📚 log(book)

By a wide margin the earliest Pratchett book that I can give five stars. It's still part of his silly phase, and it predates Night Watch by eleven years, but there's a hard core, flinty and unwavering and willing to punch you in the feelings. In particular, it punched feelings I needed punched. Compared to later Witches books, the whole "people don't always want what they need" arc is soft and fluffy, of course, and it's not what drew me. No: what's stuck in my head is the final scene in the mirror, with Granny and her sister. It's powerful and I'm happy to ignore a book full of Oz references to get there.

A Hat Full of Sky

by Terry Pratchett · published 2004 · read 2011-09-01

More Tiffany is good Tiffany. When it turned out that Tiffany was there to stay and not just a one-off, I was so incredibly happy.

Wintersmith

by Terry Pratchett · published 2006 · read 2010-03-01

Like all Tiffany book, this one lives in a special place in my heart. Tiffany is growing up, and she's doing so well. … generally. She's learning, though! And let me I note that this is the book that has an entire Steeleye Span album devoted to it!

The Wee Free Men

by Terry Pratchett · published 2003 · read 2010-07-01

This may well be the high point of the series, at least looking at it chronologically: Wee Free Men (introducing Tiffany) and Night Watch (hands-down the best Watch book) were released back-to-back, and mark a departure from jokes-first Pratchett to the writer who will hurt you and incidentally also make you laugh.

I Shall Wear Midnight

by Terry Pratchett · published 2010 · read 2012-03-01

Tiffany is growing up, very much so. I didn't care much for half of that, and I thought the general plot wasn't the best, but the writing – oh! the writing. It's good enough to make me ignore all possible objections and just be happy that we got this much of it.

Monstrous Regiment

by Terry Pratchett · published 2003 · read 2009-09-01

Monstrous Regiment is not one of the best Discworld books, I'd argue. It shows Pratchett's personal politics more than other books, and its final character arc is so cheesy it's downright embarassing.

A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction

by Terry Pratchett · published 2012 · read 2017-02-02

Some mediocre-okayish stuff, but a few really, really great ones. In the end, Granny overshadowed everything as per usual, but the barbarian hero who went to meet his maker stands out, too.

Theatre of Cruelty

by Terry Pratchett · published 1993 · read 2016-06-08

This one is short and nice (well, no. Not nice, but if you know Punch and Judy shows, you'll enjoy it). Available online for free on lspace

Men at Arms

by Terry Pratchett · published 1993 · read 2005-01-01

Terry Pratchett's second Watch book, and this time it's not about dragons: It's about the Gonne, a weapon stolen from the Assassins Guild. We already have dwarves, trolls, werewolves and Nobby in the guard, and it's a great adventure. Not peak Watch content, but nonetheless tons of fun.

The Truth

by Terry Pratchett · published 2000 · read 2001-08-01

William de Worde brings journalism to the entirely unprepared Discworld. Journalists everywhere beware.

The Shepherd’s Crown

by Terry Pratchett · published 2015 · read 2017-11-22

It's unpolished, and sometimes stumbles or takes some time where other Aching books were quick and smooth, but still – it's magnificent and we're so lucky to have it.

Soul Music

by Terry Pratchett · published 1994 · read 2009-11-01

Pratchett would have laughed to hear (or so I like to imagine) that 14-year-old me actually learned all the rock'n'roll stereotypes from this book. It's a weird introduction to this part of pop culture, but it could be so much worse.

Snuff

by Terry Pratchett · published 2011 · read 2017-07-07

Yeah, Commander Vimes and little Sammy and another book (this one about Poo). Also, the countryside. Also, Goblins turn out not to be vermin. Surprise! It's run of the mill, but with Discworld books, that still means high quality fun.

Hogfather

by Terry Pratchett · published 1996 · read 2010-03-01

Hogfather is not quite peak Pratchett, but it's getting there. And, of course, even so it is better than most genre fiction by a margin. Hogfather beats you over the head with uncomfortable truths, while also having you giggle at Death trying to be jolly Father Christmas, because the cosmic bureaucrats sent out assassins against him. This is a slight problem because Hogfather is responsible for making the sun rise, naturally.

Carpe Jugulum

by Terry Pratchett · published 1998 · read 2003-08-01

Snotty vampires. Snotty vampires not at all concerned what the neighbours are thinking, no sir. Contains an excellent quote on the nature of sin. Good like all the witch books – but it was probably for the best that the Witches series ends here and the Tiffany series starts.

Equal Rites

by Terry Pratchett · published 1987 · read 2014-05-13

Definitely one of the better early Discworld books, but still very uneven. Not one of my favourites, but I can't in all honesty dislike a book with Granny Weatherwax in it – and as her first book, it is special.

Only You Can Save Mankind

by Terry Pratchett · published 1992 · read 2004-03-01

A computer game that turns out to be real – in 1992. Great fun. Has aged, of course, but the important bits still work.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

by Terry Pratchett · published 1990 · read 2015-04-01

Good Omens is the result of a blessed (but not ineffably blessed) collaboration. And it produced a similarly blessed mini-series! Nothing's not to like here. The only thing that always surprises me when re-reading it is how rooted it is in the early 90s.

Small Gods

by Terry Pratchett · published 1992 · read 2005-01-01

Small Gods is Sir Pterry's take on the Catholic church and hoo boy, is it ever a take. There are prophets and exquisitors and gods, and God, and long treks through deserts. It's very, very good.

Reaper Man

by Terry Pratchett · published 1991 · read 2003-10-01

Death is now a retired senior citizen. He puts his scythe to more traditional use, while the Discworld finds out how bad life is without Death. Hilarious, solidly in the phase where Discworld books are fun without being terribly philosophical.

Nation

by Terry Pratchett · published 2008 · read 2013-10-01

Nation is amazing. Non-Discworld, YA-ish story of a Victorian girl meeting a boy from an islander tribe – she strands, his tribe is wiped out by the same tidal wave. As you'd expect from Pratchett, he thoroughly does away with any notions of civilisation and superiority. Not as over-the-top as Discworld, while still retaining Pratchett charme, which makes it more touching and raw and real.

Thud!

by Terry Pratchett · published 2005 · read 2009-04-01

Trolls versus dwarves, first in the city and then in Koom valley. Plus a new vampire in the Watch, so we get to see Vimes mostly refuse to grapple with prejudice again. It's not Night Watch, but not every Vimes book can be Night Watch.

Going Postal

by Terry Pratchett · published 2004 · read 2010-02-01

The post office story about innovation and all sorts of things was too on-the-nose allegorical for my tastes (though I liked Thud!, so I really shouldn't complain I suppose). As an ardent Miles Vorkosigan fan, I loved the momentum, but didn't get on with the protagonist. This might've been a three-star book, but was saved by Vetinari.

Pyramids

by Terry Pratchett · published 1989 · read 2007-05-01

Pyramids was fun in many ways – not just the pyramids! The look inside the Assassins Guild was very intriguing. Though the thing I remember best is the long chain of ancestors, who can only communicate with the next one or two in line because language has changed too much through the generations.

Johnny and the Dead

by Terry Pratchett · published 1993 · read 2007-09-01

Johnny has all the luck: After his video game adventures, he now starts seeing dead people (and as a consequence will have to save the local cemetary).

Lords and Ladies

by Terry Pratchett · published 1992 · read 2005-11-01

Magrat gets married, except there's a Shakespeare ex machina and suddenly we're all midsummernight dreaming. Granny Weatherwax has some serious Speech moments where she tells us ex cathedra what to believe, but it's all good as always.

Guards! Guards!

by Terry Pratchett · published 1989 · read 2005-01-01

Guards! Guards! only barely misses the five-star cutoff. It has dragons, and one-in-a-million shots, and a big terrible city with small terrible people. What else do you want?

Dodger

by Terry Pratchett · published 2012 · read 2017-06-01

Uh boy! Pratchett goes to the time and place he is most nerdy about: Early Victorian London.

Death and What Comes Next

by Terry Pratchett · published 2002 · read 2016-06-08

Really amusing. Hey, it's DEATH vs a philosopher, you know you'll like it. It's really short though, so be prepared for a sudden ending. It's also the last dedicated Death work, but since Death is always good as a recurring cast member in all other sub-series, we don't have to grieve too much.

Thief of Time

by Terry Pratchett · published 2001 · read 2006-07-01

Mysterious monks who keep things running behind the scenes! Time shenanigans! And also foreshadowing of Pratchett following up more on his philosophical leanings. Not the best Discworld book but still lots of fun.

Jingo

by Terry Pratchett · published 1997 · read 2006-12-01

Vimes and Vetinary don't conquer the world, and that's enough of a story. Casually anti-racist, casually pacifist, in Pratchett's weirdly conservative way. Nearly halfway through the Discworld series but still more in the "producing lots of hilarious jokes" mode for the most part.

The Fifth Elephant

by Terry Pratchett · published 1999 · read 2009-06-01

This is the only Terry Pratchett book that I've heard as an audio book (in German), and it didn't work for me at all. I missed half the stuff, all of the jokes and it didn't feel nearly as deep as it turned out to be in the end. An interesting experience and one that put me off audio books (I don't do auditory processing well, it turns out).

Johnny and the Bomb

by Terry Pratchett · published 1996 · read 2010-08-01

Johnny, after fixing video games and dead people, now gets to travel back in time with his friends and experience the Blitz. To be honest, I found this less memorable but at least as fun as the other Johnny Maxwell books.

Feet of Clay

by Terry Pratchett · published 1996 · read 2008-05-01

Introducing and exploring golems, with all the usual free will stuff attached. Not bad, though I think I enjoyed the Watch banter most, and then the monarchy side plot, and only then the main plot.

Mort

by Terry Pratchett · published 1987 · read 2004-04-01

Mort was really good for me at the time, but looking back, I'm less of a fan. Still a good book, of course, just a long way off the Discworld's best. Extremely good for being only number 4 in the series, of course!

Raising Steam

by Terry Pratchett · published 2013 · read 2017-07-11

This … is not it. I wasn't into this Discworld arc to begin with, to be entirely fair – but even for that, this book felt off. The rhythm is changed. It's less ready to cut you open and make you like it. At the same time, it's not early Pratchett style, either. I can't say I'm sad that this part of Discworld ended here. I didn't need another book in this direction when there was Tiffany to read about.

Moving Pictures

by Terry Pratchett · published 1990 · read 2005-04-01

One of my first Discworld books, I read it before having seen any Holywood movies (and probably not more than ten movies in total), so I was mostly confused. Granted, it's not one if his better books, so there's that, but re-reading it ten years later did improve the experience significantly.

The Last Continent

by Terry Pratchett · published 1998 · read 2009-05-01

This is the last of the Rincewind books that I've read. There's technically The Last Hero and Unseen Academicals waiting for me but I couldn't be bothered. Though, surprisingly, I found this one more bearable than the others, if only by a little. I should talk to an Australian about it.

The Light Fantastic

by Terry Pratchett · published 1986 · read 2006-12-01

One of the worst Discworld books out there, but we'll ignore it because it's part of the reason that we got the later brilliant books. Rincewind and Twoflower ineptly save the world, blah blah.

Sourcery

by Terry Pratchett · published 1988 · read 2003-07-01

Yet another Rincewind book. The only good part is that it sets up a later book rather nicely. The Four Horsemen of the apocalypse are alright. It's not a book that I'd recommend while there are all the other Pratchett books available, though.

The Carpet People

by Terry Pratchett · published 1971 · read 2003-11-01

Young Terry's first book, if I recall correctly. It's very different and less polished, of course, but it shows imagination and humour already. I enjoyed reading it and I thought the setting was very clever and fun.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

by Terry Pratchett · published 2001 · read 2017-07-06

Well, that was fun, but less fun than I've had with most other Pratchett books, I think? It's about average for him, at most, which still makes this a very good book. More YA-y in nature, and possibly him testing out narration modes that come in handy during the Tiffany books.

Eric

by Terry Pratchett · published 1990 · read 2005-09-01

A wannabe Faustus, time travel, regular travel, Troy and much more? This may be the only Rincewind book that I actually like.

The World of Poo

by Terry Pratchett · published 2012 · read 2020-04-23

An adorable Discworld book, really. As Ankh-Morpork adventures go, definitely better than some of the very early ones. Though very different in tone, of course – it's about Vimes jr, after all.

Making Money

by Terry Pratchett · published 2007 · read 2008-09-01

As before, I didn't care about the protagonist, and not that much about the innovation commentary, either. I suspect the problem is same disinterest in economics that also makes me bounce of Charlie Stross's more economy-oriented sci-fi.

The Long Earth

by Terry Pratchett · published 2012 · read 2014-06-01

Parallel worlds are always fun, and I liked very much how the concept was set up. Normally in scifi you get a good concept like this, then an okay plot and cardboard characters. Sadly, in Long Earth everything except for the concept was made from cardboard.

Wyrd Sisters

by Terry Pratchett · published 1988 · read 2007-12-01