Discworld Witches reading order
Start here
Equal Rites
1987
Terry Pratchett’s Witches novels in publication order, where Tiffany Aching sits, and why this is not a whole-Discworld spreadsheet.
Short answer · Start here
Equal Rites
It is the first Witches novel (1987). Some readers prefer Wyrd Sisters as a friendlier Granny Weatherwax door. Both beat starting with Carpe Jugulum or a Tiffany book.
Short version of the Discworld door: Where to start Discworld. This page is the Witches street only.
Discworld is a city of paths. This page is the Witches spine, the cousin of our City Watch guide. It is not 41 novels in one table.
Official Discworld reading-order pages treat the Witches as their own line. Publication order inside the line is the first read.
The Witches novels
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Equal Rites | 1987 | First Witches novel. Esk’s book. Granny is already expensive. | |
| 2 |  Wyrd Sisters | 1988 | The coven as a working unit. A common alternate door. | |
| 3 |  Witches Abroad | 1991 | ||
| 4 |  Lords and Ladies | 1992 | ||
| 5 |  Maskerade | 1995 | ||
| 6 |  Carpe JugulumDo not start here | 1998 | Later coven book. Not an on-ramp. |
Contested start, labeled: Equal Rites is first and slightly aside — it is where the line begins, and it is not yet the full coven comedy some readers wanted. Wyrd Sisters is the other honest door. This house still lists Equal Rites first. If you bounce off it, Wyrd Sisters is the retry, not A Hat Full of Sky.
Tiffany Aching — a later path
Tiffany is witches from another angle: younger, later, a different county.
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Wee Free Men | 2003 | Tiffany 1. After the coven novels, or as its own door if you want a younger on-ramp. | |
| 2 |  A Hat Full of Sky | 2004 | ||
| 3 |  Wintersmith | 2006 | ||
| 4 |  I Shall Wear Midnight | 2010 | ||
| 5 |  The Shepherd's Crown | 2015 | Last Discworld novel Pratchett finished. Not Witches book one. |
House rule: read the six coven novels, then Tiffany, if you came for Granny and Nanny. If you came for a shorter, younger Discworld, The Wee Free Men is a real door — it is still not Mort and not Guards! Guards!.
The Sea and Little Fishes is a short. Optional. Not a novel.
Common mistakes
- Opening a 41-book Discworld list and postponing Equal Rites.
- Starting with The Shepherd’s Crown.
- Mixing Witches with Watch in publication order across the whole Disc and calling it a witches path.
- Treating Equal Rites as skippable filler because later books are funnier.
What to read next
- Discworld City Watch — If you want the other main Discworld job: the city, not the cottage.
- Discworld Death — If you want the other short, complete character line.
- The Locked Tomb (Tamsyn Muir) — If you want another series that will not explain its jokes in footnote one.
- Wayward Children (Seanan McGuire) — If you want shorter books about doors and found schools.
- Discworld — Rincewind if you want the original tourist street. You do not owe it.
FAQ
Equal Rites or Wyrd Sisters first?
Equal Rites is first. Wyrd Sisters is the other door.
Do I need the Watch books?
No. They share a world, not a homework list.
Is Tiffany required?
No. It is a later, complete argument.
Whole Discworld?
Not on this page.
Sources
- Discworld.com, reading order — official character-line approach. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Penguin, Discworld — publisher series hub. Opened 2026-09-13.
Common questions
Asked about this shelf
- Where to start Discworld
Guards! Guards! (1989)
Same shelf
