If your starting out with Pratchett its kinda obvious but I'd defo go for colour of magic, guards guards, light fantastic etc. Basically the early stuff to get a good base knowledge of the discworld and its history.


Also Mort

Just had a look at Thud!, gets some right mixed reviews more good than bad, will have to see for myself on that one, guards guards looks good as well.

I take it, it doesn't matter what order you read the books in then?

Will need to skip colour of magic and light fantastic, seen both on sky, and as most TV adaption do differ from there book counter parts, i always have a problem finishing the book if i have seen the TV version.

Some of the earlier books are good too: feet of clay, interesting times and the colour of magic are great (the film does it no justice ). Thud, going postal and the wintersmith are my favoutires of the more recent.

Interesting Times is great. My favourite is probably Witches Abroad.

It does help if you read them more or less in order. Although there's not a lot of crossover between the characters (early on at least), the books for each character, or group, are quite continuous, especially in Rincewind's case.

Favorite book... Casanova's Memoirs.

You really need to read the books in some semblance of order. Don't read Thud! without reading the other city watch books for example.
That Colour of Magic tv adaption was bloody awful. David Jason was way too old to play rincewind. They even messed up the ending.

Oh crap, how could I forget Iain Banks and Arthur Conan Doyle? Good call whoever mentioned them.

Has anyone read any Robert Rankin? I've not, but they sound worth a try. I loves me mah steampunk.

Oh come on, I thought the Colour of Magic was a pretty passable take on the universe.

And David Jason, despite being old, was a great Rincewind! He captured the bumbling good heartedness perfectly.

What they did to Vetinari, however, can never be forgiven.

An effeminate camp sounding man with a puppy?!

Vetinari scares me. Ruthless beyond measure.

“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”

So, I'm not the only Terry Pratchett fan around here then.
I went to the midnight book lauch of "I Shall Wear Midnight" in Waterstones Picadilly the other week and Sir Terry seemed in fine form in the question and answer session with Tony Robinson, before the signing event. I would say he is my favourite living author.
My book choice is "Legend" by David Gemmell, who is my most favourite author.
Bernard Cornwell and Christopher Brookmyre are other authors I really enjoy reading.