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Ankh-Morpork City Watch series Reading Order.

Quick Answer

Start Ankh-Morpork City Watch series by Terry Pratchett with "Guards! Guards!", then follow the publication sequence. This order preserves the intended narrative twists and world-building progression.

The complete reading order for the Ankh-Morpork City Watch series series by Terry Pratchett. Below you'll find the authoritative guide on how to read the books in order, including publication dates and chronological timeline placements.

Reader's Guide

This series spans 4 main titles released between 2008 and 1999. For the best experience, we recommend following the Publication Order below to preserve key plot reveals.

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Official Verdict

Short Answer:
Start with "Guards! Guards!"

To experience the narrative as intended, read the main sequence in Publication Order.Ignore novellas and side stories until you finish the first 3 core novels. This resolves all timeline confusion and preserves every major twist.

Community Consensus

Medium Debate

"The provided comments analyze reading orders for Isaac Asimov's *Foundation* series and, to a lesser extent, the *Dragonlance* books. There is no information regarding the reading order for the "Ankh-Morpork City Watch series." For the Asimov series (which is the main topic of the posts), the consensus is to begin with the original Foundation trilogy."

Key Reddit Advice

Start with the original Foundation trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation). After that, readers must choose between continuing in publication order (trilogy -> follow-ups -> prequels) or adopting a hybrid chronological order that integrates the earlier Robots and Empire series.

Why This Order Is Confusing

Many reading lists for Ankh-Morpork City Watch series conflict because early publishers often labeled short story collections as standalone novels, or rearranged internal chronologies for marketing. This guide follows original author intent and narrative continuity to settle the debate for good.

Can I skip the short stories?

Technically yes, but we strongly advise against it for Ankh-Morpork City Watch series. The shorter volumes often establish the core character motivations and world-building that the main saga assumes you already know.

I watched the show/movie first — where should I start?

Ignore the screen adaptations' timeline. Start with "Guards! Guards!" to see the original depth of the world. The books offer a significantly different (and usually more complete) experience than the on-screen versions.

Why do people disagree on the order?

Disagreement usually stems from the conflict between purely chronological order and publication order. Most long-term fans recommend publication order to preserve the emotional arc and mystery reveals.

Curator's Strategy

Recommended Reading Order Strategy

The authoritative way to read the "Ankh-Morpork City Watch series" series is in Publication Order. Start with the first published book. It's the way the author intended the world to be revealed.This ensures you experience character reveals and plot twists exactly as the author intended.

Complete Series Reading Order

Language:

Publication Reading Order4 Titles

Why Publication Order?We recommend reading in Publication Order (default). This follows the author's release schedule, ensuring you experience plot twists, character growth, and world-building exactly as intended without spoilers.
Best Start Here
1

Guards! Guards!

Pub: 20085

Here there be dragons ... and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all ...).

2

Men At Arms

Pub: 2009

Plot details hidden until you finish "Guards! Guards!".

"Unadulterated fun." —San Francisco Chronicle "Pratchett has now moved beyond the limits of humorous fantasy, and should be recognized as one of the more significant contemporary English-language satirists." —Publishers Weekly The fifteenth novel in the Discworld series from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett, featuring a lycanthropic recruit and a sword in a stone! Corporal Carrot has been promoted! He’s now in charge of the new recruits guarding Ankh-Morpork, Discworld’s greatest city, from Barbarian Tribes, Miscellaneous Marauders, unlicensed Thieves, and such. It’s a big job, particularly for an adopted dwarf. But an even bigger job awaits. An ancient document has just revealed that Ankh-Morpork, ruled for decades by Disorganized crime, has a secret sovereign! And his name is Carrot . . . And so begins the most awesome epic encounter of all time, or at least all afternoon, in which the fate of a city—indeed of the universe itself!—depends on a young man’s courage, an ancient sword’s magic, and a three-legged poodle’s bladder.

3

Jingo

Pub: 20074.21

Plot details hidden until you finish "Men At Arms".

It isn't much of an island that rises up one moonless night from the depths of the Circle Sea -- just a few square miles of silt and some old ruins. Unfortunately, the historically disputed lump of land called Leshp is once again floating directly between Ankh-Morpork and the city of Al-Khali on the coast of Klatch -- which is spark enough to ignite that glorious internationalpastime called "war." Pressed into patriotic service, Commander Sam Vimes thinks he should be leading his loyal watchmen, female watchdwarf, and lady werewolf into battle against local malefactors rather than against uncomfortably well-armed strangers in the Klatchian desert. But war is, after all, simply the greatest of all crimes -- and it's Sir Samuel's sworn duty to seek out criminal masterminds wherever they may be hiding ... and lock them away before they can do any real damage. Even the ones on his own side.

4

Plot details hidden until you finish "Jingo".

Everyone knows that the world is flat, and supported on the backs of four elephants. But weren't there supposed to be five? Indeed there were. So where is it?...When duty calls. Commander Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork constabulary answers. Even when he doesn't want to. He's been "invited" to attend a royal function as both detective and diplomat. The one role he relishes; the other requires, well, ruby tights. Of course where cops (even those clad in tights) go, alas, crime follows. An attempted assassination and a theft soon lead to a desperate chase from the low halls of Discworld royalty to the legendary fat mines of Uberwald, where lard is found in underground seams along with tusks and teeth and other precious ivory artifacts. It's up to the dauntless Vimes -- bothered as usual by a familiar cast of Discworld inhabitants (you know, trolls, dwarfs, werewolves, vampires and such) -- to solve the puzzle of the missing pachyderm. Which of course he does. After all, solving mysteries is his job.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it okay to skip books in the Ankh-Morpork City Watch series series?

We recommend ignoring novellas and short stories until you finish the core sequence. However, main sequence novels should never be skipped as they contain critical character development and plot progression.

What is the best order to read Ankh-Morpork City Watch series?

The final answer for the best experience is to start with "Guards! Guards!" and proceed in publication order. This sequence preserves character developments and plot reveals exactly as Terry Pratchett intended.

Can I read Ankh-Morpork City Watch series books in any order?

No. The main narrative is strictly sequential. Skipping volumes or reading out of order will lead to significant plot spoilers and confusion regarding character arcs.

Are there spin-offs or companion books?

Yes, the Ankh-Morpork City Watch series universe includes several companion works. These are marked as 'Optional' in our guide and can be read at any time without disrupting the main storyline.