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Discworld: The City Watch reading order

By Terry Pratchett · Last verified · 9 sources

Quick answer

Ankh-Morpork City Watch books.

  • This sub-series has 8 novels.
  • In publication order, the main sequence starts with Guards! Guards! (1989) and the latest listed is Snuff (2011).

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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.

Reading order

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Order
Include
Scope

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

  1. Guards! Guards!
    Novel #8 1989
  2. Men at Arms
    Novel #15 1993
  3. Feet of Clay
    Novel #19 1996
  4. Jingo
    Novel #21 1997
  5. The Fifth Elephant
    Novel #24 1999
  6. Night Watch
    Novel #29 2002
  7. Thud!
    Novel #34 2005
  8. Snuff
    Novel #39 2011

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).

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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