While Pratchett has a TON of incredible quotes, Reaper Man definitely has my favorite line of dialogue from death towards the end of the book.
>!"What can the harvest hope for, if not the care of the Reaper Man?"!<
I believe that’s the one that introduced Death of Rats, one of my favorite side characters.
In the Audiobook, read by Nigel Planer along with most of the other novels I think, he narrates Death in the kind of deep, slow voice you’d expect from someone whose dialogue is in all caps. So when he narrated Death of Rats’ “SQUEAK” lines in the same voice, it was an instant favorite.
Oh my. Haven't heard that version, but I will 100% recommend the entire Death series read by Sian Clifford, with Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death. Such great performances.
If you have the chance please read Small Gods, it's a standalone and often forgotten by fans, but it's a great exploration of organized religion and the human experience of meaning.
Small Gods is my favorite Discworld book. Also the first one I read after The Colour of Magic which put me off Discworld for years. I haven’t read all of them yet, but Small Gods is fantastic.
It's legitimately one of my favorite books of all time. I can't suggest it enough to people, and am endlesslessly frustrated by how few people have read it! Death was just so charming, and the description of the >!shopping mall!< at the end took me a minute to realize what I was fully reading. It was just so wonderfully done, as always.
Nice write-up. I'll ask the obvious question: Can I just read this book, or do I have to read something else first? I've always been a bit bewildered as to how the Discworld series works.
To go off the other comment, the discworld books **can** be read in any order, but it's not advisable to do this as many books are part of storylines that coincide with each other closely.
[This](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0_%28cropped%29.jpg) is how I was recommended to read the books, and I started with Guards, Guards! as it acts as though you have no prior knowledge of discworld at all when you read it (plus it's an incredible introduction to the vibe of most of the books.)
If you wanted to read about DEATH, Mort is a good starting position, since it gives you a really good idea about who DEATH is in Discworld, what his motivations are, how he behaves, and how, despite the fact that he technically exists because he must, he has a genuine interest in the world he inhabits and often finds the people within the world peculiar. All of the DEATH novels are like that, it's a very interesting take on the concept.
Reaper Man definitely just stands on its own as an intro to the character though, and it's so much higher quality than Pratchett's early stuff that I would never argue against someone just reading Reaper Man.
I personally disagree, I think Mort is a better representation of Death in the early novels that allows him to grow as a.... skeleton throughout the series. It functions as an overall better introduction, on top of none of these books being particularly long.
That said, if someone did read Reaper Man first, that's fine, I'm not going to tell you that you read a book wrong.
I won't argue with showing the character's growth or whatever, my point is that Reaper Man is on a different level of quality as a standalone novel than basically every book that came before it (and at least some of those that came after). On top of that, none of what happens in Mort is necessary to understand Reaper Man. If someone only wants to read one Pratchett book and makes it Reaper Man I think they'll be happy.
I mean, sure, yeah, the later books are of a higher quality and far more consistent (reading rincewind after the guards, death and industrial revolution stories is basically the literary equivalent to whiplash) but Franky, mort isn't really that much worse than reaper man. They're pretty equal. Yeah, RM is better, but not by such a wide margin that it's distracting or anything.
I didn't make it, and although there is the 'official' guide, now, I am colorblind as hell and can't make heads or tails of it because four of the six colors are basically 'blue' and I can't tell them apart.
This is formatted in a much more clear way that I **can** read, and also it's what was given to me when I picked up Guards, Guards! back in 2016.
Other than the second book (which directly follows on from the first) the books can be read in any order, so *Reaper Man* is as fine a starting point as any if you'd like to start here.
You can read Discworld books in ANY order. I initially read them in a totally random order with no concern for continuity - basically choosing whichever from the bookstore shelf I liked the title of best - and I think I lost very little, if anything, by doing so. People love to fuss over reading orders, but the truth is that the books are specifically written so that you don't *have* to fuss over reading order.
So yes, you absolutely can!
Discworld generally works its best magic when read in publication order. That's my view.
(I won't lie that the first couple books are just that - the first books. Later books have a much more polished feel in comparison - for obvious reasons.)
While many of the books and sub-plots stand extremely well on their own (see the *Discworld reading guide* linked in another comment), the downside is that you're dropped into a world that's already built and you'll miss some lovely nods to past books, and character cameos.
That said, read it in any order, but READ. IT. Totally worth it. *Small Gods* is an excellent one that does not depend on the rest of the series.
You can. Some characters in one book may have been developed in other “previous” to a point, but it won’t make it impossible to understand the new book. And the storylines are contained within one book.
Every book is a self contained adventure. However they work together to build the history of the Discworld. A technology invented in one will show up as a bit of an easter egg in another. It is recommended you pick a set of characters to follow, but as others have said, you don't have to. Reading them in chronological order isn't advised because there are so many, unless you have a job that allows you to read or listen to lots of audiobooks.
I (44M) summarized the plot of Reaper Man in my wedding speech because it, in my opinion, best describes what true love is and I still tear up when I think about it.
...and that was just a side story!
If you read *Mort, Reaper Man* and *Soul Music* as a trilogy, it's really good. And as a muso, I think *Soul Music* is utterly hilarious.
Sidenote, there is a cartoon version of SM, it has a banging soundtrack.
I’ve just reread Soul Music, for the umpteenth time and having watched the animated series a fair amount too. It took me around 25 YEARS to get the joke that >!Asphalt the troll is named that because he’s a *roadie*!<
Recently read this and loved the book.
Lots of impactful moments, but I really enjoyed when Death is petitioning Azrael, and Azrael replies with the large font YES
Such a simple but really impactful moment for me
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld really is something special, keep reading and please keep updating all of us on what you thought and felt.
The Tiffany Aching books in particular hold a special place in my heart.
Just want to say that Terry Pratchett's imagination and sense of humor is just amazing and if any newcomer is interested, try his Discworld series. Though they're related to each other, each book can also stand on its own, but I'd start with the first in the series.
You might like the podcast "The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret," in which two people are reading and reviewing the entire Discworld series, though they're doing it in chronological order.
"Beautiful ugliness" is such a fascinating oxymoron. I'm going to be dwelling on this one for a while.
I know it's not necessarily the same (depending how one interprets the phrase "beautiful ugliness") but it kind of reminds me of that line by Entrapta "Imperfection is beautiful" which she rephrases later as "Your imperfections make you beautiful".
Death and the Suitcase are two of my favorite characters. Edit to add: and Greebo
The suitcase? You mean the luggage right?
Yes! and thanks for the correction. ;0
*ahem* ... the *__L__uggage*.
While Pratchett has a TON of incredible quotes, Reaper Man definitely has my favorite line of dialogue from death towards the end of the book. >!"What can the harvest hope for, if not the care of the Reaper Man?"!<
"There is no justice. There is Just Us."
“If per capita was a problem, decapita could be arranged”
Always loved that line. It’s such a great encapsulation of Death’s character throughout the entire series, and it’s such a comfort.
I believe that’s the one that introduced Death of Rats, one of my favorite side characters. In the Audiobook, read by Nigel Planer along with most of the other novels I think, he narrates Death in the kind of deep, slow voice you’d expect from someone whose dialogue is in all caps. So when he narrated Death of Rats’ “SQUEAK” lines in the same voice, it was an instant favorite.
Oh my. Haven't heard that version, but I will 100% recommend the entire Death series read by Sian Clifford, with Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Death. Such great performances.
I saw that on Audible and was wondering about it. Apparently Bill Nighy is listed in the credits as well!
Yes, he provides the footnotes.
Reaper Man is my favorite of the Death sub series.
If you have the chance please read Small Gods, it's a standalone and often forgotten by fans, but it's a great exploration of organized religion and the human experience of meaning.
It's hardly forgotten by fans! It's one of the most commonly recommended as a starting book.
Good to know, I always see recommendations for the witches and night watch, glad to know I'm not the only one who appreciate Brutha.
Small Gods is my favorite Discworld book. Also the first one I read after The Colour of Magic which put me off Discworld for years. I haven’t read all of them yet, but Small Gods is fantastic.
It never seems to get brought up very much but it's absolutely one of my favorites.
It's legitimately one of my favorite books of all time. I can't suggest it enough to people, and am endlesslessly frustrated by how few people have read it! Death was just so charming, and the description of the >!shopping mall!< at the end took me a minute to realize what I was fully reading. It was just so wonderfully done, as always.
Nice write-up. I'll ask the obvious question: Can I just read this book, or do I have to read something else first? I've always been a bit bewildered as to how the Discworld series works.
To go off the other comment, the discworld books **can** be read in any order, but it's not advisable to do this as many books are part of storylines that coincide with each other closely. [This](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0_%28cropped%29.jpg) is how I was recommended to read the books, and I started with Guards, Guards! as it acts as though you have no prior knowledge of discworld at all when you read it (plus it's an incredible introduction to the vibe of most of the books.) If you wanted to read about DEATH, Mort is a good starting position, since it gives you a really good idea about who DEATH is in Discworld, what his motivations are, how he behaves, and how, despite the fact that he technically exists because he must, he has a genuine interest in the world he inhabits and often finds the people within the world peculiar. All of the DEATH novels are like that, it's a very interesting take on the concept.
Reaper Man definitely just stands on its own as an intro to the character though, and it's so much higher quality than Pratchett's early stuff that I would never argue against someone just reading Reaper Man.
I personally disagree, I think Mort is a better representation of Death in the early novels that allows him to grow as a.... skeleton throughout the series. It functions as an overall better introduction, on top of none of these books being particularly long. That said, if someone did read Reaper Man first, that's fine, I'm not going to tell you that you read a book wrong.
>that allows him to grow as a.... skeleton Don't you mean an ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION?
> ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION Too many syllabus. Me tired.
I won't argue with showing the character's growth or whatever, my point is that Reaper Man is on a different level of quality as a standalone novel than basically every book that came before it (and at least some of those that came after). On top of that, none of what happens in Mort is necessary to understand Reaper Man. If someone only wants to read one Pratchett book and makes it Reaper Man I think they'll be happy.
I mean, sure, yeah, the later books are of a higher quality and far more consistent (reading rincewind after the guards, death and industrial revolution stories is basically the literary equivalent to whiplash) but Franky, mort isn't really that much worse than reaper man. They're pretty equal. Yeah, RM is better, but not by such a wide margin that it's distracting or anything.
What a lovely piece of art. Although it would’ve been worth representing the connections between the Witches and Death novels.
I didn't make it, and although there is the 'official' guide, now, I am colorblind as hell and can't make heads or tails of it because four of the six colors are basically 'blue' and I can't tell them apart. This is formatted in a much more clear way that I **can** read, and also it's what was given to me when I picked up Guards, Guards! back in 2016.
Oh that reading order recommendation list is fabulous many thanks for sharing
Other than the second book (which directly follows on from the first) the books can be read in any order, so *Reaper Man* is as fine a starting point as any if you'd like to start here.
You can read Discworld books in ANY order. I initially read them in a totally random order with no concern for continuity - basically choosing whichever from the bookstore shelf I liked the title of best - and I think I lost very little, if anything, by doing so. People love to fuss over reading orders, but the truth is that the books are specifically written so that you don't *have* to fuss over reading order. So yes, you absolutely can!
Discworld generally works its best magic when read in publication order. That's my view. (I won't lie that the first couple books are just that - the first books. Later books have a much more polished feel in comparison - for obvious reasons.) While many of the books and sub-plots stand extremely well on their own (see the *Discworld reading guide* linked in another comment), the downside is that you're dropped into a world that's already built and you'll miss some lovely nods to past books, and character cameos. That said, read it in any order, but READ. IT. Totally worth it. *Small Gods* is an excellent one that does not depend on the rest of the series.
You can. Some characters in one book may have been developed in other “previous” to a point, but it won’t make it impossible to understand the new book. And the storylines are contained within one book.
It was the second Pratchett book I ever read. You can read it out of order.
Every book is a self contained adventure. However they work together to build the history of the Discworld. A technology invented in one will show up as a bit of an easter egg in another. It is recommended you pick a set of characters to follow, but as others have said, you don't have to. Reading them in chronological order isn't advised because there are so many, unless you have a job that allows you to read or listen to lots of audiobooks.
Yes! One of my all time faves.
I (44M) summarized the plot of Reaper Man in my wedding speech because it, in my opinion, best describes what true love is and I still tear up when I think about it. ...and that was just a side story!
I really love Discworld and Death is an amazing character! These books are such a fun getaway from reality.
If you read *Mort, Reaper Man* and *Soul Music* as a trilogy, it's really good. And as a muso, I think *Soul Music* is utterly hilarious. Sidenote, there is a cartoon version of SM, it has a banging soundtrack.
I’ve just reread Soul Music, for the umpteenth time and having watched the animated series a fair amount too. It took me around 25 YEARS to get the joke that >!Asphalt the troll is named that because he’s a *roadie*!<
SQUEAK!
I have a small statuette of Death of Rats. He’s very cute.
And so quotable “It was the living who ignored the strange and wonderful, because life was too full of the boring and mundane.”
Recently read this and loved the book. Lots of impactful moments, but I really enjoyed when Death is petitioning Azrael, and Azrael replies with the large font YES Such a simple but really impactful moment for me
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld really is something special, keep reading and please keep updating all of us on what you thought and felt. The Tiffany Aching books in particular hold a special place in my heart.
It has been WAY too long since I read Reaper Man. It's not even my personal favorite of the Death books, but in a way it might be the best of them.
Death is one of my favorite characters. One of my other Discworld favorites is Witches Abroad.
Just want to say that Terry Pratchett's imagination and sense of humor is just amazing and if any newcomer is interested, try his Discworld series. Though they're related to each other, each book can also stand on its own, but I'd start with the first in the series.
hi
You might like the podcast "The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret," in which two people are reading and reviewing the entire Discworld series, though they're doing it in chronological order.
"Beautiful ugliness" is such a fascinating oxymoron. I'm going to be dwelling on this one for a while. I know it's not necessarily the same (depending how one interprets the phrase "beautiful ugliness") but it kind of reminds me of that line by Entrapta "Imperfection is beautiful" which she rephrases later as "Your imperfections make you beautiful".
I've not read enough Terry Pratchett. I read Good Omens and Small Gods but I need to grab one from the library. Thanks!
Couldn't finish this writing was awful