.jpg) Cover of the first edition ofThe Colour of Magic; art by Alan Smith | |
| Author | Sir Terry Pratchett |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Josh Kirby (1983–2001) Paul Kidby (2001–2015) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Comic fantasy |
| Publisher | Transworld Publishers Doubleday Random House |
| Published | 1983–2015 |
| Media type | Print: Hardback, paperback |
| No. of books | 41 novels (List of books) |
| Website | discworld |
Discworld is acomic fantasy[1]book series written by the English author SirTerry Pratchett, set on theDiscworld, aflat planet balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. The series began in 1983 withThe Colour of Magic and continued until the final novelThe Shepherd's Crown, which was published in 2015, following Pratchett's death. The books frequently parody or take inspiration from classic works, usually fantasy or science fiction, as well asmythology,folklore andfairy tales, and often use them forsatirical parallels with cultural, political and scientific issues.
Forty-oneDiscworld novels were published. Apart from the first novel in the series,The Colour of Magic, the original British editions of the first 26 novels, up toThief of Time (2001), had cover art byJosh Kirby. After Kirby's death in 2001, the covers were designed byPaul Kidby. The American editions, published byHarperCollins, used their own cover art. Companion publications include eleven short stories (some only loosely related to the Discworld), four popular science books, and a number of supplementary books and reference guides. The series has been adapted for graphic novels, theatre, computer and board games, and television.
Discworld books regularly toppedSunday Times best-sellers list, making Pratchett the UK's best-selling author in the 1990s.Discworld novels have also won awards such as thePrometheus Award and theCarnegie Medal. In theBBC'sBig Read, fourDiscworld novels were in the top 100, and a total of fourteen in the top 200. More than 80 millionDiscworld books have been sold in 37 languages.[2][3]
Very few of theDiscworld novels have chapter divisions. Instead, they feature interweaving storylines. Pratchett was quoted as saying that he "just never got into the habit of chapters",[4] later adding that "I have to shove them in the putativeYA books because my editor screams until I do".[5] However, the firstDiscworld novelThe Colour of Magic was divided into "books", as isPyramids. Additionally,Going Postal andMaking Money both have chapters, a prologue, an epilogue, and brief teasers of what is to come in each chapter, in the style ofA. A. Milne,Jules Verne, andJerome K. Jerome.
TheDiscworld novels contain common themes and motifs that run through the series. Many of the novels parody fantasy cliches and various subgenres of fantasy, likefairy tales (notablyWitches Abroad) or vampire tales (Carpe Jugulum). Analogies of real-world issues, such as religion (Small Gods), fundamentalism and inner city tension (Thud), business and politics (Making Money), racial prejudice and exploitation (Snuff) recur, as do aspects of culture and entertainment such as opera (Maskerade), rock music (Soul Music), cinema (Moving Pictures), and football (Unseen Academicals). Parodies of non-Discworld fiction also occur frequently, includingShakespeare,Beatrix Potter, and several movies. Major historical events, especially battles, are sometimes the basis for both trivial and key events (Jingo,Eric, andPyramids), as are trends in science, technology, pop culture and modern art (Moving Pictures,Men at Arms,Thud). There are alsohumanist themes in manyDiscworld novels, and a focus oncritical thinking skills in the Witches andTiffany Aching series.
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TheDiscworld novels and stories are, in principle, stand-alone works. However, a number of novels and stories formnovel sequences with distinctstory arcs:
Rincewind was the first protagonist ofDiscworld. He is a wizard with no skill, no wizardly qualifications, and no interest in heroics. He is extremely cowardly but is constantly thrust into dangerous adventures. He saves Discworld on several occasions, and has an instrumental role in the emergence of life on Roundworld (Science of Discworld).
Other characters in the Rincewind story arc includeCohen the Barbarian, an aging hero of the old fantasy tradition, out of touch with the modern world and still fighting despite his advanced age;Twoflower, a naive tourist from the Agatean Empire (inspired by cultures of East Asia, particularly Japan and China); andThe Luggage, a magical, semi-sentient and aggressive multi-legged travelling accessory. Rincewind appears in eight Discworld novels as well as the fourScience of Discworld supplementary books.
Death, a seven-footskeleton in a black robe who rides a pale horse named Binky, appears in every novel exceptThe Wee Free Men andSnuff, although sometimes with only a few lines. His dialogue is always depicted inSMALL CAPS without quotation marks. Several characters have said that his voice seemed to reach their minds without making a sound.
Death guides souls from this world to the next. Over millennia he has developed a fascination with humanity to a point and feels protective of it. He adopted a human daughter and took on a human apprentice[6] Eventually the daughter and apprentice had a daughter,Susan Sto Helit, a primary character inSoul Music,Hogfather, andThief of Time.
Characters that often appear with Death include his butlerAlbert, his granddaughter Susan Sto Helit, theDeath of Rats in charge of gathering the souls of rodents,Quoth the raven, and the Auditors of Reality, the closest thing Death has to a nemesis.
Five Discworld novels feature prominently either Death or Susan with Death appearing. He also appears in the short stories
Witches in Pratchett's universe act asherbalists, nurses, adjudicators and wise women who can usemagic but generally prefer not to, finding simple but cunningly applied psychology (called "headology") far more effective.
The principal witch,Granny Weatherwax, a taciturn, bitter old crone from the small mountain country ofLancre, largely despises people but acts as their healer and protector because no one else can do this as well as she can. Her closest friend isNanny Ogg, a jolly, personable witch with the "common touch" who enjoys a smoke and a pint of beer, and often sings bawdy folk songs like the notorious "Hedgehog Song". The two take on apprentice witches: firstMagrat Garlick, thenAgnes Nitt, thenTiffany Aching, who become accomplished witches.
Other characters in the Witches series include:
The witches appear in many Discworld books, and are protagonists in seven. They also appeared in the short story "The Sea and Little Fishes". Their stories frequently draw on ancient European folklore and fairy tales, and parody famous works of literature, particularly byShakespeare.
The stories featuring theAnkh-Morpork City Watch areurban fantasy, and frequently depict a traditional, magically-run fantasy world coming into contact with modern technology. They revolve around the growth of theAnkh-Morpork City Watch from a hopeless gang of three to a fully-equipped and efficient police force. The stories are largelypolice procedurals, featuring crimes with heavy political or societal overtones.
The main characterSam Vimes is a haggard, cynical, working-class street copper. When introduced inGuards! Guards!, he is the alcoholic captain of the three-person Night Watch, which also includes the lazy, cowardly, and none-too-bright sergeantFred Colon and CorporalNobby Nobbs, a petty thief in his own right. ThenCarrot Ironfoundersson, a 6-foot-6-inch-tall (1.98 m) dwarf-by-adoption, joins the Watch.
Other main characters include
Cheery Littlebottom, the Watch'sforensics expert and one of the first openly female dwarves, tried to rename herself "Cheri" without success. Constable Visit-the-infidel-with-explanatory-pamphlets appears in some novels, and Sam's wife,Lady Sybil Vimes (née Ramkin) is integral to certain storylines.Inspector A E Pessimal was recruited by Vimes as his adjutant afterHavelock Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, sent him as an auditor.
The City Watch feature in eight Discworld stories, and cameoed in a number of others, includingMaking Money, the children's bookWhere's My Cow?, and the short story "Theatre of Cruelty".
Pratchett stated on numerous occasions that the presence of the City Watch makes Ankh-Morpork stories "problematic", as stories set in the city that do not directly involve Vimes and the Watch often require a Watch presence to maintain the story—at which point, it becomes a Watch story by default.[citation needed]
The Wizards ofUnseen University (UU) appear prominently throughout manyDiscworld novels; the books that centre around them exclusively are The Science of the Discworld series and the novelsUnseen Academicals andThe Last Continent. In the early books, the faculty of UU changed frequently; promotion usually involved assassination. However, after the ascension of the bombasticMustrum Ridcully to the position ofArchchancellor, the hierarchy settled down and characters had the chance to develop. Earlier books featured the wizards in possible invasions of Discworld by creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions, Lovecraftian monsters that hungered for magic.
The wizards of UU employ the traditional "whizz-bang" type of magic seen inDungeons & Dragons games, but also investigate the rules and structure of magic in terms highly reminiscent ofparticle physics. Prominent members include
In later novels, Rincewind joins their group, while the Dean leaves to become the Archchancellor of Brazeneck College in the nearby city of Pseudopolis.
The Wizards feature prominently in nineDiscworld books and star in TheScience of Discworld series and the short story "A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices".
Tiffany Aching is a young apprentice witch in a series of Discworld books aimed at young adults. Her stories often parallel mythic heroes' quests, but also deal with Tiffany's difficulties as a young girl maturing into a responsible woman. She is aided in her task by theNac Mac Feegle, a gang of blue-tattooed, 6-inch tall, hard-drinking, loud-mouthedpicts, also called "The Wee Free Men", who serve as her guardians. She is the protagonist of five novels,The Wee Free Men,A Hat Full of Sky,Wintersmith,I Shall Wear Midnight, andThe Shepherd's Crown. Major characters in this series include Miss Tick, a travelling witch who discovers Tiffany; Nac Mac Feegle chieftain Rob Anybody; and the other young witches Annagramma Hawkin and Petulia Gristle. BothGranny Weatherwax andNanny Ogg also appear in her stories.
Moist von Lipwig is a professional criminal and con man to whom Havelock Vetinari gives a "second chance" after staging his execution, recognising the advantages hisjack-of-all-trades abilities will give to the development of the city. After putting him in charge of theAnkh-Morpork Post Office inGoing Postal, with good results, Vetinari orders him to clear up the city's corrupt financial sector inMaking Money. In a third book,Raising Steam, Vetinari directs Lipwig to oversee the development of a railway network for Dick Simnel's newly invented steam locomotive. Other characters in this series includeAdora Belle Dearheart, Lipwig's acerbic, chain-smoking love interest; Gladys, a golem who develops a strange crush on Lipwig;Stanley Howler, an obsessive young man who was raised by peas and becomes the Discworld's firststamp collector; and the very old Junior Postman Groat, who never got promoted to Senior Postman because there was never a Postmaster alive long enough to promote him.
Several other books can be grouped together as "Other cultures of Discworld" books. They may contain characters or locations from other arcs, typically not as protagonist or antagonist but as a supporting character or even a throwaway reference. These includePyramids (Djelibeybi),Small Gods (Omnia), andMonstrous Regiment (Zlobenia and Borogravia).
Short descriptions of many of the notable characters:
| No. | Title | Published | Subseries | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Colour of Magic | 1983 | Rincewind | First edition cover artwork byJosh Kirby. 93rd inthe Big Read[7] |
| 2 | The Light Fantastic | 1986 | Rincewind /Unseen University | Continues fromThe Colour of Magic |
| 3 | Equal Rites | 1987 | Witches /Unseen University | |
| 4 | Mort | Death | 65th in theBig Read[7] | |
| 5 | Sourcery | 1988 | Rincewind /Unseen University | |
| 6 | Wyrd Sisters | Witches | 135th in theBig Read[8] | |
| 7 | Pyramids | 1989 | Stand-alone | British Science Fiction Award winner, 1989[9] |
| 8 | Guards! Guards! | City Watch | 69th in theBig Read[7] | |
| 9 | Eric | 1990 | Rincewind (Unseen University) | Published in a larger format and fully illustrated byJosh Kirby |
| 10 | Moving Pictures | Unseen University / Industrial Revolution | ||
| 11 | Reaper Man | 1991 | Death /Unseen University | 126th in theBig Read[8] |
| 12 | Witches Abroad | Witches | 197th in theBig Read[10] | |
| 13 | Small Gods | 1992 | Stand-alone | 102nd in theBig Read[8] |
| 14 | Lords and Ladies | Witches (Unseen University) | ||
| 15 | Men at Arms | 1993 | City Watch | 148th in theBig Read[8] |
| 16 | Soul Music | 1994 | Death /Unseen University | 151st in theBig Read[10] |
| 17 | Interesting Times | Rincewind (Unseen University) | ||
| 18 | Maskerade | 1995 | Witches | |
| 19 | Feet of Clay | 1996 | City Watch | |
| 20 | Hogfather | Death /Unseen University | 137th in theBig Read;[8]British Fantasy Award nominee, 1997[11] | |
| 21 | Jingo | 1997 | City Watch | |
| 22 | The Last Continent | 1998 | Rincewind /Unseen University | |
| 23 | Carpe Jugulum | Witches | ||
| 24 | The Fifth Elephant | 1999 | City Watch | 153rd in theBig Read;[10]Locus Award (Fantasy) nominee, 2000[12] |
| 25 | The Truth | 2000 | Industrial Revolution | 193rd in theBig Read[10] |
| 26 | Thief of Time | 2001 | Death | The last to have original cover artwork by Josh Kirby. 152nd in theBig Read;[10]Locus Award nominee, 2002[13] |
| 27 | The Last Hero | Rincewind | Published in a larger format and fully illustrated byPaul Kidby — the first in the line of his original release cover artwork for all subsequentDiscworld novels (bar the 28th). | |
| 28 | The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents | Stand-alone | The only novel to have original cover artwork byDavid Wyatt. A YA (young adult or children's) Discworld book; winner of the 2001Carnegie Medal[14] | |
| 29 | Night Watch | 2002 | City Watch | Received thePrometheus Award in 2003;[15] came 73rd in theBig Read;[7] Locus Award nominee, 2003[15] |
| 30 | The Wee Free Men | 2003 | Tiffany Aching (Witches) | The second YA Discworld book; also later published in 2008 in a fully illustrated by Stephen Player larger format edition. |
| 31 | Monstrous Regiment | Industrial Revolution(City Watch) | 2004 nominee forLocus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.[16] The title is a reference toThe First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women[17] | |
| 32 | A Hat Full of Sky | 2004 | Tiffany Aching (Witches) | The third YA Discworld book |
| 33 | Going Postal | Moist von Lipwig / Industrial Revolution | nominated for both theLocus and theNebula Awards, 2005[18] | |
| 34 | Thud! | 2005 | City Watch | Locus Award nominee, 2006[19] |
| 35 | Wintersmith | 2006 | Tiffany Aching (Witches) | The fourth YA book. |
| 36 | Making Money | 2007 | Moist von Lipwig / Industrial Revolution | Locus Awardwinner,Nebula nominee, 2008[20] |
| 37 | Unseen Academicals | 2009 | Unseen University (Rincewind) / Industrial Revolution | Locus Award nominee, 2010[21] |
| 38 | I Shall Wear Midnight | 2010 | Tiffany Aching (Witches) | The fifth YA book,Andre Nortonwinner, 2010[22] |
| 39 | Snuff | 2011 | City Watch / Industrial Revolution | The third-fastest-selling hardback adult-readership novel since records began in the UK, selling 55,000 copies in the first three days.[23] |
| 40 | Raising Steam | 2013 | Moist von Lipwig / Industrial Revolution | |
| 41 | The Shepherd's Crown | 2015 | Tiffany Aching (Witches) | The sixth YA book, Completed mid-2014 and published posthumously in 2015[24] |
Short stories by Pratchett based in the Discworld, including published miscellanea such as the fictional game origins ofThud, were reprinted in Pratchett's collectionA Blink of the Screen (2012), and elsewhere.
Seven of the short stories or short writings were also collected in a compilation of the majority of Pratchett's known short work namedOnce More* With Footnotes (2004).
Additionally, another short story "Turntables of the Night" (1989) is set in England but featuresDeath as a character; it is available online and in both anthologies.
Five short stories republished inA Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories (2023) constitute the first known works by Pratchett that include early versions of places and characters that would later become parts of Discworld. Pratchett authored most of them under a pseudonym that remained unlinked to him for decades, until posthumously discovered in 2022.[29][30][31][32]
Although Terry Pratchett said, "There are no maps. You can't map a sense of humour,"[33] there are four "Mapps":The Streets of Ankh-Morpork (1993),The Discworld Mapp (1995),A Tourist Guide to Lancre (1998), andDeath's Domain (1999). The first two were drawn by Stephen Player, based on plans by Pratchett andStephen Briggs, the third is a collaboration between Briggs andPaul Kidby, and the last is by Kidby. All also contain booklets written by Pratchett and Briggs. Terry later collaborated with the Discworld Emporium to produce two much larger works, each with the associated map with the book in a folder,The Compleat Ankh-Morpork City Guide (2012) andThe Compleat Discworld Atlas (2015).[34]
 Dust cover of first edition | |
| Author | Terry Pratchett andStephen Briggs |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Paul Kidby |
| Cover artist | Paul Kidby |
| Language | English |
| Series | Discworld Mapp |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Corgi |
Publication date | 1999 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 27 pp |
| ISBN | 0-552-14672-2 |
| Preceded by | A Tourist Guide to Lancre |
Death's Domain is a book byTerry Pratchett andStephen Briggs,[35] and illustrated byPaul Kidby. It is the fourth in the Mapp series. It was first published inpaperback byCorgi in 1999.[36] It was the second in the series to be illustrated by Kidby.[37] As with the other "mapps", the basic design and booklet were compiled by Pratchett and Briggs.
The Mapp shows the parasite universe of Death's Domain. The accompanying booklet provides various details of the Domain, both as portrayed in the Discworld books and newly revealed.
InDeath's Domain, the concept of steam locomotives on Discworld is introduced,[38] which became the main theme of Pratchett's Discworld novelRaising Steam fourteen years later.
In the live-action adaptations ofHogfather andThe Colour of Magic,Dorney Court is the real-life location used for the exterior ofMon Repos, Death's house.
Pratchett also collaborated withIan Stewart andJack Cohen on four books, using the Discworld to illuminatepopular science topics. Each book alternates chapters of aDiscworld story and notes on real science related to it. The books are:
David Langford has compiled twoDiscworldquiz books:
Most years see the release of a Discworld Diary and Discworld Calendar, both usually following a particular theme.
The diaries feature background information about their themes. Some topics are later used in the series; the character of Miss Alice Band first appeared in theAssassins' Guild Yearbook, for example.[citation needed]
The Discworld Almanak – The Year of The Prawn has a similar format and general contents to the diaries.
OtherDiscworld publications include:
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The books take place roughly inreal time and the characters' ages change to reflect the passing of years. The meetings of various characters from different narrative threads (e.g., Ridcully andGranny Weatherwax inLords and Ladies, Rincewind and Carrot inThe Last Hero) indicate that all the main storylines take place around the same period (end of the Century of the Fruitbat, beginning of the Century of the Anchovy). The main exception is the stand-alone bookSmall Gods, which appears to take place at some point earlier than most of the other stories, though even this contains cameo appearances by Death and the Librarian.
Some main characters may makecameo appearances in other books where they are not the primary focus; for example, City Watch membersCarrot Ironfoundersson andAngua appear briefly inGoing Postal,Making Money, andUnseen Academicals (placing those books afterGuards! Guards! andMen at Arms). A number of characters, such as members of staff ofUnseen University and Lord Vetinari, appear prominently in many different storylines without having specific storylines of their own. The two most frequently recurring central protagonists, Rincewind andSam Vimes, are very briefly in a room together inThe Last Hero, but they do not interact.
After Terry Pratchett was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease, he said that he would be happy for his daughterRhianna to continue the series.[44] Pratchett co-founded Narrativia in 2012 along with Rob Wilkins to serve as a production company for adaptations of his works, with Rhianna as a member of its writing team.[44] Rhianna Pratchett said that she would be involved in spin-offs, adaptations and tie-ins, but there would be no more novels.[45] The first such spin-off by Rhianna was the tie-in bookTiffany Aching's Guide to Being a Witch, co-written with children's author Gabrielle Kent.
Most of Pratchett's novels have been released asaudio cassette and CDaudiobooks.
The Colour of Magic,The Light Fantastic,[50]Mort,[51]Guards! Guards!,[52] andSmall Gods[53] have been adapted intographic novels.
Due in part to the complexity of the novels,Discworld has been difficult to adapt to film – Pratchett was fond of an anecdote of a producer attempting to pitch an adaptation ofMort in the early 1990s but was told to "lose the Death angle" by US backers.[54]
Cosgrove Hall produced several animated adaptations forChannel 4 from 1996 to 1997. All three starChristopher Lee as Death. These were made available on DVD and VHS in the US from Acorn Media.
Three television movies were commissioned bySky One in the late 2000s, each of which were broadcast in two parts. Terry Pratchett cameos as a minor character in all three.
The Amazing Maurice is a UK-Germany co-productionCGI-animated feature film, with a screenplay byTerry Rossio closely adapting the 28thDiscworld stand-alone novelThe Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents of 2001. The film stars the voices ofHugh Laurie — as the eponymous lead character of the streetwise talking ginger tomcat Maurice, who befriends a group of talking rats and a pet human to run a money-spinning "Pied Piper" scam acrossDiscworld — withEmilia Clarke,Himesh Patel,Gemma Arterton,Ariyon Bakare,David Tennant,Julie Atherton,Joe Sugg,Rob Brydon,Hugh Bonneville,David Thewlis, andPeter Serafinowiczcameoing as Death. The film's musical score was composed byTom Howe with English singer-songwriterGabrielle Aplin. It had its premiere at theManchester Animation Festival on 13 November 2022 before going on to general release at the end of 2022.[59][60]
The same film production companies are putting together a CGI-animated feature filmsequel to this film due for release in 2027.[61]
There have been severalBBC Radio adaptations of Discworld stories, including:
Other video games are:
Various other types of related merchandise have been produced bycottage industries with an interest in the books, includingStephen Briggs,Bernard Pearson,Bonsai Trading,Paul Kidby andClarecraft.
Pratchett co-authored withPhil Masters tworole-playing game supplements for Discworld, utilising the third edition of theGURPS system:
A revised second edition, theDiscworld Roleplaying Game, was published in 2016. It combined the content of the previous two books with new material, and updated the rules toGURPS Fourth Edition.
In August 2023,Royal Mail introduced a series of eight stamps based on Discworld characters, to mark the 40th anniversary of the first book's publication.[105]
On 5 November 2019, theBBC News listedThe Discworld Series on its list of the100 most influential novels.[108]
DiscworldDiscworld—"the land of the midnight frog, the place to be if you are a frog in a person's clothing"—is the setting. Based on theDiscworld series of books by Terry Pratchett, the MUD is as social and light-hearted as an LP gets, albeit with constant bar brawls and killing sprees. For the adventurous, there are close to 40 quests based on the Pratchett stories. Check out the infamous Mended Drum, a favorite hangout. [...] Difficulty: average [...] Server: LPMUD
The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature.
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