Discworld Death reading order
Terry Pratchett’s Death novels in publication order — Mort through Thief of Time — as a short complete path, not a 41-book Discworld chart.
Start here
Mort
It is the first Death novel (1987). Death appears earlier in Discworld; this is where his line becomes a book. Do not start with Hogfather because of the TV film.
Five novels. Publication order. A complete character path you can finish without a spreadsheet.
For the city, see City Watch. For the coven, see Witches.
The Death novels
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mort | 1987 | Start here. | Amazon |
| 2 |  Reaper Man | 1991 | Amazon | |
| 3 |  Soul Music | 1994 | Amazon | |
| 4 |  Hogfather | 1996 | Later, and the one the screen likes. Still fourth. | Amazon |
| 5 |  Thief of Time | 2001 | Closes this line’s main run. | Amazon |
Death cameos elsewhere. Those cameos are not secret Death novels. The Colour of Magic is not book zero of this path.
The Sky / Hallmark Hogfather film is a cousin. Watch it after the book if you want the joke in the right order.
Common mistakes
- Starting with Hogfather.
- Opening the whole Discworld list because Death walked through Guards! Guards!.
- Treating Soul Music as a standalone because of the title.
- Waiting to “read Discworld in order” from book one of the entire series.
What to read next
- Discworld Witches — If you want the other cottage-scale Discworld line.
- Discworld City Watch — If you want the city job.
- The Locked Tomb (Tamsyn Muir) — If you want another series that treats death as paperwork and joke.
- Wayward Children (Seanan McGuire) — If you want shorter books about rules and returns.
- Stop. Five Death novels is a finished visit.
FAQ
Do I need earlier Discworld first?
No.
Is Thief of Time the end of Death?
It is the end of this novel line. Death continues to appear. That is not a sequel list.
Hogfather first because of Christmas?
No.
Sources
- Discworld.com, reading order — official character-line approach. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Penguin, Discworld — publisher series hub. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
