Hello, it is time for a new episode of Discworld Discourses. We're back, we're back!
I finished my reread of the Discworld series in September so it's been a couple of months.
Now that a little bit of time has passed I wanted to do a summary type video
So I'm going to be ranking the Discworld books in order from my least favourite to most favourite
And I'm going to be using the rating that I gave out of 5 in my reviews.
I thought it'd be interesting. We have a tie quite often, there are only so many numbers
So in those cases I have decided the order now.
Obviously this is just my opinion, the order in which I would rank them,
And also the order in which I would rank them right now,
When I last read the books I would have put them in a different order
And I'm sure that when I read them again in the future it'll be a different order yet again.
Okay, let's get to the rankings or else this video is going to be 40 minutes long.
Coming in at 41, my least favourite book in the Discworld series was Interesting Times.
I gave it 3.4 out of 5 in my review which is still not an awful score.
This book is a Rincewind book from about half way through the Discworld series
Where Rincewind is sent to the Agatean Empire.
It is my least favourite because personally I think it is the Discworld book that has aged least well.
Now at number 40 we have The Last Hero, another Rincewind book.
This comes a bit later in the series and is also the only large format illustrated book.
I love the illustrations, but the story is very slight and simple
Which removes a bit of one of the best things about the Discworld which is the complexity and size of its world.
Next is The Last Continent which is the sequel to Interesting Times.
Rincewind is now in XXXX.
Similar to Interesting Times, I don't think it has aged that well
But we do have the added plot of the wizards of Unseen University being trapped on an island in the past.
I gave it 3.6 out of 5 in Discworld Discourses.
We now have two books that I gave 3.7 out of 5 to.
Firstly, Equal Rites, third book in the series, which I have put as number 38.
It's the first featuring the witches and I think it's an important book in the Discworld series
But I did find the main character, Esk, a little bit annoying.
And then Eric which I have placed slightly above Equal Rites.
Another early book, this was the 9th in the run.
It's a parody of Faust and sees Rincewind taking the role of Mephistopholes.
I've put it ahead of Equal Rites because it's short and it zips along quite well.
We now have three books that I gave 3.8 out of 5 to.
We're going to have to deal with a lot of these equal ratings, it's fine.
Firstly in 36th place, Pyramids.
7th in the Discworld series, it features Pteppic who must return home and be crowned king.
I liked Pteppic as a character, but overall I found the book a bit patchy.
Next I put The Colour of Magic which was the first ever book in the Discworld series.
This book improves every time I read it but I don't find it the finest example of a Discworld novel.
And my favourite of the 3.8 out of 5 books is Snuff.
We're moving way ahead in the series now, this is the 39th book, and it's a Sam Vimes book.
Sam Vimes and his family are forced to go on holiday in the countryside.
I think the main reason I have ranked this book so low compared to the other City Watch books
Is because it doesn't add that much new to the character of Sam Vimes,
I never particularly latched on to any of the other characters,
And because I didn't find there to be much peril as well because we're expecting Vimes to succeed.
But it is our first real experience of goblins in the Discworld,
Which I think is a really late and great addition to the series and to the world.
In 33rd place I have put Sourcery, the 5th book in the Discworld series.
Where we meet the first sorcerer for generations, Coin.
I found this book to be one of the weakest in terms of humour
And I also found it a little bit unbalanced,
But I did like the complex but not overwhelming plotting
Something that the Discworld series is known for, and that I think is first very evident in this book.
I also gave Witches Abroad 3.9 out of 5.
12th Discworld book, a witches book.
It parodies a lot of fairy tales, and I've placed it ahead of Sourcery because I liked that.
But I never really got engrossed in the book, it never entirely pulled me in.
And finally Wintersmith is my favourite of the 3.9 out of 5s.
The first Tiffany Aching book mentioned so far.
The third book in her series, and 35th book overall, so we're jumping ahead again.
In this book Tiffany comes up against the elemental controlling winter.
This book is interesting in the Discworld series in that it doesn't take place entirely linearly
But that didn't work entirely for me because it meant that I knew what was going to happen.
We're now up to books that I gave 4 out of 5 to.
First Jingo, a mid-series book that concerns a war breaking out between Ankh-Morpork and Klatch.
It's a City Watch novel, and I enjoyed it as a fan of the City Watch and a fan of Vetinari
But I found it quite uneven which is why I've put it as my least favourite of the 4s.
Slightly ahead I have put The Light Fantastic, which is the second Discworld book and sequel to Colour of Magic.
I've put it quite far ahead of its prequel
Mainly because I felt like this story had more structure
And because it was closer to me to what the Discworld series will become.
Next up in place 28 is A Hat Full of Sky.
32nd Discworld book, 2nd Tiffany Aching book,
In this one Tiffany leaves the Chalk to become an apprentice witch and is pursued by a hiver.
I enjoyed Tiffany in this book, and just generally I liked this book for its characters
My attention did wander when I was reading it, however.
At number 27 I have put Lords and Ladies.
This is the 14th Discworld book and a witches book.
It sees our Lancre witches coming up against the elves for the first time.
It's one of the Discworld books where a couple of the different areas of the Discworld merge
Because Unseen University wizards descend on Lancre and I enjoyed that,
But I also found this book a bit frustrating at times.
My favourite of the 4 out of 5s is Unseen Academicals.
This is a late book in the series and the final Unseen University book
Concerning the formation of a football team.
It's my favourite in this group because I enjoy the characters
And the whole plot with the team coming together.
Now onto the 4.1s. I gave six books 4.1, very popular rating with me.
My least favourite of those was Small Gods.
It's the 13th Discworld book and features Brutha
Who can hear the Great God Om who is inhabiting the body of a tortoise.
This book tackles some heavy subjects, and it also has one of the worse villains, in my opinion, in Vorbis.
I place Maskerade next, just five books on in the Discworld series.
And this is the 5th witches book.
The witches travel to Ankh-Morpork to try and recruit Agnes Nitt to their coven.
Another one where a couple of our worlds sort of merge.
And I found this book funny and I like Agnes Nitt as a character.
In 23rd place is Soul Music, we're still in the same sort of area of the Discworld series.
It's the first Death book that we've mentioned so far.
It features the human Buddy, dward Glod, and troll Cliff
Who form a band together.
This is the book that introduces Susan, a character that I love,
It's also however one of the books that I enjoyed less when I read it the second time.
After Soul Music we move on to Raising Steam
The penultimate book in the series and the last Moist von Lipwig book.
It's my least favourite in his series.
Its concern is the invention of the steasm locomotive by Dick Simnel.
This book offers a fair amount of closure to the Discworld series, it covers a lot of ground,
And although in my opinion it doesn't feature Pratchett at his very best,
It has a lot of things that are great about the Discworld in it.
After this comes The Wee Free Men.
1st Tiffany Aching book and 30th in the Discworld series as a whole.
In this book Tiffany has to find her missing brother with the help of the Nac Mac Feegles.
I really enjoy this book for its setting and its characters.
My favourite for this group of six is Thief of Time.
Which I have put in 20th place.
It's the 26th Discworld book and 5th in the Death series.
Lopsang Ludd is apprenticed to the history monk, Lu-Tze.
I'd say this is one of the more complicated Discworld books, it's concerned with time travel,
It's a very enjoyable read but I'd say more so if you're already invested in the Discworld series.
At 4.2 out of 5 is I Shall Wear Midnight.
Another Tiffany Aching book and 38th in the Discworld series so we're near the end again.
Tiffany has to fight against increasing prejudice towards witches.
This is a very dark book, it's also one with a good villain,
And it's another one where different areas of the Discworld meet as Tiffany goes to Ankh-Morpork.
I also gave 4.2 out of 5 to Mort.
This is the first book in the Death series, and the 4th Discworld book.
I've put this ahead of I Shall Wear Midnight because in my opinion
It's the first great Discworld book if you're reading the series in publication order.
I gave three books 4.3 out of 5.
Firstly, The Shepherd's Crown, a Tiffany Aching book, another one, and also the final Discworld book.
In it there is an uprising by the elves, the elves are back.
I really enjoy the book for all the closure it gives, similar to Raising Steam
It's slightly unfinished but it's still a good book to read.
And at 16 is Carpe Jugulum, the 23rd Discworld book.
It's a witches book, and the people of Lancre become hoodwinked by a family of vampires.
I really enjoyed reading it and I think it's the most accessible of the really parodic Discworld books,
I also think it's a well-balanced book.
My favourite of the 4.3s is Reaper Man, a Death book.
11th in the Discworld series, it sees Death fired and going to work on a farm.
I found it a little uneven but it's still one of my favourites in the Death series.
The final act for me really stands out in the Discworld series as a whole.
I gave 4.4 to Wyrd Sisters, an early book in the series, 6th in the series.
We're back with the witches and we see the aftermath of the death of the king of Lancre.
Wyrd Sisters is like Mort to me in that it is one of the first in the series to feel like the very best of the Discworld
But I personally slightly prefer Wyrd Sisters to Mort
Because it caters to my interest in Shakespeare
And I like the plotting and the characters, and it features two of my favourite villains.
Also one of the books that I enjoyed more in this reread than I did before.
Tying with the Wyrd Sisters at 4.4 out of 5 is Monstrous Regiment.
Much later on, 31st Discworld book, and one of the standalone books.
It follows a small regiment from the Borogravian army.
I've put this book slightly ahead of Wyrd Sisters because I like the themes
And I latched onto the characters in this book a lot.
Also we have the plot of a group coming together, which I am a fan of always.
We're now hitting the books that I rated at 4.5 out of 5 and above, so books that I really loved.
I gave five books 4.5 out of 5.
Firstly Moving Pictures. Another standalone book but much earlier on in the series.
It sees the formation of the clicks industry.
Definitely one of my favourites of the early Discworld
I love the references and it has lots of fun characters.
At the same rating we have Guards! Guards! which is two ahead in the Discworld series and is the first City Watch book.
The first with my favourite character, Sam Vimes.
And in it they're trying to stop a dragon from terrorising the city of Ankh-Morpork.
This book introduces so many characters that I love
It's a great book for characters, and it also has some depth too.
We have now reached the top 10! Are you still here?
At number 10 we have Hogfather.
A Death and Susan book, 20th in the Discworld series.
Assassin Teatime is contracted to kill the Hogfather.
I think Teatime is a great villain and this is a very memorable book.
It's also fun and funny and it's my favourite Death book.
At number 9 I have put Making Money.
This is the 36th Discworld book so quite late on in the series.
And it's the middle of the trilogy featuring Moist von Lipwig.
This time he is fixing the bank.
Another funny book and it really zips along when you're reading it.
Next we have The Truth which is my favourite of the books that I rated at 4.5 out of 5.
It's my favourite of the standalone books and it features the formation of the first newspaper on the Disc.
I always think of this as one of my favourites so I'm quite surprised it's at number 8.
This is the book that got me into the Discworld.
It's got some great characters, and I also enjoy seeing characters we already know through different eyes.
The next three books all got 4.6 out of 5 from me
And at number 7 is Feet of Clay.
This is the 2nd City Watch book and 19th in the series as a whole.
In it the City Watch investigate the poisoning of Vetinari
And also some murders that have seemingly been carried out by golems.
It has one of my favourite openings in the Discworld series
And it's a great book for character and plot.
Next up is Thud!. A later City Watch book at 34th in the series.
It's concerned with tensions between dwarves and trolls as the anniversary of the Battle of Koom Valley looms.
I've put this ahead of Feet of Clay because it gives so many characters time to shine
And it has great themes, and depth, and relevance.
My favourite of the 4.6s, and at number 5 in my list of favourite Discworld books
Is The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents.
This is the first young adult book and the 28th Discworld novel.
And it's my favourite of the young adult Discworld books.
In it a group of rats, a cat called Maurice, and a human called Keith seek their fortune in the town of Bad Blintz.
This is a very easy read and it's surprisingly dark.
I love the relationship between the rats, and this book is just so surprising and exciting and I love it.
At number 4, with a rating of 4.7 out of 5 is The Fifth Elephant.
24th in the Discworld series, and another City Watch book,
In this one Sam Vimes is sent on a diplomatic mission to Uberwald.
I love this book because it has quite a complicated plot
And it offers great character development for Vimes.
It's also gone up in my estimation in this reread. I wouldn't have placed it so highly in my last read of the Discworld series.
But this is the only book in this reread that once I finished it I immediately wanted to pick it up and read it again.
At number 3 we have Men at Arms, my third favourite Discworld book, at the moment.
15th in the Discworld series, another City Watch book,
And another book that I gave 4.7 out of 5 to.
In this book the City Watch is expanding and Sam Vimes is due to retire.
I've placed this book at number 3 because it's the book where the City Watch series becomes my favourite in the Discworld.
It has many great character arcs and it's very satisfying to me for this reason.
I also think it's one of the best-paced Discworld books.
At number 2 with 4.8 out of 5 is Going Postal.
The first in the Moist von Lipwig series and the 33rd Discworld book.
Instead of being hanged, Moist von Lipwig is offered the 'opportunity' to take over the Ankh-Morpork post office.
This is another of the best-paced Discworld books for me.
I love the plot, and the characters of Moist and Adora Belle.
It's one of the books that closely mirrors our world and it does so successfully in my opinion.
And it's my favourite of the Moist von Lipwig books because it's the one with the most excitement and peril.
We don't know him yet, and we are willing him to succeed as opposed to expecting him to succeed.
And finally at number 1, how long was this video, I dread to think, is Night Watch.
I gave this book 5 out of 5 as a rating. I think it's the only book I've ever given 5 out of 5 to.
This has been my favourite Discworld book since I read it.
It's no surprise to me that this is at number 1, it's always been at number 1.
It's the 29th in the Discworld series, and in it Sam Vimes is sent back in time
By 30 years, and becomes his own mentor.
I adore this book, it has one of the most complicated plots,
Like Thief of Time, it's concerned with time travel.
It has so much depth, amazing characterisation,
A good villain, and it's really epic.
It's a very rewarding book, there's a lot to think about,
And it's also funny and exciting, I love it.
It's also a book that you should read after you've already read a bunch of City Watch books.
So that is it, we've reached the end of the video. You've probably quite relieved, I'm certainly quite relieved.
I hope this was interesting or fun to watch.
I thought it'd be a nice way of summarising my experience of the series as a whole
I'm looking forward to making some more episodes of Discworld Discourses in the future
So look out for those in the next few weeks and months.
And I'd also love to know your favourite Discworld books,
Just a short list in the comments of all 41, with ratings, that would be great,
I am kidding, please do not do that.
But if you have a top 3 or top 5 I would love to hear those.
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Thank you for watching, I hope you have a great day, and I will see you soon!