this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2024
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Discworld
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Basically, while all of the novels take place in the discworld, different books in the series focus on different groups of characters, making it so that there are different subseries within the series. A lot of people choose to read the subseries in order instead of going through the books in publication order. This is also because the first two books, while not bad, have a very different tone from the later books. They're kind of straight parodies of heroic fantasy rather than being more focused on the unique setting and characters within the discworld.
So most people would recommend starting with one of the major subseries. The city watch books start with Guards Guards (this is probably the most popular subseries). The witches start with Equal Rites. Death starts with Mort. And Rincewind starts with The Color of Magic. Or you could pick one of the stand alone books to get a taste of Pratchett's style without continuity. Small Gods is probably the best choice for this IMO.
I appreciate your explanation and recommendation. Just wanted to second how incredibly confusing this guide is. According to you, starting with Small Gods is a good place. But in this "guide" that's the 8th row, 3rd column, and not colored as a starter book.
This guide seems more fit for someone who's already read the books, rather than being useful for someone looking as a place to start.
I agree that this guide isn't very easy to follow. It also seems to be attempting to show additional subseries like "industrial revolution", which is sort of an ongoing theme across different subseries but not necessarily something that stands on its own (I would consider Moving Pictures or The Truth more standalone books). Or the history monks that pop up in several scattered books but aren't exactly major characters for the most part. That said, there's not exactly a wrong place to start so long as you're willing to give the first few books a little leeway, somewhat like the first season of a longer TV show.