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Small Gods
Plot background Omnia is a theocracy based on the Seven Books of the Prophets of Om, collectively known as the Septateuch. The Discworld is flat and is orbited by its sun, but Omnian doctrine says that the world is round and orbits the sun. Omnians believe in a single god, Om, though the Discworld has many gods, including…
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Witches Abroad
Plot Following the death of the witch Desiderata Hollow, Magrat Garlick receives Desiderata's magic wand, for Desiderata was not only a witch but also a fairy godmother. By giving the wand to Magrat, she effectively makes Magrat the new fairy godmother to a young woman called Emberella, who lives across the Disc in Genua.…
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Reaper Man
Plot The Auditors of Reality watch the Discworld to ensure everything obeys The Rules. As Death starts developing a personality the Auditors feel that he does not perform his Duty in the right way. They send him to live like everyone else. Travelling to the Octarine Grass Country, he assumes the name "Bill Door" and he…
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Moving Pictures
Plot The novel begins with the death of Deccan Ribobe, the last member of an ancient order tasked with 'remembering' Holy Wood through ceremonial chanting, and the escape of an influence from Holy Wood Hill. Several months later, the alchemists of the Discworld have invented moving pictures. Many hopefuls are drawn by the…
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Eric
Plot summary The story is a parody of the tale of Faust, and follows the events of Sourcery in which the Wizard Rincewind was trapped in the Dungeon Dimensions. The Discworld version of Hell or Pandemonium exists simply because some people believe that it exists for them. In other Discworld stories, such as Small Gods, the…
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Pyramids
Plot summary The main character of Pyramids is Teppic (short for Pteppicymon), the crown prince of the tiny kingdom of Djelibeybi (a pun on the candy Jelly Baby, meaning "Child of the Djel"), the Discworld counterpart to Ancient Egypt. The kingdom, founded seven-thousand years ago and formerly a great empire which…
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Wyrd Sisters
Plot Wyrd Sisters features three witches: Granny Weatherwax; Nanny Ogg, matriarch of a large tribe of Oggs and owner of the most evil cat in the world; and Magrat Garlick, the junior witch, who firmly believes in occult jewelry, covens, and bubbling cauldrons, much to the annoyance of the other two. King Verence I of…
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Sourcery
Premise On the Discworld, "sourcerers"—wizards who are sources of magic, and thus immensely more powerful than normal wizards—were the main cause of the Great Mage Wars that left areas of the Disc uninhabitable. As eight is a powerful magical number on Discworld, men born as the eighth son of an eighth son are commonly…
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Mort
Plot summary As a teenager, Mort has a personality and temperament that makes him unsuited to the family farming business. Mort's father Lezek takes him to a local hiring fair in the hope that Mort will land an apprenticeship; not only would this provide a job for his son, but it would also make his son's propensity for…
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Equal Rites
Plot summary The wizard Drum Billet knows that he will soon die and travels to a place where an eighth son of an eighth son is about to be born. This signifies that the child is destined to become a wizard; on the Discworld, the number eight has many of the magical properties that are sometimes ascribed to seven in other…
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The Light Fantastic
Plot summary The book begins shortly after the ending of The Colour of Magic, with wizard Rincewind, the tourist Twoflower, and the Luggage falling from the Discworld. They are saved when the Octavo, the most powerful book of magic on the Discworld, readjusts reality to prevent the loss of one of its eight spells. The…
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The Color of Magic
Setting The story takes place on the Discworld, a planet-sized flat disc carried through space on the backs of four gargantuan elephants – Berilia, Tubul, Great T'Phon and Jerakeen – who themselves stand on the shell of Great A'Tuin, a gigantic star turtle. The surface of the disc contains oceans and continents, and with…
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How many books are in the Discworld series?
I would like to know how many books are in the Discworld series?
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Tiffany Aching in Discworld
The young adult books: Although aimed at a younger audience, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents and the Tiffany Aching series can be enjoyed by all ages. The former is a Pied Piper retelling of sorts, and the latter is about a young witch-in-training. These books are also a rare exception to the ‘no chapters’…
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The Gods in Discworld
The ‘Gods’ series: Not really a series, but since these don’t fit in anywhere else, they’ve sort of been given a series of their own. It consists of two standalone books, Pyramids and Small Gods. The latter is often cited by Discworld fans as an excellent starting point. Both books deal with ancient civilisations in some…
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The Industrial Revolution in Discworld
Starting book: Moving Pictures, The Truth or Going Postal What’s to love: all standalones with different stories; commentary on a myriad of topics, such as freedom of speech, war and embracing change Industrial Revolution is a difficult series to recommend since all of these books can be considered jumping off points…
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Death in Discworld
Starting book: Mort What’s to love: the personification of the Grim Reaper just trying to be a cool dad; explorations of existentialism and family; rock music This was the Discworld series I cut my teeth on. Like the City Watch, Death is one of the most popular subseries, mainly due to its titular character. A great deal…
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The City Watch of Discworld
Starting book: Guards! Guards! What’s to love: sarcastic protagonists; redemption arcs; found family; social justice commentary I will be completely honest here and admit that I am quite biased when writing about the City Watch as it’s my favourite Discworld series. In it, we meet my favourite fictional character of all…
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The Witches of Discworld
Starting book: Equal Rites or Wyrd Sisters What’s to love: sassy grandmothers; girlbosses; old friendships with a grumpy/sunshine dynamic; Shakespeare retellings done with generous doses of humour Depending on where you start, the Witches series follows a slightly different cast of characters. Many recommend starting with…
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The Wizards in Discworld
Starting book: The Colour of Magic What’s to love: disaster wizards; a magical university with terrible administration; an orangutan librarian who only cares about books and bananas; plots that feel like a rollicking D&D campaign Okay, okay. I know I just said don’t start with The Colour of Magic, but if the Wizards…
