page.

Where sources disagree

We don't pick a winner silently. When sources conflict we show each view and cite it.

Are Eric and The Last Hero novels?

The publisher's official lists number both among the 41 Discworld novels, and Wikipedia's navbox lists them as novels; L-Space also lists The Last Hero under graphic novels/illustrated editions. We count both as novels with notes.

Sources: Discworld Reading List - in publication order (PDF, V5), Bibliography, Discworld

UK vs US first publication years

Dates here are UK first editions (L-Space). A secondary reading-order guide using US dates gives later years for some early books (e.g. The Light Fantastic 1987, Equal Rites 1988).

Sources: Bibliography, Discworld Reading Order: All 41 Books + Where to Start

Death and What Comes Next date

L-Space dates it 2004; the Wikipedia article on A Blink of the Screen dates it 2002. We show 2002 with this caveat.

Sources: Bibliography, A Blink of the Screen

The Witches Trilogy release year

L-Space lists 1995; Colin Smythe notes a 1994 W.H. Smith exclusive printing with general release in 1995.

Sources: Collections, The Witches Trilogy / Death Trilogy / City Watch Trilogy

Sub-series naming

The publisher uses 'Moist von Lipwig' and 'Standalones'; Wikipedia uses 'Industrial revolution' (adding The Truth and Monstrous Regiment) and 'Gods' for Pyramids/Small Gods. We use the publisher's groupings.

Sources: Discworld Reading List - By themes/characters (PDF, V5), Discworld

How this page was verified

Group membership and the reading list come from the publisher's official Discworld reading-order pages; years and story details come from the L-Space Web bibliography, with Wikipedia used only as a cross-check.

Where UK and US years, story dates or group names differ, the differences are listed under 'Where sources disagree'.

Last verified . Every work cites an author or publisher source.

Sources

Every date, order and edition listed on this page cites at least one of these. See our data methodology for how source types are ranked.

  1. Discworld Reading List - in publication order (PDF, V5) — Penguin Random House (terrypratchettbooks.com) · Publisher · accessed 7 October 2026
    Official 1-41 numbering.
  2. Discworld Reading List - By themes/characters (PDF, V5) — Penguin Random House (terrypratchettbooks.com) · Publisher · accessed 7 October 2026
    Sub-series groupings and recommended order; parent page https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-reading-order/ says books can be read in any order.
  3. Bibliography — L-Space Web wiki · Official bibliography · accessed 7 October 2026
    First publication years, publishers, short stories, Science of Discworld.
  4. Collections — L-Space Web wiki · Official bibliography · accessed 7 October 2026
    Omnibus contents and years.
  5. A Blink of the Screen — Wikipedia · Secondary reference · accessed 7 October 2026
    Collection date and Discworld contents.
  6. The Witches Trilogy / Death Trilogy / City Watch Trilogy — Colin Smythe (Pratchett's agent) · Official bibliography · accessed 7 October 2026
    Seen via search summary only; used for omnibus contents/dates cross-check.
  7. Discworld — Wikipedia · Secondary reference · accessed 7 October 2026
    Cross-check of novel list and sub-series names.
  8. Discworld Reading Order: All 41 Books + Where to Start — T.L. Branson · Secondary reference · accessed 7 October 2026
    Seen via search summary; US-date years only.
  9. Open Library edition records (first-publication year cross-check) — Open Library (Internet Archive) · Library catalog · accessed 7 October 2026
    Year of first publication matched the earliest year with two or more catalogued editions for: The Colour of Magic (/works/OL453657W); The Light Fantastic (/works/OL453680W); Equal Rites (/works/OL453670W); Mort (/works/OL453658W); Sourcery (/works/OL453659W); Wyrd Sisters (/works/OL453660W); Pyramids (/works/OL453661W); Guards! Guards! (/works/OL453735W); Eric (/works/OL453718W); Moving Pictures (/works/OL453749W); Reaper Man (/works/OL453654W); Witches Abroad (/works/OL453668W); Small Gods (/works/OL453697W); Lords and Ladies (/works/OL453787W); Soul Music (/works/OL453663W); Interesting Times (/works/OL453707W); Maskerade (/works/OL453777W); Feet of Clay (/works/OL453743W); Hogfather (/works/OL453662W); Jingo (/works/OL453727W); The Last Continent (/works/OL453711W); Carpe Jugulum (/works/OL453671W); The Fifth Elephant (/works/OL453684W); The Truth (/works/OL453693W); Thief of Time (/works/OL453686W); The Last Hero (/works/OL453768W); The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (/works/OL453885W); Night Watch (/works/OL453809W); The Wee Free Men (/works/OL453748W); Monstrous Regiment (/works/OL453799W); A Hat Full of Sky (/works/OL453737W); Going Postal (/works/OL453733W); Thud! (/works/OL453852W); Wintersmith (/works/OL453989W); Making Money (/works/OL453907W); Unseen Academicals (/works/OL14929074W); I Shall Wear Midnight (/works/OL14929052W); Snuff (/works/OL16123737W); Raising Steam (/works/OL17079157W); The Shepherd's Crown (/works/OL17321009W); The Science of Discworld (/works/OL453947W). Generated by scripts/audit-dates.mjs; see audit/date-crosscheck.json.

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