Discworld
Discworld by Terry Pratchettby Terry Pratchett
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 11 fantasy novel series
Loved for sharp satire, warm flawed characters and witty prose. Critics find the moralizing hamfisted and some books ponderous.
Loved for sharp satire, warm flawed characters and witty prose. Critics find the moralizing hamfisted and some books ponderous.
37 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 33
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 10 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 33 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 8.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 10 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Sharp satire of society and tropes
“Pratchett's essential humanism shone (and sometimes shouted) through every page and satirically he was biting but never bitter.”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett” “From Equal Rites onwards Terry realized that the Discworld was much more interesting as a lens to reflect on human society.”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett” “Pratchett didn't just copy its, or other, fantasy tropes, but send them up in an exceedingly clever way”
Comment from 6 Aug 2026 in “The Title Cards in Blade Runner Are Fucking Amazing” - Comment from 15 Apr 2026 in “Sam Vimes 'Boots' Theory of Socio-Economic Unfairness”
- Comment from 6 Aug 2026 in “The Title Cards in Blade Runner Are Fucking Amazing”
Flawed, free-spirited, warm characters
“My favorite part about Pratchett is that the characters who are most competent choose to act in the best interest of the less competent normies”
Comment from 23 Jan 2026 in “Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide over "heroes"” “Almost all of Pratchett's greatest characters are highly flawed, morally complex and anti-heroic.”
Comment from 23 Jan 2026 in “Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide over "heroes"” “The defining aspect of Pratchett for me is that he loved his characters, and let them be free.”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett” - Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett”
Funny, joyful, skilled prose
“the dry humor of Hitchiker's Guide crossed with a generally Middle Earth setting”
Comment from 24 May 2026 in “I Am Begging You to Read Terry Pratchett” “Pratchett's skill with English would make even a tax report smooth and riveting.”
Comment from 23 Aug 2026 in “To become a better writer, read as much as you can” “writing joyful books. None of that "gritty realism" here.”
Comment from 3 Jan 2026 in “X-Clacks-Overhead” - Comment from 15 Apr 2026 in “Sam Vimes 'Boots' Theory of Socio-Economic Unfairness”
Re-readable, long series
“I have read Discworld series 3 times and I'm thinking to read it all again.”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett” “I swear he has the most re-readable books too”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett” “so much great Pratchett to get through”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Ponderous writing, not funny
“the writing too ponderous to enjoy”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett” “they're frankly not funny”
Comment from 15 Apr 2026 in “Sam Vimes 'Boots' Theory of Socio-Economic Unfairness” Frustrating, not enjoyable to read
“did not enjoy a Discworld book I picked up”
Comment from 23 May 2026 in “I Miss Terry Pratchett” “the frustrations of Discworld”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “In a genre where spoilers are devastating, how do we talk about puzzle games?”
Other fantasy novel series people recommend
The four most recommended other fantasy novel series, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discworldby Terry PratchettThis page | 33 | 4 | 89% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Harry Potterby J.K. Rowling | 28 | 7 | 80% | 9 | 1 yr4 owners | Approved |
| The Wheel of Timeby Robert Jordan | 20 | 10 | 67% | 8 | — | Approved |
| The Stormlight Archiveby Brandon Sanderson | 12 | 1 | 92% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Malazan Book of the Fallenby Steven Erikson | 7 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
39 of the 43 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it really warms up after the first few books”
“one of my favorites is discworld scientist experimenting with ftl communication”
“his simplistic views often hamfisted by shaping the world to make them sound Right^tm”
“he has some very insightful ideas or ethics he wants to communicate”
“Pratchett's skill with English would make even a tax report smooth and riveting.”
“send them up in an exceedingly clever way”
“Pratchett didn't just copy its, or other, fantasy tropes, but send them up in an exceedingly clever way”
“they have obvious magical analogies to real life devices and scientific procedures”
“The Discworld universe would be so cool to see.”
“the dry humor of Hitchiker's Guide crossed with a generally Middle Earth setting”
“From Equal Rites onwards Terry realized that the Discworld was much more interesting as a lens to reflect on human society.”
“We both read all the books, and been through all audiobooks (both new anf old).”
“The translations were amazing.”
“many of them build on the themes and the characters that came before”
“doing a great job at maintaining most of the nuances and adapt jokes from the english version”
“did not enjoy a Discworld book I picked up”
“The defining aspect of Pratchett for me is that he loved his characters, and let them be free.”
“Pratchett's essential humanism shone (and sometimes shouted) through every page and satirically he was biting but never bitter.”
“The death books are ones I mostly read 20+ years ago when I was a bit too young to grasp more than the basic layers.”
“the writing too ponderous to enjoy”
“I swear he has the most re-readable books too”
“I have read Discworld series 3 times and I'm thinking to read it all again.”
“filling days with Terry Pratchett was a great joy”
“Even as an adult, I found his writing encouraged a kind of kindness in me.”
“so much great Pratchett to get through”
“the best way to read Pratchett or Adams is in original”
“They are every bit as good as I remember them being.”
“Stories Terry wrote in the 1980s still feel like biting satire against the modern world.”
“they're frankly not funny”
“it's the funniest fantasy series ever”
“I like Discworld's take on "advanced culture"”
“My first reading of Discworld was in publication order and I loved it!”
“the frustrations of Discworld”
“Almost all of Pratchett's greatest characters are highly flawed, morally complex and anti-heroic.”
“My favorite part about Pratchett is that the characters who are most competent choose to act in the best interest of the less competent normies”
“Discworld is my favorite series”
“full of characters with strong wants who are roused into situation-defying action”
“writing joyful books. None of that "gritty realism" here.”
“an anachronistic madness like the Discworld series”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.