Terry Pratchett

Frequently asked questions

• What is the best reading order for Terry Pratchett's Discworld series?

  While the Discworld novels can often be read as standalones, many readers prefer to follow specific sub-series or character arcs, such as the City Watch or Witches novels, rather than strict publication order. There are several popular suggested reading orders available online that group related stories together.

• Are there any film or TV adaptations of Terry Pratchett's books?

  Many of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels have been adapted into various forms, including animated series, live-action television movies, and a recent streaming series. Notable adaptations include 'Hogfather,' 'The Colour of Magic,' 'Going Postal,' and 'Good Omens,' which he co-authored.

• How many books did Terry Pratchett write?

  Pratchett published over 70 books in his lifetime, including 41 Discworld novels, the Bromeliad Trilogy, the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy, the Long Earth series (co-written with Stephen Baxter), four Science of Discworld books (co-written with Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen), Good Omens (co-written with Neil Gaiman), and several standalone novels and short fiction collections.

• What awards did Terry Pratchett win?

  Terry Pratchett received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the Carnegie Medal for 'The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents' and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. He was also knighted for his services to literature.

• When did Terry Pratchett start writing Discworld?

  The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. Pratchett had the idea of a flat world carried by a turtle years earlier, but the series grew substantially beyond its original satirical premise across the following four decades.

• What makes Terry Pratchett's writing distinctive?

  Terry Pratchett is renowned for his satirical wit, clever wordplay, and ability to explore complex philosophical and social themes within a humorous fantasy setting. His narratives often feature memorable characters and a unique blend of absurdity and profound insight.

• What was Terry Pratchett's Alzheimer's diagnosis?

  In December 2007 Pratchett announced he had been diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), a rare variant of Alzheimer's disease that primarily affects visual and spatial processing before affecting memory and language. He donated £1 million to Alzheimer's Research UK and became one of the most prominent public advocates for dementia research in the UK.

• When was Terry Pratchett knighted?

  Pratchett was knighted in the 2009 New Year Honours list for services to literature. He was notably photographed with a sword he had made himself from meteorite iron, which he considered appropriate for the occasion.

• Did Terry Pratchett finish writing before he died?

  Yes. Pratchett completed The Shepherd's Crown, the forty-first and final Discworld novel, before his death on 12 March 2015. His publisher noted it was in an earlier stage of revision than his previous books, but Pratchett had signed off on it. It was published posthumously in August 2015.

• What happened to the unfinished works on Pratchett's hard drive?

  Pratchett had expressed a wish that any unfinished works on his hard drive should be destroyed after his death. In August 2017, in accordance with his wishes, his hard drive was run over by a steamroller at the Great Dorset Steam Fair.

• What is Good Omens and who wrote it?

  Good Omens (1990) is a comic fantasy novel co-written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman about an angel and a demon who try to prevent the Apocalypse. Pratchett and Gaiman were friends who wrote the novel together over nine weeks. It was adapted as an Amazon Prime Video television series in 2019 with Gaiman as showrunner.

• What is the reading order for Discworld?

  Discworld has no single required reading order — the 41 novels span multiple loosely-connected sub-series (the Witches, the Watch, Death, Moist von Lipwig, Tiffany Aching, and standalone novels). Most readers start with either The Colour of Magic (first published) or Guards! Guards! (the first Watch novel, widely considered an excellent entry point). Each sub-series can be read in publication order within its group.