terry pratchets books (discworld)

[chinadoll]

Is it possible to pick up a terry pratchett book read it and understand it on its own ....or will you miss out by not having read his other stuff.

[TracyJ]

You will understand the story on its own, but if you were to read the others you might pick up on more of the humour, as some of the jokes are longstanding ones. I started off by reading one right in the middle of the series and had no problem keeping track, but I must admit it was even better reading it second time around when I had read them in sequence.

[Glossopswift]

I would say don't worry about picking up at random. I have done this half a dozen times and have enjoyed each book. Of course the more you read the more of the in-jokes you get, but I don't think they detract from the story. It just means that you can read the book twice and it will get funnier

each

[Glossopswift]

Unlike Terry Pratchett books, my answers do not get funnier each time you read them. Sorry for managing to post the same thing twice.

[QmunkE]

The Discworld series is built up of a lot of mini series. I'd recommend starting from the first of any of these, for example I began by reading Guards! Guards!, the first of the City Watch series.

Some books are stand-alone - Pyramids for example, and to a lesser extent Moving Pictures. Maybe try one of them.

Of course, if you want to start from the beginning, read the Colour of Magic. This book introduces the Discworld and some of the most memorable characters, meaning that you aren't missing out on anything.

[tpfan]

I've resisted the discworld series for years mainly because I found the cover artwork and the 'fantasy' category offputting.

I picked up a copy my daughter had borrowed and I've been hooked since. I now read whichever book I've just bought or borrowed and when I've read them all, I can always start reading them again, in sequence. Yes, there are longstanding jokes, themes, characters; but they are all complete as stories.

It is,however, impossible to just read one.....you have been warned!

[EssJay1]

Each book - apart from the first one with its cliffhanger ending - can be read alone. However, there are some trilogies within the series. I'd recommend the Witches - the titles of which escape me at the moment